The Magus by John Fowles

[Scheherazade]

The Magus by John Fowles

The Magus is the third Fowles novel I have read - first two being The Collector and The French Lieutenant's Woman . Having been very impressed with my first readings, I had a lot of expectations from this book as well. Fowles is, no doubt, a master of suspense and did not disappoint me this time either; he is, in my opinion, one of the best writers of the 20th century.

The Magus opens in London where we are introduced to the main character Nicholas Urfe who has been looking for a job after graduating from university. Upon being offered a job as a teacher in Greece, he leaves the UK and his girlfriend to work in a small island in Mediterranean, where he meets, under unusual circumstances, Mr Conchis. Nicholas finds himself gently trapped in a psychological game; a game which proves to be life-changing for him.

Even though it is a very long book, I kept reading The Magus without losing interest. Fowles consistently manages to keep his reader's attention by introducing new and unexpected twists without resorting to any unnecessary "stretches of imagination". As he does in his other books as well, he makes his reader question the validity of what is construed as "real" or "reality". The complexity and, in a way, fragility of human mind are explored extensively, in The Magus, through Nicholas' experiences.

If you are in search of an excellent page turner and a literary feast, look no more; simply pick up a copy of The Magus.

10/10 KitKats!

[Dark Muse]

I thought this book as abostultely stunning and amazing. I could barely set it down. It was just an abolstuely faboulous story that kept me guessing the entire time.

[sysiphus]

spectaular book. i read it 10 years ago and it's still lives in my mind. i don't re-read many books, but this is definetely one i look forward to reading again.

[papayahed]

I really enjoyed the book up until the ending, I'm not entirely sure what happened in the end. I was expecting some big reveal but got nothing, I think I'll reread the ending again.

[Dark Muse]

Oh I loved the end

[amalia1985]

It is a great book, I loved every page of it. The first time I read it, the end caught me by surprise and I admit that I was a little- but only a little- disappointed. I understood the quality and the significance of the end, in my second reading, and I loved the novel even more.

[MilindChatterji]

i haven't read this new novel of John Fowles but i read his earlier one The Collector which i enjoyed thoroughly. i am sure this new book will also be a good reading material just like his earlier ones.

[optimisticnad]

I've not read this yet. I keep reading the back of the book, the blurb, and it puts me off. I LOVED beyond words the collector and french lieutenant's woman and Fowles is one of my favourite writers. I just don't want his image ruined in case I don't enjoy the magus but you've all convinced me to give it a shot. Damn, I said i'll read ulysses too. No sleep for a month!

[curlyqlink]

I read this one years ago. Twice. So obviously I liked it... although curiously I remember it as slightly "trashy". I mean that in a good way. Sort of like the James Bond novels are trashy. Ripping good reads, stylistically original, but somehow not quite ready for polite society. Maybe it's the bit of light B&D in The Magus, but somehow I think of it as slipping a little into the category of guilty pleasure.

[optimisticnad]

I read this one years ago. Twice. So obviously I liked it... although curiously I remember it as slightly "trashy". I mean that in a good way. Sort of like the James Bond novels are trashy. Ripping good reads, stylistically original, but somehow not quite ready for polite society. Maybe it's the bit of light B&D in The Magus, but somehow I think of it as slipping a little into the category of guilty pleasure.

*Shocking* You compare Fowles to James Bond 'trashy' novels? :lol: No way. Fowles novels, like the Magus are classics - so....more than ready for polite society.

[KaranTrehan]

i am yet to read this novel of John Fowles, the one i read last was The Collector n i enjoyed reading it immensely.

[lupe]

I've always put "The Magus" in my personal list of the 30 greatest novels I've read. It's an astonishing and intriguing novel, with fascinating characters and plot.

I have to admit that there is an additional reason of my attraction to it. I know very well the small island where the action takes place and I could so easily visualize the places, the scenery and - most importantly - the environment in which the story takes place. I'm sure people know what difference it makes.

Fowles is indeed one of the best authors of the 20th century; I hope more members of the LNF will discover him.

[chum]

I have read this great novel many times!

As stated by the auther the ending is left untold and "up to the reader".
The Latin quote at the end may give a nudge but is still ambiguous.

[Paulclem]

I enjoyed this novel too - it was recommended by my English Lit teacher whilst I was doing my A Levels a million years ago. I have to admit that I didn't get everything at the time, but the story and the writing kept me reading. The Collector, as has been noted is also a great book in its stifling intensity.

[Mo Conchis]

My favourite book by anyone, so far.

Reading The Collector then this is like the Beatles going straight from Please Please Me to the White Album, there's just no comparison.

Love the ending, how the last 50 pages or so back in London are just mundanity, grey enveloping him and getting with the Scottish teenage runaway after the exoticism and romance of Greece. Brings the novel full circle beautifully.

Love how it creeps up on you, how the start is just him meeting Alison at a party and it's all so "normal" and then he goes to Greece and it's just....whoah.

The "story within a story" of the Norwegian man was so haunting, one of many memorable moments from this incredible book.

