Book Description
Paul Auster's signature work, The New York Trilogy, consists of three interlocking novels: City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room—haunting and mysterious tales that move at the breathless pace of a thriller.
Customer Reviews:
"The question is the story itself, and whether or not it means something is not for the story to tell." .......2007-06-13
"He had always imagined that the key to good detective work was a close observation of details. The more accurate the scrutiny, the more successful the results. The implication was that human behavior could be understood, that beneath the infinite façade of gestures, tics, and silences, there was finally a coherence, an order, a source of motivation."
Paul Auster's "New York Trilogy," consisting of the novellas "City of Glass," "Ghosts," and "The Locked Room," is an intriguing blend of post-modern fiction, metaphysical philosophy, and detective novels. Through his reliance on the themes and structure of pulp/noir mysteries, Auster delves deeply into questions regarding identity, purpose, obsession, what is real, and examines the often tenuous grip that most people have on their sanity. His exploration is quite compelling and makes for a fascinating read, but it is unfortunate that the quality of the novellas is slightly uneven. The first, "City of Glass," is far too impenetrable and abstruse to be much more than frustrating. While it is clear that its protagonist, Quinn, is desperate to shed his identity in order to escape from the painful loss that has left him paralyzed, it is unclear why he becomes so obsessed with the case that he takes on after doing so. "Ghosts" is a marked improvement, but it is only in the final novella, "The Locked Room," that this trilogy really comes to life. "The Locked Room" is eloquent where its predecessors are vague, pointed when the others are intentionally blurry, and poignant rather than murky. Auster is certainly a great writer, and I will be interested to read more of his works, but "The New York Trilogy" requires a willingness to stick with it in order to get to its heart. But I recommend hanging in there, because that final novella is a true gem, and makes the ride worth your while.
Here's the grade breakdown: "City of Glass": C+, "Ghosts": B, "The Locked Room": A
Average grade: B
Was not impressed.......2007-05-20
I read this book because I loved Paul Aster's Brooklyn Follies. This compilation of 3 short stories may have well been written by a completely different author. They are short detective stories that are slightly intertwined. I did not enjoy this book and do not recommend it.
Two extraordinary short novels and an exercise by a supreme storyteller .......2007-02-08
I do not see this work the way Auster constructed it. To me it is not a 'trilogy' even though there are overlapping themes, and incidents. I see it as a collection of separate pieces. The first and the third are first-rate works of fiction . They are novels which are searches for self. They are -Multiple- identity -mysteries which illustrate Auster's way of seeing life and the world, as unending chance and surprise.
Perhaps the best summary of the Auster credo comes somewhere in the middle of 'The Locked Room' The narrator- best friend of Fanshawe meditates as follows.
" We all want to be told stories and we listen to them in the same way we did when we were young. We imagine the real story inside the words, and to do this we substitute ourselves for the person in the story, pretending that we can understand him because we understand ourselves. This is a deception.We exist for ourselves, perhaps, and at times we even have a glimmer of who we are, but in the end we can never be sure, and as our lives go on, we become more and more opaque to ourselves, more and more aware of our own incoherence. No one can cross the boundary into another-for the simple reason that no one can gain access to himself."
Auster is a supreme storyteller. In these works there are stories within stories of incredible power and beauty. In the first book there is a small story of a mother in the Shoah carrying a baby for whom she at last has the satisfaction of attaining and giving milk. The baby has been dead for days. In the concluding work of the Trilogy Auster tells the story of Lorenzo da Ponte whose life he describes as five or six distinct lives, illustrating a principle of Auster's fiction i.e. we can never know for certain where the story of the life is going to next.
I may not agree with Auster's philosophy of life but find him one of the supreme storytellers writing today . I pick up his work and I want to read and read and read.
exceptional.......2006-11-02
"The New York Trilogy", a volume containing three separate novellas: "The City of Glass", "Ghosts" and " The Locked Room", is an intriguing example of the author's game with the readers and, perhaps, with himself. The motif common for all three stories in the mystery, the solution of which is pursued by the main character, and the place of action, New York City (I do not agree with one of the reviewers who said New York could be here any other urban environment as well; certainly it could not be any European city, NYC gives these stories the distinct character and for anyone who has walked the streets through which the characters wander, it is a setting unmistakable for any other; The City's atmosphere hangs over the characters like a cloud).
"The City of Glass" features Quinn, a solitary man, living quietly after the death of his wife and son, and writing detective stories under a pseudonym. One night, Quinn receives a mysterious phone call from a man demanding the services of a private detective, Paul Auster... Although it is clearly a wrong number, Quinn decides to pretend to be Auster and take the challenge, changing his life forever.
A complete change of life circumstances is also a fate of the protagonist of a second (and the shortest) novella "Ghosts". Blue, who is a professional private detective, receives a task from the disguised client, White, to watch Black. The trouble is, Black never does anything interesting except reading or writing, and bored Blue tries to find out, where the real secret of this investigation lies.
In the last novella "The Locked Room", the main character is involved in the publication of the works of his missing childhood friend, Fanshawe. The books are a great success, he marries Fanshawe's wife and he assumes Fanshawe's identity, happily at the beginning...
