Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Non Basic Stock Line (2010), Edition: Export ed, Paperback, 428 pages
Description
Meg Carpenter is broke. Her novel is years overdue. Her cell phone is out of minutes. And her moody boyfriend's only contribution to the household is his sour attitude. So she jumps at the chance to review a pseudoscientific book that promises life everlasting. Consulting cosmology and physics, tarot cards, koans (and riddles and jokes), new age theories of everything, narrative theory, Nietzsche, Baudrillard, and knitting patterns, Meg wends her way through Our Tragic Universe, asking this and many other questions.
Media reviews
Is it odd to describe a book as kind? The commodity itself seems an increasingly rare thing in an internet-frazzled world, and so how unexpectedly wonderful to read Scarlett Thomas's Our Tragic Universe, a book that brims with compassion and warmth. I agreed with practically none of its arguments,
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but I was still happy to spend time debating with its characters, who are just like the exasperating, good-hearted real people you'd call your friends. Show Less
Thomas has the mesmerising power of a great storyteller – even if you’re not always sure whether what she’s telling you is exactly a story.
User reviews
LibraryThing member sanddancer
Our Tragic Universe is about an author, Meg, who makes a living writing formulaic genre fiction and teaching creative writing, while she struggles to write her serious novel. Her personal life isn’t much better – she is stuck in a dead end relationship, is falling in love with an older man and
At the beginning, she reads a book about the theory of the end of time and this is a catalyst for some of things that happen here, but this isn’t a science fiction book so we don’t suddenly find ourselves at the end of time or anything so dramatic . The blurb for this book perhaps over-emphasises the theory about the end of time, the wild beast of Dartmoor and the Cottingley Fairies. The working title of this book was “Death of the Author” and as much space is dedicated to discussing the concept of the “storyless story”, how narratives are constructed and the process of writing a novel, this would have been a suitable title. These ideas do seem to point to Scarlett Thomas’ intentions with this book and it is much more about writing itself than it is about the end of time.
Personally, I really enjoyed this book – I liked the characters, thought the depiction of long -term relationships was spot on, loved the bits about her dog and I found the ideas about the universe and writing fascinating. However, I think it is the sort of book that will frustrate readers who may expect more to actually happen and definite conclusions to be reached.
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around her, her friends struggle with their relationships. At the beginning, she reads a book about the theory of the end of time and this is a catalyst for some of things that happen here, but this isn’t a science fiction book so we don’t suddenly find ourselves at the end of time or anything so dramatic . The blurb for this book perhaps over-emphasises the theory about the end of time, the wild beast of Dartmoor and the Cottingley Fairies. The working title of this book was “Death of the Author” and as much space is dedicated to discussing the concept of the “storyless story”, how narratives are constructed and the process of writing a novel, this would have been a suitable title. These ideas do seem to point to Scarlett Thomas’ intentions with this book and it is much more about writing itself than it is about the end of time.
Personally, I really enjoyed this book – I liked the characters, thought the depiction of long -term relationships was spot on, loved the bits about her dog and I found the ideas about the universe and writing fascinating. However, I think it is the sort of book that will frustrate readers who may expect more to actually happen and definite conclusions to be reached.
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LibraryThing member souloftherose
I really enjoyed Popco and The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas so I was really excited when I saw Our Tragic Universe offered as an ER book (and available to UK members) and even more excited to find that I’d snagged a copy!
The cover and book design are gorgeous and after quoting Nietsche, Plato
“I was reading about how to survive the end of the universe when I got a text message from my friend Libby.”
Meg is an impoverished writer in an unhappy relationship. She should be writing her great masterpiece but instead is paying the bills by writing bad genre fiction and reviewing books for the local newspaper.
I enjoyed this book immensely but one reason for me taking so long to write this review is that I struggled to pin down what this book is actually about and how to review it. There are various subplots; Meg’s failing relationship with her partner Christopher, her attraction to an older man, her continued attempts to write her book, the strange book she reviews about how to survive the end of the universe. But I think the main theme of the book is stories and narrative. The question of whether a storyless story can exist is discussed several times.
Like her previous books, I feel like Scarlett Thomas is writing about more than I can understand but despite that (and perhaps because of it) I always enjoy getting immersed in her worlds and characters.
The cover and book design are gorgeous and after quoting Nietsche, Plato
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and Chekhov, the first sentence in the book is now one of my favourite opening sentences:“I was reading about how to survive the end of the universe when I got a text message from my friend Libby.”
Meg is an impoverished writer in an unhappy relationship. She should be writing her great masterpiece but instead is paying the bills by writing bad genre fiction and reviewing books for the local newspaper.
I enjoyed this book immensely but one reason for me taking so long to write this review is that I struggled to pin down what this book is actually about and how to review it. There are various subplots; Meg’s failing relationship with her partner Christopher, her attraction to an older man, her continued attempts to write her book, the strange book she reviews about how to survive the end of the universe. But I think the main theme of the book is stories and narrative. The question of whether a storyless story can exist is discussed several times.
Like her previous books, I feel like Scarlett Thomas is writing about more than I can understand but despite that (and perhaps because of it) I always enjoy getting immersed in her worlds and characters.
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LibraryThing member pgmcc
I would suggest that anyone reading this book will come away with strong views on what the author was trying to do with this novel, and I’m sure many of us will be wrong, or will have only identified a few of the things Thomas was attempting, or will have spotted things in the book that Thomas
Let’s start with the literary elements. Firstly, the protagonist, Meg, is an author with delusions of literary grandeur. She keeps body and soul together by writing Science Fiction novels and giving writing retreats to people who wish to write as ghost-writers for a series her publisher, Orb Books (amazingly close to Orbit), promotes in the name of a non-existent author. Apart from a £1,000 advance she received several years ago for her literary novel, which she has never managed to write, all her income is derived from her Science Fiction writing and the writers’ retreats she runs.
