| C | |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Publisher: | Jonathan Cape (UK) Knopf (US) |
| Release Date: | 2010 |
| Media Type: | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages: | 400 |
C is a 2010 novel written by Tom McCarthy. C is McCarthy's third novel and sixth book. The novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.[1] Critics were polarized by the work.[1]
The novel revolves around Serge Carrefax, born in the late 19th century in England. The plot follows his life before and after World War I.
A major theme in the novel is communication, and the way technology influences the way individuals and societies communicate.[2] [3]
Upon release, C was generally well-received. On The Omnivore, in an aggregation of British press reviews, the book received a score of 2.5 out of 5.[4] The book received a 61% from The Lit Review based on 8 critic reviews and the consensus of the reviews being, "The reviews are incredibly mixed for McCarthy’s C; but the Man Booker Selection Committee seems to like it, so it just might be worth the read".[5] Culture Critic gave it an aggregated critic score of 82 percent. [6] According to Book Marks, the book received "positive" reviews based on 20 critic reviews, with 8 being "rave" and 6 being "positive" and 5 being "mixed" and 1 being "pan".[7] On Bookmarks Magazine, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with the critical summary saying, "Even with a good deal of mainstream attention for his third novel, C, Tom McCarthy is still something of a fringe writer".[8] Globally, Complete Review saying on the consensus "Find it quite interesting".[9]
Jennifer Egan, writing for the New York Times, referred to the novel as fusing "Pynchonesque revelry in signs and codes with the lush psychedelics of William Burroughs".[10] Leo Robson, in a review for the New Statesman, describes the book as "full of familiar delights and familiar tedium". It continues "After a certain point, most sentences go something like this (not a parody): "Everything seems connected: disparate locations twitch and burst into activity like limbs reacting to impulses sent from elsewhere in the body, booms and jibs obeying levers at the far end of a complex set of ropes and cogs and relays."[11]