Marian H | My Favorite Novel of 2022 - A Review of Look at Me by Anita Brookner @marianhreads | Uploaded December 2022 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
This is a bit of a ramble on one of the last books I've sneaked in for this year... Anita Brookner's 1983 novel Look at Me proved to be a poignant psychological drama with nods to classic writers from the past. Though bleak enough to warrant a year-long break, and not without its flaws, Look at Me is literature to find yourself in and to learn from.
Apologies for the lack of visuals in this review - when it comes to more contemporary fiction there really aren't a lot of open-source options for artwork that would be fitting. It may be best listened to as a podcast!
Chapters:
00:00 Why I chose this book
00:54 Brief author bio
01:52 A sample of Look at Me
02:37 Plot overview (no spoilers)
06:24 Comparison with Villette
08:27 Brookner's writing technique
09:34 Contrast with The Great Gatsby
10:46 Writing technique, cont'd
12:00 DID I MENTION THIS IS A SAD BOOK
12:23 What are Frances's motives?
13:24 A reference to She (Who Must Be Obeyed)
15:15 What's up with James?
17:30 Gender portrayals and psychology
20:00 Comparison with The House of Mirth
20:47 Symbolism in the underpass scene
23:31 Quotes
27:34 Some unsolicited life advice for loners
31:19 2k subscribers shout-out!!!
***
BLOG: classicsconsidered.com
GOODREADS: goodreads.com/classicsconsidered
BOOK LIST: throne.me/u/classicsconsidered
This is a bit of a ramble on one of the last books I've sneaked in for this year... Anita Brookner's 1983 novel Look at Me proved to be a poignant psychological drama with nods to classic writers from the past. Though bleak enough to warrant a year-long break, and not without its flaws, Look at Me is literature to find yourself in and to learn from.
Apologies for the lack of visuals in this review - when it comes to more contemporary fiction there really aren't a lot of open-source options for artwork that would be fitting. It may be best listened to as a podcast!
Chapters:
00:00 Why I chose this book
00:54 Brief author bio
01:52 A sample of Look at Me
02:37 Plot overview (no spoilers)
06:24 Comparison with Villette
08:27 Brookner's writing technique
09:34 Contrast with The Great Gatsby
10:46 Writing technique, cont'd
12:00 DID I MENTION THIS IS A SAD BOOK
12:23 What are Frances's motives?
13:24 A reference to She (Who Must Be Obeyed)
15:15 What's up with James?
17:30 Gender portrayals and psychology
20:00 Comparison with The House of Mirth
20:47 Symbolism in the underpass scene
23:31 Quotes
27:34 Some unsolicited life advice for loners
31:19 2k subscribers shout-out!!!
***
BLOG: classicsconsidered.com
GOODREADS: goodreads.com/classicsconsidered
BOOK LIST: throne.me/u/classicsconsidered
