The Magus - if you've read it pls help!

[elle23]

had this book on bookcase for 6 months before I started reading it this week. only got through approx.100 pages so far. i am enjoying it so far but it's a LONG book. with 3 under 4s it will take me a while to get through this one...what I want to know is: is it worth it? or should i give up & sell it on eBay?!

quite biazare but as sh puts it thought provoking did enjoy it in a strange way....

Have started the Magus a few times...and finally managed to read it all a few months back. I really enjoyed it and did think it was worth persevering with.

However I found parts over written and a bit long winded and did quite a bit of skim reading.

Not as good as The French Lieutenants Woman or The Collector imo.

bizarre

I read it once (NB - once) years & years ago. I didn't have 3 under-4s! It was hard work & I wasn't convinced it was worth it.

OTOH, have you got anything else to do in your snatched 5 minutes for the next 4 years?

I love, love, love this book!

My advice is not to try and 'understand' it too much, if you get my drift - just try and immerse yourself in it and go along with it.

Never read any other Fowles though.

Yes. It's brilliant!

oh i liked it a lot
it is a bit pretentious student fodder though so if that's not your bag maybe give up?

Yes, I think It's worth it, but brace yourself. It's quite hard work too. Gook luck

I was certainly in my teens and probably very pretentious and when I read this. I loved it at the time but I suspect I'd struggle now.
I did find all John Fowles other stuff long winded though.

Which one is The Magus? Is it the set in Greece? Or the one in the Channel Isles? I think he often starts off well and then becomes a bit tedious. I know The Magus was one I didn't finish.

I LOVED it when I was 23
I re-read it when I was 40ish and thought it was twaddle and rather silly and pretentious (prob a bit like me when I was 23 )

oh how funny
i didn't read any other responses before I posted...