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Mountolive

Mountolive

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  • Create Date：2021-06-25 08:41:16
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
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  • Author：Lawrence Durrell
  • ISBN：0571356044
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Summary

Lose yourself in the thrilling political intrigue and tangled love affairs of wartime Egypt: Durrell's epic modern classic， introduced by William Boyd （bestselling author of Any Human Heart and Restless）。

'A master at creating and handling tension 。。。 I was fascinated from the start。' Wilbur Smith

David Mountolive， a young English diplomat， has been obsessed with Egypt ever since a youthful love affair。 Returning to Alexandria as British Ambassador just before World War Two， he unravels an intricate political and religious conspiracy - one that connects a web of wildly different characters， including an exiled schoolteacher and glamorous Egyptian couple。 Mountolive gradually exposes the sinister underbelly of these tangled relationships， their deceptions and betrayals mirroring the explosive turmoil of the modern Middle East - and the result is Durrell's most cinematic masterpiece。

'Astonishing 。。。 A work of splendid craft and troubling veracity。' New York Times Book Review

'A masterpiece 。。。 Don't be fooled by the richness of the prose， the depth of the passions 。。。 Wicked and funny。' Guardian

'Dazzlingly exuberant in style and vision， reckless in ambition， wonderfully prolific in invention 。。。 Superb。' Observer

VOLUME THREE OF LAWRENCE DURRELL'S ALEXANDRIA QUARTET

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Reviews

Tink ，

Almost a whole new story。

Sergio Taboada ，

Mountolive es una novela sobre la política internacional y la manera cómo el Imperio Inglés se infiltra poco a poco en lugares que serán， a largo plazo， beneficiosos。 En esta entrega del Cuarteto de Alejandría seguimos a un joven embajador （Mountolive） designado y observamos las intrigas que los diferentes espías causan de una manera o de otra。 Vemos la verdadera relación que une a Nessim y a Justine。 Vemos cómo el pobre Darley es relegado y manipulado。 La prosa de Durrell es ciertamente de una Mountolive es una novela sobre la política internacional y la manera cómo el Imperio Inglés se infiltra poco a poco en lugares que serán， a largo plazo， beneficiosos。 En esta entrega del Cuarteto de Alejandría seguimos a un joven embajador （Mountolive） designado y observamos las intrigas que los diferentes espías causan de una manera o de otra。 Vemos la verdadera relación que une a Nessim y a Justine。 Vemos cómo el pobre Darley es relegado y manipulado。 La prosa de Durrell es ciertamente de una alta "poeticidad" cuando los momentos poéticos lo requieren: como ser la pesca de martínes pescadores o las cartas que Pursewarden manda a Mountolive。 La novela a veces tiene detalles sobre la vida del diplomática que pueden llegar a ser pesados y sin embargo tiene detalles que llegan a impresionar: como ser el encuentro después de muchos años con Leila， la madre de Nessim y Naruz; ella le implora a Mountolive por la vida de。。。， bueno， uno de sus hijos; no los dos， sólo uno （su favorito）。。。。En fin， para quien quiere leer todavía otro escrito que escribí sobre Mountolive， puede entrar a este enlace:https://librosylaberintos。wordpress。c。。。Y para quien quiera ver el video que grabé en YouTube， puede entrar por este otro enlace:https://youtu。be/ANPS4DWXOz0Saludos a todos！！！ 。。。more

K C ，

Finally a plot！！！ Actually looking forward to reading book 4 to find out how it all ends as the characters are now fleshed out and their motivations are clear。 At least I think so。。。

Elaine Reinhard ，

Wonderfully written third part to the quartet。 Fascinating story with all the trials， and tribulations of politics and history and love。

Laura ，

What a splendid series of books！！4* White Eagles Over Serbia4* Justine （The Alexandria Quartet #1）4* Balthazar （The Alexandria Quartet #2）4* Mountolive （The Alexandria Quartet #3）TR Clea （The Alexandria Quartet #4）TR The Avignon Quintet

Álvaro ，

"Los amantes no pueden encontrar nada que decirse uno a otro que no se hayan dicho y callado mil veces。 Los besos se inventaron para traducir en heridas esas nadas"。 "Los amantes no pueden encontrar nada que decirse uno a otro que no se hayan dicho y callado mil veces。 Los besos se inventaron para traducir en heridas esas nadas"。 。。。more

