Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8816 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-02
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

Synopsis
Since the original prewar translation there has been no completely new rendering of the French original into English. This translation brings to the fore a more sharply engaged, comic and lucid Proust. IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME is one of the greatest, most entertaining reading experiences in any language. As the great story unfolds from its magical opening scenes to its devastating end, Penguin makes Proust accessible to a new generation. Each volume is translated by a different, superb translator working under the general editorship of Professor Christopher Prendergast, University of Cambridge.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant
I found myself completely captivated by this first of Proust's classic series; his evocations of children's perceptions of the world of grownups, and of what it is like to be a man in love, are simply superb. Sure, you have to smile a bit at the very long sentences - the editor protests that Proust's reputation for this is a bit unfair, in that "only" a quarter of the text consists of sentences that are longer then ten lines - yeah, right. But it would be impossible to unwind them. The pace of the book is of course very slow but I found that part of its charm. Roll on the second volume.

Also I was taken aback by the amount of girl-on-girl action. I'm not used to that in classic literature.

What would have happened if he'd had a coffee instead?
Why oh why has this new translation been published in two different covers? The American ones, in Penguin Delux Editions, have gorgeous covers, and the British editions have the usual wishy-washy close ups of roughly period paintings, and for some reason, Groucho Marx on the spine. His eyes follow you around the room. If it were not for that stupid law that means the last two volumes of the translation can't be published in the US until 2019 (& why won't sombody fix that?) we would never have bought them in this version, and will have to spend the afternoon covering them. It is most distracting...

Only love can break your heart
Slow to the point of retardation, circular, ambiguous, prurient, self-absorbed and above all French; it is a mystery to me why this book is considered to be the finest novel ever penned.
I read this book on holiday in Ventnor and despite an overhelming sense of self-satisfaction at having read such a fat book, I was bitterly disappointing. I don't mind a little psychological acuity, the odd pastiche of the aporetic round of human living etc. but overall I found the plot thin and the action scenes over-written. Selling a million copies is the goal of every serious writer but I feel Mr Proust has made too many concessions along the way. Many of the gags are cheap and the female characters unconvicing. The comic timing is also way off - sometimes the punchline comes several pages after the set-up.
However, the Baron de Charlus is a good character and will ring bells for anyone who hails from the Sheffield area. There is also a very entertaining moment where the narrator chokes on a bit of cake and his whole life flashes before his eyes (although in slow motion).
I think that the over 40's and anyone who wants to learn how NOT to tell a joke would like this book. Probably not appropriate for readers with impaired memory or synaesthesia.