The architect deals with reconstruction of his personal life alongside that of 1990's London. Well written.

At first this novel develops as a story about an architect, one Matthew Halland. As the narrative develops, it is evident that this is actually an historical account of the City of London. The viewpoint often changes but Lively achieves this alternating 'voice' so adroitly, the reading is not disrupted and one rarely feels the story is suddenly out of context.

Matthew's insightful musings as he goes about the City to supervise the work his firm has in hand slide across modern day London and rolls back the centuries. The philosophical theme is held together by the architect's life, which even on its own, was very rewarding. It is an effective technique in engaging one's attention.

For my tastes, the occasional segue into the era of the London blitz was jarring. The historical aspect was of buildings lost. Although I found the detail of lives-lost and families-disrupted a little too gritty for the theme in the book as a whole, I recommend this literary fiction for those who have enjoyed philosophical perspectives of time and place. ( )

Penelope Lively gives us the life of a moderately successful architect, Matthew Halland, and a developing London that is being refurbished and rebuilt, buildings going higher. Matthew Halland feels that his life is a failure, his marriage is over but he maintains a good relationship with his young daughter. At work he is not convinced by the new turquoise skyscraper he is responsible for in Docklands and only cares about the glass engraving of a ship that he commissions. We meet Matthew Halland with his daughter and with his elderly mother and occasionally with his colleagues, we also meet up with a developer whose method of working he disapproves. In these scenes we mostly see a thoughtful and caring man, the developer brings out his assertive side while demonstrating that Matthew is a good person. The novel is interspersed with flashes back to other London's. Particularly dramatic are those from the blitz and some of these scenes are hard to read and brutal. These stories remain in the fabric of the older buildings of London. An enjoyable novel. ( )

Although architect Matthew Halland plays the main part in the story, London is the real character. Set in the early 1990s when London is being rebuilt, reconstructed, renovated, the past occasionally emerges, after all, the past never goes away. Demolishing buildings uncovers memories, vermin, misery, mingled with scientists, exploration, art, and success, to portray a complex living city, always changing. An excellent story that held my attention throughout. ( )

An almost manic look at the city of London as it bursts forth in the perceptive descriptions of the main character, Matthew Halland. Matthew, a London architect, feels the pulse of the city as it speaks to him of the present as well as the past. Lively aids this sense of the city as a living thing by inserting vignettes of people past and present who experience London in completely different ways to Matthew, examples being Rose, the child living in poverty and on the streets, Rutter, the ruthless real estate developer willing to bend the moral rules that Matthew lives by, and Jim, the warden who must contend with the London that is falling apart during the WWII bombing.

The author balances these views of London at the same time she describes Matthew's life as he comes to terms with his broken marriage, interacts with his daughter Jane, attempts to keep sinister Rutter away, and contemplates the possibility of love with someone new. The insight she brings to Matthew's interactions made one want to follow more of Matthew's life but the city continues to intrude over and over again as Lively develops the themes of memory and time and how the past always lives in the present in some mysterious fashion. My only criticism is the story seemed overwhelming at times with so much going on at once, and that perhaps the city played too big a role when one wanted more of the human element. ( )