The Long Form
Ratings1
Average rating4
15
Ratings1
Average rating4
It’s early morning and there’s a whole new day ahead. How will it unfold? The baby will feed, hopefully she’ll sleep; Helen looks out of the window. The Long Form is the story of two people composing a day together. It is a day of movements and improvisations, common and uncommon rhythms, stopping and starting again. As the morning progresses, a book – The History of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding – gets delivered, and the scope of the day widens further. Matters of care-work share ground with matters of friendship, housing, translation, aesthetics and creativity. Small incidents of the day revive some of the oldest preoccupations of the novel: the force of social circumstance, the power of names, the meaning of duration and the work of love. With lightness and precision, Kate Briggs renews Henry Fielding’s proposition for what a novel can be, combining fiction and essay to write an extraordinary domestic novel of far-reaching ideas.
Guardian Books of the Year 2023 | Big Issue Books of the Year 2023
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This book is quite a challenging read, blending essays on literary criticism, motherhood, and a fictional narrative following the lives of Helen and Rose. Its unique structure eschews a linear timeline, instead opting to jump around in time, much like the unpredictability of real life. This approach complements the author's fascination with the concept of time, especially in the long form of novels. While there were quite a few stunning books on motherhood published in 2023, this story stands out in its parallel exploration of the art of writing, translating into themes of motherhood and childrearing. It's a unique and genius approach, in my opinion.
Though the book can feel lengthy and chaotic at times, and I may have missed some moments of introspection, I ultimately enjoyed reading it. If you're seeking something more experimental and challenging, I recommend picking up this book!
Regarding the audiobook, I found some of the narrator's pronunciations to be a little drawn out for my taste and I wasn't particularly fond of it, But overall, it provided a satisfactory experience. Given the sporadic nature of the book and its frequent delve into topics like literary theory and philosophy, it's necessary to stay attentive while listening, otherwise you miss out on important details.
4.00 stars/5
A big thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.