These novellas are not, as has been pointed out by many reviewers before me, typical mysteries, where clues lead to conclusions and the reader may amuse himself with finding a correct answer. They are, on one hand, explorations of the soul, of the unknown in us, and, on the other hand, and taken together, a postmodern riddle, with literary jokes, cultural clues. They can be read on various levels, which is what really makes them interesting. For somebody, who expects a mystery story from the beginning to the end this book would be a disappointment, However, it is rewarding for the reader interested in reading itself (sounds absurd, I know, but this may be the truth - books play an enormous role in all the novellas). The introduction of Auster, as a detective, but really a writer in the first story, as opposed to Quinn, the writer, who has to become the detective, is only one of the twists here. The exercise with giving the characters the name of the colors (after all, what, if not "real" names make the reader think of the book characters as real? And are the color names unreal? Such names are common enough...) - is another.
By the way, has anyone been lured into drawing Quinn's walk on the street grid of Manhattan?
Good? Yes. Engaging? that's a different question..........2006-08-19
"The New York Trilogy", by celebrated author Paul Auster, is made up of 3, somewhat interlinked, long stories which were originately published separately at various times around 1985-86.
There is no doubt that Paul Auster is a terrific writer so I won't even get into that aspect of the book.
Let's get down to what's really important by trying to pinpoint the subject matter, i.e., what "the new york trilogy" is really about: in a sense, it's a mystery, in the true sense of the word, because even in the end many questions (most, I dare say) are left unanswered, many stones unturned and many cues are simply left hanging in the air.
The NYT has been described as metaphysical detective fiction and the description might in fact prove apt: each of the 3 stories follows the investigations of one man which always turn into an obsession, making the man completely lose touch with the reality. The NYT is thus much about mental processes, we see each of the 3 main chracters gradually become so absorbed by their quest that they lose all sense of proportion and stop thinking like the rest of us.
It's also a novel about writing because writing, depicted as the greatest obsession of all, always plays a role in the stories.
There is also a definite surreal element in most stories and, quite often, they reminded me of Dino Buzzati's short stories.
The author is obviously very pleased with himself, playing with his own name (much like B.E. Ellis does in his recent "Lunar Park") and toying with the other character's names (which pop up in different stories, alluding to the possibility of a strong link between them all).
Did I like the book? As much as it's clever and well-written, it leaves you with a sense of un-completeness, too much stuff remains only vaguely hinted at (I was never one to fall for open-endings. Plus, everything is open here, much more than necessary) and in the ends, the whole thing sound more like an elaborate intellectual game that engaging fiction. Thus, I give the novel 3 stars although this is in no way diminishes my appreciation of the author's talent.
Amazon.com
Asked why the writing of the My Side of the Mountain trilogy took Jean Craighead George more than 40 years, she responds, "My mother disapproved of sequels. 'Those are trashy books,' she told me when I was a child. So I grew up and did not write them.
"But kids are wiser than adults, I learned. Letters kept arriving from schools and homes, saying, 'We want to know more about Sam, Frightful, and the wilderness.' 'Sequels,' they said, 'are important.' They were right."
Now, all three of George's remarkable novels about the wilderness adventures of young Sam Gribley and his falcon, Frightful, are available in one handsome volume. In My Side of the Mountain, a Newbery Honor Book, Sam leaves home to fend for himself in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. For a year he lives in a hollowed-out tree, befriending animals and depending on his wits for survival. In the sequel, On the Far Side of the Mountain, Sam's sister has now joined him, and his falcon is confiscated by a conservation officer. Frightful's Mountain is an interesting departure for George. Written from the perspective of Frightful the falcon, the concluding novel in the trilogy follows her efforts to learn to depend on her own instincts in a world crawling with dangers.
Jean Craighead George is the beloved author of more than 80 books, including the Newbery Medal winner, Julie of the Wolves. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
In 1959, Jean Craighead George published My Side of the Mountain. This coming-of-age story about a boy and his falcon went on to win a Newbery Honor, and for the past forty years has enthralled and entertained generations of would-be Sam Gribleys. The two books that followed--On the Far Side of the Mountain and Frightful's Mountain--were equally extraordinary. Now all three books are available in one deluxe yet affordable volume for veteran devotees and brand-new fans alike.
Customer Reviews:
Not Just for Children.......2007-07-19
As former wildlife rehabilitators of birds of prey, my wife & I now retirement age, completely enjoyed the narative and are amazed at the the accuracy and depth of JCG's facts. Truely a heart warming trilogy in todays not so warm world. JCG has been given a great gift to combine depth of knowledge and story telling. We are fans of hers and now have read many of her books.
I mentioned this book to the very best rehabber we know & she was so happy to have the title as she had forgotten it & read it when she was 11. Said today it has influenced her life ever since, a very highly educated abd sophisticated woman who lives in the woods. As a child, her father would drop them off in the Adirondack woods, with meger supplies, a section map etc, and then pick them up at a pre-arranged spot 3 or more days later. This went on till she was sixteen. Now she will purchase & pass this trilogy on to her grandson. Ractions from others to whom I have introduced this series include, from a VP of a multi billion corp. who was fascinated with it, finished it quickly and gave it to the son of his "Boss" and wants his report back. etc etc.
