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Publisher Unknown (1969)
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML:In a novel that is at once intense, beautiful, and fablelike, Lloyd Jones weaves a transcendent story that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the power of narrative to transform our lives. On a copper-rich tropical island shattered by war, where the teachers have fled with most everyone else, only one white man chooses to stay behind: the eccentric Mr. Watts, object of much curiosity and scorn, who sweeps out the ruined schoolhouse and begins to read to the children each day from Charles Dickens�s classic Great Expectations. So begins this rare, original story about the abiding strength that imagination, once ignited, can provide. As artillery echoes in the mountains, thirteen-year-old Matilda and her peers are riveted by the adventures of a young orphan named Pip in a city called London, a city whose contours soon become more real than their own blighted landscape. As Mr. Watts says, �A person entranced by a book simply forgets to...… (more)
Media reviews
if “Mister Pip” is preachy — and it is — it’s also a book with worthwhile thoughts to impart. Mr. Jones’s ability to translate these thoughts into the gentle, tropical, roundabout idiom of his setting (“braids remind us that sometimes it is hard to know where goodness ends and badness
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begins”) turns out to be genuinely affecting. Show Less
Jones covered it as a journalist, and this delicate fable never shies away from the realities of daily life shadowed by violence..... In this dazzling story-within-a-story, Jones has created a microcosm of post-colonial literature, hybridising the narratives of black and white races to create a
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new and resonant fable. On an island split by war, it is a story that unites....There is a fittingly dreamy, lyrical quality to Jones's writing, along with an acute ear for the earthy harmonies of village speech... Mister Pip is the first of Jones's six novels to have travelled from his native New Zealand to the UK. It is to be hoped that it won't be the last. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member Laurenbdavis
I adored this book. Devoured it. Jones understands character like few other writers. MISTER PIP is narrated by Matilda, a young girl living on a copper-rich tropical island, torn apart by war. All the whites have fled, save for Mr. Watts, an odd old duck in a filthy linen suit who sometimes sports
A war story, a coming of age story, a love story -- this is, above all, a novel ABOUT books, and the power of books to expand understanding, develop morality and transform lives. It is also a brilliant (and I don't use that word lightly) character piece about a man whose "survival weapon was story." MISTER PIP was shortlisted for the Man Book Prize, and won the commonwealth Writer's Prize. It deserves all the accolades its received. Highly recommended.
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a red clown's nose. He is married to a mad local woman whom his pulls about in a wagon. With the sound of artillery in the distance, Mr. Watts cleans out the ruined schoolhouse and begins reading Dickens' classic GREAT EXPECTATIONS to his students (Matilda among them). Drunken militias lurk in the forests, wielding machetes, fire and horror, and yet Mr. Watts continues reading, continues building a wall of words against the impending terrors. A war story, a coming of age story, a love story -- this is, above all, a novel ABOUT books, and the power of books to expand understanding, develop morality and transform lives. It is also a brilliant (and I don't use that word lightly) character piece about a man whose "survival weapon was story." MISTER PIP was shortlisted for the Man Book Prize, and won the commonwealth Writer's Prize. It deserves all the accolades its received. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
The power of literature to transcend time, place, and culture is at the heart of Lloyd Jones's Mister Pip. In the early 1990s, the island of Bougainville is blockaded during a civil war. Its residents are trapped. Mr. Watts, the only remaining white man on the island, becomes the school teacher.
The multiple readings of Great Expectations in this book illustrate, not just how each person experiences the same work of literature differently, but how the same person experiences a book differently with each reading. Reading literature is transformative.
I would love to re-read the book with a book group, and pair it with a reading of Great Expectations. Its themes ought to generate some great discussions about books and reading, parent/child relationships, war, racial issues, and moral/ethical dilemmas. This is one of those books that will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommended.
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There are no textbooks or school supplies. Mr. Watts uses the resources available: the collective knowledge of the adults in the community, and the book, Great Expectations, which he reads to the children a chapter a day. The book influences the course of events in unexpected ways.The multiple readings of Great Expectations in this book illustrate, not just how each person experiences the same work of literature differently, but how the same person experiences a book differently with each reading. Reading literature is transformative.
I would love to re-read the book with a book group, and pair it with a reading of Great Expectations. Its themes ought to generate some great discussions about books and reading, parent/child relationships, war, racial issues, and moral/ethical dilemmas. This is one of those books that will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member pamelad
Mr Pip is set in Bougainville, the site of a rich copper mine that has been closed by rebels. Papua New Guinea has blockaded the island, cutting the inhabitants off from aid as war rages between the Bougainville rebels and the New Guinea soldiers. In the book details of the conflict are vague, as
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they are to the inhabitants who live in fear of violence and death from the fighters on both sides. So far, a book worth reading. The newspapers at the time concentrated on the fate of the copper mine, not of Bougainville's inhabitants. Mr Watts the last white man on the island takes on the job of school teacher and reads Great Expectations to the island children. The narrator, a thirteen year-old village girl, is inspired by the book and its main character. The uncovering of the mystery of Mr Watts is too trivial a conclusion; the Mr Pip conceit and the impact of the book on the Bougainvilleans are irritatingly phony. In the last section of the book the author plays around with the themes of imposture and truth, but to me that made the book even phonier. Show Less
LibraryThing member LovingLit
I have long put off reading this book on account of disliking the cover. What I fool I was. But I do like to be proven foolish if it means I get a great reading experience. And this was just that.
Young Matilda is a smart girl. She lives in a small isolated village in Papua New Guinea with her
Matilda and the other village kids find an unlikely teacher in Mr Watts, the only white man around. The story of his being there is unravelled amongst the story of island life in the grips of civil war, and it is all intertwined in his reading aloud and study of the classic story Great Expectations. Mr Watts is a reluctant teacher, but quietly passionate goodness and more vocally so about the story of Great Expectations. Matilda is enthralled by Dickens' Pip, and as the villagers are caught in the middle of the rebels and the red-skins, this character takes on a significance that no one could see coming. Let's just say it is not all roses.
The writing is measured and calm, it is the voice of a girl whose story it is. For this reason, as with most books voiced by young people, I found a slight lack of depth to the story. But that same spare voice and factual telling was so appropriate for someone's telling of such an emotionally loaded story. I loved it.
Young Matilda is a smart girl. She lives in a small isolated village in Papua New Guinea with her
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mother. Most of the young men of the village are absent, either gone for money-making or more likely living in the jungle, part of the groups of rebels who are fighting the "red-skins", the government militia, for control of their island paradise and the mining rights that come with it. Matilda and the other village kids find an unlikely teacher in Mr Watts, the only white man around. The story of his being there is unravelled amongst the story of island life in the grips of civil war, and it is all intertwined in his reading aloud and study of the classic story Great Expectations. Mr Watts is a reluctant teacher, but quietly passionate goodness and more vocally so about the story of Great Expectations. Matilda is enthralled by Dickens' Pip, and as the villagers are caught in the middle of the rebels and the red-skins, this character takes on a significance that no one could see coming. Let's just say it is not all roses.
The writing is measured and calm, it is the voice of a girl whose story it is. For this reason, as with most books voiced by young people, I found a slight lack of depth to the story. But that same spare voice and factual telling was so appropriate for someone's telling of such an emotionally loaded story. I loved it.
