A dance to the music of time - anyone read it?

[chocolatequeen]

Just that really - have heard several people mention it, but no one who has read it!!

Is it any good?

It's loooooong - series of novels.
I think it is great in an old-fashioned well-written way. Very understated prose makes for a muted effect when bad things happen.
If you like Evelyn Waugh or John Galsworthy you will enjoy them I think.
Channel 4 dramatisation was excellent - you could cheat horribly and get hold of a copy of that first. All the action without the pages and pages and pages

Thanks Marina - maybe I´ll try the first one. Love Evelyn Waugh, so sounds hopeful.

Tempting just to watch the tv version though.....Would like to find some good books to read though - can´t seem to find much at the moment that floats my boat......

Thanks!

I hate long books, but I loved these. It's one shortish novel at a time - don't think about how long it will take to get through the whole series! Very well written and also funny (well, I found it funny anyway).

If you're looking for a good book and haven't read it, Brideshead Revisited by EW is one of my absolute favourites.

and it's dead short!

I haven't read it but was thinking about it - Bill Nighy recommends it in this month's Easy Living.

My Dad frequently tries to get me to read this. I have held out so far in good old teenage (ha!) fashion but if enough MNetters recommend or have enjoyed it then i might succumb...

I loved it - read it every day on the Tube for about six months and was gutted when it finished - it felt as though I'd been completely absorbed into someone else's life.

Agree with Marina re the C4 series (and the Waugh comparison). One day I may get around to reading the books!

Can also recommend 'Venusberg' by the same author - very funny

I enjoyed it, but as with most things I've read, I've completely forgotten what happened. I did feel gutted when I finished, because you do get completely absorbed in these people's lives. I remember enjoying some books more than others, but sticking with them because the next one might be better.

Ian Rankin has just selected it on Desert Island Discs.

There was a Radio 4 prog on "Dance" last year presented by the geneticist Steve Jones, it's his favourite book too. I have a copy of this tome at home but haven't summed up the courage to read it yet...

Don't be scared - it may be long, but it's a really good read!

i've got two other tomes (for my bookgroups) and then I'd like to read the Mao biog...so it'll no doubt get bumped again..

Good idea. Going to give this a try. I love the kind of series where you get completely immersed in their world and lost when it ends.
For another excellent example, try the Alms for Oblivion series by Simon Raven.