The Comforters
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
Delicious for its wit and poise, The Comforters (1957) was a stunning debut. With her now signature air of easy, sunny eeriness, Spark lights up the darkest things-blackmail, drownings, breakdowns, human evil.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0399509313
ISBN13:9780399509315
Release Date:January 1984
Publisher:Putnam Publishing Group
Length:224 Pages
Weight:0.64 lbs.
Related Subjects
Contemporary Fiction Literary Literature & Fiction Psychological Thrillers ThrillersCustomer Reviews
2 ratings
Spark's First Endures
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
Muriel Spark's first novel, THE COMFORTERS, is a genuine classic. The intrustion of the "literary device" is marvelous because it is anything but a gimmick. For one thing, the mysterious metafictional typewriter (from an author composing a novel you might be reading) is inspired by experiences Spark describes in her autobiography. Aural hallucinations contributed to two masterpieces of English prose around this time--Evelyn Waugh's THE ORDEAL OF GILBERT PINFOLD takes a different approach, less cosmic and perhaps more comic. In both cases, however, the voices are central to the novel, and provide a marvelous opportunity for conveying a unique (and, I think, in both cases, -true-) view of our world.The other undercurrent here is Spark's conversion to Roman Catholicism. Caroline's attitude may not be Spark's, but I hope it is--skewering irritating modern Pharisees inside the Church as gleefully as those outside of it.
What's it all about?
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
This book's weakest point--a literary gimmick--kicks in early: a writer begins to hear a voice narrating her life, accompanied by, you guessed it, the clicking of typewriter keys. However, as annoying as this trite little device is, it has all but disappeared midway through the book, letting a somewhat more complex concept take over. The plot itself involves smuggling and tangled relationships, with a wink at English Catholicism. In the end, I've given this book four stars primarily because I enjoyed the setting, somewhere between the worlds of "Lucky Jim" and "Excellent Women."
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
