Breath: A Novel by Tim Winton Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Breath: A Novel
Book Review: Hugely Enjoyable
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a wonderfully written coming-of-age tale. The passages describing the surfing scenes are captivatingly lyrical. For the most part the pacing is just right - from the first scene you know you are going to be reading a hugely enjoyable story. This is an adult book; the depiction of certain practises will add realism and intrigue but also invoke revulsion in some readers. The tension at the core of the book is the conflict between thrill seekers and the risk averse. The only down side of the book is that the ending is somehow unsatisfying for such a great story.
Book Review: I thought it was about surfing...
Summary: 2 Stars
Ugh. I thought this was about a teen boy surfing in Australia. I wanted it to be about a teen boy surfing in Australia. And it was, for about 150 pages, then it goes off into a weird and extreme area that I will not mention here. I feel ripped off because I enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book, but then to have to be subjected to...blech.
Pikelet and Loonie are two teenage boys obsessed with surfing. They meet up with Sando, a guy in his mid 30's who coaches them in the sport and sometimes encourages them to go a little too far with it. Sando's wife, Eva, was an extreme skier but now has a blown knee. Consequently, she's bitter because her husband still gets to do what he loves and because he's not spending any time with her. Breath is about pushing everything in life to the extreme to see how far one can go.
I'm giving it 2 stars because Tim Winton is a good writer and I enjoyed all but the last fourth (which totally ruined the whole thing for me.)
Here's an example of a passage I did enjoy:
"I will always remember my first wave that morning. The smells of paraffin wax and brine and peppy scrub. The way the swell rose beneath me like a body drawing in air. How the wave drew me forward and I sprang to my feet, skating with the wind of momentum in my ears. I leant across the wall of upstanding water and the board came with me as though it was part of my body and mind. The blur of spray. The billion shards of light. I remember the solitary watching figure on the beach and the flash of Loonie's smile as I flew by; I was intoxicated. And though I've lived to be an old man with my own share of happiness for all the mess I made, I still judge every joyous moment, every victory and revelation against those few seconds of living."
Book Review: Keeps you holding your breath
Summary: 4 Stars
Breath is a masterfully written tale of what it means to live in extremes; and since most of us, in our own ways, do, it's a tale about what it means to be alive. I only heard of Tim Winton when a blogger recently wrote that Saltwater Buddha reminded him of Winton's surf literature. I am now very honored to be mentioned in his company.
A novelist with a voice no one could copy, Winton's ability to be colloquial while employing phrases and vocabulary that make literary geeks froth is both entertaining and incredible. It took me 30 pages to get into Breath's subtle flow, the off-handed remarks, the Australian slang. But the narrative picks up speed as it goes and once in I scarcely wanted to put the book down.
I especially enjoyed the first half when the main character and his fearless best friend Loonie are bathing in the sheer magic of water and, as they get older, the pastime that will obsess them the rest of their lives: surfing. Winton deftly captures what it is to be a wide-eyed little grommet enamored with the water life: with pushing the limits of breath retention, with unbelievable fact that humans can ride pulses of saltwater, with learning the endless complexities of how weather affects the sea.
As their mentor Sando, an extraordinary older surfer who seems most motivated by his fear of the ordinary, pushes the two teens to confront their fears in sharky and death-defying surf, you feel the magic of childhood innocence slipping sadly away. But with each wave conquered you do feel something new and mysterious gurgling to the surface, something not unlike like air bubbles that might burst prematurely at any moment. The fear that they will bust into oblivion is what keeps you hanging on Winton's every word - even through the novel's tougher parts.
Book Review: Like coming home
Summary: 4 Stars
There's something about reading Tim Winton, to me it's like coming home. An avid reader, coming back to Tim is comfortable and easy. This book is extremely accessible, he writes in a down-to-earth, easy reading fashion. I love how he makes up words to make us easily understand what he or the character sees or feels - just like we do in every day conversations.
The novel is set in a small West Australia town and is focused around Bruce Pike (Pikelet) and his friend Loonie, who quickly become obsessed with the power of the ocean and in doing so discover power of life and love. It is a raw coming of age story with a twist in the end. If you think coming of age stories have been done to death then think again. Through the eyes of grown-up Pike we look back at his youth and discover how it has shaped him as a man.
The book does end rather quickly but I feel that gives it it's impact. It makes a statement by leaving the reader feeling like they've been slapped in the face with a big dose of realism. The imagery and humour lull you in to a false sense of security, of a "happy days" kind of feeling and then there is this intense, sharp encounter that Bruce has and it changes the entire shape of the story and his life.
I really love Tim Winton, love reading stories about my Country. The characters he creates are so very real and could easily be your neighbour or best friend. Thank you Tim and congratulations on another fantastic book!
Book Review: Mythic Surfing Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
Told as a flashback to Western Australia surf culture in the 70s, Tim Winton's BREATH takes on an almost mythic air as the reader follows the coming-of-age story of two boys who fall under the sway of a surfing legend named Sando. The boys, Pikelet and Loonie, are a Goofus and Gallant pair of sorts with the former as the narrator-protagonist "regular guy" and the latter as the thrill-seeking "wingnut" who serves as a provocative "friend." Sando, their 30-something guru, is a Laird Hamilton-sort who decides to mentor them, and completing the odd melange is Eva, Sando's mysterious and bitter wife.
Much of the book dwells on surfing scenes, with the boys constantly being encouraged to greater risks and more dangerous rides by their hero. Soon, however, the wild Loonie begins to intimidate Pikelet and push even Sando. Meanwhile, Eva becomes more and more jealous as she sees her husband's time spent more on training the boys and less on caring for her.
Around 4/5ths into the book, Eva's role begins to come to the forefront and an unseen Freud begins to "hang ten." While Sando and Loonie are off on a surfing junket, Pikelet and Eva -- lonely, bitter, and feeling left behind -- play out their similar frustrations in dangerous ways. The book takes a dark and decidedly kinky turn here, but the narrative never swerves or wipes out because the events serve to accurately explain the formative moments leading to Pikelet's adult personality.
Great description of Australia's coastline and moody ocean pairs with deep characterization to make this novel a remarkably lean (at 218 pp.) success. Yes, it may appeal more to men than women, and yes, some may object when the plot moves from sea to land, but I found its artistic merit and reasoning true to the end. In fact, when you reach the last page you'll be left with a sad, wistful feeling, as if you lost something, too -- especially if you're of an age where you can look back as Pikelet does here to that one, brief, almost-shining moment when so much was lost. Highly recommended to thrill-seekers and devotees of "writer's writers."