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LibraryThing member HarvReviewer
Every avid reader has had the experience of being drawn so deeply into a narrative by the skill of a talented writer that real boundaries suddenly yield to the life of the imagination. In his captivating novel Mister Pip, New Zealander Lloyd Jones richly celebrates that magical experience.
Mister
In the midst of this turmoil, an enigmatic white man named Mr. Watts, nicknamed “Pop Eye” by the island's children, steps forward to assume the duties of their teacher. Recognizing that circumstances preclude the teaching of a conventional curriculum, he instead introduces his students to Charles Dickens’ classic, Great Expectations. From the first chapter, Matilda and her classmates identify with the story of the orphan Pip, striving to relate his experiences in mid-19th century England to the harsh realities of their own lives. When the text from which Mr. Watts has been reading mysteriously disappears, the children demonstrate the extraordinary degree to which they’ve internalized the story by their ability to reconstruct much of the novel’s plot from memory.
Like many hungry for control, the warring factions recognize the subversive power of great literature and Mr. Watts’ infatuation with Great Expectations ends in violence and tragedy. But in an emotionally powerful coda to the story, Matilda reveals how her life has been changed irrevocably by the love of literature inspired by Dickens’ novel.
Mister Pip has been published to great acclaim in Australia and the United Kingdom, and was the recipient of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book Award 2007. It’s a generous and moving exploration of the almost miraculous way in which books can transport any reader across vast expanses of space and time.
Mister
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Pip is set on Bougainville, a small island off the coast of Papua New Guinea that finds itself in the midst of a bloody civil war between government soldiers known as “redskins,” and rebels dubbed “rambos.” Soon the rambos shut down the island’s copper mine and the redskins respond with a naval blockade. The island’s inhabitants, including the narrator of the novel, a bright and engaging thirteen-year-old named Matilda, are thrust into a struggle for survival.In the midst of this turmoil, an enigmatic white man named Mr. Watts, nicknamed “Pop Eye” by the island's children, steps forward to assume the duties of their teacher. Recognizing that circumstances preclude the teaching of a conventional curriculum, he instead introduces his students to Charles Dickens’ classic, Great Expectations. From the first chapter, Matilda and her classmates identify with the story of the orphan Pip, striving to relate his experiences in mid-19th century England to the harsh realities of their own lives. When the text from which Mr. Watts has been reading mysteriously disappears, the children demonstrate the extraordinary degree to which they’ve internalized the story by their ability to reconstruct much of the novel’s plot from memory.
Like many hungry for control, the warring factions recognize the subversive power of great literature and Mr. Watts’ infatuation with Great Expectations ends in violence and tragedy. But in an emotionally powerful coda to the story, Matilda reveals how her life has been changed irrevocably by the love of literature inspired by Dickens’ novel.
Mister Pip has been published to great acclaim in Australia and the United Kingdom, and was the recipient of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book Award 2007. It’s a generous and moving exploration of the almost miraculous way in which books can transport any reader across vast expanses of space and time.
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LibraryThing member CBJames
There should be a designated sub-genre for books about books, a German word for it at least. Like Bildungsroman. Our new "German word" novel will be defined as a work of fiction where-in the reading of a particular book figures heavily as a plot element or forms a part of the overall narrative
In Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones the love of literature can change your life, save your life, or cost you your life. An entire village is destroyed because of one classic novel. The power of literature.
Matilda, the narrator, lives with her mother in their village on one of the Solomon Islands during the 1980's, a time of civil war. The women and children who remain at home while most of the village men have gone off to find work or to fight in the war are isolated from world events and most of the modernity. They have little knowledge of anything beyond their own village. Until Mr. Watts, a white man who married one of the village girls when she went away to college, takes over the teaching duties in the village school. He brings some knowledge of math and science and a battered copy of Charles Dicken's novel, Great Expectations. He reads one chapter a day to the students, stopping to explain the words and the world of Dicken's England as he goes. The children are enthralled. So much so, that Matilda's mother begins to fear she is losing her daughter to the stories of Mister Pip.
What begins as an amusing, charming story, in spite of its civil war setting, takes a turn for the violent when soldiers arrive. I cannot go further without risking a spoiler except to say that identity will play a key role in the rest of the novel, just as it did in Great Expectations.
Which brings me back to the issue raised in the opening above. If we can find the correct "German word" to go with our definition, we'll need to come up with a set of exemplars, characteristics that help us evaluate how good a "German word" novel Mister Pip is. I'm going to argue that it's quite good. On the surface, Great Expectations teaches Matilda a lesson about taking charge of one's own destiny, about the possibility of becoming someone new, someone you choose to be. Mr. Watts has done this himself by moving to the island village just as Pip did it by moving to London in Great Expectations. Matilda will make her own attempt in the closing pages of the novel.
But closer inspection of Mister Pip reveals a much greater depth of connection with Great Expectations. An excellent "German word" novel must do more than simply feature a character who reads and is moved by classic literature. It must integrate classic literature into itself. Mister Pip is full of connections with Great Expectations. The more I look the more I find. Each novel opens with a brief dissertation on how a main character came to have his unusual name. Both novels deal with people who try to leave their early upbringing behind them. Both novels feature a mother figure who tries to use a 'daughter' to get revenge on a man. Both mother figures die by violence. Miss Havisham dies from the burns she suffered when her wedding dress caught fire while Matilda's mother is the cause of her village's destruction by fire. In both cases, each women brings about tragedy through their own stubborn behavior. Matilda's mother and Miss Havisham share the same character. I could argue that Matilda's mother is one part Miss Havisham and one part Mrs. Gargery, Pip's hardened older sister who raises him 'by hand.' Both novels feature education throughout many chapters and in both education will alienate the protagonists from family members they love. Both feature protagonists who must conceal the identity of a strange man who wants to help them. Both feature an attempt to escape the authorities by boat in their closing chapters and both attempts end with the same result.
If a good "German word" novel reflects the classic literature its characters read within its own plot structure, then Mister Pip is a very good "German word" novel.
Now if the Germans will just come up with the right word.
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structure.In Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones the love of literature can change your life, save your life, or cost you your life. An entire village is destroyed because of one classic novel. The power of literature.
Matilda, the narrator, lives with her mother in their village on one of the Solomon Islands during the 1980's, a time of civil war. The women and children who remain at home while most of the village men have gone off to find work or to fight in the war are isolated from world events and most of the modernity. They have little knowledge of anything beyond their own village. Until Mr. Watts, a white man who married one of the village girls when she went away to college, takes over the teaching duties in the village school. He brings some knowledge of math and science and a battered copy of Charles Dicken's novel, Great Expectations. He reads one chapter a day to the students, stopping to explain the words and the world of Dicken's England as he goes. The children are enthralled. So much so, that Matilda's mother begins to fear she is losing her daughter to the stories of Mister Pip.
What begins as an amusing, charming story, in spite of its civil war setting, takes a turn for the violent when soldiers arrive. I cannot go further without risking a spoiler except to say that identity will play a key role in the rest of the novel, just as it did in Great Expectations.
Which brings me back to the issue raised in the opening above. If we can find the correct "German word" to go with our definition, we'll need to come up with a set of exemplars, characteristics that help us evaluate how good a "German word" novel Mister Pip is. I'm going to argue that it's quite good. On the surface, Great Expectations teaches Matilda a lesson about taking charge of one's own destiny, about the possibility of becoming someone new, someone you choose to be. Mr. Watts has done this himself by moving to the island village just as Pip did it by moving to London in Great Expectations. Matilda will make her own attempt in the closing pages of the novel.