Despite her all but total financial dependency on Science Fiction she is a literary snob who looks down on genre fiction, even to the extent that when someone speaks to her about taking up the TV rights for some of her novels she queries whether or not the programmes could be made and no mention of her name be involved lest she be associated with Science Fiction.
The book shares an attribute with many of the older Science Fiction novels, which is often highlighted by critics as a deficiency; it is the info-dump; the dialogue between characters which is used to explain the science or other technical details. In Our Tragic Universe the info-dump is used to explain some literary theory which is critical to the story, such as the concept of a story-less story.
Scarlett Thomas has, whether intentionally or not, emulated Brecht’s approach to drama. He wanted the play goer to be always aware of the play being a play, and used techniques like having the Stage Manager working visibly on stage. Thomas has presented the reader with literary theory about the structure of novels while telling the story and letting the reader see the structure of the novel theoretically while reading it.
Apart from the literary contortions, Thomas treats us to a glimpse into the lives of people in a sleepy part of England where we find people who have, in many cases, pretentions well above their income, or for whom money doesn’t appear to be difficult to come by. Into this world of retirees, craft-shop proprietors, wineshop owners, and academics, we add a few infidelities and arguments over the value of various literary viewpoints, and we have people pondering the value of the relationships they have been in for many years and looking at their options.
I enjoyed reading this book. I’m sure I have merely scraped the surface of what the author put into it, but it was entertaining and gave me a few interesting pointers in relation to literary theory that I intend following up.
While I did not find Our Tragic Universe a book I would recommend to everyone it was sufficiently entertaining that I will be happy to soon read the other Scarlett Thomas novel in my library, The End of Mr. Y.
I think Our Tragic Universe would be a great book for a reading group to use for one of their reads. It will certainly provide much to talk about.
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never knew were there. It is a book with many layers, angles, concepts and convolutions, and as such is open to multiple interpretations. Let’s start with the literary elements. Firstly, the protagonist, Meg, is an author with delusions of literary grandeur. She keeps body and soul together by writing Science Fiction novels and giving writing retreats to people who wish to write as ghost-writers for a series her publisher, Orb Books (amazingly close to Orbit), promotes in the name of a non-existent author. Apart from a £1,000 advance she received several years ago for her literary novel, which she has never managed to write, all her income is derived from her Science Fiction writing and the writers’ retreats she runs.
Despite her all but total financial dependency on Science Fiction she is a literary snob who looks down on genre fiction, even to the extent that when someone speaks to her about taking up the TV rights for some of her novels she queries whether or not the programmes could be made and no mention of her name be involved lest she be associated with Science Fiction.
The book shares an attribute with many of the older Science Fiction novels, which is often highlighted by critics as a deficiency; it is the info-dump; the dialogue between characters which is used to explain the science or other technical details. In Our Tragic Universe the info-dump is used to explain some literary theory which is critical to the story, such as the concept of a story-less story.
Scarlett Thomas has, whether intentionally or not, emulated Brecht’s approach to drama. He wanted the play goer to be always aware of the play being a play, and used techniques like having the Stage Manager working visibly on stage. Thomas has presented the reader with literary theory about the structure of novels while telling the story and letting the reader see the structure of the novel theoretically while reading it.
Apart from the literary contortions, Thomas treats us to a glimpse into the lives of people in a sleepy part of England where we find people who have, in many cases, pretentions well above their income, or for whom money doesn’t appear to be difficult to come by. Into this world of retirees, craft-shop proprietors, wineshop owners, and academics, we add a few infidelities and arguments over the value of various literary viewpoints, and we have people pondering the value of the relationships they have been in for many years and looking at their options.
I enjoyed reading this book. I’m sure I have merely scraped the surface of what the author put into it, but it was entertaining and gave me a few interesting pointers in relation to literary theory that I intend following up.
While I did not find Our Tragic Universe a book I would recommend to everyone it was sufficiently entertaining that I will be happy to soon read the other Scarlett Thomas novel in my library, The End of Mr. Y.
I think Our Tragic Universe would be a great book for a reading group to use for one of their reads. It will certainly provide much to talk about.
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LibraryThing member eleanor_eader
In homage to Scarlett Thomas’ narrative experiment, I am sorely tempted to review the black paperback edges (gimmicky, annoying) rather than the story (gimmicky, annoying) on the principle that the review would be to the book as the plot is to the author – that is to say, only peripherally
Loosely speaking, there’s a relationship plot that might have been a bit too chick-lit for my taste, anyway, what with the authoress – let’s not have any subtle meta-fiction, in case the readers miss it - heroine weighing her current, dead-end relationship against the prospect of beginning a love-triangle somewhere else. So maybe I’m the wrong audience for Our Tragic Universe, but everything else: science, pseudo-science, obscure theorising, magic, potentially interesting characters and a touchingly written dog/owner relationship should have charmed and even engulfed me, had the point of it all not been ‘hey, look what I’m doing, it’s clever, right?’.
I was not charmed. I will allow that there are ideas aplenty; it’s brimful of storytelling and, presumably, storywriting convention (much of it couched in expository dialogue, unfortunately), and I kept reading because these were interesting, but the landslide of things about which I did not care outflanked them, and I finished the book with a disappointed sigh at the house-by-the-sea ending (I get it, I do, but still…), and a final trip to the bathroom to wash my hands free of black ink.
