Official Review: A Life of Unintended Consequences
Posted: 14 Oct 2020, 04:10
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Life of Unintended Consequences" by Malcolm Hart.]
A Life of Unintended Consequences is a detailed description of the interesting life of one Meneer Hart, an English Jew. The book follows the peregrinations of his life from his idyllic boyhood to his coming of age and venturing out into the world on his own. He experiences World War Two firsthand. He is a young boy when it happens. The German Luftwaffe is raining hell on London. The Harts are smack in the middle of it all, and this is a particularly trying time for all that are involved. There is an unmistakable feeling of doom and foreboding hanging over the city, and the entire world in general, as Germany, seemingly unstoppable, annexes more and more of Europe as its own. With the close of the war comes a lightening of the atmosphere, and Hart, now a young man, has his first encounter with love. A young minx, Jean, captures his attention and holds it. She is vivacious and flirty, and enthralls not only Meneer Hart but also almost every other young man in her vicinity. In spite of her flirty ways and nymphomania, he insists on staying with her, and this marks the start of a tumultuous relationship and married life with her.
Hart and his newly married wife move to South Africa, in a bid to escape the army conscription that is compulsory for every young man. This marks the start of a tumultuous, winding journey as Meneer Hart searches for meaning in his life. Across the deserts of Southern Africa, the grassy savanna plain of Kenya, the harsh cold of Northern Europe and the concrete jungles of London he goes, allowing the winds of fate to lead him. He parties with the bohemian and nihilistic existentialists of Hollywood, becomes a veritable Romeo doomed to fail repeatedly at love and flirts dangerously with running afoul of the law. Malcolm Hart gives the reader a telling insight into the search for oneself in the world, a glance into the struggle to find meaning in an inherently chaotic life.
I tried to enjoy this book, although it was rather yawn-worthy in some parts. The book was basically a memoir of the life of Meneer Hart, and was written in a rambling, story-like fashion. It read remarkably like a novel, despite being a real account of a real person's life. By all standards, Meneer Hart lived a very interesting life, one that was full of experiences that the ordinary person can only dream of. His laid-back, phlegmatic outlook on life could be seen shining out from every page, and his philosophical attitude towards the vagaries of life are an encouragement to anyone facing similar problems. His travels across the world with various companions and the events of his life are very interesting. He has a way of making friends in the most awkward situations. I loved how insightful the book was about the various levels and vicissitudes of interpersonal relationships.
I did not like the rambling, long-winded way the book was written. In some parts, it read like a hasty summary. The conclusion was rather weak and ill-executed. It ended abruptly without tying many loose ends that occurred in the earlier parts of the protagonist's life story. The protagonist was also depicted as a vacillating Pontius Pilate who could not make a firm stand on anything and would go wherever life led him, not considering the possible repercussions of his actions beforehand. A reader may get bored reading about his mundane experiences.
All in all this book was okay. It was rather poorly edited, and I'd recommend that the editors go through it once more to correct the plethora of errors present in the book. I rate it two out of four, it was a good trial. The book has some profanity, and it has a good deal of sexual content, some of it quite explicit. This book is best for people of a relaxed religious disposition and open mind. It is a nice read for lovers of memoirs and biographies.
******
A Life of Unintended Consequences
View: on Bookshelves
A Life of Unintended Consequences is a detailed description of the interesting life of one Meneer Hart, an English Jew. The book follows the peregrinations of his life from his idyllic boyhood to his coming of age and venturing out into the world on his own. He experiences World War Two firsthand. He is a young boy when it happens. The German Luftwaffe is raining hell on London. The Harts are smack in the middle of it all, and this is a particularly trying time for all that are involved. There is an unmistakable feeling of doom and foreboding hanging over the city, and the entire world in general, as Germany, seemingly unstoppable, annexes more and more of Europe as its own. With the close of the war comes a lightening of the atmosphere, and Hart, now a young man, has his first encounter with love. A young minx, Jean, captures his attention and holds it. She is vivacious and flirty, and enthralls not only Meneer Hart but also almost every other young man in her vicinity. In spite of her flirty ways and nymphomania, he insists on staying with her, and this marks the start of a tumultuous relationship and married life with her.
Hart and his newly married wife move to South Africa, in a bid to escape the army conscription that is compulsory for every young man. This marks the start of a tumultuous, winding journey as Meneer Hart searches for meaning in his life. Across the deserts of Southern Africa, the grassy savanna plain of Kenya, the harsh cold of Northern Europe and the concrete jungles of London he goes, allowing the winds of fate to lead him. He parties with the bohemian and nihilistic existentialists of Hollywood, becomes a veritable Romeo doomed to fail repeatedly at love and flirts dangerously with running afoul of the law. Malcolm Hart gives the reader a telling insight into the search for oneself in the world, a glance into the struggle to find meaning in an inherently chaotic life.
I tried to enjoy this book, although it was rather yawn-worthy in some parts. The book was basically a memoir of the life of Meneer Hart, and was written in a rambling, story-like fashion. It read remarkably like a novel, despite being a real account of a real person's life. By all standards, Meneer Hart lived a very interesting life, one that was full of experiences that the ordinary person can only dream of. His laid-back, phlegmatic outlook on life could be seen shining out from every page, and his philosophical attitude towards the vagaries of life are an encouragement to anyone facing similar problems. His travels across the world with various companions and the events of his life are very interesting. He has a way of making friends in the most awkward situations. I loved how insightful the book was about the various levels and vicissitudes of interpersonal relationships.
I did not like the rambling, long-winded way the book was written. In some parts, it read like a hasty summary. The conclusion was rather weak and ill-executed. It ended abruptly without tying many loose ends that occurred in the earlier parts of the protagonist's life story. The protagonist was also depicted as a vacillating Pontius Pilate who could not make a firm stand on anything and would go wherever life led him, not considering the possible repercussions of his actions beforehand. A reader may get bored reading about his mundane experiences.
All in all this book was okay. It was rather poorly edited, and I'd recommend that the editors go through it once more to correct the plethora of errors present in the book. I rate it two out of four, it was a good trial. The book has some profanity, and it has a good deal of sexual content, some of it quite explicit. This book is best for people of a relaxed religious disposition and open mind. It is a nice read for lovers of memoirs and biographies.
******
A Life of Unintended Consequences
View: on Bookshelves