But closer inspection of Mister Pip reveals a much greater depth of connection with Great Expectations. An excellent "German word" novel must do more than simply feature a character who reads and is moved by classic literature. It must integrate classic literature into itself. Mister Pip is full of connections with Great Expectations. The more I look the more I find. Each novel opens with a brief dissertation on how a main character came to have his unusual name. Both novels deal with people who try to leave their early upbringing behind them. Both novels feature a mother figure who tries to use a 'daughter' to get revenge on a man. Both mother figures die by violence. Miss Havisham dies from the burns she suffered when her wedding dress caught fire while Matilda's mother is the cause of her village's destruction by fire. In both cases, each women brings about tragedy through their own stubborn behavior. Matilda's mother and Miss Havisham share the same character. I could argue that Matilda's mother is one part Miss Havisham and one part Mrs. Gargery, Pip's hardened older sister who raises him 'by hand.' Both novels feature education throughout many chapters and in both education will alienate the protagonists from family members they love. Both feature protagonists who must conceal the identity of a strange man who wants to help them. Both feature an attempt to escape the authorities by boat in their closing chapters and both attempts end with the same result.
If a good "German word" novel reflects the classic literature its characters read within its own plot structure, then Mister Pip is a very good "German word" novel.
Now if the Germans will just come up with the right word.
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LibraryThing member Cait86
I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved it for the first 200 pages, and absolutely hated the last 50. I felt as though the ending did not connect to the rest of the story - but I am getting ahead of myself, so let me start with a synopsis.
Matilda lives on Bougainville, an island off the
The ending was, like I said, very different. Violence and tragedy strike the village, and Matilda's life is changed forever. Jones' story had been slow and reflective up until this point, and had focused on a lot of everyday things. The tragic events moved at a much faster pace that felt contrary and ill-suited to the rest of the novel. So much of this book was about the beauty of books, and while this continues through the ending, the climax felt to me like Jones needed a way to end the novel, and so he created a disaster.
I still enjoyed Mister Pip, and I think it would be great to read alongside Great Expectations, as they can be compared on many levels. The ending was a problem for me, but the journey was beautiful to read. One paragraph in particular stayed with me, because it displays one of the greatest joys of reading:
"People sometimes ask me "Why Dickens?," which I always take to be a gentle rebuke. I point to the one book that supplied me with another world at a time when it was desperately needed. It gave me a friend in Pip. It taught me you can slip under the skin of another just as easily as your own, even when that skin is white and belongs to a boy alive in Dickens' England. Now, if that isn't an act of magic I don't know what is" (231).
Matilda lives on Bougainville, an island off the
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coast of Papua New Guinea. In the 1990s, Bougainville was blockaded, and the islanders fought for independence. Because of the blockade, Matilda's village is cut off from the rest of the world, and left to fend for itself. Mr. Watts, the one white man in the village, takes up the position of teacher, hoping to instill some form of knowledge in his students. Every day he reads one chapter of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations to the class. Matilda and her schoolmates become engrossed in Pip's world, despite the vast difference between a small island village in the 1990s, and Victorian London. Many of the students' parents do not understand the fascination with Pip, and feel that Mr. Watts is teaching unimportant or even dangerous ideas. As life in the village worsens, however, Matilda continues to find hope in Dickens' novel; her own life journey contains parallels to the book that she loves, and Pip's world seems more real than reality.The ending was, like I said, very different. Violence and tragedy strike the village, and Matilda's life is changed forever. Jones' story had been slow and reflective up until this point, and had focused on a lot of everyday things. The tragic events moved at a much faster pace that felt contrary and ill-suited to the rest of the novel. So much of this book was about the beauty of books, and while this continues through the ending, the climax felt to me like Jones needed a way to end the novel, and so he created a disaster.
I still enjoyed Mister Pip, and I think it would be great to read alongside Great Expectations, as they can be compared on many levels. The ending was a problem for me, but the journey was beautiful to read. One paragraph in particular stayed with me, because it displays one of the greatest joys of reading:
"People sometimes ask me "Why Dickens?," which I always take to be a gentle rebuke. I point to the one book that supplied me with another world at a time when it was desperately needed. It gave me a friend in Pip. It taught me you can slip under the skin of another just as easily as your own, even when that skin is white and belongs to a boy alive in Dickens' England. Now, if that isn't an act of magic I don't know what is" (231).
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LibraryThing member barbaretta
Mr Pip is fiction set in an historically accurate context of the civil war in Bougainville in the 1990s - a contemporary conflict, and for Australians, one that is on our door step.
The story is told through the eyes of a young village woman, Matilda. It has an originality of theme and approach.
The book’s many layers and themes were skilfully interwoven to the extent that it defies attempts to box it neatly into a genre. It is a mystery, a war story, a love story, historical fiction….
The technical quality of the plot development, the use of Matilda as story teller and the seamless way it moved from Bougainville to Townsville and then New Zealand was exemplary. There is beautiful use of language, a style that is factual, and almost non emotive while at the same time, telling an emotionally charged and powerful story.
The character development, the way Jones treats human frailties and the cameos – especially Grace’s story – are highlights.
Be prepared for violence and tragedy and an ending that perhaps isn’t what it could have been. But most importantly, the book taught me something. I had heard about Bougainville of course, but until reading Mr Pip it was just another conflict of the many in the world. On finishing the book I was moved to find out more.
The story is told through the eyes of a young village woman, Matilda. It has an originality of theme and approach.
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Great Expectations is used as a framework for much of the narrative – so for lovers of Dickens, to meet an old favourite in this clever way is a wonderful “added value” to the read. There is also clever commentary on cultural imperialism, without it ever actually being directly mentioned.The book’s many layers and themes were skilfully interwoven to the extent that it defies attempts to box it neatly into a genre. It is a mystery, a war story, a love story, historical fiction….
The technical quality of the plot development, the use of Matilda as story teller and the seamless way it moved from Bougainville to Townsville and then New Zealand was exemplary. There is beautiful use of language, a style that is factual, and almost non emotive while at the same time, telling an emotionally charged and powerful story.
The character development, the way Jones treats human frailties and the cameos – especially Grace’s story – are highlights.
Be prepared for violence and tragedy and an ending that perhaps isn’t what it could have been. But most importantly, the book taught me something. I had heard about Bougainville of course, but until reading Mr Pip it was just another conflict of the many in the world. On finishing the book I was moved to find out more.
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LibraryThing member mrn945
Every once and a while a book will come along that affects you in a profound and moving way. I believe Mister Pip is one of those books.
There was something really lovely about this novel. Mr. Jones managed to take a horrific situation - a civil war - and turn it into something beautiful and
As Mathilda learns more about the outside world, she discovers ways to escape her surroundings. As per the title of the book, she does this through exploring the world of Charles Dickens Great Expectations and the world of Pip. Through Pip, Matilda discovers how to live and explore. Pip helps her death with the death and sadness around her - he becomes more than just a character, he becomes an integral part of her being.
Eventually Mathilda leaves her world to discover another. However, she always carries with her the lessons she learned from Mister Pip and her old teacher back on the island. As a life-long lover of books, I can relate to how Mathilda clings to this character throughout her life. Even though her feelings towards Mr. Dickens and Pip change a bit as she grows, they are still this anchor to her childhood on the island.
This may be one of the best books I've read in awhile. Now, I know I say that a lot, but I've been on a really good reading streak lately (in terms of quality, not quantity). This is one book though that I immediately added to my collection, and which I will probably return to in a few years fondly, lovingly. It really was quite amazing.
