Rating: 
Summary: Damn good reading
Review: I usually hate school books, but this one was worth the read. It is unlike anything I have ever read, in its content, theme, structure, and style; rarely do I read something this fresh to the mind, and this enlightening. It's brilliant, and subtle. Davies should be better known, but I can understand why he has remained largely obscure outside of Canada, as many of his acute and literate references are often lost on readers (myself included, though it doesn't change my opinion). One of the best books I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Literate but basically boring
Review: I was really excited about starting this trilogy, having read some of the reviews. Somewhere I had read of alleged similarities (fatal snowball, fatal baseball, Canadian connections) between this book and A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, my all-time favorite novel over 40-plus years of reading. Was I ever disappointed!!! It started out ok but once the narrrator's childhood was over, the book got much less interesting. It was an odd combination of many elements, but I got royally bored with some of the pompous characters and the endless discourses on magic shows. Although I can recognize Davies as a highly literate writer, the plot just wasn't for me and needless to say, I am stopping two short of completing the trilogy. Read OWEN MEANY instead.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing Spectacular
Review: I wonder why so many people give it 5 stars as there is nothing spectacular in the book. First of all, the plot starts out well but quickly collasped into nonsense after the first chapter. It is simply weird and unconvincing for Ramsey to write a whole book (over 200 pages) to the Headmaster as a response to a two-page articule. ( I wonder whether the Headmaster is going to read that lengthy thing!) There are too many trivial things and characters and unnecessary details (such as the mentioning of many unknown books and authors) that tend to annoy the reader. Even worse was the religious content, which, you know, if you have read enough Voltaire and Kierkegaard and Nietszche you will find his religious analyses superficial. It is supposed to be a satire, but you will find Davie makes jokes that are not really funny. ( I'd say Voltaire's Candide is ten times more successful as a satire than Fifth Business.) Overall, I find the book too long ( there are many sections that could be deleted and the flow of the story wouldn't be affected ) and simply boring, for unlike masters such as J. Conrad and R.L. Steveson, Robertson Davies failed to give his book an exciting and attractive plot. Davies was over-praised. And if he regarded as the best Canadian author, it would be Canada's shame.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is garbage!
Review: I've read this book once, but only because I had to. I thought the book was completely garbage. I don't recommend for anyone to read it unless they have to.
Rating:
Summary: The first one-ninth of a marvellous trilogy of trilogies
Review: In classical dramatic theory (Davies started out as an actor), there are four principal roles: Hero, Heroine, Confidante (the Hero's sidekick), and Villain (who tries to separate the Hero and Heroine). But something more is needed: The supporting players who serve as catalysts in the actions of the major roles, and that composite role is known as "Fifth Business." Dunstable Ramsey is the lifelong catalyst between Percy Boyd Staunton and his inept wife, Leola Cruikshank, and also between the tragic Mrs. Dempster and her son, Paul. All are originally residents of the small rural Ontario community of Deptford, but the rational and decent Ramsey (who changes his first name to "Dunstan"), and the money-driven but also usually decent Percy (who changes his name to "Boy"), and the success-driven but also eventually decent Paul (who changes his name to "Magnus") rise greatly in the world, though in very different ways. There are any number of parallel themes, but the major one involves Ramsey's search for the supernatural in a merely real world. Davies is a master of in-depth characterization and also exhibits a delightfully droll sense of humor, both of which together will hold your attention to the last page. Happily, this is only the first volume of a terrific trilogy!
Rating: 
Summary: Thank saints there are 2 more in the series
Review: In this mature and subtle book, Davies sets out to expore the crisis that takes grip when one must justify a life lived. But like the plot itself, the reader is left with perhaps more questions than anwers. Why do we value acheivement more than deapth of spirit? Is the life of one dragged by events any less valuable that that of the successful showman, businessman or politician? Isn't success just an illusion that covers the emptiness of spirit that is its inevitable companion?Along the way, the reader meets colorful characters - priests and sinners - the enliven the story. A book that is therapy bound by leather.
Rating:
Summary: An inward-leading story appreciated only at the end.
Review: It is at this point in time that I wish to revoke my former statement about this novel by Robertson Davies. Although at the time unfinished and unliked, this work was something wholly amazing once read. The story twists back through itself and allows for sequels to either be read in sequence or on their own as separate entities. I reccomend reading the second in the series: "The Manticore". -Enjoy
Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth buying
Review: It is easy for me to give this book a rating of 10 as it is indeed among the best of novels. Don't stop with this, though; go on to THE MANTICORE and WORLD OF WONDERS to complete the Deptford trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Everything A Novel Should Be
Review: It may have been the Russian novelist Turgenev who used to write while sitting at a desk looking out the window with his feet in a bucket of warm water. Metaphorically speaking, this represents the artist, drawing warmth from the Muse while looking out at the world. So Davies does. Written in autobiographical style, the protagonist, Dunstan Ramsey, details his layered life. Beginning with a pivotal episode that changed his life direction (one that is endlessly discussable), it is not clear until the finale just how all the ramifications get worked out from this event. Oh, Davies can write. The narrative detail, the characterization, the ideas, weave like a fine fugue. Davies writes of Ramsey's childhood in rural Canada during the turn of the century, the Great War, life in a circus, hagiography, and slight of hand; it is deliciously rich in detail and wisdom. The Muse has visited Davies.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing book!
Review: Let me start off by saying that I am a totally devoted Robertson Davies fan, and one who regrets very much not having had the opportunity to write him and tell him how much I enjoy his books. I think that Fifth Business is one of his better books--I share his admiration for Mrs. Dempster, and I think that Davies has put together a really fine job of telling a story that is a fine parable for how complex that life can be! The book also has some wonderful moments of humor, albeit dry humor but of the first order. I heartily recommend it!
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