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Human Croquet is a game in which some people act as hoops while others propel a blindfolded "ball" around the course. Though the game is never actually played in Kate Atkinson's remarkable novel, Human Croquet, the parallels between plot and pastime are undeniable. Atkinson, winner of the 1995 Whitbread Award in Britain, tells the story of Isobel Fairfax and her older brother, Charles. The children's parents vanished when they were young, leaving them to the care of their grandmother, now dead, and their Aunt Vinny. Recently their father has returned with "the Debbie-wife" in tow, and they all live in Arden, the family's ancestral home built on the foundations of the original manor house that burned to the ground in 1605. According to family legend, the first Fairfax took a wife who mysteriously disappeared one day, leaving in her wake a curse on the Fairfax name. More than 300 years later, Fairfax descendants are still struggling with this painful legacy.

Atkinson's novel is obviously not rooted in dull reality. Narrator Isobel has an uncanny knowledge of past and future events; Charles is obsessed with the concept of parallel universes and time travel; and a faery curse hangs over everybody. Fortunately, Kate Atkinson is a masterful writer who manages to keep her world of wonders in check. Human Croquet is no ordinary novel, and readers who venture into the Fairfax universe are in for a magical ride.Book Description
A New York Times Notable Book of the YearPart fairy tale, part mystery, part coming-of-age novel, this novel tells the story of Isobel Fairfax, a girl growing up in Lythe, a typical 1960s British suburb. But Lythe was once the heart of an Elizabethan feudal estate and home to a young English tutor named William Shakespeare, and as Isobel investigates the strange history of her family, her neighbors, and her village, she occasionally gets caught in Shakespearean time warps. Meanwhile, she gets closer to the shocking truths about her missing mother, her war-hero father, and the hidden lives of her close friends and classmates. A stunning feat of imagination and storytelling, Human Croquet is rich with the disappointments and possibilities every family shares. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Not a favorite
I really liked "Case Histories" and was quite excited about starting this one. I am not the type of reader that only likes linear, neat storylines. Far from it. In fact, I like the challenge of a non-traditional novel, but this one didn't work for me. I liked parts of it quite a bit. Atkinson's sense of humor is really funny. Some of the dream sequences were interesting and well-developed. But, as a whole, the book just didn't work for me. I felt like it's unfinished and in real need of some editing, particularly all the run-ons and comma splices. As an English teacher, these really annoyed me, and made me want to bring out my grading pen! But, it's really the shifting narrators that bothered me. I don't think the story came together in any logical way. So, I can't say I recommend this one.

Entrancing
Where was once the great forest of Lythe, is now the Street of Trees. What was once the grand Fairfax Manor is now, simply, "Arden" at the end of Hawthorne Close. What was once the great Fairfax family, is now missing half its members, with the other half forced to endure a parody of normality.

Isobel Fairfax is the daughter. Her father is dead. Apparently. Her mother has made a runner, or so Isobel was told. She's still waiting for her to return...

Atkinson has pulled off a formidable feat of imagination. A book totally captivating and engrossing, it may abound in laugh-out-loud moments, but in its heart of hearts is dark, with sadness, despair, helplessness and pain resonating from every page. Full of endless twists and turns, travels through time and space, surprises and unexpected developments, it completely draws the reader in, it forces them to remain alert all through to the very end.

Rivetting, forceful, compelling, I could use tons of other such adjectives to describe it. It's one of those books that reading them makes you feel like you're actually departing your body and are being transported into a whole other reality, a different dimension. Read it

Didn't even finish the book
Although I normally enjoy Kate Atkinson's books, I didn't like this one.It goes back and forth between dreams and reality and it is hard to tell which is which.I didn't even finish reading the book, although, I must admit, I did read the last chapter.

Amazing and Absorbing
I found myself overwhelmed by this story and atmosphere in which it was told.Every now and then I had to just stop reading and absorb the newest information.Kate Atkinson's writing is multidimensional and stunning, as she interwove times, people, and plots so that they were overlaid upon each other...yet not.I am amazed that anyone can write like this.Now I will have to re-read the book to understand what was "really" happening.And I cannot see the final pages as an ending with "too much reality" because I'm asking myself 'is that how it really ended?' or how Isobel wanted it to end?

