Man or Mango?: A Lament

by Lucy Ellmann

Book Overview

By the Booker-shortlisted author of Ducks, Newburyport, a formally madcap and prescient novel about men (and women), mangos (and bees), and modern love.

Reclusive Elo?se lives with her cats and her cello in an English country cottage, privately building a case against men, women, the Queen, Nazi list-makers, fluorescent lighting, her ex-flatmate Howard, nuclear bombs, and toilet-roll-holder manufacturers. She has a real thing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1771964952
• ISBN13: 9781771964951
• Release Date: November 2022
• Publisher: Biblioasis
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.2" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

Dark and Twisted Humor

Man or Mango is a twisted little book, full of dark and twisted humor--it's certainly not for everyone, but if you enjoy a bit of black comedy every now and then, you are sure to enjoy this terrific novel. The novel mainly concerns Eloise--a misanthropic recluse given to hilarious rants--and her former lover George, who is just ever so slightly more social than Eloise. The two are former lovers, haven't seen each other in years, and they each live in their separate worlds trying to avoid misery that company brings. Sounds miserable, but it's truly funny. As I said before, not for the faint of heart, but if you can take it, you'll love it.

An interesting read

This is a strange, quirky book by an incredibly talented author. The characters are wonderful, the most alive and unpredictable ones I've read in a long time. The structure of the book isn't traditional or intentionally satisfying, which is refreshing and frustrating at the same time. In all, though, it's quite an experience if just for the way she can turn a sentence.

A clever writing style

This book is great for those who like to think about what is going on. Lucy Ellman has a unique writting style that grabs your attention and puts you into the lives of her characters. At the end there is an ending you would not normally expect, but one that is thought to of brought the story to an end.

A provocative fascinating failure

Ellmann has a wonderful imagination and an ascerbic black humour that is riveting. I like her brilliant use of pastich: the book is full of quotation, allusion, lists, letters, different narrative strategies, including some visual effects. The poetry, for example, is hilarious and enormously clever. It is no mean feat to write such deliberately bad poetry. On the other hand this novel should be, could be, much more than a post-modern bricolage. Why have such an apocalyptic ending when we are already convinced that Eloise's celibate state really is a tragedy for her; her life of fussy despair is more interesting that plate tectonics. I also think that Ellmann is overbrimming with material. Owen and Ellen could be a novel of their own, Eloise's parents and their shuffling off of this mortal coil seem to premise a magnificent story. I think finally that Ellmann should have used these characters in several different and more tightly focused novels. MAN OR MANGO could have been one of those "loose baggy monsters": a 700 page novel which ends up thoroughly exploring the intriguing cast of characters. As it is, characters like the three old ladies, Niamh, and the doctor's family have scant interest for us since we barely have a chance to get interested. This is a time of vapid writing, vapid novels, and one rarely meets a novelist as _smart_ as Ellmann. I will certainly read everything else she has written that I can get my hands on and watch out for her writing in the future. I feel like saying: Lucy, you are TOP of the class, but I KNOW you can do much much better." Is that really fair? Shouldn't I just be happy to have found a writer who really is intelligent, funny, and original? I give MAN OR MANGO five stars, not because of what it ends up doing but because I am convinced that the author could have done it......because she is a five star writer whose book has many many five star moments, although they could be, should be more deftly pulled together.

A Touching Tragicomedy

Eloise had a love affair with an American writer, George, few years back while holidaying in America. But the affair ends when George decided to stay with his wife. The separation left Eloise bitter and disillusioned with men in general. There are a few extravagant characters in the story and they all meet at the closing chapters for an unexpected finale.The writer borrows various texts, poems, lyrics and statistics from other works, which gives the book a taste of freshness.There is a high element of British humour about the book but it comes together with a touching profundity. It makes very enjoyable reading. END