Elizabeth Kennedy ，

4。5 stars

Lcitera ，

Excellent writing。 Nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature。 The MidEast。 Cairo， Alexandria， Palestine。 Part of THE ALEXANDRIA QUARTET。 MOUNTOLIVE is third in the series。 I will start again with the first book and reread MOUNTOLIVE as I make my way through the saga。 So very， very well done。 Copyright， 1958。 Sidebar: The author was the eldest child of the family in THE DURRELLS OF CORFU。

Joanna ，

To moje pierwsze， spóźnione spotkanie z Lawrencem Durrellem i jego „Kwartetem aleksandryjskim”。 Błyskawicznie pochłonęłam kolejne tomy， bo Durrell mistrzowsko snuje opowieść dbając o napięcie niezbędne do utrzymania czytelniczej uwagi。 Do tego niesztampowi， z dbałością o szczegół narysowani bohaterowie， zarówno Ci pierwszo， jak i drugoplanowi oraz zachwycająca panorama wielokulturowej Aleksandrii， zaskakująco wielowymiarowa， biorąc pod uwagę narodowość i pochodzenie klasowe autora。 Tak czułam po To moje pierwsze， spóźnione spotkanie z Lawrencem Durrellem i jego „Kwartetem aleksandryjskim”。 Błyskawicznie pochłonęłam kolejne tomy， bo Durrell mistrzowsko snuje opowieść dbając o napięcie niezbędne do utrzymania czytelniczej uwagi。 Do tego niesztampowi， z dbałością o szczegół narysowani bohaterowie， zarówno Ci pierwszo， jak i drugoplanowi oraz zachwycająca panorama wielokulturowej Aleksandrii， zaskakująco wielowymiarowa， biorąc pod uwagę narodowość i pochodzenie klasowe autora。 Tak czułam po pierwszym tomie， ale kolejne pokazały mi prawdziwą siłę tej powieści。 Durrell oddając głos kolejnym bohaterom rozwija wcześniej tylko sygnalizowane wątki i ukazuje poprzednio opisane wydarzenia od innej strony， poszerzając optykę czytelnika， a nawet nadając faktom odmienny sens。 Pisarz prowokuje czytelnika do zastanowienia nad tym， czym jest prawda i przekonuje， że każdy może mieć jej własną wersję。 Myślę， że gdybym sięgnęła po „Kwartet” w liceum， na studiach na pewno trafiłby do ulubionych。 Teraz， temat będący osią tej opowieści， motorem i motywem działania prawie wszystkich bohaterów， nuży mnie i śmieszy。 Bo „Kwartet aleksandryjski” to opowieść o miłości， namiętnej， pełnej zdrad， kłamstw， usprawiedliwiającej krzywdzenie innych。 Cztery tomy będące apoteozą żądzy， uwznioślające popęd seksualny。 Moje życiowe doświadczenia wskazują， że tak zdefiniowanej miłości szukają ludzie młodzi， albo nie w pełni dojrzali emocjonalnie。Mimo tego polecam wszystkim， nawet podobnie jak ja „zgorzkniałym”， szukającym intelektualnego odprężenia。 Bo Durrell to fantastyczny „opowiadacz” gwarantujący świetną rozrywkę daleką od tandety， a konstrukcja narracji w „Kwartecie” to pełnoprawna pierwsza liga。 。。。more