An OK book.......2007-04-19
i thought that this book was an ok book. i didn't like it that much because i kinda got bored with it. some of the good parts were when Frightful caught an animal. it didn't have enough action in it. If you like books that aren't thrilling and and books that are calm then this is your kind of book!! but if you like action and books that make you think than i suggest the Artemis Fowell series!!!
An Adventure.......2007-04-19
My Side of the mountain is about a boy who is sick of the city and runs away to the Catskill mountains. He learns that he can survive all year in a hollowed out tree. I liked this book because it had some adventure. i also liked how Sam trained Frithtful to hunt. another thing that i liked was how Bando made whistles for music.
A Young Boy's Walden.......2006-12-14
Granted, there are still some places like the one imagined by Craighead in My Side of the Mountain, and there are some boys and girls out there who still explore in the woods, some parents who allow their kids to spend the night out there, but this book, like Thoreau's, is much more important for kids (and parents) who have no real wilderness in their lives. Unlike so many young persons' books these days, which try so hard to help readers through difficult times (divorce, peer-pressure, death of loved ones) in predictable, heavy-handed ways, the premise of this book is not dramatic. The young narrator is just tired of the city (not in any committed political way), and more importantly tired of living in a large family in a small space. When he says he's going to run away to find the spot where his grandfather once had a farm in the mountains, his family ignores him--his father dares him to do it, and he takes the dare. Granted, there's a bit of drama here and there (his capture and training of the young falcon is more than improbable), but mostly the book is content to chronicle the boy's slow growth--not from some tenderfoot to a fully capable survivor (the story of "Hatchet")--but from a boy who knows something about nature from books to a boy who figures out, through his experience of nature, something new about himself and his relation to other people and the world. Here Craighead is above all PATIENT--able to chronicle the pace of a life that puts into question much of what kids and their parents might consider "normal" interests, or attachments, or social behavior. The best experience of this book won't drive kids to try their hand at survival in the woods (though that wouldn't be such a bad thing for many)--rather, it will show young boys and girls that there are other ways of seeing nature and the world than those they see on the Nature channel. The second in this series, The Other Side of the Mountain, is different--more of a detective story in the woods--but equally a good read.
a wonderful adventure ! (By Ian in Plano ,TX ).......2006-11-11
My Side of the Mountain is a wonderful adventure about a boy named Sam Gribley who is getting tired of living in the city and runs away to the Catskill mountains in New York. He learns how to use different plants and animals to make food and shelter in the wild. I like it becaus it has so many wonderful adventures and information about living in the mountains. if you like nature, and reading about it, you will probably like this book.
Book Description
The legendary graphic novel and the sequels that launched an art form.
With graphic narrative that "was closer to the writing of Bernard Malamud or Isaac Bashevis Singer than any comic art which had preceded it" (The Economist), A Contract with God, originally published in 1978, was the first graphic novel: the prototype—along with A Life Force and Dropsie Avenue—for such seminal works as Maus and Persepolis. Set during the Great Depression, this literary trilogy, assembled in one volume for the first time, presents a treasure house of now near-mythic stories that fictionally illustrate the bittersweet tenement life of Eisner's youth. With nearly one dozen new illustrations and a revealing brand-new foreword, this book ultimately tells the epic story of life, death, and resurrection while exploring man's fractious relationship with an all-too-vengeful God. This mesmerizing, fictional chronicle of the universal American immigrant experience is Eisner's most poignant and enduring legacy.
Customer Reviews:
High praise: Reads like a book.......2007-05-21
I'm a relative latecomer to the world of the graphic novel, though I did read my share of comic books as a kid. But a year or so ago, I read Will Eisner's "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and have been talking about it ever since. Time, I thought, to see what else Eisner might have written.
"What else Eisner might have written" is answered in part by this wonderful reminiscence of the Bronx of days gone by. The tales revolve around the history and residents of a tenement block on 55 Dropsie Avenue in the Bronx. To Eisner, it was always a neighborhood - greater than the sum of its parts and capable of moving callous men to teary nostalgia.
The book starts of with "A Contract with God," a relatively short and focused story about Frimm Hersch, a young Jewish boy who escapes Russian anti-Semitic pogroms, makes a contract with a just God, and loses his faith when his beloved daughter dies. Eisner tells us in the introduction that this story is one of the ways he dealt with his own daughter's death, a blow so severe that he plunged it deep into his psyche. What is so intriguing about Eisner's tale is that the reader never quite finds out what was in the contract. But one finds out a little about God and a bit about humanity's willingness to continue to struggle with this Witness to human misery and loneliness.
"A Contract with God" continues with other New York tales drawn from Eisner's memory - a tale about a lonely former opera diva who befriends a penniless street singer; a bitter tenement "super" infatuated with a young girl; a summer "cookalein" or cook-your-own boarding house at an upstate farm where city moms take their kids for a summer in the out-of-doors. Eisner is at his most frank here, not shying away from the pressures and temptations that entice people living in such close proximity to each other. The tales are sexy, brash, violent and always real.
