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    So Many Ways to Begin
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    So Many Ways to Begin
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    So Many Ways to Begin
    Audiobook10 hours

    So Many Ways to Begin

    Written by Jon McGregor

    Narrated by Matt Bates

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE

    David Carter cannot help but wish for more: that his wife Eleanor would be the sparkling girl he once found so irresistible; that his job as a museum curator could live up to the promise it once held; that his daughter's arrival could have brought him closer to Eleanor. But a few careless words spoken by his mother's friend have left David restless with the knowledge that his whole life has been constructed around a lie.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateFeb 9, 2017
    ISBN9780008228477
    Unavailable
    So Many Ways to Begin
    Author

    Jon McGregor

    Jon McGregor is the author of five novels and two story collection. He is the winner of the IMPAC Dublin Literature Prize, Betty Trask Prize, and Somerset Maugham Award, and has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize three times. He is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Nottingham, where he edits The Letters Page, a literary journal in letters. He was born in Bermuda in 1976, grew up in Norfolk, and now lives in Nottingham.

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    Reviews for So Many Ways to Begin

    4/5

    140 ratings26 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I won this book in a giveaway. The introduction was enticing but the beginning started a little dry for me however once I got into the story it was good till the end.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this novel. It is beautifully written; MacGregor sees and expresses the wonder of ordinary things. I loved the way that David collected objects to stand for defining moments in his life. Also, David and Eleanor's relationship was powerfully conveyed and at times, sorrowful. I was amazed by McGregor's latest novel Even the Dogs and I was amazed by this. McGregor is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.
    • 5/5
      Jon McGregor had my full attention from the opening sentence….”Eleanor was in the kitchen when he got back from her mother’s funeral”.....The obvious question is why did Eleanor not attend? you are caught in the author’s trap you want to know the answer and so you start reading…...The seemingly ordinary story of the life of Robert Carter and his wife Eleanor Campbell and the fallout that happens when an offhand comment shatters irrevocably those values previously held to be true.Told in a similar writing style to William Boyd and set over a time period of some 50 years it is the language of McGregor that adds so much and enriches the reading experience……”so he might have been rushing to catch his train and not turned and seen her there. These things, the way they fall into place. The people we would be if these things were otherwise”.......”the house empty behind them, unspoken regrets and recriminations swept out of sight like crumbs from the table, silence blanketing the room, the two of them avoiding eachother’s eyes”.......”Every step drew her deeper into the hollows of the landscape, the green hills and shining rivers and mist-tangled treetops, as though she was clambering into the postcard she used to keep propped up on the mantelpiece”...... The author addresses and opens up to examination Carter’s work as Curator of a Coventry museum, his relationship with Eleanor and how this relationship is tested over a chance remark. The reader is able to identify and immerse himself in the story as it unfolds. Jon McGregor’s real ability is the astounding way he brings to life the ordinary and mundane in colourful descriptive heartfelt prose. Wonderful writing, brilliant author, highly highly recommended….”David joked to Eleanor one worn-out evening, and they were happy, in the ordinary ways which had evaded them for so long”.......
    • 4/5
      Won this book thru Goodreads, and I am very glad I did. The story is a quiet recounting of a marriage, of a childhood, of a secret. The surprise is the writing. This book came out in 2006, and the author won prizes for an earlier novel, so how come this book is just getting my attention now in 2011? The writing in this book is superb. It is subtle yet powerful, truly impressive. There is a chapter where Aunt Julia describes meeting her husband at a dance during the war and the chapter reads as a piece of music, the room spins as the dancers move and the story takes on the pace of the music, as does the relationship. I had to reread it to marvel at the author's skill. I am looking forward to reading more from McGregor.
    • 4/5