Sonia ，

Una auténtica pasada。 Me acaba de estallar la cabeza。En esta ocasión Durrell da un volantazo， no sólo a la historia， y cambia completamente de estructura narrativa y de estilo （aunque su prosa sigue siendo rica y bellísima: eso sí que no cambia）。Y una vez más el autor nos demuestra que era un grandísimo escritor: porque incluso con una estructura narrativa más "convencional" （lineal， con algunos saltos hacia atrás muy bien definidos y con todo el sentido， que permiten retomar el avance de la tra Una auténtica pasada。 Me acaba de estallar la cabeza。En esta ocasión Durrell da un volantazo， no sólo a la historia， y cambia completamente de estructura narrativa y de estilo （aunque su prosa sigue siendo rica y bellísima: eso sí que no cambia）。Y una vez más el autor nos demuestra que era un grandísimo escritor: porque incluso con una estructura narrativa más "convencional" （lineal， con algunos saltos hacia atrás muy bien definidos y con todo el sentido， que permiten retomar el avance de la trama）， y recurriendo en esta ocasión al narrador omnisciente en tercera persona， logra sobresalir y mostrarnos unos matices y unos giros en la historia que conocíamos （o creíamos conocer）， que te dejan sin palabras。Y entiendo perfectamente el por qué de ese cambio estilístico: por fin vamos a conocer la realidad。 Hasta ahora conocíamos la historia desde el punto de vista de Darley， y después desde el punto de vista de Balthazar， que corregía los "errores" en la percepción de Darley， desde su conocimiento。。。 Y nosotros， los lectores， siguiéndoles a ellos， creíamos que ya habíamos desentrañado la madeja de la historia。Pero Durrell nos demuestra que no: siguiendo principalmente la historia de Mountolive， ese enigmático personaje que aparece de refilón en el segundo libro （cosa normal， ya que para Darley no era una persona significativa ni determinante en su vida。。。 o eso creía él）， podemos conocer finalmente lo que sucedió， las motivaciones y sentimientos de algunos personajes。Y lo hace con maestría， hasta el punto de volver a narrar pasajes que aparecían en alguna de las dos novelas （por ejemplo， recuerdo un diálogo entre Nessim y Clea）， y lo hace de forma literal。。。 pero rellenando los diálogos o los hechos con los huecos que nos faltaban， los pensamientos de alguno de los personajes （cosa que ahora sí puede hacer gracias a la figura del narrador omnisciente） y ello nos permite darle una interpretación totalmente diferente a la que le habíamos dado sin conocer esos pensamientos。Pero， aunque ciertamente esta vez Mountolive es el personaje principal， la narración no siempre se centrará en su figura， de modo que， cuando sea necesario， esa "cámara" que nos permite una tercera revisión de la historia， girará su objetivo hacia algún otro personaje， como por ejemplo Pursewarden， o Naruz y Leila， hermano y madre de Nessim respectivamente， porque sin sus aportaciones no podríamos captar todos los matices ni hacer encajar todas las piezas de todo este impresionante tapiz que ha tejido el autor。Ni que decir tiene que， una vez más con las que componen este cuarteto， esta novela me ha ENCANTADO。 Tanto la historia de estos nuevos personajes， como la revisión definitiva （¿o no？） de otros viejos conocidos。Y además Durrell me ha hecho reflexionar mucho: cómo la realidad que nosotros parecemos conocer por nuestra propia experiencia， puede ser completamente falsa y equivocada， aunque nosotros pensemos que esa es LA VERDAD， porque es lo que hemos vivido。Como la verdad， la auténtica verdad， es la que es， pese a la percepción que tengamos de ella， puesto que se compone de una serie de realidades， a algunas de las cuales puede que no tengamos acceso。La historia de Darley tal y como nos la presentaba en "Justine" puede que no sea lo que sucedió en realidad， y， sin embargo， paradójicamente， no por ello es menos real， porque eso es lo que Darley vivió y sintió。。。 no sé， tengo una maraña de sentimientos y pensamientos que bullen en mi cabeza y no sé cómo plasmar， pero que son buena prueba de lo mucho que me están marcando estas novelas。Como por ejemplo que los lectores， cuando estamos ante un diálogo en un libro （en el que no haya narrador onmisciente que nos matice e interprete los pensamientos de los personajes）， damos por sentado que los personajes dicen la verdad。 Y no tiene por qué ser así。Y lo mejor de todo es que la trama principal， el núcleo de esta historia， que se planteaba en "Justine" todavía no ha avanzado， porque Mountolive es una vuelta de tuerca （que se plantea con un inicio anterior a los hechos， para que podamos， por fin， entenderlo todo） a la historia que ya conocemos。 Y， aún así， no deja de sorprenderte， fascinarte y encantarte （al menos a mí， claro）。Ya nos lo decía Durrell en la nota introductoria a "Baltazhar":"Como la literatura moderna no nos ofrece Unidades， me he vuelto hacia la ciencia para realizar una novela como un navío de cuatro puentes cuya forma se basa en el principio de la relatividad。Tres lados de espacio y uno de tiempo constituyen la receta para cocinar un continuo。 Las cuatro novelas siguen este esquema。Sin embargo， las tres primeras partes se despliegan en el espacio （de ahí que las considere hermanas， no sucesoras una de otra） y no constituyen una serie。 Se interponen， se entretejen en una relación puramente espacial。 El tiempo está en suspenso。 Sólo la última parte representará el tiempo y será una verdadera sucesora"。Lo dicho: Lawrence Durrell era un magnífico escritor y un genio。No puedo recomendarlo más， aunque entiendo que a lo mejor no es para todo el mundo， especialmente si a uno no le gusta el estilo literario recargado， algo barroco， ni la experimentación estilística。Y por supuesto， me lanzo de cabeza a leer el siguiente y último: "Clea"。（A modo de post data: sí。 La edición sigue la estela de las dos anteriores， con las erratas absurdas。 Pero ni eso empaña la lectura） 。。。more