Don't agree that it's trashy at all, it moves too slowly to be a potboiler, there are too many random diversions and literary musings to fall into that category. I remember a section in the middle where nothing really happens for about 200 pages, just Nicholas chilling with Conchis and crazy sh*t going down everywhere.

I look forward to the day when I read another book as wonderful as this one.

[free]

I look forward to the day when I read another book as wonderful as this one.



Yes, you are right. "Magus" is one of those, rare, novels that give you a beautiful time of reading. "Magus" is really magical.

[Darth Fett]

Hello, everyone. I thought I'd make my first post a review here on LitNet.

I just read John Fowles' The Magus, and after finishing it, I had mixed feelings. The Magus is about a man, one Nicholas Urfe, who, on an attempt to take a new direction in his disheveled life--part of the dishevelment coming from a breakup with an eccentric girlfriend--by moving to Phraxos, a Greek island, and working at the boarding school there as an English teacher. While on the island, he makes the acquaintance of Maurice Conchis, a mysterious man who lives on the other side of the mountain. It soon becomes clear that Mr. Conchis is not just an eccentric rich guy, but someone who is toying with Nicholas, causing Nicholas to question what's real and what isn't, why Conchis is doing it, and what the ultimate purpose is.

First, the prose is quite good. It's a well-written novel, with a poetic tone and clear style. It's not difficult . . . at least not because of the writing. The novel is definitely plot-driven, and Fowles does quite a good job of making the reader want to keep reading--he ends chapters with cliffhangers, but doesn't do it so much or make it so far-fetched that it feels derivative. The plot on the whole is very good--it's very mysterious, it keeps you guessing. You really get pulled into the world of the story, and you begin to feel like Nicholas--I was always questioning a character's motive, if they were telling the truth, and sometimes get frustrated with Nick for doing something I wouldn't do.

The problem I had with this novel is the ending. And I'll say there may be some spoilers ahead--nothing major or specific, but if you're like me you don't like knowing anything about an ending, so here's your warning: I'm going to talk about it.

For me, a lot of this book and whether or not I'd ultimately like it in the end depended on the ending. Some books are this way, some aren't. Some can have a mediocre ending bit it doesn't matter because the journey to the end was so good, and some books really hinge on those last fifty pages. The Magus is one of those. It did for me because the story WAS so mysterious; it brand about so many questions and ended giving what I felt to be an insufficient amount of answers. And, even aside from that, the resolution we do get wasn't satisfying to me at all. I guess it's supposed to be one of those books that we're supposed to figure out on our own, but sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. For me it didn't.

If it wasn't for such an unfulfilling ending, I would give The Magus by John Fowles a 9/10, but since I finished it and felt such a sense of "that's it?" I give it a 6/10.

[ladderandbucket]

I enjoyed The Magus, in fact I remember becoming quite obsessed by it and reading it every spare minute, but I think at some point it stretched my credulity too far and I suddenly realised it could only resolve itself badly. I had a similar experience with Haruki Murakami's The Wind-up Bird Chronicles.
I think there was a really great book in The Magus somewhere - certain parts of it were very well written - but it got lost amongst all the twists and turns. It is as though John Fowles couldn't stop having new ideas and felt he had to include every single one into his book.
I remember thinking the last scene was quite interesting and hinted at the kind of existential book The Magus might have been if it had just been toned down a bit.

[Darth Fett]

I'm confused . . . can there only be one review (i.e., thread) for each book? I don't really understand why my review had to be integrated into this thread. I read the rules on writing reviews and said nothing about not creating multiple reviews for one book. I'm curious because what I wrote isn't a response to the review written here, so 1) people may assume and not read it and 2) it doesn't have much relevance to this thread's OP . . . not to mention my review is a bit more substantial, too.

[Scheherazade]

I'm confused . . . can there only be one review (i.e., thread) for each book? I don't really understand why my review had to be integrated into this thread. I read the rules on writing reviews and said nothing about not creating multiple reviews for one book. I'm curious because what I wrote isn't a response to the review written here, so 1) people may assume and not read it and 2) it doesn't have much relevance to this thread's OP . . . not to mention my review is a bit more substantial, too.We aim to keep one single thread dedicated to each book in this section of the Forum to prevent cluttering.

Everyone can share their own reviews in this thread and the OP was careful not to give much away not to spoil others' reading experience.

If you would like to discuss particular aspects of the book, you can start a thread in the General Literature section.

[Darth Fett]

Okay, got it. :)

[dekadrachma]

Its rare to identify with every character in a story. This is the real reason we returned to high school day after day. This kind of genre is better than fantasy, mythology etc. This is better than everything!

[ashulman]

It is a great book, I loved every page of it. The first time I read it, the end caught me by surprise and I admit that I was a little- but only a little- disappointed. I understood the quality and the significance of the end, in my second reading, and I loved the novel even more.

I felt the same way. I was transfixed up until the end where it dropped off abit for me. But maybe I need to read it again too. Overall a wonderful book.