Under the Volcano

Rating:
Summary: One of the century!
Review: I've read this book a number of times, over a number of years and what continues to amaze me is that each reading seems like an entirely new one and in no way conforms to the previous memory.It's a complex work! If you have read about Lowry's extended work on his ms.(17 drafts!) it becomes more understandable why this should be so. Overall Lowry's work is brilliant, but very uneven - this novel is his masterpiece, but read 'Forest Path to the Spring".

Rating:
Summary: lovely
Review: This is a poignant and depressing book, filled with beautifully articulated desperation. It is the story of a man who has given up on life. Fortunately, it takes this premise seriously and tacks on no phony happy endings. This man's life is over, there is no chance for redemption, it is too late, things have gone too wrong, and he knows that everything is his own fault. We go into the causes and effects of this destitution on the last day of his life, a day that sees his wife returning to him after leaving quite some time before, his half brother yearning to go fight the nazis, betraying a basic character flaw of the need to be a hero; and it shows the Consul, Geoffory Fermin, washed away by booze and lonliness as life slips away and no one cares. It is a wonderful and painful book.

Rating:
Summary: Intense story of a triangular relation.
Review: The book shows the predestinated failure of a relation which already had been destroyed by a combination of things in the past, feelings of revenge and guilt, escape from decision taking through alcohol abuse. Who has never felt the energy it takes in a relation to come up with some good measures, an open talk or an ordinary compliment, in order to recover the feeling you had when you just met. People with experience in triangular relations (in the book's case; a relation between two brothers and an ex-wife of one of them) might even agree with me that these things are even more subtile in triangular relations. Especially in situations where things have to be undertaken in order to rescue the situation from failure. The three main characters in "Under the Volcano" are living in a kind of vacuum chewing on the memories of a glorious past. The plot is in Mexico at the day of the death. More than 500 pages tell the handlings, conversation, feelings and thoughts without redundancy. The way these change from character to character, mood and situation might be considered the best attempt to describe, projection thinking (" think that you think that...") the main cause of problems in relations, ever

Rating:
Summary: Great Novel, Crappy Edition
Review: Under the Volcano is a great novel--one of my favorites. But this edition has many, many spelling errors and typos...so many that they're a distraction. It's a shame, because otherwise I think this edition's design is clean and very readable. Definitely read the book if you're interested, but not this edition.

Rating:
Summary: Chewing day-old bread...
Review: ...but that's a good thing. It builds character (and muscle).

In any event, I would hazard to guess that the people for whom this book doesn't resonate are those that one would hate to encounter and be buttonholed by in a pub.

I'll stake my colors to the mast: I'm a drinker. Being such, I can understand a wide variety of behaviors amongst those who habituate themselves to the use of said soporific. Perhaps more Nepenthe, though I can't imagine most of the negative reviewers will understand where that particular "substance" can fit into their world view.

To the book...well, let's just say that this isn't something one picks up for a "beach read" or can simply lug along when one is "on the throne". This is a difficult book. And, like all difficult art, its quality isn't revealed to those with short attention spans. I consider myself to be a VORACIOUS reader, and it took me longer to get through this book than I would ordinarily allot; but once I was finished, I immediately started reading it again, and to much greater effect, I must confess.

Let me cut this short by saying this: I almost stopped reading "The Sun Also Rises"; I almost stopped reading Kafka's "The Trial; but I pushed on and was rewarded beyond what I could have possibly imagined. Sometimes--most times???--great art will make you uncomfortable.

This book will not reinforce your worldview that you are fantastic; it's a (possibly) flawed book for flawed peoople. But if you are capable of feeling, you'll *eventually* realize that this is one of the MOST important books you have ever read. It *WILL* influence you far beyond what you may have gotten from an initial, cursory reading.

Rating:
Summary: Under the bus
Review: Probably one of the more challenging books you'll come across. I think I would enjoy it even more if I knew even 1/10 of the literary references. The entire book was confusing to me at times, but I couldn't stop reading it. The last chapter is probably my favorite ending of all time. The first cahpter is not my favorite of all time. I really don't know anyone in the world whom I could reccomend this too. So I hope you'll enjoy it. There were a lot of typograstical errers in the texzt, that made me giddy and overactious and sometimes gassy. Maybe top 20 books I have ever read, think I'll go have a sandwich.

Rating:
Summary: Joyce on mescal
Review: Malcolm Lowry's "Under the Volcano" is one of the best books I've read in a while. Published in 1947, it's today considered by many (and recently, myself) to be one of the greatest novels written in the English language; Lowry combines elegant poetic prose, first-hand perspectives, and cultured differences to present a mastery of celestial writing in what I found to be a quick read.

To give a brief synopsis; a self-deposed Consul living in Mexico becomes an alcholic, and is ignorant to his cheating wife and two-faced friends. This much is assumed when the story starts---it picks up from a point where his wife who has left him returns to Mexico in hopes of pulling him out of his dilemma that he can't do on his own. The whole book takes place on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, a Latin holiday when all give respect to friends/family/people who have died), 1938, in a town shadowed by two volcanos.

"Under the Volcano" is by no means an action book, although it is one of the quicker reads I've had in a while. To quote the afterword given, it is a book that "addresses universal values of love, individual integrity, faith, and brotherhood," while at the same time enveloping the reader in a story that cannot be put down.

Some previous reviewers mentioned that the style of writing was difficult to understand. Certain aspects can complicate, but by no means impede, comprehension of his writing. For instance, since the story takes place in Latin America, there is a lot of Spanish used. Being multilingual helps, but I found that had I not understood Spanish, the general idea would have still been portrayed. Then there is also the occasional lack of punctuation, which signifies the "voices" in the Consul's alcoholic psyche. When reading these excerpts, you can find that it not only makes sense, but sheds light on an area that none of us would have been able to understand had we not read it from someone who has experienced these things first hand.

As for the actual book, it's quite well put together. It has an attractive cover, an informative introduction and afterword, and an easy to read typeface (I read it in a weekend). One thing that did confuse me was the constant spelling errors. As I mentioned before, there are many times when the books withdraws from normal action into a mental state where confusion in the writing is intended, but I also noticed at least 20 instances where certain words were misspelled, letters were left off, et cetera. By no means does this detract from the book, however.

Overall, this is an amazing book, and one that you should definitely purchase---it might even change your outlook on life.

Rating:
Summary: Mescal, Por Favor.
Review: Where to begin? I finished reading Under the Volcanop three months ago and I am still uncertain about my reaction. On one hand I admire the depth of the novel, but am somewhat disconcerted that it eludes me like a drunken mumble. I am excited by the characters, but I am drained by the plot.

Since I am not a moron (I hope), I can only surmise that if the book had less than a compelling effect on me, then this was due to a flaw of creation rather than to a deficiency in my ability to perceive deftly written word, poignant themes and nuanced emotions before me on the page. Thus, I will not accept that this is implicity a "brilliant" book merely because I am frightened to appear otherwise.

It is a difficult read, but one that may pay off for the reader if he/she has a tendency to behave in a self-pitying and self-destructive manner. Alcoholic impotence sufferers who have a special affinity for third world dive bars will be especially pleased with a reading. Symbolism about fascism and the coming war in Europe is as graceful and insightful as a patriotic musical written by Soviet copyboys.

I also caution the would-be reader that reading this may induce at least one ill-fated experiment with the rough beast of Mescal. Enjoy and bring napkins.