The second story, "A Life Force," is a meditation on the unseen drive of all living things to remain alive and to reproduce. An out-of-work Depression-era carpenter finds a lesson in a cockroach's struggle to survive. His path crosses that of an ancient "rebbe" needs a room built for whose wife, who suffers from dementia. Soon, the story draws in a ne'er-do-well former playboy boy, young socialists, Sicilians gangsters and a woman from Nazi Germany (an old acquaintance of the carpenter) trying to extract her family from the growing turmoil back home. Eisner's depiction of the ever-triumphant "life force" comes alive in a myriad ways that look surprisingly like ordinary living.
The final section deals with the history of the parcel that became Dropsie Avenue. Eisner takes us on a kaleidoscopic tour from its days as Dutch farmland through its many incarnations as a residential neighborhood, vibrant gathering place for immigrant families, rat hole and locale for single-family homes. His tale is populated with crooked real estate developers, local politicians, druggies, thieves, ethnic priests, ineffectual cops and a variety of local characters. Eisner is at his best as he shows how greed and bad housing laws can strip the poor of housing, enrich the unscrupulous and reduce once-proud neighborhoods to rubble. I learned more about the roots of urban blight from Eisner's pictures than from any "serious" book.
Eisner's work is not disposable, like the comics of my youth. His stories have a depth of humanity that makes them fascinating and re-readable. His art exaggerates enough to telegraph his characters' inner feelings, but subtle enough to keep them rooted in reality. A wonderful experience.
Una obra maestra sin lugar a dudas!!!.......2007-02-07
Esta novela gráfica es simplemente sublime, las historias son maravillosas así como la presentación del libro que es de una calidad tan alta, pocas veces vista pero que definitivamente un trabajo tan bien logrado se merece. Cualquier otra cosa que te pueda decir, estaría de mas, si no conoces la maravillosa narrativa, dibujo e inventiva del maestro Will Eisner, este es un claro ejemplo de su maravillosa calidad como artista, ahora que si eres un seguidor, es un libro que debes tener en tu colección. Pero ya sea una razón o la otra, es una compra de la cual definitivamente no te vas a arrepentir.
Forging a path of respect for future artists .......2007-01-10
Comic and cartoon artists are finally getting the respect they have deserved since the Yellow Kid wore his one piece pajama. Artists like Charles Burns and Frank Miller; Seth and Tony Millionaire, all work in a medium whose fan base is basically adult, literate and mainstream. In reading current book reviews of works like "Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid On Earth" by Chris Ware or "Blankets" by Craig Thompson, it is clear that the Graphic Novel as an art form no longer requires an asterisk.
All these artists and cartoonists owe this new environment of respect in no small part to the work of Will Eisner, specifically the work contained in this volume. While Eisner was not the first artist to tell a story with pictures, he without question hammered out a stylistic language that others could learn and understand. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that he brought the concept of the graphic novel home and gave it a firm structure and a future. Also important was Eisner's unyielding believe in the graphic novel as a form of fine art, as legitimate a tool for storytelling as any of the traditional oral or written forms. All current artists working in comics owe Eisner in the same way that all Afro-American ballplayers owe a debt of gratitude to Jackie Robinson. Like Robinson, Eisner completely believed in what he was doing and refused to accept anything less than respect for his work, all done in a day when respect didn't come easily or automatically for them.
Now, about the work itself - what can one say? No one will ever replace or improve on Eisner's innate ability to tell a story with pictures. His work was absolutely gorgeous and fluid, the line and brushwork immaculate and dense without every looking fussy. He forged a unique and instantly recognizable style that is the true mark of a virtuoso in any artistic medium, and he was a very gifted storyteller into the bargain. There are certain panels in his best work, like "A Life Force" or "Droopsie Avenue," that are just jaw dropping in their beauty and absolutely unforgettable.
To this day his work is unmatched in its depth and sophistication of theme. Norton deserves much praise for reissueing these trailblazing works in a well bound and attractive hardcover. Recommended highly. -Mykal Banta
A Comic Masterpiece.......2006-12-13
Will Eisner is like Cervantes, Griffith and John Ford. The Contract With God graphic novel is his masterpiece. This is the Don Quixote of Comics. Truly art. Period.
Great Characters, Great Storys, Great Book!.......2006-11-06
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Will Eisner really makes you feel for the characters in his book. There are multiple storys in this book, but it is hard to decide which is my favorite. Even if you are not a huge fan of comic books you will like this book. The storys all take place in the depression era New York on Dropsie Ave. Bottom line is this book is well worth the read.
Average customer rating:
- Magic or Madness
- Worth More than a Single Reading
- Urban Fantasy treat
- Courtesy of Teens Read Too
- Magical writing!
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Magic or Madness (Magic Or Madness)
Justine Larbalestier
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ASIN: 1595140700 |
Book Description
For fifteen years, Reason Cansino has lived on the run.Together with her mother, Sarafina, she has moved from one place to another in the Australian countryside, desperate not to be found by Reason's grandmother Esmeralda, a dangerous woman who believes in magic. But the moment Reason walks through Esmeralda's back door and finds herself on a New York City street, she's confronted by an unavoidable truth— magic is real.
Customer Reviews:
Magic or Madness.......2007-10-10
First, I would like to say that upon ordering this item it came to me in excellent condition, the day after I ordered it!!
