Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
The Sea
The Sea | John Banville
In this luminous new novel about love, loss, and the unpredictable power of memory, John Banville introduces us to Max Morden, a middle-aged Irishman who has gone back to the seaside town where he spent his summer holidays as a child to cope with the recent loss of his wife. It is also a return to the place where he met the Graces, the well-heeled family with whom he experienced the strange suddenness of both love and death for the first time. What Max comes to understand about the past, and about its indelible effects on him, is at the center of this elegiac, gorgeously written novel among the finest we have had from this masterful writer.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
blurb
JenniferP
The Sea | John Banville
post image

Started this and really not enjoying it. Anyone want to try to convince me to stick with it? #1001books

KCofKaysville @JenniferP I should not say anything, probably. I did not read it, but I saw the movie and if the book is like that, it's really kind of blah, even though a sensitive topic. You can skip it.
11mo
JenniferP @KCofKaysville thanks for the input! 11mo
Cuilin I loved it but I may have been the only one in my small book club at the time who did. Some of his stuff is a hit or miss for me. I loved (edited) 11mo
See All 8 Comments
vlwelser Lol. Pass. 11mo
JenniferP @Cuilin thanks for the recommendation! 11mo
Cuilin @JenniferP sure but bail if either are boring for you. 🪂 11mo
BarbaraBB I wasn‘t that impressed either 11mo
26 likes8 comments
review
PhilipE
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Mehso-so

It was definitely a slow book. I wanted to understand and get the husbands point of view and how he worked through the grieving process as so many folks go through something similar. I think what I liked about the character was his honesty with himself. While it feels yucky to read that honestly it‘s real to read that. None of it is very appealing which if we are willing to be this honest with ourselves would see some of ourselves in him.

review
rachaich
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Mehso-so

Rather depressing read, not much positivity in it...
Saved, kind of, by stunning prose, amazing descriptions of the place and people but far too much oedipal style imagery for me.

blurb
rachaich
The Sea | John Banville
post image

A quick line from a friend as nothing on my pile was appealing...

review
vlwelser
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Mehso-so

This wasn't horrible. He gets extra points for vocab usage. And it's definitely very on brand for traditional Booker prize winners. A man reflects on his life after his wife dies. Ad nauseum. Tbh, it's boring.

#BookSpinBingo square 9
@TheAromaofBooks

This was the January pick for a secondary IRL (but really just Zoom) book club that my friends talked me into. Because we apparently don't belong to enough book clubs.

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 2y
35 likes1 comment
review
wideeyedreader
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Bailedbailed

I couldn‘t with this book. The writing was pretentious, and the narrator was a horrible person—which wouldn‘t be as big a problem if he didn‘t think he was so great. Sadly, this is my #doublespin for July, but at least I know I don‘t like it!

TheAromaofBooks At least it's off the list!! 3y
17 likes1 comment
review
Anna40
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Mehso-so

I want to rate this book a pick because the writing is excellent, John Banville a masterful writer. But I can't. The main character is malignant, the storyline - mainly childhood memories and impressions of the seaside town 'now' and the illness of his wife - was not for me.

review
Rissreads
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Mehso-so

I usually love Man Booker prize winners, but this one was a bit boring.

MrsMalaprop I‘ve had this on my #TBR shelf for years. You haven‘t exactly inspired me to get to it 😆😊. 5y
Rissreads @MrsMalaprop The writing is beautiful but I found the story predictable. Something just didn't work for me. 5y
35 likes2 comments
review
ElectricKatyLand
The Sea | John Banville
Mehso-so

The writing is beautiful but the narrator is miserable. We listened on audiobook and were enthralled the first half, and perplexed/put off in the second half. Plot in a sentence: recent widower full of bitterness and regret returns to the seaside town where tragedy struck decades ago.

review
mreads
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Pickpick

Beautiful writing in this Booker winning novel about an old Irishman revisiting a seaside town where he spent summers as a child, reminiscing as he comes to terms with the recent death of his wife. Be warned this is completely plotless and you are completely in the head of a rather unlikable man.

#booked2019 set in Ireland/ Irish author
@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Cinfhen Love the graphics!!! And excellent review💚 5y
56 likes1 comment
blurb
Felso
The Sea | John Banville
post image

I love the little surprises you find in second hand books. (ps- I still haven‘t decided what to read next)

Texreader Neat!! 5y
Anna40 Take your time - is good advice when it comes to this novel. ... 4y
53 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
Cathythoughts
The Sea | John Banville
post image

