Date Finished: 07/06/2012
My Rating: 3.5/5
I found The Magus to be a book of two parts, one being the first four-fifths of the book, and the second part being the end.
I had no expectations or preconceptions whatsover about this one. I had never even heard of The Magus so, other than seeing how thick it was and how small the font was, I did not know whether I would enjoy it or not. I got sucked into it very quickly however. Fowles has created a story where you are never quite sure what is going on, and I don't mean that in any way as a criticism. It is deliciously confusing, full of twists and turns, and you are never sure at any point if any of the characters are who they say they are.
Fowles starts by introducing the main character, Nicholas Urfe, and the chain of events that bring him to the remote Greek island of Phraxos to teach. Once again, I found myself not particularly liking the main character in it. Urfe comes across as arrogant and smug. Anyway, this habit of mine of not liking characters has never stopped me liking a book, and this was no exception.
After stumbling upon an eccentric gentleman named Conchis, Urfe finds himself embroiled in a tangled web of illusion, trickery and mystery. Conchis as the puppet-master, neither Urfe nor the reader are ever entirely sure what the hell is going on, and John Fowles weaves his web so beautifully, with numerous references to classical literature, and stunning imagery to accompany the plot.
As I said in the introduction, I found this book to be of two parts. By the time it got to the final fifth I was getting quite fed up of not being able to believe in any of the peripheral characters. You have no idea if anyone is who they say they are, and the 'trial' at the end and its subsequent events made me feel really uncomfortable. Yes, by the end of this story, I was definitely more frustrated with this book than I was enjoying it. Despite this, it is definitely worth the read.
So, who should read this book? Well, some of the references would probably make more sense if you have had a better classifical education than I have, but that shouldn't stop anyone who hasn't from reading it. This is a book for people who like suspense, mystery and beautifully written prose, intriguing characters and a good twist. It certainly isn't lacking in those.
Next book: The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
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