Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN num: 9780316290494
ISBN number: 0316290491
Label: Back Bay Books
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 464
Printing Date: July 14, 1998
Publishing house: Back Bay Books
Sale Popularity Level: 471483
Studio: Back Bay Books
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
'A Maggot' is not a historical novel in the normal sense. It began as a quirk or obsession (a 'maggot' in the archaic sense of the word) which found its setting in the second wave of Protestant Dissent in England. It took shape as a mystery - a compelling investigation of unaccountable motives and deeds - which led through beguiling paths to a starling vision at its centre.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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Hated to put it down, wanted more! Doesn't let you follow along, it draws you in. Huge Fowles fan, this and The Magus my two favorites.
Rated by buyers -
Over the years, I have read a surprising number of John Fowles' books. I say surprising since I would not call him one of my favorite authors. I doubt that I have ever made any special effort to look for his work. Still, somehow his books end up in my "to be read pile". To date, I have gotten through The Magus (whatever), The French Lieutenant's Woman (pretty good), The Collector (bleah) and The Ebony Tower (okay). Of all those books, A Maggot is my favorite to date.
It's the kind of historical fiction that I actually enjoy. I like very much the way that Fowles employs different devices (interviews, letters, news articles) to keep reminding us of the narrative distance. He does his homework, but both the style and the subject matter effectively resist making us believe it "real". There is a nice mix of history, detail, speculation and psychology. As a reader, I had a solid Rashomon-style view of the little party and what become of them on their journey.
Ann Lee is a fascinating subject, however indirectly. I also really like the conceit of the maggot. (Fowles means an obsession, but also comes around to the more modern literal meaning later in the book.)
However, I do have an overall issue with Fowles as a writer that remains an issue with this book. I am willing to admit that this may well be more to my discredit than to his. My challenge is that I am left once again with the feeling that I do not really understand what the book is for. I found it entertaining enough, and even thought-provoking and admirable. Unfortunately, I am fairly sure that I am not well understanding what the book was really intended to say. There are some books where one can safely assume that the book was not really meant to say anything. I do not have that feeling with A Maggot. Instead, I have the sinking feeling that there is a point here-- and one that I am rather entirely missing. Perhaps it is simply the point that he makes in the Epilogue about religion. But then again I think that it is also more than that. I have never re-read any of his novels, and perhaps that is where I should begin next.
In all, as I have found of his works before, admirable and a little bit frustrating.
Rated by buyers -
I have read this one twice and am about to start again. It's a great ride, skillfully historical and with some suprising elements. A revealing portrait of several characters interviewed about the same event, all dialogue and some very tricky words. An excellent book for discusion groups and something that would readily translate to the small screen. The last hundred pages may not please everyone, but what novel does please everyone. Scanning these previous reviews shows much more about the readers. Recommended for those seeking something different.
Rated by buyers -
In film and literature, intriguing premises rarely reach satisfactory conclusions. In "A Maggot" Fowles skillfully builds mystery upon mystery to form a tale of jealousy, passion, deception, satanism, occultism, evil and (finally) hope. But how do you end a story like this, which builds to such a crescendo, without disappointing you're reader with something lame? Simple: you trust you're readers will have the intelligence and imagination to reach their own conclusions. If you find yourself disappointed or enraged by stories like "The Lady or the Tiger", this book will be a problem for you.
The open-ended nature of this novel - as well as it's blend of several genres - have lead to some very mixed reviews. Some people loved it, others hated it and still more aren't sure what to think. It's true, this is not the easiest book the get through - some parts drag, and the unapologetically arcane dialog can be hard to adjust to, especially in the newspaper articles periodically inserted throughout - but, for the imaginative reader looking for a challenge, "A Maggot" is absolutely worth reading. I can't say I completely understand either the plot of this book (especially it's very abrupt ending) nor the intentions of it's author, but that's all part of the fun and I can think of few novels which can match this work in terms of creativity or originality. Fowles skillfully mixes historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, suspense, and science fiction together to create a truly unique work of literature.
Rated by buyers 
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When I very first started reading "A Maggot" I was enthralled. I found it hard to put the book down. The tale was great, interesting, well written...and I was so excited to find out what the mystery was. But there isn't one. SPOILER: It ends up being a quasi historical novel that details (very inaccurately) the events leading up to and the conception of Ann Lee, founder of the Shakers. The end of the book is just incomprehensible nonsense. A mishmash of futuristic time travel drivel and the rantings of a religious fanatic. The tragedy lies herein: this could have been a great novel, a wonderful story. But it isn't. It ends up being a train wreck at the end...and I felt very cheated. It is not great literature, not good literature. A book to be read and forgotten, as soon as you get over the feeling of being conned to finish the horrid thing. You'll wish you had put it down and forgotten about it before you read it, before you waste precious hours of your life being tricked into finishing a book that really is about nothing. That's the only compelling conclusion I can come to - this is a book about absolutely nothing.
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