Customer Reviews
I'll get there in the end - By: Lou Knee, 26 Aug 2007 
I bought this book for my summer holiday last year, & might even have to take it on this year's holiday, if I have one, because I no where near finished it. It's not that it's hard to read, I found it very easy to read, as it's no more than a simple account of one man's project to give a cathedral a great spire, & encounters all the usual problems. Of course it's a psychological journey as well, & this is the sort of stuff I like, Golding has a fantastic reputation, & I sort of built myself up for it. Of course that's often a silly thing to do, with books by authors you don't usually read - the only other Golding book I'd read was the Flies a long time ago at school. But this one they say is different from his others anyway.
I shall get back to it one day soon, but that's the real problem with this novelin my eyes - It just didn't inspire me to finish it. I do not have Jocelyn's obsessive drive to push me. You cannot blame Golding for this at all, as this story has to be written the way it is. If I'd wanted more action & more tension I of course would have chosen a more typical holiday read. My error really. I still want to get into it & I still have a feeling it's going to be rewarding, so I'll need a holiday at home perhaps, some dark place to help set the tone for it. It really isn't a beach read at all, this one, silly me.
A Quiet Classic - By: A. Kingston-Splatt, 09 Aug 2007 
'The Spire' is far from famous, & is far from being Golding's greatest novel. But being perhaps the least accomplished novel of a genius is hardly a bad position to be in. 'The Spire' is an homage to man's quest for truth & knowledge & spiritual understanding. It is a novel which should rightly be considered a modern classic.
Time to enter a different world. - By: Reader under a wild olive tree, 26 Dec 2006 I have taught this novel many times at 'A' level & this is the first time I have found a study guide that is really accessible to students. For an adult there are a number of established critical texts to use - all deep & complex, referring to other Golding novels students don't yet know or may not have time to read.
This guide is different. It explains clearly many of the main symbols used by Golding, identifies many of the key themes & serves as a solid starting off point for 'A' level students. On its own it won't get you to an A grade, but it will certainly point you firmlyin the right direction.
A deep but enjoyable novel from a fantastic author - By: Philip Murray, 08 Apr 2006 I must first point out by saying that I am currently studying this text as part of my A-levelin English literature, therefore I have read into this textin a much greater level of detail than a recreational reader may be inclined to do so. That said, the ambiguous nature of this novel is not for fans of lighter literature & I would expect that the vast majority of those who are purchasing this book read to a standard which equals, even surpassing, the level at which A-level students read to.
On one level, The Spire is about the building of a spire upon a cathedral, widely believed to be Salisbury Cathedral, the foundations of which are lacking. The text explores the resilience of weak foundations; holding a spire which scientifically it is judged impossible for them to do.
The novel is used to explore a prominent issuein Golding's life; faith versus fact. We as a reader are never told whether or not the spire does eventually fall, allowing us to reach our on conclusion on which of the above two are the most trustworthy.
It may also be possible that Golding uses this novel to explore the lack of faithin the Catholic Church. Jocelin, the dean of the cathedralin which The Spire is set, seems to be a very hypocritical man with vast contrasts between his actions & the dogma of the Christian faith. He is arrogant & deluded & is driven by an almost orgasm-chasing force towards the building of the spire. Eventually, due to the neglecting of his faith, he is driven both physically & mentally ill & eventually dies.
The novel explores many other themes; feminism, sexuality, fertility, paganism & delusion to name a few. Beautifully written, the complicated co-ordination of syntax & the overuse of poetic ambiguities may be a shock to readers of Golding's other works, primarily Lord of The Flies, thus rendering it quite inaccessible to more leisurely readers.
The exploration of relevant social themes & the amazing literary construction of this book make it a joy to read. The choicein reaching one's own decisions about the significance of the text is seldom grantedin literature, but by allowing us this choice, Golding permits the novel to be thought provoking yet incredibly enjoyable.
200 odd pages of confused dirge - By: Mr. D. A. Cure, 14 Dec 2005 
The other reviews on here make about as much sense as the book itself. On the surface, its a really good idea for a novel - medieval priest with glorified visions for his cathedral. However, the writing is confused & poor, & the text is the most boring Ive ever read. Its about as gripping as an episode of the X Factor, & by the end I couldnt care whether it fell down or not (which I stil dont know to this day as the explanation was as clear as mud). Avoid this like the plague (which incidently, would have been a better subject)
