Ian McEwan, 1998 Booker Prize winner of Amsterdam, is one of my best authors I enjoy. This book was sensational because it shows the morality of the characters and shows the consequences of the behaviors of the individual characters. There is a huge twist to this story that will blow you away.
The Garmonys had there chance to see the discriminating front page pictures of Julian’s disgrace. His wife, Rose Garmony, makes a rude comment to Vernon on television saying, “Mr. Halliday, you have the mentality of a blackmailer, and the moral stature of a flea” and made a comment about Molly Lane only being a family friend to the family. Vernon risk is own reputation as an editor to ruin someone else’s reputation. Vernon was adamant about his beliefs toward Garmony and wasn’t going to stop at anything to get his point across. Vernon thought he was doing something moral and didn’t think it was wrong to publish the pictures that he somehow received which is known in the book. I don’t blame him for publishing the pictures but if you read the book you will see he did it for his own publicity. His motive was truly wrong. And if he’s motive was right, he’s views probably would have been thought differently by others.
Clive, who is consumed in composing his music, ignores a woman’s cry for help. Soon after, Vernon realizes that what his friend Clive witnessed to at the Lake District on a Friday was the assault of the Lakeland rapist. However, Clive must make a decision of doing the right thing. Clive needed balance in his life. Clive is a caring person but only, to me, with the people he already knows. His life and prime focus was composing music and being the best and he would accomplish this even if it means eliminating anything that had to do with the real world. But at the end of the book, Clive will deal with a lot of guilt and shame for ignoring a cry for help and see the consequences of putting material things first instead of people. There is nothing wrong with persistence and dedication to a dream and the desire to become the best. However, there is a thing called balance and sacrificing for others.
Vernon was going to confront Clive about his rude postcard stating, “Your threat appalls me. So does your journalism. You deserve to be sacked. Clive.” Vernon was so upset and angry about Clive’s comment in the postcard that he was going to make a decision that will back fire on him and surprise him in a way he never expected.
After reading this book, I think the message in this story is to never make a decision off of impulse and fear. Acting out in an arbitrary way or doing immoral things can produce outcomes that can kill or ruin a person life forever. Because there are consequences to our behavior, Vernon, Clive, and even Garmony was tainted because they mingled with someone else’s wife who was Molly and who even in her death was like a deadly weapon sabotaging anyone who was connected to her. But you’re not going to know the consequences until you read the story. It will blow you away when you see the outcome of Vernon, Clive and Julian Garmony’s lives.
Amsterdam story begins at Molly Lane's funeral who is a very attractive woman and well known by plenty of men. Clive Linley who is a very successful contemporary music composer meets Julian Garmony a notorious foreign secretary running for prime minister. Clive also meets his old close friend Vernon Halliday who is an editor for the well known newspaper the Judge.
Clive, Vernon and the foreign secretary Julian Garmony who is running for prime minister are all Molly Lane’s former lovers even though Molly had even more. The main scene is surrounded around Clive and Vernon. The stakes are high for Vernon because the other editors at his company oppose his decision to publish pictures of Garmony that may ruin his total election as prime minister and Vernon is going to do whatever it takes to ruin the notorious foreign secretary even if it means r
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