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relevant, something that gets in the way of all the clever thoughts she’s had while writing. Loosely speaking, there’s a relationship plot that might have been a bit too chick-lit for my taste, anyway, what with the authoress – let’s not have any subtle meta-fiction, in case the readers miss it - heroine weighing her current, dead-end relationship against the prospect of beginning a love-triangle somewhere else. So maybe I’m the wrong audience for Our Tragic Universe, but everything else: science, pseudo-science, obscure theorising, magic, potentially interesting characters and a touchingly written dog/owner relationship should have charmed and even engulfed me, had the point of it all not been ‘hey, look what I’m doing, it’s clever, right?’.
I was not charmed. I will allow that there are ideas aplenty; it’s brimful of storytelling and, presumably, storywriting convention (much of it couched in expository dialogue, unfortunately), and I kept reading because these were interesting, but the landslide of things about which I did not care outflanked them, and I finished the book with a disappointed sigh at the house-by-the-sea ending (I get it, I do, but still…), and a final trip to the bathroom to wash my hands free of black ink.
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LibraryThing member Amsa1959
I so really thought I would love this novel. I wanted to love it because when I read about it it sounded just like a really good story with a philosophical and mysterious touch to it. Well I didn´t love it. I found it quite boring and uninteresting. Maybe it was me not having the patience and
I never got hooked. I felt I never got to know the people and I didn´t even care. I do think some of the ideas in the novel was interesting but I think the author somehow wanted too much to write an intellectual novel with a metaphysical twist. I also found the novel much too chatty. Still, it is interesting and I will read The end of mr Y witch has been sitting on the shelf for a long time.
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hurrying on looking for the plot...I never got hooked. I felt I never got to know the people and I didn´t even care. I do think some of the ideas in the novel was interesting but I think the author somehow wanted too much to write an intellectual novel with a metaphysical twist. I also found the novel much too chatty. Still, it is interesting and I will read The end of mr Y witch has been sitting on the shelf for a long time.
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LibraryThing member P1g5purt
With a preface quote from Baudrillard the intent is bluntly signaled. Our Tragic Universe is not an orderly procession through a “narrative arc” it’s a riot of ideas. Characters discuss theory - “storyless stories”, “historyless history” and “the Omega point” name checking Plato,
So this is no ordinary novel. It punts at a storyless story but can’t, perforce, have the courage of it’s convictions. Our Tragic Universe must conform – it’s difficult to see how it could get past an editor otherwise - so although many plots strands proliferate with many unresolved, there is a resolution of sorts.
However, this is to me it’s only real weakness. It’s a very clever piece of work. The theory is woven in seamlessly. Although it almost certainly is, it never feels contrived. It’s also surprisingly light, the conclusion, such as it is, remarkably upbeat - there’s something uplifting about life as a storyless story. For those of us that never amount to much it’s some comfort to maintain that the real purpose of life isn’t the end point but what happens on the way.
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Derrida, Levi-Strauss, Tolstoy, Chekhov and Frank Tipler on the way. Throw in some references to “The Cottingley Fairies”, Tarot, Cosmic Ordering and the debate broadens out to also encompass problems with “Western Science”. They also touch on subjects closer to home - Through a discussion on literary archetypes there appears to be a rear-guard defence of genre fiction – if all fiction conforms to codes then literary fictions elevated status is for the most part unwarranted. So this is no ordinary novel. It punts at a storyless story but can’t, perforce, have the courage of it’s convictions. Our Tragic Universe must conform – it’s difficult to see how it could get past an editor otherwise - so although many plots strands proliferate with many unresolved, there is a resolution of sorts.
However, this is to me it’s only real weakness. It’s a very clever piece of work. The theory is woven in seamlessly. Although it almost certainly is, it never feels contrived. It’s also surprisingly light, the conclusion, such as it is, remarkably upbeat - there’s something uplifting about life as a storyless story. For those of us that never amount to much it’s some comfort to maintain that the real purpose of life isn’t the end point but what happens on the way.
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LibraryThing member VanessaCW
Having finished this rather strange book, I am not sure I understood it all as some of it was a little mind-boggling to say the least! Nevertheless, I did find it bizarrely compelling and enjoyable. The style of writing is very readable.
It is a tale about relationships and stories. The main
Upon finishing the book, did it answer my questions? Well, I have to say that by the end of the story I was a little bemused by all the theories and now feel blinded by science - a lot of it went over my head. There are a few metaphors in the book, such as the 'beast' and the 'labyrinth' - overcoming fears, the meaning of life and the paths that we follow. There is also some humour with some quite bad jokes too! I liked the character of Meg and I especially loved her dog, Bess! Bess was definitely a personality and added to the tale for me.
I loved The End of Mr Y by the same author but didn't enjoy Our Tragic Universe quite so much, but it's still worth a read. I look forward to Scarlett Thomas' next book.
It is a tale about relationships and stories. The main
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character is Meg, an author of genre fiction as well as a reviewer of 'new age' books. She is in a relationship with Christopher, who she does not seem very keen on, and finds herself attracted to an older man. She likes eating tangerines and becomes a little obsessive with knitting socks! She also has friends with relationship problems. Where will it all end and what will happen to Meg? These are questions which I asked myself and which intrigued me enough to read on for some reason.Upon finishing the book, did it answer my questions? Well, I have to say that by the end of the story I was a little bemused by all the theories and now feel blinded by science - a lot of it went over my head. There are a few metaphors in the book, such as the 'beast' and the 'labyrinth' - overcoming fears, the meaning of life and the paths that we follow. There is also some humour with some quite bad jokes too! I liked the character of Meg and I especially loved her dog, Bess! Bess was definitely a personality and added to the tale for me.
I loved The End of Mr Y by the same author but didn't enjoy Our Tragic Universe quite so much, but it's still worth a read. I look forward to Scarlett Thomas' next book.
