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Second Place

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About this listen

A woman invites a famed artist to visit the remote coastal region where she lives, in the belief that his vision will penetrate the mystery of her life and landscape. Over the course of one hot summer, his provocative presence provides the frame for a study of female fate and male privilege, of the geometries of human relationships, and of the struggle to live morally between our internal and external worlds. With its examination of the possibility that art can both save and destroy us, Second Place is deeply affirming of the human soul, while grappling with its darkest demons.

©2021 Rachel Cusk (P)2021 Faber & Faber Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Metaphysical & Visionary
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Narrator, I found, curiously enough, too slow to keep up with the sublime, barely visible outlines of the seldom seen (and not to be grasped but enveloped) wisdom revealed in dissatisfaction, disempowerment, and self-pity that dissolves the moment into a kitsch lie to oneself (about oneself), that moment of now which Cusk has sink relentlessly into the marsh and its most unlikely hero (Tony), where it is preserved, even cured, homeopathically, so not without becoming more dramatic in the making..

This Narrator worked better at 1.70 x speed to help me grasp the super compact brilliance of a carefully but simply worded, metaphysically sophisticated, hence mindfully meta-pscycho-analytical (h)insight of the meaning of life, killing all meta-external influences (pertaining to fate and the collective consciousness) but in doing so elevating personal responsibility for choices made and especially not made, and celebrating individual potential as endorsed by various good (enriching, stable) or empoverishing (self-aggrandising) relationships rendering personal narrative a new divine status available to all once you learn or care to learn to look. Any (many) fragments worth sticking up on your wall need to be heard at below normal x speed to copy breathlessly.

Recommended that this book be heard twice instantly, and printed copy be purchased to be put in clear sight for all, but especially yourself to see in book case, to remind you of your new-found resolve to stay on the marsh, i.e. the first place you come to when looking for a portrait of yourself.

First Rate

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This is a re-write of Mabel Dodge Luhan’s 1932 memoir Lorenzo in Taos, about DH Lawrence’s chaotic stay at her artists’ colony in New Mexico, where he ended up threatening to “destroy” his hostess. That was partly written in the form of letters to the poet Robinson Jeffers.

This is paralleled in this book when the un-named "M" invites renowned artist "L" to stay for an indefinite period in her family's second home (or place). The story is told in the form of a long letter to an unexplained "Jeffers". (Perhaps we are expected to have already read the 1932 Luhan book.)

Not much action, but much is made of the rather toxic relationship between the two main characters, and between M and the rest of her family, the meaning of life, time and reality.

The book gives the reader plenty to think about and is not onerously long. Long-listed for the Booker Prize, but I don't think it has what it takes to eventually win.

Kate Fleetwood does a reasonable job of reading for us, until she comes to doing voices. Her voices are so bad it's distracting.

Analytic and Reflective

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Thoroughly enjoyed this audio book, great narration, interesting story. Felt like I could relate to many of the themes in this book, referring to gender, autonomy, art, age and the landscape. I look forward to the next book this author writes. I have also enjoy ed previous books, this is my favourite one so far. Thanks

I hope this author writes more books, loved it!

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Narration was great, particularly the voices. Unfortunately I couldn't identify with any of the characters and had no sympathy for any of them - except perhaps for Jeffers who had to read the letters.

Couldn't relate to the characters

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Maybe the book, maybe the fact I haven’t listened to an audiobook for a while but I found that it was hard for me to focus on this in the first hour, past this I devoured it.

Slow starter

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