Edita ，

The saddest book from The Alexandria Quartet so far not only because many book characters lose their hopes and get dissapointed in love， time's effect on relationships， even betrayal of images that our memory keeps and cherishes for years but also because I am as the reader got disillusioned with Nesim and Justine and their deliberately preplanned attachments to people。Slowly， at the pace of prayer or meditation， the great arc of boats was forming and closing in， but with the land and the water The saddest book from The Alexandria Quartet so far not only because many book characters lose their hopes and get dissapointed in love， time's effect on relationships， even betrayal of images that our memory keeps and cherishes for years but also because I am as the reader got disillusioned with Nesim and Justine and their deliberately preplanned attachments to people。Slowly， at the pace of prayer or meditation， the great arc of boats was forming and closing in， but with the land and the water liquefying at this rate he kept having the illusion that they were travelling across the sky rather than across the alluvial waters of Mareotis。 And out of sight he could hear the splatter of geese， and in one corner water and sky split apart as a flight rose， trailing its webs across the estuary like seaplanes， honking crassly。 Mountolive sighed and stared down into the brown water， chin on his hands。 He was unused to feeling so happy。 Youth is the age of despairs。*[。。。] the dull report of a gun from the furtherest boat shook the air and suddenly the skyline was sliced in half by a new flight， rising more slowly and dividing earth from air in a pink travelling wound; like the heart of a pomegranate staring through its skin。 Then， turning from pink to scarlet， flushed back into white and fell to the lake-level like a shower of snow to melt as it touched the water — ‘Flamingo’ they both cried and laughed， and the darkness snapped upon them， extinguishing the visible world。*Have you never starved for love？ Don’t you know how dangerous love is？*In the gardens the branches of the trees bowed lower and lower under the freight of falling whiteness until one by one they sprang back shedding their parcels of snow， in soundless explosions of glittering crystals; then the whole process began again， the soft white load of the tumbling snowflakes gathering upon them， pressing them down like springs until the weight became unendurable。*Mountolive felt the silence close upon them like the door of a vault。 There was nothing to be done about it。 *I have been living with you so long in my imagination — quite alone there — that now I must almost reinvent you to bring you back to life。 Perhaps I have been traducing you all these years， painting your picture to myself？ You may be now simply a figment instead of a flesh and blood dignitary， moving among people and lights and policies。 I can’t find the courage to compare the truth to reality as yet; I’m scared。*Here he sat， among the ragged boatmen and schooner-crews of the Levant， to eat his oysters and dip into the newspaper， while the evening began to compose itself comfortably around him， untroubled by thought or the demands of conversation with its wicked quotidian platitudes。 Later he might be able to relate his ideas once more to the book which he was trying to complete so slowly， painfully， in these hard-won secret moments stolen from an empty professional life， stolen even from the circumstances which he built around himself by virtue of laziness， of gregariousness。*He had never understood Narouz， he thought wistfully。 But then， you do not have to understand someone in order to love them。*He had now joined the ranks of those who compromise gracefully with life。 。。。more

