A woman writer goes to Athens in the height of summer to teach a writing course. Though her own circumstances remain indistinct, she becomes the audience to a chain of narratives, as the people she meets tell her one after another the stories of their lives.Beginning with the neighbouring passenger on the flight out and his tales of fast boats and failed marriages, the storytellers talk of their loves and ambitions and pains, their anxieties, their perceptions and daily lives. In the stifling heat and noise of the city the sequence of voice begins to weave a complex human tapestry. The more they talk the more elliptical their listener becomes, as she shapes and directs their accounts until certain themes begin to emerge: the experience of loss, the nature of family life, the difficulty of intimacy and the mystery of creativity itself.Outline is a novel about writing and talking, about self-effacement and self-expression, about the desire to create and the human art of self-portraiture in which that desire finds its universal form.
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Outline
By Rachel Cusk
A woman writer goes to Athens in the height of summer to teach a writing course. Though her own circumstances remain indistinct, she becomes the audience to a chain of narratives, as the people she meets tell her one after another the stories of their lives.Beginning with the neighbouring passenger on the flight out and his tales of fast boats and failed marriages, the storytellers talk of their loves and ambitions and pains, their anxieties, their perceptions and daily lives. In the stifling heat and noise of the city the sequence of voice begins to weave a complex human tapestry. The more they talk the more elliptical their listener becomes, as she shapes and directs their accounts until certain themes begin to emerge: the experience of loss, the nature of family life, the difficulty of intimacy and the mystery of creativity itself.Outline is a novel about writing and talking, about self-effacement and self-expression, about the desire to create and the human art of self-portraiture in which that desire finds its universal form.
Popular Reviews(5)
Reviewed by MichelleMir fällt es sehr schwer die passenden Worte für dieses Buch zu finden. Ich mochte es, aber ich mochte es irgendwie auch nicht? Jedes Kapitel des Buches ist quasi fast schon ein Monolog eines Charakters, den unsere Protagonistin trifft. Sie teilen ihre Lebensgeschichten, ihre Erfahrungen, Schmerzen, Ängste, etc. Die Charaktere waren meiner Meinung nach jedoch teilweise furchtbar prätentiös und haben viel gesagt, ohne wirklich etwas zu sagen. Keiner der Charaktere war wirklich sympathisch, was auf der einen Seite beabsichtigt schien, aber es auch sehr schwer gemacht hat, das Buch weiterzulesen. Man erfährt zudem sehr wenig über die Protagonistin selbst. Dennoch habe ich mir paradoxerweise viele Textstellen markiert, bei denen ich das Gefühl hatte ich müsste noch einmal zu ihnen zurückkehren, da Rachel Cusk eine enorm interessante und deskriptive Schreibweise hat, die mich dann doch irgendwie an das Buch gefesselt hat. Es ist ein verwirrendes Buch und selbst nachdem ich es beendet habe bin ich mir nicht sicher, ob ich es mochte oder nicht.
Reviewed by Marlies ArndtI loved this book and every single story in it!
Reviewed by Ja PoA novel in 10 conversations. Interesting concept, it feels like reading 10 independent short stories.
Reviewed by Franziska GieseckeIt took me months to read the first 100 pages bc I was immensely bored. I enjoy well-written observations but the style of writing and the lack of an actual profile were infuriating.
Reviewed by JuliaThis Book is like a smart friend, that you want to spend more time with, because of the insightful, wise but light conversation. Exactly the tone of speech, which is suitable for a week in Greece wandering between the history of a place and oneself, at some time looking out on the Mediterranean Sea and at another time looking inwards to find out who we really are and what we are really made of. The Protagonist will remain just an outline, somebody we will nearly reach because of the memories and feelings she reveals, but evenmore so through the talent she offers as a listener. It is extremely fascinating and captivating to step into the ten conversations, all very differently, which will show different sides of life. My favorite conversation was the one, the protagonist is having with the apartment she stays in. How curiously she examines the place and by doing this gets in contact with the owner of it. A very marvelous read!