Observatory Mansions Paperback – 21 Mar. 2019

I bought this because I enjoyed the Iremonger trilogy (and so did my 10 year old).This was an excellent read.Not suitable for my 10 year old but I will save it for when he is older.

Amazingly rich for a first novel, Edward Carey's urban fairy tale is a fine fusion of ancient and modern. Francis Orme lives a reclusive and embittered life in the building of the title with his parents, several other dysfunctional residents and a feral porter. Their dark but safe world is slowly and delicately unbalanced by the entry of a young blind woman into their community,a love for whom Francis is incapable of admitting to himself. Although clothed in the outer forms of various great European writers such as Bernhard,Beckett and above all Perec, Carey's highly original and ultimately positive tone shines through in a tale (With much of the faery about it,it has to be said) of seismically repressed emotions,inner transformations and the ghastly but extremely moving sight of desperately lonely people trying to make contact with each other. A unique, entertaining and highly rewarding read from a serious voice with a light touch, and a very fresh arrival in English language fiction.

I read this immediately after I’d enjoyed “Little” so much. I have set aside the fact that I have now read more about wax works than I ever intended to, they feature in both novels but to less entertaining effect in this book. It was well written if a little confusing at times - one too many Francis Ormes for me… over all I found it unrelentingly grim, if you are of even the most mildly depressive nature I’d avoid it…

I read this book when it first came out and have not been able to get it out of my head. It is a most wonderful story and beautifully told. The idea of people living in a block of flats that have ended up being on a round-about, is just fabulous. The whole idea is fantastic but written in a way that makes it really plausible. I loved it....my book club didn't, but then they often don't like the books I do. I would recommend this to everyone....in fact, I have!

Great book

great book

Ingenious but rather horrible. I returned it.

Edward Carey is such a wonderfully skilled writer, who possesses an incredible imagination. Some months ago I picked up a copy of 'Little' by this same author and was blown away by it. I was therefore eager to get my hands on this, his debut novel.Here we have a strange, sometimes poignant story concerning a diverse group of characters that inhabit what was once a fine mansion, but which is now a run-down block of flats (Observatory Mansions). Over the years the urban landscape has encroached on this neo-classically designed building - so much so that it now sits on a traffic island. This author has the uncanny ability to make you believe the unbelievable. By that I mean some of the characters and their actions should be implausible, but somehow Mr Carey can convince you otherwise, by taking you under his spell and making you totally accept the rather weird environments and scenarios he magically conjures up for your pleasure - a rare gift indeed.This is a marvellous novel. Are you passionate about reading? If you are then I implore you to treat yourself, and buy a copy of Observatory Mansions.

I read this book a few years back and gave my sister my first copy. This is one of my favourite books by far, so I had to get another copy, was happy to see I got the same cover as my first time! Suits the book perfectly yay

Wow, what a book. A pleasure to read. The writer has created a strange but magnificent microcosm where objects are important and time suspended for protagonists, residents of an old mansion.There's a house with many apartments, a house that has seen years of history, that was once a rich house but then transformed into a tenement. In it live several characters whose fates are interconnected in strange ways. Time is suspended for them, they lead a sort of enchanted life in denial from their past. At the heart of it is Francis. Francis wears white gloves, steals various objects for a personal collection and is an ex-employee of a wax figure museum, priding himself on the art of inner and outer stillness. The writer has drawn on his experiences and the fascinating story of Madame Tussauds.The residents lead this half-dead life until a new resident threatens their status quo. With Anna, time is once again set in motion and characters woken from their stagnation, a breath of humanity pushes them out of their doll-like existence. They are forced to face their past and time returns to its normal flow. Their pasts are intrinsically connected and conveyed by objects- objects that Francis collects.At the heart of it is the mansion and Francis' parents, they are central to revealing the full picture. The characters, whose stories unfold little by little, are all very troubled with deep scars, pathological almost. They have built barriers around themselves. As their stories and stories of the objects unfold,we discover how everything is related and intertwined, and it leads us to the deepest, secret corner of the mansion and the saddest corner of Francis' own heart. Why does he wear gloves? Why is there a woman pretending to be a dog? What happened to Francis' dad? Who is the porter? This is a wonderful, bizarre, grotesque tale of pain and loss, with a touch of mystery, a fascinating microcosm of stories. It's delightfully whimsical and surreal and mesmerises you into its world from the start. And it has a heart in the end..and hope, a ray of sunshine. I really love how it was written, the strangeness of it all but in the end warmth shines through barriers. But...Opening up requires courage, it means taking off gloves and getting dirty, leaving the heart fragile. I like it. Very unique.I'll need to order a hard copy asap. It's one I want on my shelves.

破れや汚れもなく、とても綺麗な状態でした

I like Francis Orme because he is stubborn and childish.

Such a unique Gothic book with great illustrations that help bring imagery to the story. It's inline with geek love and a confederacy of dunces. Also loved his heap house trilogy. Will read all of his books!