#AbbaInAugust #SOS this is as close as I can get .... and I‘m in Waterstones... 🤓

erzascarletbookgasm Err, happy shopping? 😁📚 6y
Cathythoughts @erzascarletbookgasm oh sure look ! I‘m home now & not empty handed. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I did get one particular book because the movie is coming out 6y
Mdargusch Hope you find some goodies! 6y
See All 10 Comments
Cathythoughts @Mdargusch yes! I really did. I cant go to town now without buying a book. What are you going to do 🤷🏻‍♀️... 6y
emilyhaldi Ugh, I wish I were in Waterstones right now!! 💸 6y
Cathythoughts @emilyhaldi I wish you were too 👍🏻 6y
Reviewsbylola I‘ve been curious about this one. 6y
Cathythoughts @Reviewsbylola I havnt read it .. but I would like to 6y
Cinfhen Pretty photo 😍😍😍 6y
GatheringBooks love waterstones!!!!! 6y
55 likes1 stack add10 comments
review
TheFaeWays
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Mehso-so

I enjoyed this book, but it was not the greatest I've ever read. I guess I'm still a little upset about the dog scene.

Anna40 The cruelty was awful. 4y
11 likes1 comment
review
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Mehso-so

Beautifully written. Also boring af.

I usually love what I call “books about nothing,” but this was excruciating. The last 20 pages were good, though, so if you have some endurance, there‘s that.

TheBookgeekFrau Love this review😄 didn‘t read it, but your wording tickled me 6y
Zelma 😂 thanks for the update. Sounds like it wouldn‘t be my kind of book at all. 6y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @C.Perone Thanks - just being candid 😂 6y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @Zelma Glad I could save you then! 👍 6y
emilyhaldi Too bad .. I usually love books about nothing too 😆 6y
50 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
The Sea | John Banville
post image

I tried about 2 hours of the audiobook and was zoning out a lot, so I‘m switching to reading it. I think these introspective elegiac novels need to be read instead of heard, maybe. Here‘s hoping it improves 🤞

Zelma Curious if you like it. It‘s on my radar for a long time but haven‘t committed to it, knowing it will take some focus. 6y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled @zelma I‘ll let you know! Im almost done with it. It‘s fairly short, at least. The writing is really good, but it‘s also about nothing at all so far. We‘ll see . . . 6y
51 likes2 comments
review
tobypfrench
The Sea | John Banville
Pickpick

Marvellous. Glorious.

review
1001BooksPodcast
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Mehso-so

Beautifully written prose about grief, but we‘ve seen this theme covered better in other novels. Find the episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and SoundCloud by searching “1001 books podcast.” #1001books #readtheclassics #thesea #manbookerprize #bookpodcast

Megabooks Welcome to Litsy! Hope you love it here! 💙📚💙 6y
1001BooksPodcast @Booksandcooks thanks. This was a fun discovery today! 6y
See All 30 Comments
TheLibrarian Welcome to Litsy @1001BooksPodcast ! 6y
Cinfhen Hi @1001BooksPodcast how awesome to “find” you!!! Thanks for the tag @Jess7 I‘d suggest following these Littens who are all reading the #1001books @JenP @shendrix413 @sisilia @BookaholicNatty @BarbaraBB 6y
BarbaraBB Thanks for the tag, @Cinfhen 💕. Welcome @1001BooksPodcast, nice to meet you! 6y
JenP Clearly we can‘t be friends if you didn‘t like this book! 😂 just kidding. Welcome @1001BooksPodcast I hope you love it here. There are quite a few of us who are reading 1001 books. @Kristelh , @BookwormM , and I co-moderate a #1001books group. Look forward to seeing more of your reviews!! 6y
DebinHawaii Welcome to Litsy! 🎉📚👍😀Hope you enjoy it here! 6y
BookaholicNatty Welcome welcome @1001BooksPodcast So glad you are joining us! Hope you will love it here just as much as I do. I‘m reading a book off the 1001 list right now. I‘m actually in the 1001 postal book club hosted by @JenP and loving it! #LitsyWelcomeWagon 6y
maich @Jess7 Thank you for tagging me😍😍 6y
1001BooksPodcast @JenP we didn‘t dislike this one, just didn‘t know if all humans needed to read before they die haha I promise we were very on the fence about it! Thanks for the welcome and I look forward to seeing the #1001books you‘re reading! 6y
1001BooksPodcast So fun to find other #1001books readers. Thanks for the welcome everyone. Check out the episodes for reviews that dig a little deeper then what I post here and let me know if you think the books qualify as “all humans should read this before they die!” 6y
Kristelh I liked this one ☝️ welcome to Litsy thanks for the tag @JenP (edited) 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Jess7 thank you for the tag!! 😘 Welcome to Litsy @1001BooksPodcast I hope you love it!! A few more littens @GripLitGrl @RealLifeReading @JoeStalksBeck @Christine11 @vkois88 @Jas16 @JenlovesJT47 @MrBook @Andrew65 📚📚📚☺️☺️☺️ 6y
Andrew65 Welcome to Litsy @1001BooksPodcast 😊, thanks for the tag @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🙌 (edited) 6y
Jas16 Welcome to Litsy @1001BooksPodcast and thank you @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks for being such an awesome Litten 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Jas16 you‘re so sweet and you always make me smile ☺️☺️☺️💕💕💕 6y
JenlovesJT47 Welcome to Litsy @1001BooksPodcast !! And thanks for the tag @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ! 🤗 6y
vkois88 Thank you for the tag, @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤ Welcome to the #LitsyFamily @1001BooksPodcast , I hope you find our community to be as wonderful and accepting as I do! 6y
RaimeyGallant Great review. :) And welcome to Litsy from me too! #LitsyWelcomeWagon Some of us put together Litsy tips to help new Littens navigate the site. It's the link in my bio on my page in case you need it. Or if you prefer how-to videos, @chelleo put some together at the link in her bio. 6y
Christine11 Thank you for the tag @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 😊😘 and Welcome to Litsy @1001BooksPodcast 😊🌸🌷🎉 6y
Chelleo Welcome 🤗 6y
1001BooksPodcast @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks thanks! Excited to be here! 6y
1001BooksPodcast @RaimeyGallant thanks! The tips were really helpful. What a welcoming community! 6y
RaimeyGallant Oh good. I'm glad you thought so. 6y
17 likes1 stack add30 comments
blurb
miz
The Sea | John Banville
post image

