Customer Reviews
Proust is far from pretentious, but not one for anyone without patience - By: Jpa Mokuolu, 09 Jul 2008 
I haven't read the version of this particular publisher, but if it is the Moncrieff & Kilmartin translation then I find it rather ponderous what some of the poor reviews are about. This novel is the very definition of literary genius, I'm not sure if it matches up to my favourite novelist Dostoevski, but I did often feel unfaithful to him; while very differentin style, Proust is every bit as philosophically & psychologically subtle as the great russian master; & like other writers I enjoy he seems to weave these insights sumptuosly & seemlessly into the narrative. From Bergson's theory of memory & the 'elen vital' to Shopenhauer's metaphysical pessismism as well as arts redemptive rolein our endless striving to continue to live & love which can ultimately be reduced to vain suffering, to a ruthless & humourous social critique of the petit bourgeoisie, & an insight into the nature of love & jealousy, which can only be rivalled by Shakespeares Othello, plus a host of ideas & comic portrayals that are trully original & Proustian this novel is trully flawless. A great addition to the tradition of French novels exploration of sexuality on the fringe, investigating themes such as child sexuality, homosexuality etc with the boldness of Battaille or Sacher-Masoch & the psychological penetration of Freud. Now as I mentioned I have not read this particular version, but I do relate to some of the reviews, often I have come across translations that make books like War & Peace, which one requires alot of patience for rather opaque & then rediscovered the novelin a different translation which makes it infinitely more pleasurable. As for Proust himself & his narrative as well as insights, I can assure you he's not at fault. try everymans Library version, its trully a masterpiece of translationin & of itself. after you've read that you will appreciate any translation of Proust.
A Surat (painting) in the literary sense - By: S. M. Rutterford, 18 Jan 2008 
It has taken approximately three months just to read through the first novel of this great & august work, which I suppose goes to show how much time & effort Proust put into writing this.
It is a very time-consuming plot. In the first instance he tends to go on at length about how he is waiting at the top of the stairs for his mother to come & kiss him goodnight & then deviates at lengthin a painterly & studious way around how he evokes the environs of Combray. This departure seems to extend into a little novella all of its own, before you arrive finally at the reason the book was entitled as it was, i.e. Swann's pursuit & on-off love affair with Odette. You wend your way via endless luncheons & dinner parties at the Verdurins & glimpsing Odette's other flings as a courtesan with various Comtes & Ducs (sic)particularly Fourcheville, who is Swann's main rival.
But allin all, this is a creative tour de force, is superbly written, as is evident by the number of drafts Proust went through before its final completion & is well worth three months of anyone's timein terms of a good bedtime read. I just hope Volume II will not be as time consuming. I think the phrase "just hangin there!" is appropriate as there are better things to come from this delightful range of novels.
Easy - why didn't someone tell me? - By: Mr. F. L. Dunkin Wedd, 30 Jun 2007 For thirty years, I thought Proust was too 'difficult' for the ordinary reader. I gained that impression, I suppose, from hearing 'clever' people talk about him.
Rubbish. This is great stuff, & very approachable. And it's well worth the effort: the narrative style & the examination of the writer's inner life are unlike anything else. I wish I'd read it years ago.
One proviso: this is NOT fast-moving...! It's best read,in my view, when you have a long stretch of time to devote to it: I couldn't pick it up & put it down as a bedside book. So it makes a great holiday read - perhaps for that rainy weekin Deauville?!
This Internal Dialogue of Stalled Thinking Is Irresistible - By: Donald Mitchell, 27 May 2004 All of us have self-talk, which is quite different from the way we converse with each other or write. Proust has captured self-talkin a delightful display of stream-of-consciousness writing that is unequaledin literature. You will find yourself remembering many of the same thoughtsin your own self-talk. By focusing inward, Proust succeedsin portraying much of what is universal about all of humanity.
Unlike Joyce, who employed the same technique, Proust is easy & delightful to follow. You will sense beautyin thought that will make you glad to be alive. It will also stimulate you to notice more about the world around you & your reactions to it.
Do be aware that an internally-focused book does not have a lot of action & dramain it. On the other hand, neither does most of life. I think Proust has captured the essence of human lifein a very valuable way. But if you like Dirk Pitt novels & little else, you would do well to avoid Swann's Way.
The main drawback of self-talk is that we often build hurdles where there are none. We often talk ourselves out of things that we should pursue. As a result, our thinking stalls our ability to act. You will find lots of delicious examples of thisin the hypochondria exploredin this book.
Although this book is rarely assignedin literature classes, almost everyone would benefit from reading it. You can best use it as a mirror to see yourself better. That should make for a tasty dish that is irresistible once tasted. Bon appetit!
A book of two halves - By: , 10 May 2004 
This book was recommended to me at a time that I was exploring alot of French literature. Previously I had been put off by both the length of the book & the lack of subject matter. Despite initial misgivings, I soon got into the idiom of the book & the first half of this tome where the narrator recounts his childhoodin a sleepy, French town. This is almost as good as parts of "David Copperfield" or "Great Expectations"in the way that it depicts a child's perception of the adult world. Some of the writing is very funny & Proust's perceptive writing, particualarly when describing the walks through the countryside, is extremely beautiful. The first half of the book deservedly merits five stars & demonstrates why Proust enjoys such a great reputation.
Unfortunately, the second half of this volume concerns the unfortunate Mr. Swann & his affair with a woman who is clearly cruelly leading him on. This is nothing more than high class "Chick lit" & was probably one of the most boring & turgid things that I have ever read. (Almost as bad as T.E. Lawrence's "Seven pillars of wisdom", another book that I would never recommend & should be immediately flushed down the toilet.) It is clear to the reader from mid-way through this account that she was a courtesan & Mr. Swann should have wised up. This would have saved a few hundred pages!! Nil points for this section then.
To summarise, this is truly a book of two halves. If you want to read to well written French novel try Alain-Fournier's "Le grand Meulnes" that is a fraction of the volume, just a well written & has a multi-layered plot that will keep you wanting to turn the page. As to the other reviewer's comments that Proust is better that Shakespeare or Dickens, I would simply add that aleast they both knew how to write a plot !! Proust has a reputation as the greatest novelist of the 20th Century, but nothingin this book would lead me to rate him above Joseph Conrad, Karen Blixen or George Orwell.
Definately one for the girls - although not the type of girls that I would like to go out with !! File under "B" for boring.