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LibraryThing member laphroaig
One of the themes winding their way through "Our Tragic Universe" is "the storyless story" and if it is anything, this book is one of ideas rather than plot or, particularly, character.
Meg, a struggling writer who ghost-writes teen sci-fi novels by a fictional character is transfixed by the power
Stories within stories within stories. It's an interesting idea, but unfortunately that is all it is. For someone who quite likes plot, not having one is a bit of a pain and on top of that Meg keeps poor company ... who chatter endlessly about stories within stories within stories.
While the narrative flows and the book is fairly adept in its wilful breach of the storyteller's rulebook, it is interesting but ultimately undisciplined - rarely nailing down an idea, a plot, or a character and, in doing so, it begins to chafe as both self-indulgent and a little too cocky. It takes more than it gives: good to discuss, not good to read.
Meg, a struggling writer who ghost-writes teen sci-fi novels by a fictional character is transfixed by the power
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of the story. She discusses it with her potential lover, her friends, herself; meanwhile her life falls to pieces primarily from lack of money, partly because of her charmless partner (a character who is a source of teeth-grinding frustration and does nothing but make Meg look weak), partly because of Meg's own inability to complete her own novel.Stories within stories within stories. It's an interesting idea, but unfortunately that is all it is. For someone who quite likes plot, not having one is a bit of a pain and on top of that Meg keeps poor company ... who chatter endlessly about stories within stories within stories.
While the narrative flows and the book is fairly adept in its wilful breach of the storyteller's rulebook, it is interesting but ultimately undisciplined - rarely nailing down an idea, a plot, or a character and, in doing so, it begins to chafe as both self-indulgent and a little too cocky. It takes more than it gives: good to discuss, not good to read.
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LibraryThing member Rubbah
I'm unsure how I feel about scarlett thomas. I loved The End of Mr Y, though found it confusing, but was disapointed by the extremely didactic ending of Popco. Our Tragic Universe was a different reading experience again, it feels like Scarlett thomas is learning not to cram so many philosiphical
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ideas in, and to stick to only 1 or 2 themes- in this case writing and realtionships. Overall I think this was a better book in terms of content than the last two that I read, but I didn't find it as compelling whilst I was reading. These are just my personal niggles though, and I still recommend this and her other books for a slightly different reading experience. Show Less
LibraryThing member flissp
Meg is the ghost-writer of generic, pulp fiction, trying hard to write her own serious work of literature, a "story-less story", at the same time, but scrapping her attempts every time she starts to get anywhere (or even after the first page). She lives in penury with her moody boyfriend
When a book, dealing with the idea that we are all already dead, living at the end of time in a second, purgatory-like world, arrives on her doorstep, despite disliking the ideas behind it intensely, even though "the science is right" (really? how is it right?) and writing a scathing review, it makes her stop and think about her life.
This is a book with a lot of ideas - the story-less story; why should everyone be a hero; learning to accept your mistakes; relationships; asking the Universe for help (an idea I liked)... To be honest, for me, there were too many - it made too much of a jumble. I think the main theme was the idea of a story-less story - and for the novel, in the process, to be one. It's a clever idea, but for me it did not quite work. There is a story - life is a story - it's just incomplete - why does a story need to have an end? Nonetheless, I think that the book would have profited from just focusing on this one idea, without the extra not-quite-reality moments (this from someone who enjoys magical reality fiction), which really didn't add anything to the story, to my mind anyway.
I say all this, but Scarlett Thomas _does_ have a knack for keeping me reading. Off the top of my head, several weeks later, I can not think of a single likeable character, but this doesn't matter - which is always quite an achievement to pull off. So, at the the end, like "The End of Mr Y" (which I enjoyed more than this), some interesting ideas, which I get the impression are meant to make me philosophise more than I did; "science-which-is-mysterious-and-revolutionary-but-is-also-right" (I'm sorry, I just find it extremely hard to suspend my belief without at least some attempt at an explanation - "The End of Mr Y" does a bit better at this) but absorbing writing. I really have extremely mixed feelings about this author!
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Christopher, though attracted to another older married man, writing reviews of popular science books to make extra money.When a book, dealing with the idea that we are all already dead, living at the end of time in a second, purgatory-like world, arrives on her doorstep, despite disliking the ideas behind it intensely, even though "the science is right" (really? how is it right?) and writing a scathing review, it makes her stop and think about her life.
This is a book with a lot of ideas - the story-less story; why should everyone be a hero; learning to accept your mistakes; relationships; asking the Universe for help (an idea I liked)... To be honest, for me, there were too many - it made too much of a jumble. I think the main theme was the idea of a story-less story - and for the novel, in the process, to be one. It's a clever idea, but for me it did not quite work. There is a story - life is a story - it's just incomplete - why does a story need to have an end? Nonetheless, I think that the book would have profited from just focusing on this one idea, without the extra not-quite-reality moments (this from someone who enjoys magical reality fiction), which really didn't add anything to the story, to my mind anyway.
I say all this, but Scarlett Thomas _does_ have a knack for keeping me reading. Off the top of my head, several weeks later, I can not think of a single likeable character, but this doesn't matter - which is always quite an achievement to pull off. So, at the the end, like "The End of Mr Y" (which I enjoyed more than this), some interesting ideas, which I get the impression are meant to make me philosophise more than I did; "science-which-is-mysterious-and-revolutionary-but-is-also-right" (I'm sorry, I just find it extremely hard to suspend my belief without at least some attempt at an explanation - "The End of Mr Y" does a bit better at this) but absorbing writing. I really have extremely mixed feelings about this author!
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LibraryThing member heidialice
Meg, a 30-something writer trapped in an unfulfilling relationship, and living close to the poverty line, mistakenly reviews a book about immortality. This sets off a chain of events that conspire to change her life, and those of the people around her.
