"He wondered if it were healthy, or desirable, to be thinking of the past just now when he should be thinking of the future." (p 209)George Bland has lead a quiet, safe, correct life. On retirement his is abandoned by his long-time friend, Michael Putnam, through Putnam's sudden death. Bland has also lost the regularity and positive feedback of his work life of which he has fond memories. With Putnam's departure he looses the prospect of traveling the world with Putnam as they had planned to do with their simultaneous retirements. Then Katy Gibb drops into his life, almost literally, and upsets whatever small progress that Bland had been making in devising a life post-retirement, post-Putnam. Bland is immediately intrigued by her. A young woman on her own, of indeterminate age — 25 to 35, Bland finally settles on 35 —, of indeterminate finances, who claims to be friends of the couple who live in the flat across the hall who are away at the moment. And thus begins Bland's thinking, pondering, obsessing about the his past, his future and what he should be doing about the later and how the former has/will/should inform his decisions about his future. Bland is torn between undertaking what he sees as an unconventional but interesting/exciting course of action which will end his humdrum life, and with continuing as he has been. The problem, as he sees it, is that the new course of action/behavior is out of tune with who he has been and he sees that he will cost him all respectability with the people currently in his life. And that is Bland's main problem — as he sees it — his issue is the "Private View," his view and his view only of what is and could be. He speculates, he thinks, he worries about .... He makes mountains out of mole hills and considers courses of action that astonish the reader and then, a half hour later, astonish and embarrass himself. A Private View is a view on what can happen when one over thinks and/or under thinks one's actions. It's also a view on the balance of living mostly in the past and/or the future verses living mainly in the present. I might have given this 4 stars rather than 3 but this one may have hit a bit too close to home.
There are two kinds of novels--inside novels (head and heart) and outside novels (action)--a whole continuum of fiction runs from one extreme to the other. Brookner, like Henry James, lies towards the extreme end of the "inside" novels. People who criticize novels like these because "nothing happens" are like someone who reads a horror novel and critizes it for being scary. I don't read horror fiction because I don't like being scared. I read Brookner and James because I like living inside someone else's thoughts and feelings for a short time. That said, I thought A Private View was an intriguing look at a man caught in a dilemma--should he break out of the quiet even boring life he has lead up until his retirement? Will he have missed out on something if he does not? Perhaps he has missed out BECAUSE he has not just accepted the pleasures of a steady, loving, even dull life?
What do You think about A Private View (1996)?
Honestly, I want to shake most Brookner protagonists vigorously and yell, "Wake the hell up! What is wrong with you? You can do better than this! Think less, do more!" I'm not sure why I keep reading her books when I find her characters so infuriating. And yet, they are page-turners. I read this book in two sittings. I wouldn't say it was a favorite though; her characterization of a man seemed a bit off. But I imagine I'll keep reading her books. She writes intricate, satisfying prose that always sends me to the dictionary multiple times.
—Austen to Zafón
Conceptual contents below may be spoilers:This book explores themes of old age and the whole book is about a singular decision and an attempt to carry out the decision. On the one hand, the book is about the acceptance of one's life, al beit one not lived fully. On the other hand, it can also be interpreted as the acceptance of death. The character went through stages of acceptance, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. It raises te question whether a life unlived is worth examining (yes) and worth accepting (yes). While the story is slow and at times disjointed, this book encouraged me to reflect and examine my own life.
—Amy
