Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20570 in Books
• Published on: 1981-09-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Synopsis
Polly, Dennis, Angela, Adrian and their peers were bound to lose their spiritual innocence as well as their virginities on the way from the 1950s to the '70s. On the one hand there was the traditional Catholic Church, on the other the siren call of the permissive society - the appearance of the pill, the disappearance of Hell and the advent of COC (Catholics for an Open Church). It was inevitable that things would change radically. But how far could it go? How far could they go? And where would it all end? Find out in this razor-sharp novel of satiric insight and comic despair.

Customer Reviews

Traditional Catholicism and the Permissive Society
David Lodge explores the themes of sex and religion and the power of the author in this (in my opinion) his best novel. He follows a group of a dozen or so characters most of whom are at the outset of the novel practising Catholics at the University in London in the 1950's and follows them through to middle age.

If that sounds a bit worthy then be reassured. This is comic novel - of sorts. It's not as plainly comedic as the Changing Places trilogy or Paradise News but the benefit of that is when the novel in places turns to serious events it can do so with the gravitas required.

A variety of charcters struggle with the whole range of life problems. This is not a typical novel and the oucomes are not predicatable. For instance;

"Tessa, in short was clasically ripe for having an affair, and in another milieu, or novel might well have had one. Instead, she bought lots of clothers and changed more times a day than was stricly necessary, collected cookbooks and experimeted with complicated recipes, read novels from library about mature, sensitive women having affairs, and enrolled in the Open University"

Sex is discussed and depicted in this book at great length but it is written about with more intelligence and insight than other less skilled writers. Ultimately though it is the characters who draw you in. I challenge you not to sympathise with Angela whose goodness overides her need to look for her own happiness. You will share the desperation of Miles who must reconcile his deep faith with his homosexuality. You will be drawn into the terrible difficulties of Michael who is both a devout Catholic but also incredibly turned on by the beckoning of the permissive society.

The closing section of the novel is moving in the extreme, as the characters demonstrate how far they have moved since there youth. All have faced tests to their faith and all have found there are no easy answers, Lodge the author included. I highly reccomed this novel.

David Lodge's Best Novel
.. and that's saying quite a lot. Despite the briliant comedy of "Changing Places", "Therapy" and "Nice Work", amongst others and the compelling stark Greenian realism of "Ginger, You're Barmy", for me this is the best of the lot. You get plenty of laughs, but also briliant characterisation, a kaleidoscopic view of the changing world of the English Catholic and a great insight into the dilemmas and thought processes of the Catholic mind. A book written with great style, feeling & compassion, which repays multiple reads.

The book was bogged down with religious minutiae.
'How far can we go' was one of the books I selected for my 'holiday
reading'. I wanted something light-hearted and as I had thoroughly enjoyed
'Therapy' and 'Paradise News' decided a book by David Lodge would fit the
bill. Amazon readers gave the book glowing reviews and I thought I was in
for a treat, however, I was sadly disappointed. Although I knew David
Lodge's books always had Catholicism running through them I was not
expecting this! The book was bogged down with religious minutiae
which I found tedious. I cannot now decide whether to give 'The
Picturegoers' a chance or not.