There was something really lovely about this novel. Mr. Jones managed to take a horrific situation - a civil war - and turn it into something beautiful and
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sensitive. There is a real feeling of humanity in the way he describes the characters and their lives. Despite all of the horror and sadness going on around the families, the focus is on the relationships between Mathilda and her mother, Matilda and her absent father, and Mathilda and her teacher.As Mathilda learns more about the outside world, she discovers ways to escape her surroundings. As per the title of the book, she does this through exploring the world of Charles Dickens Great Expectations and the world of Pip. Through Pip, Matilda discovers how to live and explore. Pip helps her death with the death and sadness around her - he becomes more than just a character, he becomes an integral part of her being.
Eventually Mathilda leaves her world to discover another. However, she always carries with her the lessons she learned from Mister Pip and her old teacher back on the island. As a life-long lover of books, I can relate to how Mathilda clings to this character throughout her life. Even though her feelings towards Mr. Dickens and Pip change a bit as she grows, they are still this anchor to her childhood on the island.
This may be one of the best books I've read in awhile. Now, I know I say that a lot, but I've been on a really good reading streak lately (in terms of quality, not quantity). This is one book though that I immediately added to my collection, and which I will probably return to in a few years fondly, lovingly. It really was quite amazing.
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LibraryThing member msbaba
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones is the wondrous coming-of-age story about Matilda Laimo, a 13-year old Papua New Guinean child living on the island of Bougainville. It is an enchanting, lyrical, lush, and politically powerful tale by a prize-winning author of world-standing literary ability. The book has
The story is set in 1991. The mainland Papua New Guinean government is involved in a civil war with the inhabitants of Bougainville, a large island off its southeastern edge—an island abundant in gold and copper resources. The population and culture of Bougainville is more similar to the Solomon Islands archipelago. where it belongs geographically rather than to any of the diverse mainland tribes of Papua New Guinea. As the novel begins, the child is barely aware of the conflict. She is black, and she views the invading government forces as foreign redskins.
Matilda lives in a tranquil primitive coastal village of no more than 60 people. They live in dirt-floored huts, and easily get all the food they need from the surrounding bountiful jungle and ocean. But in 1991, everything changes when the government chooses to blockade the island. Subsequently, all white people, including the village’s teacher, missionary, doctor, etc., take the last boat off the island. All leave except Mr. Watts, an eccentric white man living a reclusive life with his black island wife in an old missionary house near the village—a house completely hidden by tall grass left uncut for decades. As the blockade progresses, all supplies slowly go scarce, then disappear altogether. There are no more canned foods, no more gasoline for the electrical generators, no more medicines. Babies start dying once again from malaria. The island children, freed from school, are aimless. The island quickly and easily returns to the way that life has been lived there for thousands of years.
The author, Lloyd Jones, knows this subject first-hand—he served as a journalist in Bougainville “where the most unspeakable things happened without once raising the ire of the outside world.” And that is indeed true. I consider myself well informed on world matters, yet before I read this novel and did some background research about the setting, I had no idea about the great inhumanity that this island endured during its 10-year-long civil war. The war ultimately cost the lives of more than 11% of the island’s inhabitants…and the world, for the most part, completely ignored the events.
Violence does occur in this novel, and it is “unspeakable,” but the author treats this subject carefully—we are spared undue shock, and it is not the focus. This book can, and will, appeal to all readers, including young adults.
The main story begins when Mr. Watts decides to reopen the schoolroom and become the village’s temporary teacher. He teaches the children by reading aloud Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. The children quickly become totally entranced. They fall in love with the books main character, Mister Pip. Lovingly, Matilda builds an oceanfront shrine to Mister Pip—a fictional character that has become more alive to her than anything else in her impoverished environment. But this simple act of love brings violence into her life and the life of her community. The government “redskins” see the shrine from their helicopters and are sure that Mister Pip is a hidden rebel leader.
For me the most wondrous aspect of this novel is the prose—completely fresh and original. There is a rhythmic quality to the writing that is wholly new, and hard to analyze. The prose has a lovely and lyrical overall simplicity. The writing compelled me inside the story; I became part of that alien, primitive world.
There is an important moral message within this novel. According to Mr. Watts: “to be human is to be moral, and you can’t have a day off when it suits.” Personally, it makes me think about the fact that we are all living on a large island—planet Earth. Like Bougainville, Earth is rife with conflicts and, for me, the most important are environmental degradation and global warming. Are we going to do the moral thing, even if it doesn’t suit?
So far I have read two other novels longlisted for the 2007 Booker Prize: On Chesil Beach by Iwan McEwan, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid. Each I have reviewed on LibraryThing. Personally, I hope all three make the shortlist when it is announced on September 6, 2007. But, if I were to make a decision now, among these three (which are the only three currently widely available in the United States), I would pick The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Moshin Hamid. If you want to know why, read my review. But I want to make it clear: I absolutely loved all three!
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already won the 2007 Commonwealth Prize for literature and is currently among thirteen titles longlisted for the 2007 Booker Prize. It has been sold for distribution in the United States for an unprecedented sum; even if the author fails to win the Booker Prize, it will still make him a millionaire. If the book wins the Booker Prize, it is destined to be a big-time modern literary and popular crossover bestseller. The story is set in 1991. The mainland Papua New Guinean government is involved in a civil war with the inhabitants of Bougainville, a large island off its southeastern edge—an island abundant in gold and copper resources. The population and culture of Bougainville is more similar to the Solomon Islands archipelago. where it belongs geographically rather than to any of the diverse mainland tribes of Papua New Guinea. As the novel begins, the child is barely aware of the conflict. She is black, and she views the invading government forces as foreign redskins.
Matilda lives in a tranquil primitive coastal village of no more than 60 people. They live in dirt-floored huts, and easily get all the food they need from the surrounding bountiful jungle and ocean. But in 1991, everything changes when the government chooses to blockade the island. Subsequently, all white people, including the village’s teacher, missionary, doctor, etc., take the last boat off the island. All leave except Mr. Watts, an eccentric white man living a reclusive life with his black island wife in an old missionary house near the village—a house completely hidden by tall grass left uncut for decades. As the blockade progresses, all supplies slowly go scarce, then disappear altogether. There are no more canned foods, no more gasoline for the electrical generators, no more medicines. Babies start dying once again from malaria. The island children, freed from school, are aimless. The island quickly and easily returns to the way that life has been lived there for thousands of years.
The author, Lloyd Jones, knows this subject first-hand—he served as a journalist in Bougainville “where the most unspeakable things happened without once raising the ire of the outside world.” And that is indeed true. I consider myself well informed on world matters, yet before I read this novel and did some background research about the setting, I had no idea about the great inhumanity that this island endured during its 10-year-long civil war. The war ultimately cost the lives of more than 11% of the island’s inhabitants…and the world, for the most part, completely ignored the events.
Violence does occur in this novel, and it is “unspeakable,” but the author treats this subject carefully—we are spared undue shock, and it is not the focus. This book can, and will, appeal to all readers, including young adults.
The main story begins when Mr. Watts decides to reopen the schoolroom and become the village’s temporary teacher. He teaches the children by reading aloud Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. The children quickly become totally entranced. They fall in love with the books main character, Mister Pip. Lovingly, Matilda builds an oceanfront shrine to Mister Pip—a fictional character that has become more alive to her than anything else in her impoverished environment. But this simple act of love brings violence into her life and the life of her community. The government “redskins” see the shrine from their helicopters and are sure that Mister Pip is a hidden rebel leader.
