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Slow Man - J. M. Coetzee

Description: ISBN 0436206110 / Author: J.M. Coetzee / Genre: Fiction / A masterful new novel from one of the greatest writers alive. Paul Rayment is ... more

Slow Man - J. M. Coetzee ... on the threshold of a comfortable old age when a calamitous cycling accident results in the amputation of a leg. Humiliated, his body truncated, his life circumscribed, he turns away from his friends. He hires a nurse named Marijana, with whom he has a European childhood in common: hers in Croatia, his in France. Tactfully and efficiently she ministers to his needs. But his feelings for her, and for her handsome teenage son, are complicated by the sudden arrival on his doorstep of the celebrated Australian novelist Elizabeth Costello, who threatens to take over the direction of his life and the affairs of his heart. Unflinching in its vision of suffering and generous in its portrayal of the spirit of care, Slow Man is a masterful work of fiction by one of the world's greatest writers.

Newest Review: ... about him that only he knew and questioning his feelings for Marijana. Can he get rid of Mrs Costello and win over Marijana ... more

... at the same time? The characters Paul is beautifully described as a man too proud to rely on his friends for help when he most needs it. He has always been described as a cold man, very inward-looking, but now it seems as if he has run out of time. Yet he is not portrayed as a basket-case; Coetzee’s description of him is of a man in pain, suffering from unfortunate circumstances. His budding relationship with Marijana is clearly clutching at straws – Marijana is much younger than him, married and purely professional...more

Read Reviews for Slow Man - J. M. Coetzee

Slow Man - J. M. Coetzee: "I am not the we of anybody." (974 words)
by - written on 13/07/06 (Very useful, 79 readings)
Rating:

Introduction I have heard of J M Coetzee, but had no idea why until I did some research on this book and found out that he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003. He is also the first author to have won the Booker Prize twice. As such, I was expecting something rather complicated and dry. I couldn’t have been more wrong. What I found was a very original piece of writing that was both vivid and thought-provoking. The story Paul Rayment is out on his bike one day minding his own business when a car comes out of nowhere and sends him flying. When he comes to, he is told that he is going to lose one of his legs from just above the knee. At age 60, ... Read the complete review