      This is a sad story about lives which are permanently damaged by childhood experiences. As such, it seems to me to contain an important truth. The story is slowly unraveled and I was confused at times about who various characters were. I suspect the author thought he was being a very clever story teller, but to me it served no positive purpose. Of course I'm in the older and dumber group of readers and I expect the young, smart set would have a different perspective. Anyway, I did find this quite good reading. All of the characters were quite believable to me and I think McGregor has made out a very convincing argument that parents carry a very heavy burden of responsibility, the extent of which they are almost certainly unaware. How we begin really is so important.
    • 4/5
      I think this was such a beautifully written book. It took me a few pages to get into the writing style. There are no quotation marks in the character's dialogue. I think the Sunday Times described the author as a brilliant prose stylist. (and I would have to agree!)The story is about David Carter who is a collector and curator at a local museum. When a senile relative lets slip a long buried family secret, David is forced to consider that his whole life may have been constructed around a lie. The story takes us from WWII to the early 2000's.It is also a story of a marriage. These are just ordinary characters. However, the author has such a way with words, it is an absolute pleasure to read.David is also an avid collector and the beginning of each chapter had a headline of a certain ticket, note, letters or object that he had collected and that chapter was related in some small way to the collected item. The item mentioned was used as a way for the character to remember points of his life. Loved it!!I think some readers may find the story slow or without much of a plot, but it is the author's ability to find the extraordinary in everyday life and create a beautiful story that makes this a wonderful read. I enjoyed every bit of the story. It can at times feel a bit depressing and sad, but the characters were fascinating. McGregor has a way with making his characters extremely believable and readable
    • 3/5
      Disappointing. MacGregor is a talented writer; I had to continually remind myself that I was reading a novel, not a memoir, as the characters, dialogue and story seemed so real. I enjoyed reading the story.However, the ending was a disappointment, and there were some secondary storylines that were detailed but didn't seem to fit into the book as a whole. The beginning of the book is very focused on David finding out that he's adopted, and his search for his birth mother. However, that story is basically dropped for the middle third of the book, and then I wasn't sure why I was reading anymore. Then, there is a lot of focus on his wife and her childhood abuse - but other than vignettes detailing that abuse, there is no tying this back to the main plot, and no resolution here, either. In the end, the adoption search is picked back up, but is never actually resolved.I would be interested in reading other books by MacGregor because he is a talented writer, but wouldn't recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      Museum curator David Carter tells his life story through the lens of various objects of significance. In a way, this novel is organized like a museum exhibit of a life. I enjoyed this unique approach, but I sometimes had difficulty following the timeline of David's life. The chapters jump around in time dramatically, and it was not always obvious which things happened when. Nevertheless, McGregor writes with a beautiful and poetic style. The novel is a worthwhile read for the writing alone.
    • 4/5
      This novel is the story of the life of David Carter, told from David’s perspective and organized around the important objects of his life. Each chapter begins with a description of a particular object and a date (e.g., “b/w photograph, Albert Carter, defaced, c. 1943,” “small fragment of metal, unidentified, 1983”). In this way, the chapters act like snapshots in time, and the chronology of the novel jumps around dramatically. Over the course of David’s life, he grapples with mental illness and depression in his close friends and family, and he learns an unsettling secret about his own past.As a museum curator, David places particular emphasis on everyday objects, so the structure of the novel feels like a natural extension of David’s way of approaching his life. Unfortunately, the jumpy chronology is difficult to follow at times. The constantly shifting timeframe also made it difficult for me to get too emotionally involved in any one storyline. On the positive side, McGregor's writing is elegant and understated, and I appreciated the realism of the novel’s open-ended conclusion (though I suspect some readers will find it to be unsatisfying).
    • 3/5
      This is a beautifully written novel about a mans life , the lives of his family and their relationships. I enjoyed the method that the author used for the beginning of each chapter; the catalogue of ephemera pertaining to the next memory in his story. Even though I found the story intriguing, I was disappointed with the book as it was slow and dreary. I found I had to force myself to wade through it
    • 4/5
