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As a Man Grows Older (New York Review Books Classics)
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| List Price: | £7.99 |
| Price: | £3.72 |
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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36 new or used available from £3.50
Average customer review:
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #154206 in Books
- Published on: 2001-01-10
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 320 pages
Editorial Reviews
Synopsis
Not so long ago Emilio Brentani was a promising young author. Now he is an insurance agent on the fast track to forty. He gains a new lease of life when he falls for the gorgeous Angiolina - except that this angel happens to be an unapologetic cheat. But what begins as a comedy of infatuation and misunderstanding ends in tragedy as Emilio's jealousy and persistence in his folly leads to the loss of the one person whom, too late, he realises he really loves. Marked by deep humanity and earthy humour, by psychological insight and elegant simplicity of style, As a Man Grows Older is a brilliant study of hopeless love and hapless indecision.
Customer Reviews
Simplicity is underated
I bought this book by accident and then couldn't put it down when I started reading it. It's charming and beautifully written.
finely written tedium
In so far as this book narrates the inner machinations of the protagonist's mind it is a tedious bore. The lead guy, Ernersto is consumed by a mindselt that alternates between romanticized self-indulgence and bitter self-recrimination, both dispositions pivoted around the nice but slutty object of his hormonal love-cum-lust, Angiolina.
However Ernesto keeps interesting company, namely his lively best mate Stefano and his sombre, darkly stoical sister Amalia. The input of these two characters and their accompanying stories give the book a badly needed depth and dimension that counters the monotone introspective narcissism of Ernesto. However, this is not enough to redeem a book that never really shapes an engaging contour of narratives and sentiment.
On a positive note, this book is finely written. The prose is sharply succinct while also being skillfully evocative and intricate. At the hands of a lesser writer this story would've been an intolerable bore, but Italo Svevo (and his translator) somehow manage to keep you engaged despite the substantive paucity of this novel.
