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Foe (UK)
Foe (UK) | J M Coetzee
9 posts | 26 read | 13 to read
Nobel Laureate and two-time Booker prize-winning author of Disgrace and The Life and Times of Michael K, J. M. Coetzee reimagines Daniel DeFoe's classic novel Robinson Crusoe in Foe. In an act of breathtaking imagination, J.M Coetzee radically reinvents the story of Robinson Crusoe. In the early eighteenth century, Susan Barton finds herself adrift from a mutinous ship and cast ashore on a remote desert island. There she finds shelter with its only other inhabitants: a man named Cruso and his tongueless slave, Friday. In time, she builds a life for herself as Cruso's companion and, eventually, his lover. At last they are rescued by a passing ship, but only she and Friday survive the journey back to London. Determined to have her story told, she pursues the eminent man of letters Daniel Foe in the hope that he will relate truthfully her memories to the world. But with Cruso dead, Friday incapable of speech and Foe himself intent on reshaping her narrative, Barton struggles to maintain her grip on the past, only to fall victim to the seduction of storytelling itself. Treacherous, elegant and unexpectedly moving, Foe remains one of the most exquisitely composed of this pre-eminent author's works. 'A small miracle of a book. . . of marvellous intricacy and overwhelming power' Washington Post 'A superb novel' The New York Times South African author J. M. Coetzee was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003 and was the first author to win the Booker Prize twice for his novels Disgrace and The Life and Times of Michael K. His novel set during the South African apartheid, Age of Iron, winner of the Sunday Express Book of the Year award is also available in Penguin paperback.
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review
Ididsoidid
Foe | J. M. Coetzee
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Pickpick

Written in parts, first Coetzee uses Susan Barton to provide a new perspective on the tale of Robinson Crusoe‘s island. Through her, in parts 2 & 3 I really enjoyed how the narrative contorted and led me to question the process of writing itself, and issues regarding voice, race and gender power imbalances, and also the concept of truth in storytelling. I got lost in the final (very short) part but not to the detriment of the whole. 8/10

review
MelHopton
Foe | J. M. Coetzee
Panpan

I disagree with the New York Times. This was not a superb novel. The main character (Susan) is part of the 'Robinson Crusoe' story but her version is duller, with racist language and a weird approach to sexual intercourse. There's a sub narrative of her search for her daughter, which made no sense to me. She keeps bleating on to this author and finding 'Friday' strange... It was just a bit of a waste of time.

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MilicaS
Foe | J. M. Coetzee
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5/53

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Gillyreads
Foe | J. M. Coetzee
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My mum is super pleased with her Mother‘s Day present (a six month gift subscription to the Novel Tea Book Club).
Highly recommend this as a gift option. Also got the minimalist version for my little sister and she loved it.
Disclaimer: this is my friend‘s business :)
https://www.novelteabookclub.com/

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wellreadredhead
Foe | J. M. Coetzee
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Pickpick

There‘s so much to ponder here, especially the ending. Lyrical prose and real questions posed about colonization and the telling of stories. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

93 likes3 stack adds
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charl08
Foe | J. M. Coetzee
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But seen from too remote a vantage, life begins to lose its particularity...

28 likes1 stack add