      This is a simple story well told. I love books that focus on how ordinary people with relatively ordinary problems get by and manage to make connections through the pain and darkness that sometimes afflicts us all. In this particular story, Jon MacGregor tells the story of David Carter. A husband, father, son, and curator. There are some family secrets which reverberate through each role as he tries to navigate his life. Generally speaking, David Carter is a good man doing the best he can. I particularly liked the way that MacGregor handled depression and melancholy. He was descriptive and gave insight without melodrama. This book is extremely well-written and observed. I recommend it highly to folks like myself who enjoy small stories of everyday men and women.
    • 5/5
      The blurb, which made me request this Early Reviewers book, makes it seem as though this book is about man who's been an obsessive documenter of his own life, whose view of that life is shattered when an addled aunt reveals a family secret: he was adopted. But that's not really it; at the time the story begins, David has known this fact since he was a teenager, and it's poisoned his relationship with his adoptive mother. It's more a story of his family and his wife's family, and the relationship between the two of them, two people with troublesome mothers.
    • 4/5
      The opening pages of this book are filled with some of the most beautifully lyrical descriptions I've read in a very long time. That said, the story itself took a bit of time to pull me, but it was definitely worth the read. It tells the story of David Carter, who learns rather late in life--early twenties--and purely by chance that he was actually adopted. Everything he thought he knew about himself is turned upside down by this revelation and he sets out to discover his birth mother. David is contrasted by Eleanor, who would gladly forget her own mother if she could, due to years of abuse at her hands. It's a fascinating look at how people are affected by their start in life, and how even a late change in perception can alter one's course.
    • 3/5
      As a child, David Corter happily dug up artifacts from the war and haunted the local museums, dreaming of running his own museum one day. He collected artifacts from his own life almost obsessively, cataloging them and preserving them, building a history of his and his family's lives. When, at the age of 22, a family friend suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's reveals the long-held secret that David was actually adopted, he finds himself having to reevaluate everything he thought he knew about his history. Coupled with David's quest are his wife's problems...her abusive relationship with her family has left her prone to debilitating bouts of depression.While the story itself, of two dysfunctional people finding their way in life, is not a new or original one, the way in which the story is told is unique. Each chapter takes as its center an item from David's collection, using that item as a jumping-off point for a story about his past. These stories jump around in time, weaving together slowly into a complete picture of his life and struggle for identity.A quiet, slow-paced, melancholy title, this book is nevertheless engaging.
    • 4/5
      At first I just couldn't get into this book. I found it very slow and hard to follow but about half way through when the character David Carter finds out he is adopted the book really starts getting interesting. How people in those times kept so many secrets, especially about adoption, and then the consequences when it finally came out. A moving book about family and what makes up a family. About searching for someone for so many years and never giving up. A wonderful book for book clubs since there are so many different ideas to discuss and a book that you are glad you finished and didn't give up on half way through.
    • 4/5
      This novel is told in a most interesting format. Each chapter is titled with an memento from the lives of the characters. The story is told through these different mememtos. It is a bit confusing until you understand that this is how the story is being told. This is a family drama told through the eyes of a troubled young man who gets some news that greatly disturbs him. The theme of mental illness is strong throughout the novel as well. At times I felt as though I was reading a memoir rather than a novel. The characters were believable and the setting were accurate. This would be a great read for bookclubs as it could lead to very interesting conversations. I have "If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things" on my wishlist and after reading this I may move it up on my list.
    • 5/5
      David Carter grows up happily collecting artifacts that he digs up from the rubble of his post-war Coventry back garden and family mementos, which he carefully labels and displays in his bedroom. He eventually becomes a curator at the local museum, marrying a girl he meets in a museum tea shop on a research trip to Aberdeen. He continues to keep small souvenirs of his life, pictures of his family, rail tickets and the like throughout his life and these provide the framework for So Many Ways to BeginAs an adult, David is accidentally given some startling information about his place in his family and it leaves him with questions that he can't find answers to. His wife is estranged from her family, but she misses them and the rainy Aberdeen she was desperate to escape. Their marriage has its own missteps and missed connections, even as their lives grow closer and more entwined.The writing here is quietly assured, so that while I often lingered over a paragraph or two, no segments stood out from the others. Dramatic events unfold, but are told as part of the greater tale of David's life, which is an ordinary life, told beautifully.
