Mark Haddon has written a terrifically exciting novel called “The Porpoise.”Could we just stop there?Almost anything else I say about this book risks scattering readers like startled birds. Indeed, if Haddon weren’t the author of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” I would have darted away from his new book, too.The plot is based on a Greek legend, but not a sexy one like Madeline Miller’s “Circe” was. No, “The Porpoise” reaches back to the story of Apollonius, who exposes a kin...

My first experience with Mark Haddon's writing was a short story included in the marvelous collection ''8 Ghosts''. That story was the only one I didn't like but I decided to give him a chance when ''The Porpoise'' came my way. Unfortunately, I found out that we don't match.''Pericles'' has never been one my favourite Shakespeare plays. Nevertheless, when you decide to reimagine one of his plays, you need to be careful. In my opinion, Haddon doesn't have the chops to carry out such a task. ''Per...

Shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize 2019This was my first experience of reading Haddon, thanks to the Goldsmiths Prize. I found this book interesting and enjoyable, but the disparate parts did not coalesce as much as I had hoped. The starting point is the play Pericles, Prince of Tyre, which is conventionally attributed to Shakespeare and the much lesser known George Wilkins. This story has a complicated history stretching much further back, and some of these older versions also inspired elemen...

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.Beautifully different, ethereal and drifting; clever writing indeed.I do so like it when authors take risks. As far as I'm concerned, these are the books that last - the ones that dare to deliver something thought-provoking, challenging and 'different'. The Porpoise is all of those things, and very beautifully written too.It starts with a plane crash and a death. A baby is left alone with her doting father, who turns...

Now shortlisted for the 2019 Goldsmiths Prize - and the one book I am surprised to see on the list.If 2016-18 were the years of modern Shakespeare rewrites of the major plays, notably but not exclusively the Hogarth series, the 2019 trend seems to be Shakespeare plus time travel (see also Sandra Newman’s The Heavens which I read immediately after this) and Pericles (see also Ali Smith’s Spring).Porpoise is Mark Haddon’s take on Pericles, Prince of Tyre, itself a retelling of a much older story (...

Mark Haddon has written widely differing kinds of novels and here we find the sort of experimental treatment displayed his short story collection ‘The Pier Falls and other Stories', which marked such a departure from his previous best-selling work.Tragedy, revenge and retribution are given a spell-binding modern day twist in this fantastical re-working of an ancient Greek myth. Haddon is a master storyteller and his use of imagery is sublime (e.g. 'time has turned to toffee'). However, be warned...

Well that was not what I was expecting! I got into the first part of the book - intrigued by what was going to happen to Angelica - when suddenly I was taken to Ancient Greece. I went along with it - Pericles can be interesting - and then we were whisked somewhere else. I am afraid that there was too much to-ing and fro-ing, and perhaps too much description with not enough action, and my mind wandered. I then started skim reading and we all know where that ends, yes, giving up.

The Porpoise is the fourth novel by award-winning British author, Mark Haddon and is a retelling of the Greek legend of Apollonius. Newborn Angelica is the only survivor of a small plane crash. Her wealthy father Philippe, paralysed by grief at the loss of his wife, becomes reclusive, keeping Angelica in isolation. At first this is from a paranoia about her safety, but then it is his unhealthy obsession, his inappropriate attentions that he needs to hide from the world. And, as she matures, Ange...

”The novel exists in a world where times, locations, languages and cultures are laid one over the other, with a cavalier disregard for historical and geographical fact…”(Taken from the closing acknowledgements).First an admission. I had decided not to bother reading this book until it was shortlisted for the Goldsmith’s Prize. At that point, my commitment to reading all shortlisted books kicked in and overrode my initial hesitation.I am not entirely sorry I changed my mind. But I am not wildly e...

Bonkers. This spans all of history and comments on the cyclical nature of humanity. But I’m still not sure what has just happened.

Now Nominated for the Goldsmiths Prize 2019This book is Haddon's contribution to the already pretty vast canon of reworkings of the Appolinus / Apollonius tale - illustrous authors like Gower, Wilkins and Shakespeare already took the ancient Greek material and remixed it, always slightly changing the plot, introducing new characters and twisting the themes (see "Pericles" and "Emaré", e.g.). Haddon now sets out to create a pastiche, connecting and partially overwriting what's already out there w...

The Porpoise starts off with the tale of a widowed father raising his daughter after his wife is killed in an airplane crash. At first, all seems well, but soon it becomes apparent that there is something off about the relationship between father and daughter. In comes a young man named Darius who discerns the secret, and the father drives him away while mortally threatening his life. Darius on the run then morphs into the story of Pericles, the daring adventurer from the Shakespearean play.This...

As novels go, The Porpoise is one of the weirder ones I've encountered. How could it not be, considering it contains narratives set in the present day, ancient Greece, and Elizabethan England (each having something to do with the other). Not to mention (but I will) some magical realism. Not to mention jumpy storylines that are not always easy to track without GPS.If you like a clean plot, beware. You're more likely to find value in stretches of pretty writing (Haddon being a poet, too). I picked...

The Porpoise is by far Mark Haddon's strangest and most unique novel, and that's exactly what I loved about it. From the beginning, you are launched head first into the action which is quite a shock to the system. It is apparently inspired by Pericles, Prince of Tyre, written in part by Shakespeare, so those who enjoy Greek Mythology will likely find much to love here. Exquisitely written, fascinating and a highly original and dramatic story which broaches some dark and disturbing topics, this i...

I read this book due to its shortlisting for the 2019 Goldsmith Prize. I had previously borrowed it from the library close to the announcement of the 2019 Booker longlist – but reading review of it and seeing it not make the longlist I returned it unread.I was glad that the Goldsmith bought me back to the book (and the library) as I realised that I had read all of the author’s previous adult novels.His first novel – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” was of course hugely (and in...

My thanks to Penguin Random House UK and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.Part of the description of this book on NetGalley was this:“A newborn baby is the sole survivor of a terrifying plane crash.She is raised in wealthy isolation by an overprotective father. She knows nothing of the rumours about a beautiful young woman, hidden from the world.When a suitor visits, he understands far more than he should. Forced to run for his life, he escapes aboard The Porpoise, an assassin on his tai...