As Max Saw It

by Louis Begley

Book Overview

" A] perfectly constructed novel.... The time is 1974, and Max, who is fleeing from the wreckage of his first marriage, is a summer-house guest on Lake Como, where he encounters the two characters who... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449909476
• ISBN13: 9780449909478
• Release Date: April 1995
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A modern classic

Reminiscent of The Great Gatsby yet 100% original at the same time, this novel has all the makings of a classic of American literature. This is a novel of epic proportions, packed into less than 150 pages. It spans three decades and traverses three continents. It is beautifully paced, at times flowing like a gentle stream, offering nuanced, elegant prose and character development, then switching purposefully and gracefully into much broader brush strokes to account for the passage of time. This is the book for which Begley will be remembered several generations from now.As with the great first-person narrators in classics like Brideshead Revisited and Fifth Business, Max Strong is a keen yet passive observer, comfortable enough blending into the scenery so as not to obstruct the reader's view of the novels fascinating characters. Charlie, the brilliant, extravagant architect with an ego to match his talent, bobs in and out of Max's life, first appearing at an Italian villa where he and Max have been invited as guests, then in Beijing where Max has offered his legal expertise while on sabbatical from Harvard Law School, then again in Cambridge, MA and the Berkshires where Max works and vacations respectively. Their relationship is both antagonistic and co-dependent, as Max serves as conscience and confessor for Charlie in regard to the latter's romantic involvement with Toby, the young, attractive, and troubled youth that Charlie takes under his wing. And yet, while Max rarely asserts himself as anything more than an astute narrator, the book is just as much about him as it is about those that he observes.It is a remarkable accomplishment that Begley has expressed so much beauty in so few pages. His settings and his characters sing with authenticity, and his prose offers the perfect current to carry his flawlessly-crafted story.

Excellent insight into male friendships

I enjoyed the old fashioned tone of this novel. The main character, Max, is a kind of "fifth business," telling the story and having things happen to him without his really being involved. His friendship with Charlie deepens over the course of the book, effecting him in ways he never would have imagined. The writing and langauge are exceptional in a modern author. The characters in this short but intense book (145 pages) have a lot in common with those that appear in the Schmidt books where they are further fleshed out. I recommend all of Begley's books: I've read four this year.