    • 5/5
      Many years ago I saw a play called "Philadelphia, Here I Come!" that I loved. In many ways, that play reminds me of this quiet book, filled with longing, unanswered questions and reaching, always reaching, for things that will never be.I picked up "So Many Ways To Begin" and I could not put it down. I even woke up in the middle of the night to read it. MacGregor's writing is like music it's so beautiful. And it reads so brilliantly true. I believed everything about these characters'lives, and MacGregor's extraordinary talent is that he makes us care so deeply about these seemingly ordinary people."So Many Ways To Begin" is first a story about one man, but also about his family, and then his extended family, all of whom, like most of us, seem to be trying very hard, but often stumbling. There was only one wretched character here who I just couldn't stand; I was rooting, at every turn, for the rest.I was quite surprised by the ending, which I also liked.Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      I chose this book as an early reviewer selection because I recognized the author’s name and felt badly that I couldn’t get through the last book of his I was sent. Maybe I could redeem myself with this one and find a story I liked. See, McGregor can write. That much was clear with the last book and I wanted to try again. I’m glad I did.This book was first published in 2006 so it can’t quite be called an ‘early’ review, but I think that the publisher wants to bring attention to McGregor's work and rightfully so. It is well written with excellent pacing, structure, characterization and an intimacy that isn’t stifling or voyeuristic.David Carter wants you to know about his life. The way the writer threads the story is through the use of David’s keepsakes. As a boy, he clung to all types of mementos and has grown up loving museums, collections and archaeology. As an adult he’s fulfilled his dreams and become a museum curator. Each chapter he writes is headed with a description of one of his life mementos. A pair of gloves, theater tickets, snapshots, a job application, university prospectuses; each has significance in the chapter and you can imagine David telling you this story, bringing out each one and shyly offering it to you. It’s an excellent device and very believable. Not only does it give you tangible detail, but is almost more revealing of David’s character than what he says.Although there are no big secrets in this book, there are many little ones. Small things are revealed subtly and tension builds if you recognize them for what they are. Eleanor’s agoraphobia for example was obliquely referred to in the very beginning, but took time to manifest itself in real time. Same with the actual reason for David’s hospitalization; as soon as it was hinted that it wasn’t for the reason given to Kate, I knew he had to have run afoul of Chris and could only turn the pages helplessly as it came to pass.Mental illness is a major theme in this book, but it’s never made pathetic or something to be ashamed of. David is patient and loving in the face of it and even though it makes his life difficult at times, he’s never ready to walk out on the women he loves. The ending is a bit hard to take after so much yearning, but it is a fitting one. I think both David and Mary healed in small ways and rather than being frustrated, both seem satisfied.
    • 4/5
      McGregor excels at literary psychological suspense, similar to what Ian McEwan does so well. When reading So Many Ways to Begin, one feels slightly off-balance, as though the world is comfortable but not quite right. As the pages turn, the reader becomes edgy, each increasing word or scene appears to set the story up for disaster. And disaster, one learns, is not necessarily a bomb or an earthquake so much as it is a glance, a word, an opening or closing door, a stare. The basic premise of McGregor's tale is a simple one that has been presented in many ways in many books: a family secret from the past comes into the present to haunt and change present-day lives. What McGregor has done that is different is allow his work to take on a more interior feel which allows readers to twist in discomfort at the thoughts and actions of the everyday characters in the book. There is no tight plot; there is mystery but no methodical approach to it. Fans of plot-centric fiction will be disappointed in McGregor's work. His words and pages are pure literature.There are times when one wishes the book would move faster, the action seems to linger too long in the characters' minds or their very slow actions. There are times one yearns for a