For me the most wondrous aspect of this novel is the prose—completely fresh and original. There is a rhythmic quality to the writing that is wholly new, and hard to analyze. The prose has a lovely and lyrical overall simplicity. The writing compelled me inside the story; I became part of that alien, primitive world.
There is an important moral message within this novel. According to Mr. Watts: “to be human is to be moral, and you can’t have a day off when it suits.” Personally, it makes me think about the fact that we are all living on a large island—planet Earth. Like Bougainville, Earth is rife with conflicts and, for me, the most important are environmental degradation and global warming. Are we going to do the moral thing, even if it doesn’t suit?
So far I have read two other novels longlisted for the 2007 Booker Prize: On Chesil Beach by Iwan McEwan, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid. Each I have reviewed on LibraryThing. Personally, I hope all three make the shortlist when it is announced on September 6, 2007. But, if I were to make a decision now, among these three (which are the only three currently widely available in the United States), I would pick The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Moshin Hamid. If you want to know why, read my review. But I want to make it clear: I absolutely loved all three!
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LibraryThing member LadyN
Mister Pip is a wonderful book. I was gripped from the first page. Lloyd Jones writes with such wonderful description, and captures the narrative voice of a young girl, who's experiences lie no further than her small island, brilliantly.
The only book at Matilda's school is Great Expectations. She
I found the use of metaphor and simile expertly executed, leaving the reader with a vivid appreciation of the Matilda's life.
The story is at once heartfelt, beautiful and brutal. My one criticism is that I was not satisfied by the end. It seemed a little rushed and sudden compared with the careful development of the rest of the book. However, Mister Pip comes highly recommended.
The only book at Matilda's school is Great Expectations. She
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finds a friend in Pip, and in following Dickens' story discovers a world beyond her own. Jones draws parallels between the lives of Matilda and Pip, but they are never intrusive - and perhaps not even always noticable.I found the use of metaphor and simile expertly executed, leaving the reader with a vivid appreciation of the Matilda's life.
The story is at once heartfelt, beautiful and brutal. My one criticism is that I was not satisfied by the end. It seemed a little rushed and sudden compared with the careful development of the rest of the book. However, Mister Pip comes highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member thornton37814
Matilda and other natives are left without a teacher when most foreigners and some natives leave one of Papua New Guinea's islands due to fighting among warring revolutionary factions. Mr. Watts, the one white man on the island, assumes the role of teacher even though he is far from qualified. He
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shares Dickens' work Great Expectations with the children who in turn share it with their families. Dickens' fictional character "Pip" is central to the story as Matilda embraces this character. Mr. Watts, who had been known as Pop Eye, is now often called Mr. Pip. The significance of Pip follows Matilda throughout her life. This is the first book I ever remember reading with a Papua New Guinea setting. The book was set in the early 1990s, and it's unsettling that such atrocities as those committed by some of the warring factions happened that late in the 20th century. This is not a book for the squeamish. This book is well worth the read to celebrate the power of language and literature. Show Less
LibraryThing member lkernagh
Mister Pip is a fictionalized account of the uprising that occurred on the island of Bougainville, part of Papua New Guinea, back in the 1990's. Told through the voice of the young teenager, Mathilda, we learn that Mathilda lives with her mom and neighbors in a small seaside village on
Yes, I do love Dickens' Great Expectations but I think this story goes deeper than an appreciation for one of Dickens' works. The story is about the power of imagination and how it can help shelter, grow and protect an individual, even though some will use it as a weapon against you when they don't understand it. I think the following quote from the book sums it up better than I can:
' His survival weapon was story. And once, a long time ago and during very difficult circumstances, my Mr. Dickens had taught every one of us kids that our voice was special, and we should remember this whenever we used it, and remember that whatever else happened to us in our lives our voice could never be taken away from us.'
This is a book I am glad I stumbled across and one I that will read again.
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Bougainville, during the blockade when the island is caught in a bitter civil war between the 'rambos" - the rebel fighters - and the 'redskins' that comprised the Bougainville Revolutionary Army. Among the villagers left behind was one white man, Mr. Watts, known by the locals as Pop Eye. As the villagers try to maintain a normal life while the fighting between the rambos and the redskins goes on around them, Mr. Watts re-opens the school and reads to the children a story they have never heard before, Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. With war surrounding them, the children find both refuge and friendship in the adventures of Pip and 19th century London, England, until the war lands square on their doorsteps with devastating results.Yes, I do love Dickens' Great Expectations but I think this story goes deeper than an appreciation for one of Dickens' works. The story is about the power of imagination and how it can help shelter, grow and protect an individual, even though some will use it as a weapon against you when they don't understand it. I think the following quote from the book sums it up better than I can:
' His survival weapon was story. And once, a long time ago and during very difficult circumstances, my Mr. Dickens had taught every one of us kids that our voice was special, and we should remember this whenever we used it, and remember that whatever else happened to us in our lives our voice could never be taken away from us.'
This is a book I am glad I stumbled across and one I that will read again.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones is set on the Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville during a violent civil war there during the 1990s. As narrated by 13 year-old Matilda we learn how the villagers are caught in the middle, trying to keep their heads down and live their lives without drawing attention
Bloodshed is never far off on this island divided by war, with drunken rebels arriving one night, followed by brutal government soldiers the next. The author write of the atrocities in simple, almost dreamlike language that perfectly captures Matilda’s shock and pain. Yet again it is her love of Great Expectations and Dickens that helps to heal her and enables her to build a new life for herself.
The author manages to keep his tale from becoming too sentimental. His simple prose includes many phrases that sound culturally authentic. My only concern is that the reader is almost in danger of overdosing on Great Expectations. Yet, Mister Pip is wonderfully creative, a powerful and moving story of how an eccentric man guides these children through the horrors of a civil revolution by using the power of great writing to release their imaginations.
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to themselves. One white man has remained in the village and has taken upon himself the role of teacher, but instead of regular class work, he reads them Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. He believes that Dickens has the power of great literature that will enable the children’s minds to be set free and bring them to “a place of light”. It doesn’t take long before the children are captivated by Pip’s story and it also isn’t long before the soldiers come and believing that this Pip is a rebel, demand to know where to find him. Bloodshed is never far off on this island divided by war, with drunken rebels arriving one night, followed by brutal government soldiers the next. The author write of the atrocities in simple, almost dreamlike language that perfectly captures Matilda’s shock and pain. Yet again it is her love of Great Expectations and Dickens that helps to heal her and enables her to build a new life for herself.
The author manages to keep his tale from becoming too sentimental. His simple prose includes many phrases that sound culturally authentic. My only concern is that the reader is almost in danger of overdosing on Great Expectations. Yet, Mister Pip is wonderfully creative, a powerful and moving story of how an eccentric man guides these children through the horrors of a civil revolution by using the power of great writing to release their imaginations.
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LibraryThing member LibraryLou
LOVED this book. From the moment I started reading I couldn't put it down, it swept me along and tugged me in.
As the book is a contender on the Man Booker Prize long list, I was initially skeptical about picking it up. Past experience of some Man Booker books has somewhat destroyed my love of
Set in the South Pacific, we are transported to an island in the grip of a war, where knowledge of the outside world is limited to the trickle of news from relatives sent to work in the Australian mines, and the Pidgin English bibles left by missionaries.
