Customer Reviews
Money is still his best - By: D. A. Hadley, 27 Nov 2008 
Money by Marin Amis was one of the best books of the 1980s, an almost perfect satire of that awful decade. It is therefore almost inevitable that any novel Amis writes will be compared to that tour-de-force, & often unfavourably. House of Meetings, unfortunately does not stand up wellin comparison to Money at all. In fact, there were times when reading this when I almost checked the name on the cover was actually Martin Amis, & not some pale impostor. This book seems to lack almost all of those authorial traits, touches, call them what you will, that enables one to feel an authorial presence, lack Amis himself. There are only a few - far too few - examples of his - almost trademark - linguistic dexterity & flights of fluency. Also, probably, for the first time ever with a Martin Amis book, I cannot remember laughing at all, not even smiling, as I read this. In fact, I had no sense of engagement with it at all, & felt very little authorial engagement with it either. In the end, it became a chore just to finish the book.
The novel is the story of a love triangle between the narrator, & his brother Lev & the woman they both love Zoya setin 20th Century Russia. The central point around which the novel revolves is `The House of Meetings' a place set aside for conjugal visitsin the Russian slave camp where both brothers at incarcerated, & where Lev & his then wife Zoya meet for such a visit.
Of course, the tragic events of communist Russia, & post-communist Russia, are played out around this story of these three characters. Unfortunately neither the love-triangle story, nor the greater tragedy of Russia itself seems to engage the reader to any great extent, everything seems distant, almost an exercise, as if all the tragedies, crimes, mistakes & so forth of a triangular relationship, & of the history of 20th century Russia are being ticked off on a list by the author.
It is a shame really. The world could do with yet another great Martin Amis novel, but this one isn't it.
Stunning read - By: Roland Freisitzer, 14 Aug 2008 
Martin Amis' "House of Meetings" is a stunning read. A story, which sees two brothersin love with the same woman, which sees a decade spentin a slave campin Siberia, which sees both brothers tryingin different ways (and different success) to cope with the damage caused by the system, which sees the younger brother fatally changed after a nightin the House of Meetings with Zoya & the older brother on a last ordeal tour to the place, where life changed, a tour he is commenting to Venus, his daughter-in-law. I will not reveal any more of the plot, which is spun brilliantly through the book. Martin Amis has managed to combine political views, views on terrorism, the (also post) Soviet system with a love story, a thrilling & touching read, which permanently pushes the reader towards the breathtaking end. Wonderful characters, brilliant. A book, which I will definetely read again. Why this book was notin the listings (not even longlisted) for the Man Booker Prize remains a mystery to me.
Dull - By: S. ALLMAN, 19 Jul 2008 
M.Amis is one of the great writers & this is still great writing - to some extent. Unfortunately, I found it dull, & though short, not quite short enough. There is no sense of the awfulness of the Gulag, & the character drawing is vague.
at least it's short - By: Nigel in England, 30 Jun 2008 Sadly, the best thing about this novel is its brevity. And I say that as someone who has enjoyed Amis's novelsin the past (eg, Money, Success, London Fields - the latter being my favourite). I expected to be shocked & enlightened by the realities of the gulag & the nature of Soviet communism (which Amis correctly identifies as a form of fascism, post-Lenin), but instead I was mostly bored by Amis's baroque linguistics. Basically, IMNSHO, it's overly-literary & all a bit poncey.
A great novel start, excellent middle, but in the end back to typical Amis self loathing.. - By: S. Crawford, 06 Nov 2007 
With House of Meetings Martin Amis has at last put down his distorting lens. With the unarguable reality of his subject matter - the Siberian gulag - what is left to distend? Only the faint but imperishable joys of human imagination can grace such a heartless state inspired depravity. And here, at last, Amis serves himself a dish greatly to his relish & taste. Utilising wonderfully subtle hyperbole, he creates a Russian alter-ego whose self-awareness unshackles the author's usual authorial straightjacket.
Sensitive yet violent, his narrator symbolically represents that strange ambiguity of Russian power, whether personal or political. In a language of rich beauty he discovers where all is lost,in a sense everything else is gained & rare for Amis, not least a voice of buoyancy.
But be warned,in the gulag the writer is stillin his element. In place of the usual narrative morbidity we have the refined voice of a resilient brute whose ultimate act of destructiveness somehow represents the withering insecurity of the Amis paranoia. This closes up an otherwise excellent bookin a typical fetish of `male anxiety' & justifiable self-loathing.
In sum great writing, even a great book; but sadly let down by the author's flawed finale squeezing out its loftier potential. The arch miserablist remains intact.