This is a book with many themes, one of the
It's also a book about stories, writing, writers, etc and can get very "meta-fiction"-y in a way that is sort of interesting, but also I think detracts from the power of the book, the pacing and the "main story". I don't think the author needed to leave it out, necessarily, but I think it could have been done better, maybe a bit more subtly.
Finally, it's a book about the Big Questions: the nature of the universe, the meaning of life (and mortality) and also about the nature of reality/science/supernatural phenomena. These are worked into the story in a kind of playful way that is interesting, and a bit heady. Again, it maybe detracts from the "main story" and could have been done more adeptly. But interesting ideas.
In sum, I think the author tries to do too much, and doesn't fail, but doesn't quite hit all the right notes with all the parts. Still, very readable and would appeal to those wanting a meditation on those most interesting of topics: the nature of human relationships or of reality.
This is a book with many themes, one of the
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most successful of which is overcoming depression, not in a "stop being sad and become happy" way, but in a "finding meaning and joy in the simple things". This makes the first part of the book challenging to read, I think, because there is nothing more boring/depressing than a depressed person. Fighting through to the second part, though, and the characters are easier to like, and read about.It's also a book about stories, writing, writers, etc and can get very "meta-fiction"-y in a way that is sort of interesting, but also I think detracts from the power of the book, the pacing and the "main story". I don't think the author needed to leave it out, necessarily, but I think it could have been done better, maybe a bit more subtly.
Finally, it's a book about the Big Questions: the nature of the universe, the meaning of life (and mortality) and also about the nature of reality/science/supernatural phenomena. These are worked into the story in a kind of playful way that is interesting, and a bit heady. Again, it maybe detracts from the "main story" and could have been done more adeptly. But interesting ideas.
In sum, I think the author tries to do too much, and doesn't fail, but doesn't quite hit all the right notes with all the parts. Still, very readable and would appeal to those wanting a meditation on those most interesting of topics: the nature of human relationships or of reality.
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LibraryThing member Litfan
What makes this novel difficult to review is exactly what makes it so compelling: it's impossible to put it into a neatly defined box. Scarlett Thomas' "storyless story" has as its protagonist Meg, a 38-year-old struggling writer who does book reviews and writes genre fiction to pay the bills.
As the novel starts out, Meg is sent a copy of a book to review, which has as its central premise that everyone is ultimately immortal. She is both intrigued and repelled by this idea and what it might mean for her own life. Rich philosophical undertones provide the backdrop for Meg's struggle to find, and make, her own meaning in life and to figure out what's worth believing in.
Meg's character is endearing due to her complete human-ness. She is no romantic heroine, but rather a flawed human being trying to find her way, just like the rest of us. Her narration is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious, and always unflinchingly real. It only took a few pages to be completely immersed in her life; she was interesting even when all she did for days on end was walk her dog and knit socks.
This novel contains elements of romance, physics, magic, philosophy, myths,and literary history, but in the end it really defies convention or definition. It truly becomes a "storyless story" and in this way actually becomes more true to life. To make a novel entirely about the journey, rather than the wrap-up of the plot, could have been a risky move. It requires the reader to trust the author in order to keep going when there's no clear "payoff" in sight in terms of a plot resolution. But Thomas writes so well, and her characters are so profoundly human, that the journey is immensely satisfying. Very enjoyable and highly recommended.
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Meanwhile, she keeps starting and re-starting her "serious novel," tries to help her friend Libby with her relationship problems, and endures the trials of a moody, overly sensitive live-in boyfriend. All this while trying to figure out her feelings for a much older man who has his own entanglements.As the novel starts out, Meg is sent a copy of a book to review, which has as its central premise that everyone is ultimately immortal. She is both intrigued and repelled by this idea and what it might mean for her own life. Rich philosophical undertones provide the backdrop for Meg's struggle to find, and make, her own meaning in life and to figure out what's worth believing in.
Meg's character is endearing due to her complete human-ness. She is no romantic heroine, but rather a flawed human being trying to find her way, just like the rest of us. Her narration is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious, and always unflinchingly real. It only took a few pages to be completely immersed in her life; she was interesting even when all she did for days on end was walk her dog and knit socks.
This novel contains elements of romance, physics, magic, philosophy, myths,and literary history, but in the end it really defies convention or definition. It truly becomes a "storyless story" and in this way actually becomes more true to life. To make a novel entirely about the journey, rather than the wrap-up of the plot, could have been a risky move. It requires the reader to trust the author in order to keep going when there's no clear "payoff" in sight in terms of a plot resolution. But Thomas writes so well, and her characters are so profoundly human, that the journey is immensely satisfying. Very enjoyable and highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member bibliobeck
Reading the previous reviews, this is a book that seems to have divided people. I'm on the thumbs up side. I loved this book with it's smatterings of magic, philosophy and folk lore to name just a few of the concepts it touches on. Unlike some other reviewers, I felt that I really got to know Meg.
The 'storyless story' is mentioned frequently in these reviews and as others have already discussed this far more articulately than I could, I shall merely point potential readers in their direction. Reviewer pgmcc in particular pretty much says it all, although I have given the book a higher rating. It's a novel where not much happens in the physical world, but much discussion takes place and it's this that really gets the reader thinking.
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Perhaps it's because her life is the kind of life I'd love - a little cottage by the sea, sock knitting into the night and writing about various hobbies for a newspaper whilst discussing anything and everything with friends - sounds idyllic to me. I'd love to spend the afternoon with Scarlett Thomas - her head sounds like it must be so full of ideas and concepts and sometimes these do come bursting through the story line, but I like that. The 'storyless story' is mentioned frequently in these reviews and as others have already discussed this far more articulately than I could, I shall merely point potential readers in their direction. Reviewer pgmcc in particular pretty much says it all, although I have given the book a higher rating. It's a novel where not much happens in the physical world, but much discussion takes place and it's this that really gets the reader thinking.