This was a wonderful book! The characters are very interesting, i read the whole book overnight, could not put it down! For anyone who likes the "Urban Fantasy" genre this book and the rest of the trilogy are definitely for you! I Put Justine Larbalestier right up there with Charles de Lint, Emma Bull, and Neil Gaiman.
Magic or Madness has Interesting and fresh story line (instead of the usual set in "Fairyland" Urban Fantasy's). No monsters from another world just "magical people of this world" living real lives with magic.
Open this book and you will open up a door to a magical world you didn't know possible, but the characters are so real you almost feel the experience yourself.
I am almost done with the second book of the trilogy and will start the third immediately following. One of those trilogies I will keep in my collection to read again and again.
Happy Reading All!
Cindy
Worth More than a Single Reading.......2007-10-04
Reason is an Australian child whose mother, Sarafina, has gone mad. Sarafina has been shut in an asylum, and the daughter placed with her grandmother, Esmeralda, in Sydney, Australia. This situation seems rather sensible since Sarafina hasn't been a normal mother, nor cared for her daughter in the usual, safe fashion. Instead she has kept her daughter with her while she trekked through the Australian outback, keeping Reason away from large communities for years, and almost entirely without communication with other people, including other children. Sarafina has also "home schooled" Reason, mostly teaching her math and other sciences. Sarafina has always told her that magic is not real, that her mother Esmeralda lied to her and drove her daughter away with her cruelty.
Believing her mother, distrusting her grandmother, Reason hides in Esmeralda's house. The girl refuses to eat Esmeralda's food, refuses to speak to her and shuts herself in a bedroom until her grandmother goes out. Then, she explores the house, planning to escape as soon as possible. She finds a key and uses it on the only locked door in the home, opening it and stepping through. Outside she is in New York city in the middle of winter. Magic IS real. And she is capable of wielding it.
But I won't spoil the story for you. It is a wonderful story, and Reason a delightful teenager, full of strengths and normal insecurities. I will tell you, however, that this novel doesn't flinch away from the issues of power and corruption, as many other young adult novels do. Instead it portrays the way the pursuit of power affects relationships. The novel's "good' characters are strong and honest, yet still flawed, and the "bad" characters are deceptively charming, just as they are in the real world. And much too close for Reason to protect herself without help.
I do think this is a novel that is worth reading more than once, and I also look forward to the two sequels. From their reviews, it's clear they don't disappoint, either.
Urban Fantasy treat.......2007-05-17
MAGIC OR MADNESS by Justine Larbalestier is book one of a trilogy. Reason Cansino lived the past fifteen years of her life with her mother Sarafina in the Australian outback, away from her witch grandmother Esmeralda. But when her mother suffers a nervous breakdown, she is sent to the very house she's feared the most--Esmeralda's. Reason's mother has told her horror stories about her grandmother and that magic doesn't exist.
Esmeralda is nothing what Reason has expected. But one day she opens a door and finds herself in New York City. And realizes that magic is real. But not only that, but she's magic as well.
I loved this book! I especially loved how the author shows that using and abusing magic comes with a price. A very heavy price at that. Reason meets others in New York City who seem to know more about her ability than she does. Jay-Tee, another girl who befriends Reason with ultimate motives of her own. And a strange man who reveals a secret that changes everything.
MAGIC LESSONS is book two. This story continues with Esmeralda helping Reason, Jay-Tee, and Tom, a boy next door with his own gift of magic. Reason once more finds herself in New York City but with a presence after her. Is this presence evil or good? Reason finds help from the brother of Jay-Tee, while she struggles to not fall prey to the curse of her family.
I enjoyed this book too but not as much as book one. What happens to Reason toward the end of the book I found hard to believe but hope the author will tie up the loose ends in book three MAGIC'S CHILD that comes out next year.
Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-01-01
Reason Cansino has always been taught to fear her grandmother, Esmeralda. Reason's mother, Sarafina, has taken them all over Australia, mostly to remote Aboriginal settlements. Reason has only been to a real school once, but Sarafina has taught her lots of things, mostly math and some science.
Reason has been happy with her life, but when Sarafina goes crazy--really crazy, as in trying to kill herself instead of her usual craziness consisting of things like making them walk in straight lines for days--all of that comes to an end. Reason is sent to live with Esmeralda in Sydney. She's expecting the dark, scary house of her mother's stories. The one where Sarafina's cat was murdered. The house where dark magic takes place--imaginary magic, of course, as Sarafina has always said that magic isn't real. It's too illogical.
What Reason finds, however, is a spacious, light house, not at all witchy. There are no animal sacrifices in the living room, no bubbling cauldrons in the kitchen. That can't undo the belief that years of Sarafina's stories have created, though. Reason is sure that something is going on underneath the surface, and she's got to run away and get out of Sydney as soon as possible. She's got to rescue Sarafina from the loony bin where she's been locked up.
Sydney's not all bad, though. Reason meets Esmeralda's neighbor, a boy about her age named Tom. She'll be sorry to leave him behind, but it looks like he's working with Esmeralda, and she's got to get away from the witch.
Reason's escape from Sydney doesn't exactly go as planned. Instead of escaping with her mother and all of her supplies, Reason finds herself on a winter street in New York City, barefoot and with nothing, after stepping through Esmeralda's back door.