How then does the gritty grimy Victorian world of Charles Dickens 'Great Expectations' enter into their lives? How much impact can a book have that is set in a place they have never known, and in a language so far removed from the English they understand?
One white man lives on the island. He takes it upon himself to assume the role of schoolteacher in the belief that the power of books can set minds free. With this philosophy he begins to tell the children the story of Pip, in the hope they can find some escape from the atrocities happening around them. Gradually the villagers find their lives inextricably mixed up with the story of this orphaned boy, and when Pip is mistakenly thought to be a rebel hiding in the village by the 'redskin' soldiers, the lines between fact and fiction become horrifically blurred.
The book is told in the voice of 13 year old Matilda, who finds a friend in Pip, and becomes gripped with such a strong connection to him and the book she finds it influences every choice she makes, and affects all the relationships she has with people around her.
This is an emotional and fast paced read, one I found hard to tear myself away from and put down. It shows us how powerful a book can be in influencing the way someone shapes their life. We all have at least one book that we hold close to our heart, and has affected us in some way. In Mister Pip, we are shown what the result of such an attachment can be".
As the book is a contender on the Man Booker Prize long list, I was initially skeptical about picking it up. Past experience of some Man Booker books has somewhat destroyed my love of
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reading, and I was dubious about trying any on this year's list, but how thankful I am that I took the plunge.Set in the South Pacific, we are transported to an island in the grip of a war, where knowledge of the outside world is limited to the trickle of news from relatives sent to work in the Australian mines, and the Pidgin English bibles left by missionaries.
How then does the gritty grimy Victorian world of Charles Dickens 'Great Expectations' enter into their lives? How much impact can a book have that is set in a place they have never known, and in a language so far removed from the English they understand?
One white man lives on the island. He takes it upon himself to assume the role of schoolteacher in the belief that the power of books can set minds free. With this philosophy he begins to tell the children the story of Pip, in the hope they can find some escape from the atrocities happening around them. Gradually the villagers find their lives inextricably mixed up with the story of this orphaned boy, and when Pip is mistakenly thought to be a rebel hiding in the village by the 'redskin' soldiers, the lines between fact and fiction become horrifically blurred.
The book is told in the voice of 13 year old Matilda, who finds a friend in Pip, and becomes gripped with such a strong connection to him and the book she finds it influences every choice she makes, and affects all the relationships she has with people around her.
This is an emotional and fast paced read, one I found hard to tear myself away from and put down. It shows us how powerful a book can be in influencing the way someone shapes their life. We all have at least one book that we hold close to our heart, and has affected us in some way. In Mister Pip, we are shown what the result of such an attachment can be".
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LibraryThing member downstreamer
This is an absolutely pitch perfect piece of writing, which manages to be both simple and profound at the same time, without being too clever for its own good (like, say ... The Life of Pi). Jones adopts the voice of Matilda, an 11 year old girl on the isolated island of Bougainville, near Papua
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New Guinea. It is through her eyes that events unfold, and her story is told authentically - with her limited point of view. Nonetheless, the resonances of Matilda's observations are profound and wide ranging. A masterpiece. Show Less
LibraryThing member rata
OMG, did they kill Mr Watts (by chopping him up with a machete) and feed him to the pigs????? This book was riveting so I had to see the movie and this was just as good confirming that the rebels committed atrocities to anyone them during the 1989 Port Moresby civil war. This book stems from the
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unrest that occurred when rebels, angry at what they viewed as unjust wages and conditions from the copper mine, decided to take the law into their own hands. As war escalated, the mine was overtaken by rebels who became lawless creating havoc. Fearful, the white people fled including the local school teacher except an eccentric white man Mr Watts who was married to married to Grace, one of the island's previous top students whom he met in Australia. Each day he would read to the children an excerpt from Great Expectations and in doing so gave to them a love of literature. Mr Watts also invites the villagers to the school house to teach the students aspects of life and it is these parts of the story that provide the reader with a feeling of reality. Matilda, a young girl, becomes infatuated with the the story of Great Expectations, believing that Mr Pip is in fact a real person. One day she writes his name in the sand on the beach. This is spotted by The Redskins, an army sent to destroy the local rebels. This simple act leads to terrible consequences when the Redskins suspect Pip to be a rebel leader and demand he be brought before them. When Mr Watts tries to explain that he is not a real person but in fact a character, he is carted away and all hell breaks loose with Matilda being held tight by her mother in fear that Matilda may also be executed or raped. What happens is left to the imagination however inferences are embedded throughout the story. The story then transfers to a future time when Matilda reflects on the past. Show Less
LibraryThing member jayne_charles
This reminded me constantly of 'The Book Thief' by Marcus Zusak in terms of its reverence for the written word, but in the end it's a highly original novel in its own right. Looking very much like a children's book, its simplistic viewpoint can sometimes make it feel like one too, but the horrific
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atrocities that take place on the small tropical island where it is set, all seen through the eyes of a child, make it very much a grown up book. Not one that I would go as far as to say I wholeheartedly 'enjoyed', but I learned a great deal from it and won't forget it in a hurry. Show Less
LibraryThing member gwendolyndawson
Civil war has broken out on an island called Bougainville in the early 1990s. All the whites have fled except one: Mr. Watts, a New Zealander married to a local woman. Mr. Watts takes over as the only teacher at the village school, and he reads aloud Dickens' Great Expectations to his students.
This is more of a parable than a fully developed novel, and many of the characters seem like types more than richly drawn individuals. I like that the plot attempts to depict the life-changing power of literature, but the story is also a bit trite in many places.
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Great Expections becomes the village children's refuge from the conflict engulfing their world.This is more of a parable than a fully developed novel, and many of the characters seem like types more than richly drawn individuals. I like that the plot attempts to depict the life-changing power of literature, but the story is also a bit trite in many places.
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LibraryThing member kewing
Unfolding slowly, written with beautiful simplicity, building plot and characters with complexity and emotional resonance--a captivating coming of age story. Appropriately, the denouement is long and lingering.
LibraryThing member tibobi
The story takes place on the island of Bougainville during its 1990 struggle for independence. I did not know anything about Bougainville prior to reading this novel but Jones paints a very surreal picture as far as the island itself. The word that came to mind while reading the novel is
The story centers around Mr. Watts and Matilda. Mr. Watts is the only white man on the island. He lives with a black woman named Grace. The two are often seen following one another but no one really knows much about him. After all the teachers leave the island, Mr. Watts decides to re-open the schoolhouse. The inhabitants of the island have mixed feelings about this. They are curious about this man, but they also question his ability to teach.
At their first gathering, Mr. Watts takes out a copy of Great Expectations and begins to read passages to them. His intent is to introduce them to Mr. Dickens and that is just what he does. As the days pass and they get deeper into the book, Matilda, one of his pupils begins to talk about the book with her Mum back at their hut. Her Mum begins to question what is being taught to these kids and questions why specific parts of the book have not been removed.
As if in preparation for this, Mr. Watts begins to invite the parents to come talk to the class and gives them the opportunity to "teach" the kids about a topic that they are familiar with. One mother does cooking, one discusses the life cycle of the Mayfly. All are welcomed and all are made to feel as if they contributed. Even though Matilda's Mum participates in these guest lectures, she continues to question the motives of this white man.