bit more twists and turns, more secrets revealed and tossed aside, more progress toward the goal, the learning of the secret. But one must be patient to read So Many Ways to Begin and realize that although it is about a mystery, it is about more than that. It is about families and childhoods and memories. It is about what has meaning and what doesn't. It is about what we take with us when we move on, and about how we move through. Through life, through dreams, through shock and tragedy.There is a great deal of love and affection in So Many Ways to Begin. It comes forth in odd ways at strange times and sometimes lingers on and on in the pages to the point where the reader questions it, dislikes it, wants it to be gone. There are other times when it is easy to want more: more detail, more connection, more acknowledgement. When it doesn't happen, the frustration of the reader feels so true to life, and this seems to be what McGregor is striving for, these incremental moments of living that are captured or not, take on meaning or don't, give us happiness or take it away.McGregor's writing might not be for everyone, and he will be compared to Ian McEwan, but he is really his own writer. He knows what he wants to write about and how to do it. He's innovative, introspective, insightful. He's very, very real in his work, and So Many Ways to Begin must be commended for it is a special book that speaks to all of us in some way. It is not just a book about family relationships, about adoption and a quest for roots. It is not just about marriage, mental illness, crime and punishment. It is about the minutes that tick away in all of our lives every day. McGregor's work is going on between the ticks of the seconds, in the little dips of silence between the clicks on the clock. McGregor is in there, in everyone's silence, and he's very, very good at it.
    • 3/5
      A man in search of himself - finds out he is adopted as a young adult and spends a lifetime wondering, agonizing, searching, until he "finds" what he was really looking for - I found it convoluted and difficult to follow at times - at times just slow, but kept reading because I am adopted and wanted to see how the ending turned out.
    • 5/5
      This book has a long prologue entirely written in italics. I decided I hated the book and I might as well skip the unreadable prologue and see if the chapters were any better. They were.I liked the way the story was put together by a museum creator handling objects from his family's past and recalling stories associated with them. I also liked the way all the speech was reported with not a quote mark in sight. The story itself isn't anything remarkable; it's just a very nicely told tale of fairly ordinary happenings that are kind of out of the ordinary in themselves. Hard to explain.I went back and read the italicised prologue when I reached the end of the book. I don't think I missed anything; all it does is confirm that something that happens at the end of the story happened how you thought it did from reading the rest of the book. Seemed to be spoiler like to me. I thought the book was better off without it anyway.
    • 3/5
      A quiet book about interwoven lives, it is built around a series of objects that evoke memories and stories. As you read, it feels like nothing much is happening, but looking back, you've built a deep understanding of 2 generations of family life. Characters are flawed and realistic, there is barely one person in the book that I didn't feel sympathy for.
    • 5/5
      There are so many ways to begin this review, but, then, that's always the hard part, isn't it...beginning....This is a book I want to shove in the hands of every reader I meet. "Read this one," I might coax cajolingly. "It's good. You'll like it." Like the characters in this book, I have a hard time saying what I want to say. What I really want to say is that McGregor knows how to tell a story, not start to finish, but in little pieces, some from the middle of the story, one or two from near the beginning, and a few from the end. Somehow he manages to connect all the pieces together to make a whole puzzle; it is only when you look at it closely that you realize he has left whole chunks out, but it doesn't matter at all. What I really want to say is that McGregor is---what---thirty? and yet he gets life, he gets marriage, he gets children, he gets grandchildren even. He sees the big picture in a way that most of us haven't quite gotten at fifty, the sadnesses, the tiny bubbles of complete joy, the deep disappointments, the way we can turn mean, how we can forget with time, how hard it is to tell our stories, how hard it is even to know where to start.
    • 4/5
      Jon McGregor's beautiful writing salvages this otherwise slow moving, almost soap opera-ish, novel. It's a layered story of pathos, memories, silences, rejection, redemption and the power of words and seemingly insignificant objects.
    • 5/5
      Yet another masterpiece! I bought this simply because If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things had been such a fantastic read and I have not been disappointed. If you haven't yet read McGregor, he is a must!