Mister Pip
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Mister Pip is a love story, a story about the meaning of names and the power of words. It is about growing up, survival and the search for clues to make sense of life. Thirteen year old Matilda lives with her mother on the Pacific island of Bougainville, which suddenly becomes a violent place: Rebels want the copper mine, which is poisoning their island, to close. They are trying to drive the redskin army, enemies from neighbouring Papua New Guinea, into the sea. The abandoned schoolhouse is overgrown with jungle. In this troubled world, Mr Watts decides he will open the school once more, and read 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens aloud to his students, a chapter a day. Stories flourish on the island. While the lives of Pip and Magwitch and other characters from 'Great Expectations' are transformed in their new tropical setting, the locals come to the schoolhouse to tell their own tales, about the meaning of the colour blue, about broken dreams, black birds, devil women and a dozen other subjects. In Matilda's eyes, Pip is as real as any living person. He has become her friend. She writes his name in the sand and decorates it with shells. That's where the redskin soldiers see it, and decide they must track this stranger down. Who is this Mr Pip? The search to find him will have devastating consequences for Matilda, Mr Watts and the entire village. Matilda may never stop looking for him.
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Add a Quote'You cannot pretend to read a book. Your eyes will give you away. So will your breathing. A person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe. The house can catch alight and a reader deep in a book will not look up until the wallpaper is in flames.'
You cannot pretend to read a book. Your eyes will give you away. So will your breathing. A person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe. The house can catch alight and a reader deep in a book will not look up until the wallpaper is in flames.
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Add a CommentQuirky, and that kept me reading on; but ultimately, verdict is: weird.
A beautiful, heartbreaking yet hope-filled story.
Brilliant book - Anyone familiar with literature would have an inkling of an idea that the title of this novel relates to Charles Dicken's classic Great Expectations and that notion would prove to be correct. The action takes place on a small island in the Pacific where rebels are fighting and causing havoc which forces all professionals including teachers to leave the island. With no one to teach the children, the only white man left among the natives is an eccentric old man name Mr. Watts who volunteers to assist as best he can in the education of the children. The only book he has is a copy of Great expectations by Dickens and this he reads on a daily basis to the children. They love his readings of the book, and the old man is given the nickname of Mr. Pip. The old man is eventually murdered by the rebels and the entire village is saddened by the loss. It is a beautifully written book about the power of books and education given to a group of children who had neither. REA
A disappointing read. Not at all what I expected given all the hype.
From the Christchurch City Libraries blog : "Press Release: Booksellers NZ Lloyd Jones’ book Mister Pip, by Penguin Books, has topped the Best of the Bestsellers list beating international and national titles to be the overall number one bestseller in the Booksellers New Zealand Best of the Bestsellers List for 2007."
A terrific book, perfect for a bookclub - at once uplifting and heartfelt. How can it be set on a fictional desert island, and told in the voice of a young teen girl & yet seem so real, so riveting?
A great book, and a very emotional read to me. I learned of this book during an excellent lecture given on it by the Welsh litirary critic (and all around book lover) Robert Adams - on the TV Ontario program Big Ideas. The program can probably be watched online, and gives a great analysis of the book, and also good background on its setting (the island of Bouganville), and the Author. Robert Adams has two bookfuls of other suggested readings "A Love of Reading" and "A Love of Reading Second Collection". I will definitely check out his other picks!
I could not put this book down! Tragic and intriguing.
A wonderful read! "Mister Pip" is captivating and heartfelt. Even if you are not a fan of Charles Dickens this story's narrative draws you into a parallel world framed by the famous character "Pip" from the novel "Great Expectations. Beautiful written.
One of those books that I found hard to put down, would definitely recommend.