Susan ，

Possibly my favorite of the Quartet。

Alma ，

"Pode um simples gesto de alguém que conhecemos revelar uma mutação interior？""-Que escuro！ Não vejo senão uma estrela。 É sinal de nevoeiro。 Sabes que no Islão todo o homem tem uma estrela que lhe pertence desde que nasceu e o acompanha até à morte？ Talvez aquela seja a tua， David Mountolive。- Ou a tua？- Brilha de mais para ser a minha。 As estrelas empalidecem à medida que envelhecemos。 A minha deve estar muito pálida。 Já percorri mais de metade do meu caminho。 E quando partires ela empalidecerá "Pode um simples gesto de alguém que conhecemos revelar uma mutação interior？""-Que escuro！ Não vejo senão uma estrela。 É sinal de nevoeiro。 Sabes que no Islão todo o homem tem uma estrela que lhe pertence desde que nasceu e o acompanha até à morte？ Talvez aquela seja a tua， David Mountolive。- Ou a tua？- Brilha de mais para ser a minha。 As estrelas empalidecem à medida que envelhecemos。 A minha deve estar muito pálida。 Já percorri mais de metade do meu caminho。 E quando partires ela empalidecerá ainda mais。""Não se pode escrever mais de uma dúzia de cartas de amor sem sentir a necessidade de novos temas。 A mais rica das experiências humanas é também a mais limitada nos seus meios de expressão。 As palavras matam o amor como matam tudo o mais。""Formavam um par esplêndido， pensava ele， mesmo com uma ponta de inveja; davam a ideia desses seres habituados a trabalhar em conjunto desde a infância， respondendo instintivamente às necessidades e aos desejos não expressos pelos outros， nunca hesitando em se reconfortarem mutuamente com um sorriso。""- Penso num laço muito mais apertado， em certo sentido， do que tudo o que a paixão possa inventar: um compromisso baseado na confiança mútua。" 。。。more

Antonio Saras ，

Cada libro de la serie， me gusta mas el cuarteto。

David Guy ，

The most startling thing about Mountolive is that all of a sudden we have no narrator。 Darley—who told his own story in the first volume， then absorbed corrections from Balthazar in the second—is nowhere in evidence， though he’s mentioned occasionally in passing。 His sensibility has dominated the quartet。 Suddenly we’re reading a third-person novel about a character who’s barely been mentioned in the past。 It’s as if Durrell got tired of his unreliable narrator and decided to take over。 In a let The most startling thing about Mountolive is that all of a sudden we have no narrator。 Darley—who told his own story in the first volume， then absorbed corrections from Balthazar in the second—is nowhere in evidence， though he’s mentioned occasionally in passing。 His sensibility has dominated the quartet。 Suddenly we’re reading a third-person novel about a character who’s barely been mentioned in the past。 It’s as if Durrell got tired of his unreliable narrator and decided to take over。 In a letter to Henry Miller， Durrell said， “This big novel is as tame and naturalistic in form as a Hardy; yet it is the fulcrum of the quartet and the rationale of the thing。”David Mountolive when he first appears is a young British man training for the foreign service， living in the home of the Hosnani family。 He is roughly the same age as the brothers Nessim and Narouz， who were central to the first two volumes， Nessim as the husband of Justine， who dominates the quartet， and Narouz as the brother who oversees the family’s considerable agricultural interests， and is secretly in love with the artist Clea， finally confessing his love in the last scene of volume two。 Mountolive begins at a much earlier time， before either of these men has taken his ultimate role in the family。Their father—debilitated and crippled by a degenerative illness—is in a wheelchair， and Narouz oversees his care。 Their mother Leila is considerably younger than their father， and has not contracted smallpox and begun the solitary life we saw her living in Balthazar。 In fact as her sons are hosting and sometimes hanging out with their young British guest， she starts having an affair with him。 