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LibraryThing member SmithSJ01
I'm afraid as much as I tried to like this I just couldn't. Having loved Thomas' other novels this was a huge disappointment for me. Not only could I not finish it but I couldn't even find anything positive from the first few pages that would have kept me going. The lack of chapters for me didn't
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help but the sections took me to page 70 and then I felt I'd just had enough. Show Less
LibraryThing member lauriebrown54
“Our Tragic Universe” is a novel with very little plot, and yet I found myself deeply involved in it. The characters aren’t heroes or exceptional; while they have some deep discussions at times they face the same problems others do- mostly relationship problems- and react to them in the same
The protagonist, Meg Carpenter, is living the typical free lancers life- always broke, working at several jobs- scifi novels, ghostwriting YA novels and doing book reviews, not having time to work on her ‘serious’ novel (which she starts and deletes constantly), living in a horrid house with a horrid boyfriend- a boyfriend who is one of the most annoying characters in fiction. When she reads a book- she thinks it’s for review but it turns out someone left it at her house- it gets her thinking about metaphysics, magic, the end of the universe and living forever. When her best friend, Libby, suggests that Meg put her desires out to the universe things start changing rapidly for Meg.
Meg’s life improves drastically; is the universe doing it for her or is it synchronicity? The characters are all woven together tightly. Unlikely things happen that are never explained- a poltergeist and a magician in Meg’s childhood, a Beast roving the area, Tarot readings that are uncannily accurate, an object washes up on the beach at Meg’s feet that turns out to be meaningful for the man she may love. All of these possibly magical things fit into the everyday lives of her set. There is no epic magic, no wizarding school, no battle with demons. Her and her friends mundane lives mesh with the possibly supernatural like the newly designed labyrinth- the opening of which ends the book- weaves in and out of itself. Thomas gives us no answers, just possibilities.
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ways that the average person does. I don’t know if the book engaged me so much in spite of this or because of this. The protagonist, Meg Carpenter, is living the typical free lancers life- always broke, working at several jobs- scifi novels, ghostwriting YA novels and doing book reviews, not having time to work on her ‘serious’ novel (which she starts and deletes constantly), living in a horrid house with a horrid boyfriend- a boyfriend who is one of the most annoying characters in fiction. When she reads a book- she thinks it’s for review but it turns out someone left it at her house- it gets her thinking about metaphysics, magic, the end of the universe and living forever. When her best friend, Libby, suggests that Meg put her desires out to the universe things start changing rapidly for Meg.
Meg’s life improves drastically; is the universe doing it for her or is it synchronicity? The characters are all woven together tightly. Unlikely things happen that are never explained- a poltergeist and a magician in Meg’s childhood, a Beast roving the area, Tarot readings that are uncannily accurate, an object washes up on the beach at Meg’s feet that turns out to be meaningful for the man she may love. All of these possibly magical things fit into the everyday lives of her set. There is no epic magic, no wizarding school, no battle with demons. Her and her friends mundane lives mesh with the possibly supernatural like the newly designed labyrinth- the opening of which ends the book- weaves in and out of itself. Thomas gives us no answers, just possibilities.
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LibraryThing member andyl
I'm not quite sure how to review this book. There are bits in it about the Tipler Point, the Beast of Bodmin Moor, and a whole load of other stuff all of which are peripheral to the meat of this book. The core of the book is about a penniless (or at least penniless for most of the book) writer
Apart from a few short sections I didn't care for the main character. The author didn't endear herself to me when she summed up one of the main characters early boyfriends as "liked Hawkwind and curries" in a list of faults which included "told his mother to fuck off" (a different boyfriend). What is so bad about liking Hawkwind and curry? I like Hawkwind and curry.
I didn't get a very good sense of place from the book either. Sure the geography was right (even down to using the right pub name) but the feel wasn't there for me, at least for the majority of the book.
In general I felt the book was too introspective for me to like, with far too much cod philosophy. In its favour it was a reasonably quick read but I would have liked to have seen a stronger plot.
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called Meg Carpenter and her life, in particular her relationship with her boyfriend Christopher. As a writer (and reviewer) stories obviously intersect her life quite strongly and at times it is difficult to work out what is reality and what is story. I'm not entirely convinced that as narrator Meg Carpenter is entirely reliable.Apart from a few short sections I didn't care for the main character. The author didn't endear herself to me when she summed up one of the main characters early boyfriends as "liked Hawkwind and curries" in a list of faults which included "told his mother to fuck off" (a different boyfriend). What is so bad about liking Hawkwind and curry? I like Hawkwind and curry.
I didn't get a very good sense of place from the book either. Sure the geography was right (even down to using the right pub name) but the feel wasn't there for me, at least for the majority of the book.
In general I felt the book was too introspective for me to like, with far too much cod philosophy. In its favour it was a reasonably quick read but I would have liked to have seen a stronger plot.
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LibraryThing member nikkipierce
I loved this book. Without meaning to sound pretentious, it has echoes of Virginia Woolf for me, in its style (a sort of more accessible ‘stream of consciousness’ from the narrator) and some of its themes (for example, about needing our own space). I loved the main character, loved the setting,
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loved the way it is written. While the plot itself is intriguing, in a way what was stronger was the fact I just wanted to read more of what was going on in the main character’s head. Show Less
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
A fascinating novel. Indeed, I think that this was even more beguiling and enchanting than her previous offering, "The End of Mister Y". Scarlett Thomas seems to have an inexhaustible supply of amazing central characters, all of whom are immediately credible and immensely sympathetic.
