A Dance to the Music of Time Readalong #dancealong discussion

March 2018: A Question of Upbringing...

I have started the book and since we're pretty much snowed in I'm making some real progress.
Really enjoying it thus far.

Snowed in as well and read the first chapter :) really enjoying it. Shall be reading more of it tomorrow :)

I have finished the book and I enjoyed it greatly.
I thought it was very interesting that the narrator wasn't the focus of the story and it was more about formative moments and people he came across in his early years. The characters were beautifully realised and i really enjoyed them being slight exaggerations (reminding me of Dickens' writing).
I don't want to say too much as i have read it earlier in the month than most of you but i am excited to read book #2 in April and to see which characters return and how things develop.

Francis wrote: "I have finished the book and I enjoyed it greatly.
I thought it was very interesting that the narrator wasn't the focus of the story and it was more about formative moments and people he came acro..."

Hi Francis. I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed the book. The focus on other characters than the narrator, the Dickensian style and the nostalgia are probably my favourite thing about the series. I've read the first chapter (I'm listening to the audiobook) and will carry on with it this week.

Katie wrote: "Francis wrote: "I have finished the book and I enjoyed it greatly.
I thought it was very interesting that the narrator wasn't the focus of the story and it was more about formative moments and peo..."

Widmerpool is such a wonderful character. He reminds me so much of people i have met (mostly when at school) who were looked down on or slightly outside the group for no great reason. If you judged them fairly then there was nothing wrong with them
but having 'worn a slightly off jacket' they are given a wide berth.
Uncle Giles also lines up with a few people i have met :-)

I've just finished the book and loved it as much on a second read as a first. How is everyone else getting on? One of my favourite things is the nostalgic tone of the series, and also the slightly meandering episodic nature of the plot - the series is sometimes more like a series of character sketches and observations, which I just love.

I bought the e-book and plan on starting it on Monday, once I'm done with the current book on my plate.

I am about 25% into it and am really enjoying the characters we have been introduced to so far. I hope to finish it over the weekend and look forward to reading what others post and, hopefully, adding some further thoughts to the on-line conversation.

Quick question to the group: Does anyone know what school the boys are attending? Cheers!

Not 100% sure but I think the school is based on Eton.

Anthony Powell himself went to Eton, so that does seem likely.

An unobtrusive grotesque is Anthony Powell’s winning weapon. And his profound knowledge of human psychological subtleties does the rest.
A Question of Upbringing is like a checkpoint – 3,250 readers entered it and then 2500 were deterred on their way to A Buyer's Market. It’s sad.

I'm finally reading A Question of upbringing and right away I've noticed he likes to reference paintings. While looking up one of them I stumbled across a website dedicated to all the pictures Powell mentions in this series. Here's the url for this first book for those interested.
https://picturesinpowell.com/i-a-ques...

On a side note, one of my favorite things about Jen Campbell's Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night was her referencing paintings and art exhibits in her collection of short stories. Like with Powell here, things like that add an interactive element to reading that I enjoy.

I'm not sure I will be able to read this in March, but I will try to catch up in April/May. And: thank you for organizing this, Katie!

Sirbooksage wrote: "I'm finally reading A Question of upbringing and right away I've noticed he likes to reference paintings. While looking up one of them I stumbled across a website dedicated to all the pictures Powe..."

Thanks for this resource. That's going to be a great help with the future books

I finished this book today and I really enjoyed it. I think what I enjoyed most is that I can honestly say I have NO IDEA what to expect in the next book or the series.

Some observations: I really did not like Widmerpool or Templer. Widmerpool struck me as someone who enjoys making people feel stupid if he doesn't believe they're as smart. Templer just needs to grow up. Stringham and Jenkins are fun characters and I'd like to see more of dear uncle Giles. Looking forward to seeing where this series goes!

Sirbooksage wrote: "I'm finally reading A Question of upbringing and right away I've noticed he likes to reference paintings. While looking up one of them I stumbled across a website dedicated to all the pictures Powell mentions in this series..."

Thank you for posting the link to the picturesinpowell site. It's a great companion website for this read. Cheers!

Thanks for the website for paintings mentioned in Powell's series! It helps to set the scenes& show what they're familiar with in the art world. I finished the book and want to see who shows up in the next!

I really enjoyed Katie's video talking about book one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAp2B...
I'm posting it here for those who don't subscribe to her charming youtube channel.

Thanks, Sirbooksage. The gallery is excellent.

Liked Katie's talk on A Question of Upbringing!

Sirbooksage wrote: "I'm finally reading A Question of upbringing and right away I've noticed he likes to reference paintings. While looking up one of them I stumbled across a website dedicated to all the pictures Powe..."

This is great, I look forward to going through this page!

Mike wrote: "I finished this book today and I really enjoyed it. I think what I enjoyed most is that I can honestly say I have NO IDEA what to expect in the next book or the series.

Some observations: I really..."

Funny, I liked Templer and Widmerpool, but strongly disliked Stringham. I guess T and W really amuse me, while Stringham is just as self-absorbed, but less obviously so.

Finally finished the first book! Don't know if I'll comment more here or on Katie's video, hehe.

OK, I want to start by saying that I love the opening few pages. "Jenkins" beautifully describes this hazily remembered world as "centaurs with torches cantering beside a frozen sea--scattered, uncoordinated shapes from a fabulous past, infinitely removed from life." It also shows his dreamy and imaginative personality.

I noticed lots of homoeroticism, but I didn't realize Templer was bisexual until Katie's video. As an American, I'm also not sure how much I harbored the "British boarding school" tropes. Whatever the case, it's certainly a time of almost exclusively homosocial bonding and explorations of sexuality and admiration. (Probably saying the obvious here.)

Also, is anyone else here obsessed with personality types? I love the Enneagram system, which includes nine personalities. It's been fun to try to type these characters. Templer is undoubtedly a type seven, the enthusiast or adventurer. One description says, "Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous." I mean, he's even compared to a satyr, which I consider to be a very "sevenish" figure.

I actually think Uncle Giles might be a type seven as well, though a more toned-down sort. He definitely seems like a narcissist, if a fairly easygoing one, and reminds me of some people I've known. I love the line, "Uncle Giles had the gift of inspiring confidence in a great many people with whom he came in contact," even when they shouldn't!

Jenkins's imagination can be so funny, like how he jumps to conclusions at the name "Sunny Fairbrother." There are so many pitiable figures in this, and they are the ones I tend to side with, particularly LE BAS. Almost everyone seems quite immature and insecure, whether they are outwardly awkward or smooth. There's a frequently embarrassing search for approval.

I love Jenkins's curious open-mindedness. Even when he can't stand someone, he is so observant and finds something in them to admire.

I would say Sillery and Stringham are my least favorite characters. At first, I found the calculating Sillery to be quite amusing, but his machinations, as seen through Nick's eyes, just became too grotesque. Another narcissist, I'd say.

Stringham irritates me because he seems so thoughtful and emotional but in the end can be cruel and ridiculously self-absorbed. Like how he didn't think for one moment to tell his friend about his new position, and I cannot forgive him for Le Bas! I know that Stringham is trying to find his place in a world where he is subject to so many forces trying to mold him, but I still hate him lol.

Well, I look forward to (finally) making it onto the next book! I already have the second movement in the quartet, so here's to continuing on...