She doesn't know how she ended up there, but she's grateful to Jay-Tee, the teenage girl who rescued her from the freezing, alien streets. She thinks that Jay-Tee is just a friendly passerby...But could there be more to it than that? What is going on? How did Reason step through a door from Sydney to New York? That's just not possible. What secrets are being hidden from her?
MAGIC OR MADNESS is a wonderful novel from Justine Larbalestier, who's married to one of my favorite authors of all time, Scott Westerfeld. It's a fascinating story, and the way it's told is a little unconventional: some chapters are told in a first person point of view, in Reason's voice, and others are told in a third person limited point of view, from inside either Jay-Tee's or Tom's mind. These three different points of view could be confusing, but Justine Larbalestier pulls it off wonderfully.
The story itself is quite a page-turner. I read this book when it first came out, and reread it after getting my own copy in paperback, and I loved it both times. The characters are all wonderfully realistic and interesting. Each answer Reason finds only leads to more questions, keeping suspense throughout the story. The writing is fantastic, and I'm really looking forward to the third book in the trilogy, Magic's Child (Magic Or Madness), coming in 2007!
Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce
Magical writing!.......2006-09-01
Magic or Madness is a story written from the perspective of a 15-year-old girl with magical powers who has been told all her life that magic doesn't exist. When she is confronted with magic, her world-view falls apart. Fortunately she has friends she can trust and learns more about how to navigate the sometimes dangerous magical world.
The hero of this story, Reason, is a smart, idiosyncratic and sympathetic young person. The story unfolds quickly and is filled with suspense. Reason must find her place in a magical world, rather than continually try to explain things that happen in terms of. . . reason!
It is clear that the author is among those who believe that one of the pitfalls of modernity is the over-reliance on reason. This adherence to a doctrine of rationality despite the evidence of the senses leaves its acolytes at the mercy of forces they cannot understand. But these ideas are in the background--the story and the spunky personalities of the characters are vital and undimmed by any ideology. A fun read!
Book Description
B.J. Hoff, one of CBA's premier writers brings this riveting historical fiction series that meticulously depicts nineteenth century America. Prelude transports you to nineteenth-century New York and invites you to step into another time--a time that shaped a nation and defined her faith. This lively story carries you from immigrant ships to opulent estates, from skating-rink evangelistic crusades to star-studded concert halls, and introducing you to men and women you'll grow to love: a brooding blind musician, his suspicious but sympathetic sister-in-law, an unlikely pair of medical partners, and a struggling immigrant family. Pulsing with romance and intrigue, shining with artistry and faith, Prelude sounds the opening notes of a tale with a voice as big as America.
Customer Reviews:
History comes alive.......2004-10-14
BJ Hoff has written a wonderful beginning to what is sure to be a magnificent series. Irish immigrants, an orphaned young woman facing an uncertan future, a heartbroken Italian opera singer, and a handicapped New York doctor all come together to fill the pages with courage and hope. This is marvellous tale crafted by a master in the art of historical fiction.
A Disappointed Fan.......2004-08-05
I've read most of B.J. Hoff's other books and loved them. But I was disappointed with this one because of the subplot of the MacGovern family inserted into the story. At the end of the book, it still shows no connection to the rest of book. To me, this is an obvious effort to sell more books, which I resent. If a book is a good read, I'll buy the next one. If not, I certainly wouldn't buy another simply to find out how the subplots are linked.
Other writers delve deeper into characterization than Ms. Hoff but her portrayal of Renny stole my heart. I look forward to reading the next book simply to see what happens to this young girl.
All in all, the book is easy to read and generally enjoyable if you like historical romance.
B.J. Hoff is a real wordweaver!.......2003-09-06
This is the first book I've read by B.J. Hoff and I can't wait to read more. One thing that especially struck me was her writing style and use of words. As someone who is starting to think about writing more than Amazon reviews, I loved the words she chose and how she weaves the different characters and story lines together.
In addition to the story of Susanna and her brother-in-law Michael, Hoff includes two sub-plots - one of two doctors working in New York City, and a story about an Irish family traveling to this country after hard times in their country. These last two plots weren't as fully developed, and I look forward to reading the next book, which will no doubt get back to those characters!
And then there's the whole fascinating part of how the author weaves famous Christians D.L. Moody, Ira Sankey, and Fanny Crosby
into the story! I highly recommend this book!
Please check out my other reviews!
God bless you all!
Another Great Book from B. J. Hoff!.......2003-08-07
Reminiscent of the classic "Jane Eyre" and Mrs. Hoff's earlier book, "Winds of Graystone Manor", this book captured my attention from page 1. With multiple characters and scenes, it can be difficult to keep track or get into each person's life, but not here! B. J. Hoff keeps each segment interesting, so you won't want to skip a single bit.
Susanna travels from Ireland to America to be a governess for her late sister's husband. She immediately warms up to her neice, a sweet, intelligent young girl, and is surprised to find that Michael Emmanuel, her brother-in-law, is seemingly kind and pleasant. What of her sister's descriptions of a dark, hard man and being so unhappy with him?
Susanna begins to experience the captivating genius of Michael's musical talents, as well.