She makes the first pass。She claims she does that with her husband’s permission， though I must say I wondered。 She also seems to be having the affair with the knowledge of her sons， which is even more startling。 The whole thing looks like a ticking time bomb。But the crisis isn’t what we’d think。 One evening Hosnani pere explodes in anger at his young guest， not—apparently—because of the affair， but because of a casual remark he makes。 The issue is that the British have sympathized so much with the Muslims in Egypt that they’ve alienated every other group。 In particular， Coptic Christians—of whom the Hosnani’s are a prominent family—were once honored members of the society， prominent in governance， but are now almost entirely excluded。 He is bitter about that fact， bitter at the British specifically。 And though the rest of the family tries to muffle his outburst—the situation is hardly Mountolive’s fault—they don’t seem to disagree。David eventually moves along， and the novel follows his postings elsewhere and his gradual return to Egypt as a middle-aged man， ready to assume the role of ambassador。 （In the course of this story we come across the fascinating fact—at least to me—that Mountolive’s father， who was also in the foreign service， decided when he retired not to return to England with his wife， but to become a Buddhist monk， and is a noted translator of the Pali Canon。） There is just one problem: a British official named Maskelyne reports that Nessim Hosnani， who by now is a prominent businessman—is engaged in underhanded dealings with a foreign power that go against British interests。 Another member of the British foreign service—the novelist Pursewarden， who was a minor character in Justine but became important in Balthazar—disagrees， or perhaps doesn’t want to believe such a thing of his friend Nessim。 Mountolive， who knows both Nessim and Pursewarden， sides with his friends， and relieves Maskelyne of his post。The scene in which Pursewarden discovers he is wrong， and Maskelyne right， is one of the simplest and most brilliant in the novel。 He is with Darley’s girlfriend Melissa， a dancer and part-time prostitute whom we had almost forgotten from volume one。 Though Pursewarden knows Darley， and has just spoken to him， he pays Melissa to come back to his place and have sex。Once they’re there， he has trouble performing， and she tells him， quite accurately， that he is closed up， while Darley—her true love， who himself is in love with Justine—is wide open。 This slovenly dancer and part-time prostitute has read the man’s character perfectly。 Pursewarden confesses to her， in a startling moment， why he is closed down。 It was a fact that was right before our eyes but we didn’t see it。 And it is Melissa who knows， not only that Justine and the Hosnanis are using Darley， but that Nessim engaged in behavior traitorous to his own government and to the British as well。 That evening—which began as a casual pick-up in a bar—stops Pursewarden cold。The next night he commits suicide， an act which seemed inexplicable in Justine。 But I have a feeling that Pursewarden’s real problem， the thing that made him so dark and cynical （though he is obviously bright and brilliant） is the secret fact he reveals to Melissa。 It is the source of his self-hatred。The first three books in this quartet， in which we see the same story again and again， each time in a deeper way， are fascinating in their complexity。 The story deepens every time we get new details， but in volume three it plummets to the sub-basement。 There are places throughout these volumes where I felt Durrell was going on a little long， exercising his considerable lyrical skills just because he could， but I’m actually not sure that’s true， as detail after detail becomes important。 Apparently in Clea—whose title character might be the most intriguing in the whole series—we move ahead in time。 Readers who were following the series as it came out were left on the edge of their seats 。。。more