An audacious tour de force!
Although Shakespeare's play is never referenced, the symbolism of the Forest of Arden in As You Like It (where identity is a game and relationships are as mutable as time) is clear in this witty, wise, confusing, magically realistic novel that reminds one of Mervin Peake's Gormenghast trilogy and of Jane Eyre simultaneously.This is without a doubt one of the best books I've read this year, for the story, the characters, and Atkinson's marvelously fluid writing style. If I sound like I'm trying to write a literary assessment of the book, it's because it extends into so many areas and dimensions, successfully and in an entertaining way. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

They don't make 'em like this anymore
I give five stars to "The Croquet Player" by HG Wells not only because it is one of his better, more symbolically controlled works, but because of its overall modern styling & texture. In a mere novella, Wells is able to build up a powerful character analysis that still has far-reaching implications to Western Civilization. Of course, much of the finesse of the narrative is in its openness of interpretation. When I read this book, I think of Orson Welles directing the action in his high, sinister style. The narrative is framed by a man in his thirties whose life has been shaped by his single aunt's wealth. They are excellent croquet players, & live a life of ease. One day meets a man on a terrace, a man with an unusual story. From there it gets more & more intense--& then another man appears--& suddenly answers & questions become indistinguishable! The role of croquet is skillfully understated yet poignant, culminating in more than an evening's worth of introspection/discussion. One of the better writings of Wells', challenging any living writer to express timeless ideas so artistically & succinctly. Plus, for the time investment, this book gives a thousand times back in stimulation! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must have rule book.
I hadn't played the game of croquet since I was a child. When I purchaseda set, I decided that the small pamphlet that came with the set, did notanswer all my questions on the sport. I wanted one book with good courtset-up diagrams, rules for various games one can play in croquet,a glossaryof terms, and perhaps some tips on techniques. I found all of this and morein Mr. Boga's book.In typical instruction books, Iusually skip the"history of" chapter and get right to the "meat" of thebook. I read, and finished,this chapter before realizing it. It offeredsome interesting tidbits that I now regal my family with in-between wacksof my mallet. This is a wonderful book for a returning croquet playerlike me who had forgottenjust about every aspect of the game, except forthe thrill of sending an opponent's ball off. For those who already have agood grap of the basics, it has additional chapters on strategy, winningthe mental game, and getting better.One last bonus of this book is it'ssmall size. It is quite easy to whip out and reference when there is adisagreement on the official rules of the game. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Information Outlook, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1404 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Web 3.0 and Project Croquet.(information tech)(Column)
Author: Stephen Abram
Publication: Information Outlook (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 10Issue: 1Page: 42(2)

Article Type: Column

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Quite simply, one of the greatest books ever written
H.G. Wells was one of those writers who could only be counted as too good for the Nobel Prize, just like James Joyce or Tolstoy or Proust. In 'The Croquet Player' he has not only produced his best book but one of thegreatest books ever written.

I would rather not reveal details of thestory. It will suffice to say that it concerns the origins of human nature,or rather, of human brutality, selfishness, greed. (In fact, I could hardlyreveal any details of the story, since the last chapter negates the entirebook!)

What tells it apart from so many treatises on human nature and theorigins of evil is that it is narrated by an altogether down-to-earthbloke, the eponimous croquet player, which gives it an even sharper feelingof reality and foreboding. Nothing wrong or criminal actually happens inthe croquet player's world, so to speak. And in the story he is told, thecontours of evil are elusive: a dog beaten to death; a drunked parsonbeating up his wife; that dreadful fear and paranoia in a land that neverwas. That is what makes it ultimately so compelling. So mind-changing as'Catcher in the rye'. So disquieting.

Jorge Luis Borges, the greatest ofArgentinian writers, once made a list of the greatest books ever. In it heincluded 'The Croquet Player', for reasons that you will find obvious onceyou read it. As all masterpieces, exactly why is it so good is not entirelyexplainable. Be warned, though: this book leaves a disquiet behind that canlast for days, weeks, even months. Do not read it if you like your booksharmless and cosy. Do not read it unless you are unable to agree withBorges: 'in here he [Wells] describes a degenerating society that could beLondon or Buenos Aires and the guilty ones, my friend, are you and I.' ... Read more