Bethany Cole, one of the few early woman doctors, is trying to establish herself and longs for her own private practice. Andrew Carmichael, a young doctor, meets and likes Bethany, and asks her if she would like to join his practice and have her own room. Bethany is happy to accept. There is something Andrew is keeping from her--a dark secret, or an innocent one?
Conn McGovern decides to leave Ireland and go to America since things are getting hard in his native land. His son, Aiden, is against leaving. On the way to the shipyard, Conn runs into a street musician girl who seems to be in trouble. After helping her out, he heads to the shipyard again. The girl, Renny McGee, follows later on.
There are also a few interesting appearances from some famous people of the past, such as Fanny Crosby and Dwight L. Moody.
Painful partings, emotional upheavals, new hopes, soulful music, and spiritual journeys. Add a touch of romance and mystery, and here is the result. A wonderful book with stories of characters we can't help but love.
Great beginning to a new BJ Hoff series!.......2003-08-06
I ordinarily prefer contemporary novels and hadn't read a BJ Hoff book in many years, but after finishing PRELUDE I will be reading anything she's written that I can get my hands on! This book had everything--characters to fall in love with, several equally compelling interwoven plots that kept me turning pages, and a wonderful portrayal of the difference true faith can make in a life. Best of all, there are more books to come! I am so happy to have discovered this new series and can't wait to read CADENCE.
Deborah Raney, author of A Scarlet Cord and Beneath a Southern Sky
Book Description
With genteel grace and quiet fortitude, Emma Garrett presides over Hill House, a stately boardinghouse in the canal village of Candlewood, New York. She finds her purpose in caring for her guests, ministering to them with a generous dose of wisdom and humor. But when a "runaway grandma" lands on her doorstep, Emma's need to fix every wrong places her in the midst of a family feud. Emma's concerns heighten when her attorney, Zachary Breckenwith, delivers life-changing news, leaving Emma reeling from the implications. With her future suddenly uncertain, Emma longs to restore the peace of Hill House-for her guests and within her own heart.
Customer Reviews:
A Tale Filled with Possibility, Small-Town Charm and Even a Bit of Mystery .......2006-10-24
After her husband's passing, Emma Garrett realizes that her life as a General Store owner is lonely. Her children have grown and begun families of their own and have moved away. This revelation spurs an impulsive decision to sell the store and purchase a boardinghouse.
For the last four years, along with the help of her mother-in-law and two young girls from town, Emma has run a successful operation. This venture has provided the sense of belonging and social interaction for which she'd been yearning.
Over the years, she has met and befriended many guests. Some, like the adorably eccentric Mitchell sisters have become repeat visitors. Then there is the quiet Reverend Glenn who Emma invited to become a permanent resident after a stroke left him unable to be as independent as he would have preferred.
Everything has been going along smoothly until recently. A new semi-permanent resident has arrived and it's causing a bit of a stir. The Widow Leonard is supposed to split her time between her two sons but a disagreement between them has made things too tense for her. Subsequently, she chose to run away to the boardinghouse. Neither of the sons are too happy about this development, putting Emma in the middle.
To add to this dilemma, an arrogant investor has set his sights on certain properties around Candlewood including one that belongs to Emma. His attempts at persuasion have become rather forceful of late and Emma needs to find a way to stop him once and for all.
Other investors have arrived but their interests are kept quiet from Emma, a businesswoman but a woman nonetheless. She has a growing curiosity both toward this and the argument between the Leonard boys and is determined to get to the bottom of both against the advice of her attorney, Zachary Breckenwith.
As if all of these weren't enough, Emma has received some news of her own that may have a life-changing effect on her and her friends. With all of these circumstances floating about her it's a good thing she has a strong faith in God to get her through it all.
A Hearth in Candlewood is the first installment in author Delia Parr's inspirational Candlewood Trilogy. Set in 1840s New York during the height of the canal building era, it is a tale filled with possibility, small-town charm and even a bit of mystery.
Parr's characters pull the reader into the autumnal backdrop of the community in which they live and keep interest peaked with a perfect balance of drama and amusement. The only difficulty one will confront is having to wait until the second book arrives on the shelves.
"A Hearth in Candlewood" (part one of a new trilogy).......2006-09-19
BOOK REVIEW: A Hearth in Candlewood, by author Delia Parr
I've just finished reading "A Heath in Candlewood," by author Delia Parr, I have to say, "Delia Parr has done it again!"
In my ever so busy life, her latest novel "A Hearth in Candlewood" provided an essential escape for my rocket-paced workload. From the beginning to the end, Delia manages to engage the imagination and allow us to enter as a guest in Hill House. The story begins in the small fictional village of "Candlewood, New York" in the 19th century. The main character, middle aged `Widow Emma Garrett,' runs a stately boarding house along with her mother in law, "Mother Garrett", also a widow. Emma is a no-nonsense woman, steadfast in godly principles and family values, doing what's right, even when it isn't convenient. I admire this lady!
The opening chapter grabs you and keeps you right there with `Widow Emma Garrett' as she makes her way through the hallways of Hill House checking to make sure her guests are all settled for the night before retiring her own tired bones. We feel for her as she clasps her tiny sentimental scraps of cloth. We are startled at the sudden sharp rap at the back kitchen door. We scramble along with her to see who might be appearing this late hour of the night. We fought back a warm smile when it's revealed who the late night visitor might be, an adorable `run away grandma' dripping wet from the downpour! It is apparent she had premeditated her arrival at Hill house!