Judith ，

FYI - this moves the plot on， a lot！ Jx

Jill Bowman ，

Back when I read Justine I thought that perhaps I wasn’t smart enough for Durrell and I liked the novel well enough but decided I wouldn’t read any farther in the Quartet。 Then， I couldn’t help myself， and I did。 Now that I’ve finished the third I’ve realized that I’m certainly not smart enough for Durrell - but I’m coming to love this Quartet。 The way he spins the lives and the story is genius。 I’m looking forward to reading number four - so that I can begin again at the beginning。

Greg ，

UPDATED REVIEW:Random thoughts after a 2nd reading in 2 weeks:1） Early in "Justine" and perhaps on the first page， the author writes something like "What is in this word Alexandria？" Durrell certainly delivers in all 3 volumes， but there is one more novel to go。 There are issues to be resolved。 I thought it odd when， after Nessim builds a summer house for Justine outside the densely populated Alexandria， she then buys Nessim a telescope （I don't recall he had expressed an interest in astronomy） UPDATED REVIEW:Random thoughts after a 2nd reading in 2 weeks:1） Early in "Justine" and perhaps on the first page， the author writes something like "What is in this word Alexandria？" Durrell certainly delivers in all 3 volumes， but there is one more novel to go。 There are issues to be resolved。 I thought it odd when， after Nessim builds a summer house for Justine outside the densely populated Alexandria， she then buys Nessim a telescope （I don't recall he had expressed an interest in astronomy） for a corner of a garden so he can study the stars。 Then we learn Justine has a "summer hut" that can be viewed only by utilizing the telescope， another odd point， as we're led to believe Justine liked privacy to swim/bathe/sun。2） Mid-way through "Balthazar" a question is asked about Nessim: "Why would he marry a Jewess [Justine]？"。 I immediately thought of a simple answer: "Love"。 The question appears at the end of a chapter and felt to me like some kind of cliff-hanger and the fact that the answer doesn't appear in the next chapter， nor in the rest of this second volume， indicates the theme is to be explored。3） Now， "Mountolive。" On the positive side， Durrell takes us more into the underbelly of Alexandria as all is not beautiful and exotic。 Durrell opens the city of Alexandria to the world。 And， also on the pro side， Durrell continues his beautiful writing。 On the negative side， while "Justine" and "Balthazar" can work as stand alone novels， for me， "Mountolive" can't。 Or， at a minimum， "Mountolive" certainly has one questioning certain motives more so than in the first two novels。 "David Mountolive， once emotionally involved with Nessim's set， now returns to Egypt as the British ambassador" reads the back cover of the edition I checked out of the library。 IMO， if you haven't read the first two， you might be lost if reading only "Mountolive。" And where I found the first 2 novels to be luxurious reads， this third one。。。well， it's on the brutal side， not my cup of tea。 I'm giving this a 4- star rating: this isn't as good as "Justine" but still the construction is brilliant， a number of points are explained， and certain events here are truly hard-hitting。 But read these in order。I finished this a few days ago and without giving anything away， this author totally surprised me with the storyline and in a very good way。 But I must add that I didn't absolutely love the first 1/3rd， for a 4-star rating。 But I think I was wrong。 So I'm going to re-read this in the next few days。 More later。 。。。more

Beth ，

My favorite novel in The Alexandria Quartet thus far。 One more to go！

Richard Clay ，

It looks as if The Alexandria Quartet is a good deal better than Durrell's later The Revolt of Aphrodite。 There， Nunquam was a better novel than Tunc， but Tunc did not become a more interesting work in the light of its successor。 Here， Justine is deepened by Balthasar and both are deepened by Mountolive。 And the poor narrator of the first two volumes！ Demoted from romantic hero to mystified observer in Balthasar， he's now， in Mountolive， further reduced to a mere bit part。 The story and its atti It looks as if The Alexandria Quartet is a good deal better than Durrell's later The Revolt of Aphrodite。 There， Nunquam was a better novel than Tunc， but Tunc did not become a more interesting work in the light of its successor。 Here， Justine is deepened by Balthasar and both are deepened by Mountolive。 And the poor narrator of the first two volumes！ Demoted from romantic hero to mystified observer in Balthasar， he's now， in Mountolive， further reduced to a mere bit part。 The story and its attitudes are still very much of their time - still colonialistically disgusting， but the scope and ambition of Durrell's story impresses。 。。。more

chichikuss ，

subjektivni dozivljaj 4。5 zato što nisam uspevala da se koncentrišem， ali 5 jer mi se prelazak na treće lice mnoooogo dopao。

Sara ，

As always， Larry Durrell's mesmerizing prose draws us in to Alexandria， this time a much clearer view of all the politics that very subtly surround all the narrative。 If in Justine we have a narrator who is much oblivious to who pulls the strings， here is clear which characters are deeply involved。 It all ends in tragedy， as expected by the explosive plotting。 A very sensitive and likable character， Mountolive is perfect as a man caught in the middle between love and duty。 For me， in this book t As always， Larry Durrell's mesmerizing prose draws us in to Alexandria， this time a much clearer view of all the politics that very subtly surround all the narrative。 If in Justine we have a narrator who is much oblivious to who pulls the strings， here is clear which characters are deeply involved。 It all ends in tragedy， as expected by the explosive plotting。 A very sensitive and likable character， Mountolive is perfect as a man caught in the middle between love and duty。 For me， in this book the characters really became alive， with deep personalities instead of deities。 Alexandria is no longer a myth， but a real city with chaos and unfairness。 。。。more

Eric ，

I get more and more impressed with this series the further I read。 I think at this point， I have to rank it as an all-time favorite。 I don't want to give anything away for anyone thinking of reading it， but each book builds on the one before and flips the reader's perception of what went before。 By the time you reach Mountolive， you're reading it as much for the suspenseful storytelling as for the beautiful sentences and profound observations about human nature。The Alexandria Quartet is one of t I get more and more impressed with this series the further I read。 I think at this point， I have to rank it as an all-time favorite。 I don't want to give anything away for anyone thinking of reading it， but each book builds on the one before and flips the reader's perception of what went before。 By the time you reach Mountolive， you're reading it as much for the suspenseful storytelling as for the beautiful sentences and profound observations about human nature。The Alexandria Quartet is one of the best things you can read。 。。。more

