Rate this book

Middle C (2013)

by William H. Gass(Favorite Author)

3.39 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0307701638 (ISBN13: 9780307701633)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Knopf

review 1: A dystopian and seemingly self-indulgent novel about a nonentity character, apparently limned out to to let us all know how insignificant we are. As I sank further into the narrative misery, I kept questioning what kept me in the book... the price, the amount I had already read and my compulsion to finish things? I really dislike the book. Gass is a brilliant fabricant of the English language and the novel is riddled with innuendo , but in the service of what? I could draw neither a conclusion nor any joy from this novel.
review 2: A dense, layered novel about an American immigrant trying to build a life as he comes to terms with his past. Is the main character Joey, Joseph, or Professor Skizzen? The novel begins with the story of Joey and his family in Austria... more, as Joey's father decides to change his identity to become Jewish, just as World War II is about to begin. He wishes to ensure that his family will be welcomed as immigrants in another country. After surviving the blitz, the family arrive in America, but without their father. Joey's mother, Miriam, Joey and his sister Deborah settle in to life in a small town, where Joey discovers a love of music and learns to play the piano by ear. When he enrols in college, he becomes Jospeh, the student who eventually leaves without graduating because of misunderstandings over religious issues. Later, Joseph becomes a lecturer at the local college, where he takes on the identity of Professor Skizzen, by falsifying his qualifications. He has to live his life knowing that his various transgressions may be uncovered and lead to disgrace. less

Download links for: Middle C

Advertising