Like all of
It is also beautifully packaged by the resurgent Canongate Press.
Like all of
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her previous books there is an immensely engaging exploration of the relationship between art and science, and intriguing insights into the fallacious origins many popular misconceptions about physics and chemistry. But, lest this sound as if her books are simply sounding boards for her own pet likes and dislikes, the plot is solid, plausible and (most importantly) entirely gripping. I felt that I could not put this book down, but at the same time I was reluctant to finish it.It is also beautifully packaged by the resurgent Canongate Press.
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LibraryThing member tisifurie
I loved this book. I completely related to the main character of Meg Carpenter. And yes, I do believe stories can save lives...
LibraryThing member vlcraven
Meg Carpenter is trying to write a literary novel, rather than the genre fiction she's been churning out in order to pay the rent, but she can't figure out where to start or what it's about. On her creative journey she has philosophical conversations with her friends and tries to sort out her
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relationship with her longtime beau. Our Tragic Universe is about everything and nothing and our place in the everything-nothingness and is compelling meta-fiction. Fans of I Heart Huckabees will love this. Show Less
LibraryThing member suetu
Not so tragic after all
It has now been several weeks since I read Scarlett Thomas’s Our Tragic Universe. The novel’s description sounded hugely appealing to me, but 30 pages in, I wasn’t loving it. In response to a friend’s query I wrote, “My immediate response to the opening is slightly
I was right. It did get better, and I certainly did warm up to central character. Meg is a novelist. Sort of. She makes a living churning out ghost-written genre dreck and book reviews. She’s been working on a serious literary novel for years now, but can’t seem to get more than 43 words on the page. Yes, that’s correct, 43 words. As the story progresses, we watch Meg struggle with her relationship, her friendships, finances, temptation, and her craft. There are many philosophical ruminations on the nature of story-telling. It’s quite interesting—to a point. (Thomas lost me at the Zen koans.) Along the way, we meet some lovely characters and some not-so-lovely characters, and we get to laugh a bit. (Although the humor never was as overt as I expected.)
I’ve subsequently read and heard so many raves of this novel that I felt the need to marinate a bit before writing my review. While I did warm up to Our Tragic Universe, I’m afraid I still don’t quite get the raves. It was enjoyable and well-written, but that’s about as far as I’m willing to go. Give it a read and decide for yourself. If, however, it doesn’t grab you right away, consider giving Ms. Thomas a bit of latitude to win you over.
It has now been several weeks since I read Scarlett Thomas’s Our Tragic Universe. The novel’s description sounded hugely appealing to me, but 30 pages in, I wasn’t loving it. In response to a friend’s query I wrote, “My immediate response to the opening is slightly
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negative. I haven't really connected with the first-person narrator, the struggling novelist. And the book is not overtly funny yet. So far, it's sort of gray and gloomy and British, and seems to be peopled with not wildly likeable characters preoccupied with adultery. Of course, I have a nasty cold, and that could be coloring my perceptions. That said, I suspect that I will finish reading it, and I have a feeling that it will take a turn for the better.”I was right. It did get better, and I certainly did warm up to central character. Meg is a novelist. Sort of. She makes a living churning out ghost-written genre dreck and book reviews. She’s been working on a serious literary novel for years now, but can’t seem to get more than 43 words on the page. Yes, that’s correct, 43 words. As the story progresses, we watch Meg struggle with her relationship, her friendships, finances, temptation, and her craft. There are many philosophical ruminations on the nature of story-telling. It’s quite interesting—to a point. (Thomas lost me at the Zen koans.) Along the way, we meet some lovely characters and some not-so-lovely characters, and we get to laugh a bit. (Although the humor never was as overt as I expected.)
I’ve subsequently read and heard so many raves of this novel that I felt the need to marinate a bit before writing my review. While I did warm up to Our Tragic Universe, I’m afraid I still don’t quite get the raves. It was enjoyable and well-written, but that’s about as far as I’m willing to go. Give it a read and decide for yourself. If, however, it doesn’t grab you right away, consider giving Ms. Thomas a bit of latitude to win you over.
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LibraryThing member deepikasd
I originally started out this book like Meg did to the book The Science of Living Forever. I loathed it. It was a book that seemed to make no sense at all after awhile. There seemed to be no plot; no real reason to read it. However, just like Meg, I found myself not being able to put it down; like
The book follows Meg. She is a successful writer for the most part. Though she views herself almost as a complete failure. (The books that she ghost-wrote were stories that she did for money to survive, not because she really wanted to do them.) Her goal in life is to one day start on her "actual" book; the book she will one day write, but can never seem to actually write. It is about an author who tries to write her perfect book but is failing miserably.
Then after reading the book, her life starts to change, little by little. I loved the coincidences and the mystical events that seem to happen in her life. But whether the mysterious events are due to magic or just plain coincidences, the author lets us decide. There is an element of child-like magic as Meg relates her experiences of meeting a fairy to finding a boat that shouldn't be found.
Thrown in are the love lives of her and her friend Libby. Both are having affairs, and both are resolved to do something about them.
This is the story of how a writer is able to change her life around, find love, make up with friends, and throw out all the negativity out.
WARNING: The story does start off slow and can be extremely boring; hence the half-star. However, if you continue to read on and open your mind (like not wanting the story to be the story you want it to be), you'll be surprised how the story pulls you in. Towards the end, you'll find yourself cheering on Meg as she changes her life. Also, be warned, there is a lot of philosophical stuff added in there mixed with science.
