Human Traces
2 journalers for this copy...
Synopsis:Amazon.co.uk
"Human Traces" explores the question of what kind of beings men and women really are. Jacques Rebiere and Thomas Midwinter, both sixteen when the story starts in 1876, come from different countries and contrasting families. They are united by an ambition to understand how the mind works and whether madness is the price we pay for being human. As psychiatrists, they travel on a quest from the squalor of the Victorian lunatic asylum to the crowded lecture halls of the renowned Professor Charcot in Paris; from the heights of the Sierra Madre in California to the plains of unexplored Africa. Their search is made urgent by the case of Jacques' brother Olivier, for whose severe illness no name has yet been found. Thomas' sister Sonia becomes the pivotal figure in the volatile relationship between the two men. It threatens to explode with the arrival in their Austrian sanatorium of an enigmatic patient, Fraulein Katharina von A, whose illness epitomises all that divides them. As the concerns of the old century fade and the First World War divides Europe, the novel rises to a climax in which the value of being alive is called into question.
"Human Traces" explores the question of what kind of beings men and women really are. Jacques Rebiere and Thomas Midwinter, both sixteen when the story starts in 1876, come from different countries and contrasting families. They are united by an ambition to understand how the mind works and whether madness is the price we pay for being human. As psychiatrists, they travel on a quest from the squalor of the Victorian lunatic asylum to the crowded lecture halls of the renowned Professor Charcot in Paris; from the heights of the Sierra Madre in California to the plains of unexplored Africa. Their search is made urgent by the case of Jacques' brother Olivier, for whose severe illness no name has yet been found. Thomas' sister Sonia becomes the pivotal figure in the volatile relationship between the two men. It threatens to explode with the arrival in their Austrian sanatorium of an enigmatic patient, Fraulein Katharina von A, whose illness epitomises all that divides them. As the concerns of the old century fade and the First World War divides Europe, the novel rises to a climax in which the value of being alive is called into question.
When I started reading 'Human Traces' for the first fifty pages I was unsure it was going to appeal to me. Once the introductions to the two protagonists had been made and the author went on to describe their first meeting it was starting to work for me.
The first protagonist we meet is Jacques Rebiere, a farmers son from Brittany with an interest in science and a love for his mentally disturbed brother Olivier. Olivier is treated like an animal by the rest of his family, only Jacques seems to have any sympathy and an interest in the way his brothers brain works. With the local Cure Abbe Henri encouraging Jacques in his education he studies medicine and it is while holidaying with the Cure after successful examination results that he first meets Thomas Midwinter.
Thomas a young man from Lincolnshire, England also studying medicine is staying in the same boarding house in Deauville, France, with his sister Sonia and her husband, as Jacques and Henri. Despite initial language difficulties which the young men soon overcome, they find they share more than just medicine in common but both have a specific interest in psychiatry. A desire to learn more about how the human brain functions. As Thomas explains to Sonia he feels he has found a friend that although coming from a completely different background thinks in the same way as him. When they part at the end of the holiday they make a pact to remain friends and one day work together when they have finished their degrees.
What a complex and enjoyable novel this turned out to be. It took me so much longer than normal to read as I needed to really concentrate on the scientific information. It was no surprise to learn that Sebastian Faulks spent five years researching Victorian psychiatry before writing this novel. There was just so much information to take onboard, some of which is quite disturbing but important as we follow the life story of these two young men as it unfolds after their chance meeting. The drama of their lives is blended seamlessly with the ongoing exploration of the human mind.
It was absolutely fascinating and I would recommend it highly to any fan of Sebastian Faulks, he is a master storyteller. However be warned this is not a quick or light read and some of the descriptive passages are not for the faint hearted.
The first protagonist we meet is Jacques Rebiere, a farmers son from Brittany with an interest in science and a love for his mentally disturbed brother Olivier. Olivier is treated like an animal by the rest of his family, only Jacques seems to have any sympathy and an interest in the way his brothers brain works. With the local Cure Abbe Henri encouraging Jacques in his education he studies medicine and it is while holidaying with the Cure after successful examination results that he first meets Thomas Midwinter.
Thomas a young man from Lincolnshire, England also studying medicine is staying in the same boarding house in Deauville, France, with his sister Sonia and her husband, as Jacques and Henri. Despite initial language difficulties which the young men soon overcome, they find they share more than just medicine in common but both have a specific interest in psychiatry. A desire to learn more about how the human brain functions. As Thomas explains to Sonia he feels he has found a friend that although coming from a completely different background thinks in the same way as him. When they part at the end of the holiday they make a pact to remain friends and one day work together when they have finished their degrees.
What a complex and enjoyable novel this turned out to be. It took me so much longer than normal to read as I needed to really concentrate on the scientific information. It was no surprise to learn that Sebastian Faulks spent five years researching Victorian psychiatry before writing this novel. There was just so much information to take onboard, some of which is quite disturbing but important as we follow the life story of these two young men as it unfolds after their chance meeting. The drama of their lives is blended seamlessly with the ongoing exploration of the human mind.
It was absolutely fascinating and I would recommend it highly to any fan of Sebastian Faulks, he is a master storyteller. However be warned this is not a quick or light read and some of the descriptive passages are not for the faint hearted.
Journal Entry 3 by LindyLouMac at A fellow BookCrosser, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases on Monday, May 17, 2010
Released 13 yrs ago (5/17/2010 UTC) at A fellow BookCrosser, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
I promised this title to another Bookcrosser, it is now in the post en route to her in the UK.
Happy reading
LindyLouMac
I promised this title to another Bookcrosser, it is now in the post en route to her in the UK.
Happy reading
LindyLouMac
The book has arrived safe and sound and I've started reading it, Thank you Linda, its very much my kind of book x
Human Traces by Sebastian FaulksMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The story of two pioneering 'alienists' struggling to find a cure for 'madness' in the 19th century was at most times enjoyable and enlightening, though sometimes a bit hard going.
I preferred the parts of the book that dealt with the personal lives of the two main characters, their personal relationships, families and other loved ones. The book covers quite a long span, from their childhood to old age, I do love a good saga!
Less enjoyable were the long parts detailing what might or might not be the causes of mental problems as understood by the two alienists (and what a difficult area that still is, I'm not sure we're that much advanced, drugs are the main 'cure', though counselling is important, something still not in place during the time the books is written about) though the details of an English asylum made grueling but fascinating reading.
View all my reviews >>
