Harvest by Jim Crace

[hackmum]

Has anyone else read this? I hadn't read anything by Crace before and only bought this because it was 99p in the Kindle sale, and it was on the Booker shortlist, so I thought it might be quite good. I hadn't read any reviews beforehand, so no preconceptions.

I thought it was brilliant, if bleak. Very beautifully written, it's a kind of moral fable about human cruelty. Interestingly I read some reviews afterwards and some of them really seemed to miss the point. But I would recommend it.

Yes! Loved it, but I love Jim Crace generally. I like that it is kind of obviously set during/rooted in Enclosure, and its issues are in some ways particular to that time and setting, but it's simultaneously timeless and, as you say, has the quality of a fable.

His books always have a strong and very effective sense of place, land and community. The Gift of Stones is particularly astonishing, I think.

Would love to hear if you read any more and what you think!

I've bought this in the Kindle sale too but haven't read it yet.

Good to hear such positive reviews.

Fucking - I do love a subtle username on Mumsnet.

I think I will read some more having enjoyed this one. All the way through I was trying to work out when it was set but couldn't narrow it down more than between 1500 and 1800. But when I read more about it, I discovered all the reviewers had the same problem.

It does bring home the huge injustice of the enclosures - as well as being so powerful in other ways.

I thought it was awful. Dry and boring. One big long poem about farming. It missed the mark for me.

I thought it was beautiful and I will definitely read some more of his books. I loved the fact that it wasn't pinned to a particular time and Walter was a very appealing central character. It helped that I started reading it on an autumn day in a forest with smoke from the Kelly kettle rising up just as I was reading about the newcomers

hackmum I can't take the credit. Someone said it on a thread about fairy names and I stole it, basically. Well, I did ask their permission

I loved it! One of the best books I read last year. I've just read on of his other ones, The Pesthouse but that wasn't as good, alas..
Recommended it to my husband and he loved it as well.

I wasn't so hot on The Pesthouse, either. Although I don't think any of his books are bad, as such. That one just isn't a high point IMO.

I'll look up the Gift of Stones. Have you read the book about Jesus.. which is that, isn't it called Quarantaine?

Oh yes, Quarantine is great too. I don't dislike any of the Craces I've read, tbh. He's superb.

I've just bought Gift of Stones, like the premise. I'd never heard of Jim Crace (thought he was the Guardian bod, is it John Crace? ) so I'm looking forward to reading more.

Just bobbing in to let you know that Jim Crace's Harvest is our March book of the month and Jim will be joining us for a webchat about this and his other novels in early April. Find out more here.

Thank you, Rachel, will look forward to that.

maillotjaune - I think Jim and John Crace are cousins.

Thank you hackmum I can look very knowledgeable at next week's book club with that little fact.

I've read three of his, and picked, 'Harvest' up in the library yesterday. Tbh though it looked exactly the same as the other three, which were all pretty similar anyway. I doubt I'll bother with any more of his.