Christie Bane ，

Maybe I’m just getting tired of the Alexandria Quartet， but I did not enjoy Mountolive as much as I enjoyed the first two。 It started off promising — David Mountolive， a British diplomat， has a spicy affair with Leila， the mother of Narouz and Nessim — but then became a little tedious。 （Although the scene of the camel slaughter — camels lying down patiently while they were hacked to pieces — seems to have lodged itself in my memory， possibly permanently。） There is a lot of secret political stuff Maybe I’m just getting tired of the Alexandria Quartet， but I did not enjoy Mountolive as much as I enjoyed the first two。 It started off promising — David Mountolive， a British diplomat， has a spicy affair with Leila， the mother of Narouz and Nessim — but then became a little tedious。 （Although the scene of the camel slaughter — camels lying down patiently while they were hacked to pieces — seems to have lodged itself in my memory， possibly permanently。） There is a lot of secret political stuff happening in the Hosnani family， and someone is going to have to die for it by the end of the book， tragically without seeing the one person he most wanted to see before he died。 （A person who， also tragically， had no desire to see him。） Even if not quite as enthralling to me as the first two， this was still a solid book full of the mysticism of Egypt and the complications of human relationships。 。。。more

Jensen ，

3。5

Najla ，

My Favourite till now

Julie Iskander ，

Just blows your mind away， no one can predict this book as Book 3 of the quartet。 Everything changes， nothing is what you thought it was。 And the end is heart breaking。

Maria ，

Beautiful writing。 Overall I enjoy how the Quartet unfolds， offering different insights and depth of the same story， uncovering new information step by step。 But each story also stands on its own。 It's brilliantly crafted in that way。 This novel is centered on Mountolive - a fairly minor character in both the other novels and an Englishman， which is new。 We get insights into other characters that help make sense of some of the events that have happened along the way - the intriguing and clever p Beautiful writing。 Overall I enjoy how the Quartet unfolds， offering different insights and depth of the same story， uncovering new information step by step。 But each story also stands on its own。 It's brilliantly crafted in that way。 This novel is centered on Mountolive - a fairly minor character in both the other novels and an Englishman， which is new。 We get insights into other characters that help make sense of some of the events that have happened along the way - the intriguing and clever plot lines continue。 What I struggled with most was how utterly male-centered it was。 The female characters in the first two had more depth and influence。 Mountolive is a bachelor， a diplomat， somewhat dull and he has an idealized vision of heterosexual love - the story itself stays true to that general perspective - old white man dull - not a perspective I appreciate much but he makes a point。 。。。more

Cathy Carpenter ，

This series gets more and more interesting 。。。 It took me a little while to get invested in Justine but now I'm interested to read Clea and see how things wrap up with this cast of characters。 This series gets more and more interesting 。。。 It took me a little while to get invested in Justine but now I'm interested to read Clea and see how things wrap up with this cast of characters。 。。。more

Jenny （Reading Envy） ，

As part of the Reading Envy Summer Reading challenge to finish series， I finally read book 3 of the Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell， Mountolive。 It follows the parallel story of Justine and Balthazar somewhat from the perspective of David Mountolive， British ambassador to Egypt。 But it starts much earlier when he is a young diplomat living in Cairo， when he has a relationship with Leila， Nassim's mother。 Ooh， intriguing。 You need to read the first two books first， but this has more of the As part of the Reading Envy Summer Reading challenge to finish series， I finally read book 3 of the Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell， Mountolive。 It follows the parallel story of Justine and Balthazar somewhat from the perspective of David Mountolive， British ambassador to Egypt。 But it starts much earlier when he is a young diplomat living in Cairo， when he has a relationship with Leila， Nassim's mother。 Ooh， intriguing。 You need to read the first two books first， but this has more of the fantastic writing， with more politics and intrigue。。I'm hoping to get to Clea before the summer ends！（When I first did my placeholder review I typed up quotes in my private notes field but they didn't save！ Grr and argh。 Anyway， some great writing in this book as in all Durrell's works。） 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mountolive

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mountolive&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mountolive&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0