Last shreds of summer

blurb
Decayy
The Sea | John Banville
post image

The only thing that is saving me today is the promise of rain and the look at the sea. I'm still dead, and I don't know where I'm finding the strength for #24in48 readathon. @24in48

TheBookDream Beautiful view 7y
Decayy @TheBookDream it really is ^^ 7y
7 likes2 comments
review
Jade232
The Sea | John Banville
Mehso-so

🤔 thought provoking

blurb
planetshannon
The Sea | John Banville
post image

Not quite sure how I feel about this one yet. The time changes a lot, and sometimes really feeling it and other times not so much. I'll keep reading and see how things shape up.

review
lauralovesbooks1
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Mehso-so

Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood, but this didn't do much for me. It is an interesting exploration of grief and memory, but the writing felt over done at times and the pacing was too slow and contemplative for my taste.

blurb
JenP
The Sea | John Banville
post image

#homebythesea I love Banville's writing and this book was exquisitely written. This is my favorite of his novels. #RockinMay

Cinfhen So stacked 😍thanks for posting 💕 7y
KarenUK Stacked! 📚 7y
JenP @Cinfhen @KarenUK I hope you both like it! There are some disturbing bits but the writing is dazzling 7y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Irish, seaside - WANT. Stacked immediately. 7y
41 likes6 stack adds4 comments
blurb
MrsMalaprop
The Sea | John Banville
post image

#Marchintoreading Day 17 #Irishauthors ❤ From my shelves. I've read all of these except for The Sea which has languished on my TBR shelves for some time. #somanybookssolittletime

LeeRHarry Love love love 7y
Jeg Happy St Pats day. 7y
Reviewsbylola Tell me about your other Toibins. I've read Brooklyn (loved) but then Nora Webster just wasn't for me so I've been unsure of where to go next with him. 7y
See All 6 Comments
MrsMalaprop @LeeRHarry I agree. Such a good book. 7y
MrsMalaprop @Jeg And to you 🍺🍀 7y
MrsMalaprop @Reviewsbylola I've not read Nora Webster, but liked all those here. His writing is sublime. 7y
45 likes6 comments
review
LynneGriffin
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Pickpick

Absolutely brilliant! The gorgeous writing, the stream of consciousness, and still a marvelous plot, The Sea is a must read! I will definitely reread too.

quote
Hobbinol
The Sea | John Banville
post image

#firstlines "They departed, the gods, on the day of the strange tide." #somethingforseptember #septphotochallenge #booksetbythesea

RealLifeReading Love that line 8y
36 likes3 stack adds1 comment
review
HotCocoaReads
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Pickpick

The beauty of the writing made me read this book slowly. It's the kind of book that needs to be read when you have a quiet, peaceful moment (reading this on the train wouldn't do it for me) and perhaps overlooking the sea, as I was lucky to do as we were staying near a bay in Manly Beach. Some shocking but honest sentiments by our protagonist kept this book moving along nicely. This book spoke to me!

10 likes1 stack add
quote
HotCocoaReads
The Sea | John Banville
post image

You will remember this when all else fades, this moment, here, together, by this well. There will be certain days, and certain nights, you‘ll feel my presence near you, hear my voice. You‘ll think you have imagined it and yet, inside you, you will catch an answering cry.

7 likes1 stack add
review
HardcoverHearts
The Sea | John Banville
post image
Pickpick

Oh wow! I do love a luminous book. This novel produced the strangest dichotomy in me: I didn't like the narrator but loved his words/thoughts. I don't know if I have ever felt so polarized since Lolita. (This isn't as provocative.) I will reread this

7 likes3 stack adds