I can't say much more without giving some of the story away, but the story begins to examine what is fiction and what is not and how interwoven their lives are with the lives contained between the pages of Great Expectations. Lloyd does a fantastic job of leading you along and lulling you into a sense of calm, only to shake you up and create visuals that you just cannot get out of your mind.
Mister Pip is easy to read, yet has some very deep themes. I recommend some additional reading on the island of Bougainville. You can read a little about the island here.
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"dreamlike" even though there is a violent element running throughout the book, there are distinct moments of feeling as if you are in a dream or a nightmare depending on how you look at it.The story centers around Mr. Watts and Matilda. Mr. Watts is the only white man on the island. He lives with a black woman named Grace. The two are often seen following one another but no one really knows much about him. After all the teachers leave the island, Mr. Watts decides to re-open the schoolhouse. The inhabitants of the island have mixed feelings about this. They are curious about this man, but they also question his ability to teach.
At their first gathering, Mr. Watts takes out a copy of Great Expectations and begins to read passages to them. His intent is to introduce them to Mr. Dickens and that is just what he does. As the days pass and they get deeper into the book, Matilda, one of his pupils begins to talk about the book with her Mum back at their hut. Her Mum begins to question what is being taught to these kids and questions why specific parts of the book have not been removed.
As if in preparation for this, Mr. Watts begins to invite the parents to come talk to the class and gives them the opportunity to "teach" the kids about a topic that they are familiar with. One mother does cooking, one discusses the life cycle of the Mayfly. All are welcomed and all are made to feel as if they contributed. Even though Matilda's Mum participates in these guest lectures, she continues to question the motives of this white man.
I can't say much more without giving some of the story away, but the story begins to examine what is fiction and what is not and how interwoven their lives are with the lives contained between the pages of Great Expectations. Lloyd does a fantastic job of leading you along and lulling you into a sense of calm, only to shake you up and create visuals that you just cannot get out of your mind.
Mister Pip is easy to read, yet has some very deep themes. I recommend some additional reading on the island of Bougainville. You can read a little about the island here.
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LibraryThing member BeachWriter
"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." - Mr. Pip
This was a book that kept me from
The narrator is a young, black, island girl living on Bouganville during the civil war during the early 1990s. She and her village have to walk the fine line between rebels and government-hired mercenaries. At the outbreak of hostilities, all of the village's teachers flee, leaving a school full of children in need of instruction. The lone white man remaining in the village, a comical figure everyone calls Pop-Eye, who is married to one of the village women, steps into the breach and holds the children spellbound by reading to them from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.
When a rebel band invades the village, Pop-Eye holds them at bay with stories. One of the stories is about dreams, and here Jones delivers a line that rang true to this reader: "A dream is a story that no one else will get to hear or read."
Jones, a middle-aged white male from New Zealand, dons his narrator's skin effortlessly. The reader has no way of knowing if the portrayal of village life and emotions are accurate, but they are convincing.
If there is a flaw, it is that Jones sometimes feels too compelled to tidy up loose ends. But the writing is absorbing, and the story holds the reader to the last page.
This was a book that kept me from
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breathing. On the surface, it appears to be a simple story, but it burrows deep into human emotions. Jones' characters are drawn with light strokes, but they are vivid and multidimensional.The narrator is a young, black, island girl living on Bouganville during the civil war during the early 1990s. She and her village have to walk the fine line between rebels and government-hired mercenaries. At the outbreak of hostilities, all of the village's teachers flee, leaving a school full of children in need of instruction. The lone white man remaining in the village, a comical figure everyone calls Pop-Eye, who is married to one of the village women, steps into the breach and holds the children spellbound by reading to them from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.
When a rebel band invades the village, Pop-Eye holds them at bay with stories. One of the stories is about dreams, and here Jones delivers a line that rang true to this reader: "A dream is a story that no one else will get to hear or read."
Jones, a middle-aged white male from New Zealand, dons his narrator's skin effortlessly. The reader has no way of knowing if the portrayal of village life and emotions are accurate, but they are convincing.
If there is a flaw, it is that Jones sometimes feels too compelled to tidy up loose ends. But the writing is absorbing, and the story holds the reader to the last page.
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LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd
94. [Mister Pip] by Lloyd Jones
"I do not know what you are supposed to do with memories like these. It feels wrong to want to forget. Perhaps this is why we write these things down, so we can move on."
In this relatively short novel, we are told the story of what happened in a small island
When the story begins, most of the younger men, including Matilda's father, were absent, having left to work in the copper mine years before, or to join the rebels (known as "rambos"). Their island is under a blockade, the PNG army (the "redskins") hoping to force the rebels into submission by cutting off all supplies to the island. No fuel for generators so no electricity; no canned food, no medical supplies; no way to get off the island. All white people, including teachers, had left on the last boat allowed out. All, that is, except one strange white man known as "Pop Eye", who remained, with his equally enigmatic black wife, in the big house formerly occupied by a German minister. Eventually, Pop Eye takes over the children's education, mainly by reading to them from "the greatest novel by the greatest English writer of the nineteenth century", [Great Expectations]; and by asking their parents to visit school and share little life lessons, such as the proper way to kill a pig, how a heart seed grows into a glorious flowering vine, or all about the color blue---"Blue...has magical powers...You watch a reef and tell me if I am lying. Blue crashes onto a reef, and what color does it release? It releases white! Now, how does it do that?" The children learn to call him by his proper name, Mr. Watts, and they respect him while becoming quite engaged with the adventures of Mr. Dickens' orphan, Phillip Pirrip, who came to be called Pip. The war intrudes from time to time--the villagers hear helicopters and watch them flying out to sea where, just before they disappear completely, they turn around and return. It is believed the redskins are taking captured rebels out to sea, and throwing them out of the helicopters. Sometimes the redskins visit the village, looking for rebels. Through the course of the novel the consequences of these visits escalate from inconvenience to destruction to unimaginable horror.
I had trouble seeing where the story was going to lead for a while; I feared it was going to be a “white savior” kind of tale, but it turned out not to be that, except on a superficial level. I had trouble remembering that the narrator was a girl, not a boy, for a good bit of the book. It didn’t really matter most of the time, and I wasn’t sure whether to blame myself or the author for it, but by the time it came to be important in the context of the story, I had programmed my brain to remember. I had no frame of reference for the setting and therefore found it a bit difficult to form a true picture of the villagers and how they fit into the 20th century, so I had to go outside the book to educate myself. As the book was first published in Australia, I assume its primary audience in 2006 was more familiar with the underlying politics and history. The thrust of the novel is the methods people use cope with hardship and tragedy...faith, denial, escape through the imagination...and how one fictional character’s experience gave both Pop Eye and Matilda permission to change their lives. Powerful and worthwhile.
“...you know, Matilda, 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 the breathe.”
"I do not know what you are supposed to do with memories like these. It feels wrong to want to forget. Perhaps this is why we write these things down, so we can move on."
