Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Mister Pip
Book Review: Sure wouldn't want him writing about me . . .
Summary: 2 Stars
Don't get me wrong: Except for one thing, this is a well-written and engaging novel. But the one thing is that, in the course of the last fifty or so pages, the author turns on his characters in a way that I can only describe as vicious, either destroying them physically or poisoning whatever affection the reader may have had for them -- or both. The violence that introduces this last part of the book is portrayed in such a casual, almost matter-of-fact way that I was tempted not to finish it. I continued reading to the end in the hopes that there would be some sort of redemption in the offing. There wasn't.
Several of the blurbs on my copy of "The Elegance of the Hedgehog," by Muriel Barbery, used the word "heartbreaking," thus providing me with a heads-up about what was coming. From the blurbs on my copy of "Mister Pip," though ("sheer magic," "powerful and humane," "poignant," "haunting fable"), one would never guess what was in store.
Book Review: Surprising
Summary: 4 Stars
From where the first chapter begins to where this books ends is nothing short of a surprise. Usually, you can pick up a book, read the first chapter or two and know the direction that the writer wants to take you - not so with Mr. Pip. What begins with a classroom enjoying Great Expectation will lead the reader to a devastating end that has a young child rebuilding her life --with the help of Charles Dickens and an unforgettable teacher lovingly call Mr. Pip.
Told from the perspective of young Matilda, the reader is introduced to Mr. Watts, a white man who has come to a small island near Papua New Guinea to teach the local children. However, his teaching is a little different then what you would expect. His whole curriculum is based off Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.
Amidst the racial conflicts between the blacks and the redskins, Mr. Watts, or Mr. Pip - as he wants the children to call him, begins the Dickens tale and quickly draws the children in, while gartering the mistrust of many adults, into Pips world and thereby captivating the children during the liberation struggle that is going on around them.
This is no sweet little tale, the times and people are brutal, but with determination, Great Expectations, Mr. Pip and Matilda's story will live on for many generations.
Book Review: Sweet Meets Sorrow (3.5 Stars)
Summary: 4 Stars
The basic plot has been described in detail in other reviews. My description will therefore be brief. The setting is the early 1990s on the island of Bougainville that fought for independence from Papua New Guinea. I had never heard of Bougainville before and honestly knew PNG only in the context of pointing it out on the map.
The capital of PNG, Port Moresby can be summed up in the next paragraph which is a direct quote from Wikipedia.
In 2004, Port Moresby was ranked the worst capital city in the world to live in the Economist Intelligence Unit's ranking of 130 of the world's capital cities . High levels of rape, robbery and murder and large areas of the city controlled by gangs of thugs, known locally as "rascals" (raskol in Tok Pisin), were cited. According to a 2004 article in the Guardian newspaper, unemployment rates are estimated to be between 60 and 90% and murder rates three times that of Moscow and 23 times the rate in London.
So, this area of the world can be very barbaric which sets a good context.
The story begins in a village where life is simple and though people have fled due to the war, it is a friendly place. The only white man in the community begins to teach school and uses Dickens' Great Expectations and reading it aloud as his primary tool. This makes a big impression on the children and is a very sweet depiction of how imagination can elevate. The novel is narrated by 13 year old Matilda who is entranced with Great Expectations and relates to Pip almost as a real person.
The second half of the book changes dramatically as the horror and cruelty of war visits the village. There are barbaric events, bravery, friendship and sacrifice.
This is a good book set in a place not many of us know about. It is also original, moves quickly and deals with the heart. Most people I know that have read it have generally positive things to say about it.
As it is told from the perspective of a 13 year old girl, it is very simply worded and describes unsophisticated people who strive to survive and help each other.
I liked the novel. It was a quick and enjoyable read. It was shortlisted for the Booker and while I don't consider it to be a masterpiece, I enjoyed it far more than that year's Booker winner, "The Gathering"
Book Review: The power of the narrative to shape our perception of life and our life
Summary: 5 Stars
A New Zealand writer has produced a highly entertaining and well written novel in Mr. Pip. The title comes from the main character in Charles Dickens's wonderful novel, Great Expectations. The narrator is a young black adolescent, named Matilda, and she is bright and open to all the ideas of the world that her eager mind can absorb. She is just entering puberty, living on an island in Papua New Guinea. She lives with her mother and is an only child. Her father left the home to work in Australia but has never returned. Her mother, a rigid woman, has developed a hard shell to protect herself from hurt. Unfortunately this sets the stage for distance between the mother and daughter. Matilda's teacher is a mysterious white man, married to a black woman. Much of the novel involves the gradual discovery over time of the true identity of this man, Mr. Watts. His wife, Grace, appears to be suffering from depression. With few school books or other academic resources, Mr. Watts teaches the island children, from Great Expectations. The main character of the novel, Pip, captures Matilda's imagination and soon she reflects about her own experiences and compares them to the experiences of Pip. As the influence of Great Expectations increases for Matilda, her mother becomes concerned and a rivalry develops between Mr. Watts and Matilda's mother Dolores.
This novel is about the power of the narrative to not only entertain but to allow reflection on personal experience. Life is so full of many experiences, many of which we barely have time to remember, or analyze. The power of novels is their ability to help people, at a conscious or unconscious level, organize their experiences and put meaning or new meaning on life experiences. There is a wonderful passage in this novel where Great Expectations disappears and the students, with the help of Mr. Watts, reconstructions the story. The story is more than just a parable on the power of the narrative form, though this is certainly a characteristic of this novel. The scenes where the children reconstruct the novel from memory or the scenes where Mr. Watts agrees to tell the military insurgents the story of Mr. Pip every night for 6 nights are brilliant. The early chapters where island life and myth infiltrate the story line and dialogue are magical. The final chapters where Matilda is an adult and reflects upon her childhood are beautifully written. This novel is highly recommended.
Book Review: Warm, poignant and inspiring - should have won last year's Booker
Summary: 5 Stars
In the civil war torn island of Bougainville in the early 1990s where rebels face off soldiers from encroaching forces, there lived a native community long deserted by whites who had fled to the safety of Australia and New Zealand except for one with a native wife who chose to remain behind as a local school teacher, like flotsam from an earlier tide. His name was Mr Watts but in the eyes of the children took on the name and identity of Mr Pip, a character from Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations", which he read and taught to the children. Mr Watts or Mr Pip, as he was fatefully known, through his story telling brought hope to the community by creating another world, one which though imaginary became more real than the one they lived in. In the words of little Matilda, Dickens' characters were more real to her than the many dead ancestors she never knew. While Dickens was undisputably a godsend, Mr Pip's quiet agnosticism became a bone of contention for the god fearing Dolores, Matilda's mother, who was increasingly resentful of Mr Pip's secular thoughts and its influence over her daughter and the other students.
Poor Mr Pip - visually, you can almost see actor Peter O'Toole in the role if a film version were made of the story - didn't see the tragedy that would unfold when his imaginary name and identity became the trigger point for trouble that would shatter the lives of the entire community. It is a testimony to author Lloyd Jones's tremendous skill and confidence as a writer and his understanding of how less might be more in that unforgettable scene of horror and carnage told with the pitiless brevity of a passing news item. That truth and integrity should surmount differences in belief and uphold the essence of humanity is indeed cause for righteous tears and celebration. After experiencing such a dramatic high, the closing narrative cannot but feel slightly anti-climactic. But that's only inevitable.
Lloyd Jones' "Mister Pip" is a tremendous of piece of work, warm, poignant and inspiring. It is possibly the strongest contender for last year's Booker prize. A book of enduring value that will be read beyond its current print run. Highly recommended.