From the Bookshelf of The Roundtable

Memento Mori
by
Start date
September 1, 2017
Finish date
September 30, 2017
Discussion
Side Reads - Fiction
Why we're reading this
Spontaneous side read of this book planned for September.

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What Members Thought

Christopher
Sep 08, 2017 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Death, death death death death, death death death death death death death death, DEATH death death, death death, death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death, deeeeaaaaattttthhhhhhhhhhhhh...
Elise
Nov 01, 2016 rated it it was ok
An early novel, this really fell short of the other two I'd previously read. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is scathing and weird, The Driver's Seat is feverish and weird, but Memento Mori is just boring and weird. There are mentions of scandal and secrets, but like in The House and Its Head by Ivy Compton-Burnett, it's all too obliquely rendered to be effective. The characters are numerous and tied to one another in complex configurations, but almost all of the intriguing heft of their stories i ...more
Pamela
A group of old people begins to receive anonymous telephone calls. The message is always the same 'Remember you must die'. The panic that ensues triggers a number of revelations, arguments and plots, as Death inexorably advances on the group.

This is an amusing and macabre look at old age, but underneath the farce lies a thoughtful examination of human frailty. Most of the characters are self-centred and self-deluding, they obsess about the weakness of the others while trying to ignore the inevit
...more
Susan
This was my first read of Muriel Spark.

The audio version was quite enjoyable. I do think that it may be difficult to track the characters in print though. There were so many and they hopped around so much.

The author must surely have spent time among many elderly people to catch all of the dynamics involved with aging. Quite a few of the characters, especially the younger ones, were just detestable. Most of the elderly characters, especially when relating tales of their younger years, were quite
...more
Wendy
May 27, 2021 rated it it was ok  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: 1001-books, 2021
Like The Driver's Seat this one was weird. However, despite some amusing moments, overall I found this a rather convoluted slog. ...more
Heather(Gibby)
Jan 12, 2017 rated it really liked it
My first Muriel Spark read, and I was definitely impressed by her character development and writing skills.
This is a bit of a horror/mystery thrown together with how society views aging, and death. It is both a lighthearted book , and a profound book all at the same time.
Erika
Dec 25, 2008 marked it as to-read
Pat
Dec 18, 2010 marked it as to-read
Shelves: f
Zadignose
Oct 04, 2015 marked it as for-my-consideration
Jennifer
Oct 28, 2015 marked it as to-read
Karen Michele Burns
Oct 05, 2016 marked it as to-read
Kai Coates
Oct 23, 2016 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Lauren
Sep 05, 2017 rated it liked it
Dianne
Oct 24, 2016 marked it as to-read
Jen
May 17, 2020 rated it really liked it
Janice (JG)
Sep 06, 2017 rated it liked it
Rachel
Sep 07, 2017 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fiction
Nike
Jan 25, 2024 marked it as to-read