In this relatively short novel, we are told the story of what happened in a small island
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village in Papua New Guinea during the Bougainville Civil War in the early 1990's, from the point of view of Matilda, a 14-year-old girl. When the story begins, most of the younger men, including Matilda's father, were absent, having left to work in the copper mine years before, or to join the rebels (known as "rambos"). Their island is under a blockade, the PNG army (the "redskins") hoping to force the rebels into submission by cutting off all supplies to the island. No fuel for generators so no electricity; no canned food, no medical supplies; no way to get off the island. All white people, including teachers, had left on the last boat allowed out. All, that is, except one strange white man known as "Pop Eye", who remained, with his equally enigmatic black wife, in the big house formerly occupied by a German minister. Eventually, Pop Eye takes over the children's education, mainly by reading to them from "the greatest novel by the greatest English writer of the nineteenth century", [Great Expectations]; and by asking their parents to visit school and share little life lessons, such as the proper way to kill a pig, how a heart seed grows into a glorious flowering vine, or all about the color blue---"Blue...has magical powers...You watch a reef and tell me if I am lying. Blue crashes onto a reef, and what color does it release? It releases white! Now, how does it do that?" The children learn to call him by his proper name, Mr. Watts, and they respect him while becoming quite engaged with the adventures of Mr. Dickens' orphan, Phillip Pirrip, who came to be called Pip. The war intrudes from time to time--the villagers hear helicopters and watch them flying out to sea where, just before they disappear completely, they turn around and return. It is believed the redskins are taking captured rebels out to sea, and throwing them out of the helicopters. Sometimes the redskins visit the village, looking for rebels. Through the course of the novel the consequences of these visits escalate from inconvenience to destruction to unimaginable horror.
I had trouble seeing where the story was going to lead for a while; I feared it was going to be a “white savior” kind of tale, but it turned out not to be that, except on a superficial level. I had trouble remembering that the narrator was a girl, not a boy, for a good bit of the book. It didn’t really matter most of the time, and I wasn’t sure whether to blame myself or the author for it, but by the time it came to be important in the context of the story, I had programmed my brain to remember. I had no frame of reference for the setting and therefore found it a bit difficult to form a true picture of the villagers and how they fit into the 20th century, so I had to go outside the book to educate myself. As the book was first published in Australia, I assume its primary audience in 2006 was more familiar with the underlying politics and history. The thrust of the novel is the methods people use cope with hardship and tragedy...faith, denial, escape through the imagination...and how one fictional character’s experience gave both Pop Eye and Matilda permission to change their lives. Powerful and worthwhile.
“...you know, Matilda, 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 the breathe.”
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LibraryThing member ViaLys
This stunning novel set in the 1990s simply must be read. The voice of the narrator has such strength and veracity that I feel that she is a close friend. This book read itself into the wee hours, daring me to prioritize sleep over story.
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
My favorite book so far this year, Mr. Pip exceeded all of my expectations and took me off into another world entirely for a few hours. To be really blunt, it is a world from which it's hard for me to escape...the writing is so perfect that now I'm afraid to pick up another book in case my sense of
I've seen reviews where this book has been called "hypnotic," and it's true. Jones says it himself: "A person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe." And this was my case, as I picked up this book and read it until the sun came up this morning.
I knew absolutely nothing about the island of Bougainville and its conflict before I started reading this book. But this morning, I went to Wikipedia and found out the following, which serves as the backdrop to the story. It may be helpful if you understand it before reading, but not necessary. Anyway,here's a bit of Wikipedia had to say:
"In the 1970s, Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto) began exploiting the island's huge copper reserves. Resentment over the negative effects of the company's activities on the area and the lack of any tangible benefit to the islanders erupted into conflict in the 1990s. The government of Papua New Guinea moved quickly to put down what became a secessionist movement lead by Francis Ona, a former surveyor for BCL. The PNG army received military aid from Australia and enlisted the support of Sandline International, a mercenary firm."
Narrated by a young girl, Matilda, Mr. Pip begins just shortly after a blockade has been imposed on the island. Doctors and teachers serving Bougainville have escaped, so the islanders are on their own. The only white man left is one Mr. Watts, who lives on the island with Mrs. Watts, an enigmatic figure who the children see pulled around in a trolley by Mr. Watts, who wears a red clown nose when doing so. Mr. Watts becomes the children's teacher, and gets them all involved in "Great Expectations," by Charles Dickens. Matilda is intrigued by the figure of Pip, and her fascination eventually sets into motion the forces of tragedy. I won't say more about the plot, but trust me, once you pick it up you will not be able to put it down.
The narrative tone of this book is smooth, eloquent, told in a sort of deadpan style that belies the existence of deeper forces underneath the surface. Truly, it is a book about what it means to simply be alive, and, as the bookcover blurb states, the resilience of the human spirit. It is also (again, borrowing from the blurb) a look at the transformational power of narrative. Believe me, once you've read this story, you'll see what I mean.
HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended; I rarely give 5 stars to a book but this one deserves every star and more. Please do yourself a favor and run, do not walk, to your local bookseller and get yourself a copy.
added note: I would not only move this one to the shortlist (which as of today I haven't brought myself to look at since I want to finish my stack of booker longlist books before I do), but I would give it the prize, hands down!
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total perfection is disturbed. But ...well, you know... with a huge library, it's impossible just to call it quits. I've seen reviews where this book has been called "hypnotic," and it's true. Jones says it himself: "A person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe." And this was my case, as I picked up this book and read it until the sun came up this morning.
I knew absolutely nothing about the island of Bougainville and its conflict before I started reading this book. But this morning, I went to Wikipedia and found out the following, which serves as the backdrop to the story. It may be helpful if you understand it before reading, but not necessary. Anyway,here's a bit of Wikipedia had to say:
"In the 1970s, Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto) began exploiting the island's huge copper reserves. Resentment over the negative effects of the company's activities on the area and the lack of any tangible benefit to the islanders erupted into conflict in the 1990s. The government of Papua New Guinea moved quickly to put down what became a secessionist movement lead by Francis Ona, a former surveyor for BCL. The PNG army received military aid from Australia and enlisted the support of Sandline International, a mercenary firm."
Narrated by a young girl, Matilda, Mr. Pip begins just shortly after a blockade has been imposed on the island. Doctors and teachers serving Bougainville have escaped, so the islanders are on their own. The only white man left is one Mr. Watts, who lives on the island with Mrs. Watts, an enigmatic figure who the children see pulled around in a trolley by Mr. Watts, who wears a red clown nose when doing so. Mr. Watts becomes the children's teacher, and gets them all involved in "Great Expectations," by Charles Dickens. Matilda is intrigued by the figure of Pip, and her fascination eventually sets into motion the forces of tragedy. I won't say more about the plot, but trust me, once you pick it up you will not be able to put it down.
The narrative tone of this book is smooth, eloquent, told in a sort of deadpan style that belies the existence of deeper forces underneath the surface. Truly, it is a book about what it means to simply be alive, and, as the bookcover blurb states, the resilience of the human spirit. It is also (again, borrowing from the blurb) a look at the transformational power of narrative. Believe me, once you've read this story, you'll see what I mean.
HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended; I rarely give 5 stars to a book but this one deserves every star and more. Please do yourself a favor and run, do not walk, to your local bookseller and get yourself a copy.
added note: I would not only move this one to the shortlist (which as of today I haven't brought myself to look at since I want to finish my stack of booker longlist books before I do), but I would give it the prize, hands down!
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Subjects
Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 2007)
Alex Award (2008)
Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Winner — 2007)
The Economist Best Books (2007.4)
British Book Award (Shortlist — 2008)
Independent Booksellers' Book Prize (Shortlist — 2008)
Kiriyama Prize (Winner — Fiction — 2008)
Montana New Zealand Book Awards (Shortlist — 2007)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Fiction — 2007)
Whitcoulls Top 100 Books (42 — 2008)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2008)
Notable Books List (Fiction — 2008)
Original publication date
2006
Other editions
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (Hardcover)