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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
This book touched me in several ways. Living as I do with a spouse who has been losing his hearing over many years, the opening chapters made me both giggle and squirm as I recognised familiar situations. Moving on, the book becomes a reflection on ageing and letting go on those aspects of life that shape one's identity in the early stages. Compassionate, truthful and ultimately heartening.
What an incredibly witty book. The writing alone will hook anyone with an appreciation for cleverness. The plot of a linguistics professor losing his ability to hear and, in turn, his grasp on the verbal language is captivating. I suggest reading this book slowly as to fully catch all of the clever little moments hidden within the progression of the plot.
What else can I say? This is a must-read.
What else can I say? This is a must-read.
Lovely, tragic, hilarious novel about a heard-of-hearing (to put it lightly) retired professor. Devoured this book in one afternoon and would pick it up again.
A recently retired professor dealing with retirement, an aging parent, and a minor mid-life crisis with a younger student. Set in the context of becoming deaf at an early age and dealing with being deaf in a hearing world (including all the wryly funny things). The author seems to be a genuinely nice person and it's a pleasant observation on his particular time of life.
Me ha encantado. A veces divertido, a veces emotivo. Lástima que no sea más prolífico.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
This is my first David Lodge read in ages, and he's even better than I remembered. He's clever, funny, and very, very smart -- all as expected. I was pleasantly surprised by the emotionally wallop of this one, which deals with the frustrations of diminishing hearing and doing right by aging parents.
I always enjoy David Lodge. He's one of those writers who is extremely good at seeing--and writing about--social interactions, men and women, parent and child...and he's funny on top of that. Deaf Sentence has the added bonus of bringing deafness and linguistics into the mix, adding two more layers to those relationships.
As a speech-language pathologist and a professor, there was much to love about this book. It's the story of a retired linguistics professor, Desmond, who is going deaf. The insights into the humor and pain of losing one's hearing, how it affects social interactions and marriage, and the joys of taking out hearing aids when one seeks silence was portrayed in a very real way. There was also the added twist of a crazy doctoral student playing mind games with this professor and trying to entice him...in sensual and academic ways. And finally, the complex relationships of Desmond and his wife, his father, and children--very insightful and poignant. Basically, it was a tale of Desmond's coming of (senior adult) age and wrestling with issues of quality of life, worth after retirement, etc. The book had an engaging plot, was very well written, and even the most unlikable characters had their redeeming qualities. Definitely recommend!
(A scant amount of PG-13 sex, but not superfluous and it did help develop the plot and characters)
(A scant amount of PG-13 sex, but not superfluous and it did help develop the plot and characters)