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some sort of compulsion to keep on reading. And I'm glad I did. The book turned into something I found myself almost falling asleep and dreading to read into something I couldn't put down. And just like Meg, it changed my life... or at least a bit of thinking on my part.The book follows Meg. She is a successful writer for the most part. Though she views herself almost as a complete failure. (The books that she ghost-wrote were stories that she did for money to survive, not because she really wanted to do them.) Her goal in life is to one day start on her "actual" book; the book she will one day write, but can never seem to actually write. It is about an author who tries to write her perfect book but is failing miserably.
Then after reading the book, her life starts to change, little by little. I loved the coincidences and the mystical events that seem to happen in her life. But whether the mysterious events are due to magic or just plain coincidences, the author lets us decide. There is an element of child-like magic as Meg relates her experiences of meeting a fairy to finding a boat that shouldn't be found.
Thrown in are the love lives of her and her friend Libby. Both are having affairs, and both are resolved to do something about them.
This is the story of how a writer is able to change her life around, find love, make up with friends, and throw out all the negativity out.
WARNING: The story does start off slow and can be extremely boring; hence the half-star. However, if you continue to read on and open your mind (like not wanting the story to be the story you want it to be), you'll be surprised how the story pulls you in. Towards the end, you'll find yourself cheering on Meg as she changes her life. Also, be warned, there is a lot of philosophical stuff added in there mixed with science.
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LibraryThing member jemsw
Thomas offers an extended meditation about the nature of stories, the way of the labyrinth. There are honest, plainly-written portraits of daily life and strange, almost surreal touches that highlight the novel's premise: that not all tales have a beginning, middle, end, purpose, and significance.
LibraryThing member RoboSchro
"The story-structure is just the container. The container might be strong and reliable and familiar, but you can put whatever you like inside it. It's the space that's important. There's no reason why you can't put something unfamiliar in a familiar container."
Scarlett Thomas' novels for Canongate
In Our Tragic Universe, the focus is on writer Meg Carpenter's love life. She's seemingly stuck with a hopeless moaner of a boyfriend; the anomie that he instils in her is making it difficult for her to write, or do much of anything else. When the strange events kick off (primarily revolving around the mysterious arrival of an odd book about how to survive the end of the universe, and a beast roaming Dartmoor), they don't really drive an action-filled plot sequence, as happened in her earlier books; instead, they simply trigger in Meg a prolonged bout of self-questioning, as she tries to work out what to do with her career and her relationships. Neither of these take the attention away from Meg herself for too long.
In the absence of other excitement, the success of the book rests with the quality of the characters, and the philosphising. These are mixed.
Meg herself has depth and and individuality, and supports pretty well the weight of the book. Most of the people surrounding her are likeable and interesting, if not quite fully rounded. Josh, her boyfriend's obsessive-compulsive brother, is a particular bright spot. But Christopher, the boyfriend, is just so passive and useless that it's difficult to believe that Meg would ever get so attached to him. This key aspect of her situation just doesn't ring true.
The ideas, similarly, hang together well but never quite spark into brilliance. Information theory flows into meta-narrative (and meta-meta-narrative), flows into questions about the source and idea of meaning. It's interesting enough stuff, and kept me attached to a book that I might otherwise have had no connection with, but never quite achieves the profundity that Thomas seems to be aiming for.
Enjoyable, thoughtful, and quirky. Just not as good as I wanted it to be.
Scarlett Thomas' novels for Canongate
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are showing a definite pattern. The protagonists are wordy, intelligent women, uncertain that they're doing the right thing with their lives; there are thought-provoking, reality-twisting events going on around them; these events allow the characters to spend a lot of time philosophising.In Our Tragic Universe, the focus is on writer Meg Carpenter's love life. She's seemingly stuck with a hopeless moaner of a boyfriend; the anomie that he instils in her is making it difficult for her to write, or do much of anything else. When the strange events kick off (primarily revolving around the mysterious arrival of an odd book about how to survive the end of the universe, and a beast roaming Dartmoor), they don't really drive an action-filled plot sequence, as happened in her earlier books; instead, they simply trigger in Meg a prolonged bout of self-questioning, as she tries to work out what to do with her career and her relationships. Neither of these take the attention away from Meg herself for too long.
In the absence of other excitement, the success of the book rests with the quality of the characters, and the philosphising. These are mixed.
Meg herself has depth and and individuality, and supports pretty well the weight of the book. Most of the people surrounding her are likeable and interesting, if not quite fully rounded. Josh, her boyfriend's obsessive-compulsive brother, is a particular bright spot. But Christopher, the boyfriend, is just so passive and useless that it's difficult to believe that Meg would ever get so attached to him. This key aspect of her situation just doesn't ring true.
The ideas, similarly, hang together well but never quite spark into brilliance. Information theory flows into meta-narrative (and meta-meta-narrative), flows into questions about the source and idea of meaning. It's interesting enough stuff, and kept me attached to a book that I might otherwise have had no connection with, but never quite achieves the profundity that Thomas seems to be aiming for.
Enjoyable, thoughtful, and quirky. Just not as good as I wanted it to be.
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LibraryThing member Boekenbeestje
This book was a lot of fun to read. Less 'complicated' than The End of Mr. Y, which I sometimes found very confusing, even though I loved that book too.
Our Tragic Universe is full of interesting thoughts and ideas. I loved the comparison of the labyrinth and life at the end of the book and could
This is one of the few books I wanted to read again as soon as I finished it.
Our Tragic Universe is full of interesting thoughts and ideas. I loved the comparison of the labyrinth and life at the end of the book and could
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very much relate to how relationships were described.This is one of the few books I wanted to read again as soon as I finished it.
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Original publication date
2010-05-20
Physical description
428 p.; 9.13 inches
ISBN
1847677622 / 9781847677624