We laugh, we rest, and we worry. We even observe Rev. Glenn's old dog, `Butter' sleep deeply while Rev Glenn whittles little surprises out of candlewood sticks.
Hill House is a peaceful place. `Emma' intends to keep it this way. Unbeknownst to her mother in law, Zachary Breckenwith, Emma's lawyer delivers a heart full of very disturbing news involving the possible fate of Hill House. Emma struggles with keeping life stable and secure as she juggles the responsibilities of her guests, and the fate Hill House as well as those that live and work there. With the possibility of the railroad coming through, anything can happen. And thus, the stage is set for another memorable wholesome adventure in the World of Delia Parr.
I understand Delia has already finished part two and will be spending next summer on the third and final part of "The Candlewood Trilogy."
A final thought... Hurry Delia! Please don't make us wait too long before the next essential escape!
Nita Horn
Staff Writer,
www.RaidersNewsUpdate.com
solid small town Americana tale .......2006-08-02
In 1841 Candlewood, New York, fiftyish widow Emma Garrett owns and operates Hill House boardinghouse. Her reason for living is tending to the needs of her guests including what she perceives is their spiritual and emotional requirements.
Grandmotherly octogenarian widow Frances Leonard flees to Hill House from her nearby residence to escape the loving machinations of her sons. Emma takes Widow Leonard in angering her children James and Andrew, who are already fighting with one another. Now Emma is in the middle of a family feud that could turn ugly at the same time attorney Zachary Breckenwith informs her she does not own Hill House in spite "buying" it four years ago from an executor.
A HEARTH IN CANDLEWOOD is a solid small town Americana tale that provides insight into living near the Erie Canal when that was one of the transportation methods available in the mid nineteenth century. The story line contains two major subplots competing for the lead with the connections between them being the heroine and odious businessman Langhorne; however neither takes the lead so the audience can be left a bit confused as spins occur to both. Still a strong cast led by Emma and a vivid look back at a boardinghouse in mid nineteenth century upstate new York make for a picturesque historical.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
Cadence reunites us with Andrew Carmichael, an inner city physician, and his partner in practice, Bethany Cole, one of the first female physicians in America, who share a desire to serve the poor with their healing skills and with love. As the story continues, they discover that they share more than a professional passion--they share a love for each other.
Set in late nineteenth century New York City and the surrounding Hudson River Valley, and incorporating the beginnings of American gospel music, Cadence continues the saga of the courageous immigrants who helped build our nation, the struggles they endured, and the music they created, lived and loved by.
Customer Reviews:
Historical fiction at its best.......2004-10-14
What a wonderful tapestry of relationship stories set against the backdrop of New York City in the mid-1800's. The vivid details and realistic characterizations make the reader feel as if these stories must surely have taken place. Each of the characters faces a challenge in his or her relationship to another person or persons, and the resolution of each dilemma is both satisfying and delightful.
The "Storyteller" spins another heartwarming tale.......2003-11-05
In her true story-telling fashion, B.J. Hoff brings us the next mesmerizing instalment in her American Anthem series. Revisit the characters first introduced in PRELUDE, and be swept away in the saga that unfolds, where love grows amidst heartbreak and misconception, and hope is restored despite grievous loss. The colourful setting of late 1800's New York is punctuated with the music of the era, presenting trials and triumphs that will resonate with the reader. Old and new fans of B.J.'s historical fiction will love this story. ~~Ellie Schroder, owner of The Christian Fiction Site
A masterpiece!.......2003-10-22
I was once again drawn into the lives of each intricate character. I didn't want to put it down, but had to at times. (You have to eat and sleep at least a little, right?)
Susanna, haunted with fears of failure, refuses to play for Michael's orchestra when he asks her to.
Dr. Andrew Carmichael tries to find a way to tell Dr. Bethany Cole his feelings for her-and his secret past.
The MacGovern family finds that America (so it seems) is not so glorious as they had thought it would be. Will Mr. MacGovern ever find a job to keep his family afloat?
There are also other intriguing and entertaining characters such as police officer Frank Donovan, young Renny MacGee, and Paul Santi, Michael's gentle cousin.
The ending was so glorious and beautiful that I was actually weeping with joy, hearing the music Mrs. Hoff spoke of.
It was ALL wonderful-I loved it so much and want to read it again (many times, perhaps) in the future! I would recommend reading the equally good Book 1 first, of course, but this book stands on its own, too. Masterfully written! Bravo!
Cadence leaves you wanting more!.......2003-10-15
Love LOVE LOVE these characters!! Just as in Prelude, I jumped in this book with both feet and didn't emerge until the last page was turned. If possible, this book was even stronger than Prelude...the characters more defined and even more rich and colorful. The ending left me breathless...I almost stood up and cheered along with the audience in the scene! I cannot wait until the next one... hurry!!
An entertaining read that illumines spiritual truths.......2003-09-09
"Fiction can illuminate Truth beautifully. There are few adornments more lovely and compelling than good fiction artfully woven around the neck of Truth to bring out the eternal beauty of the face of Truth."--Christian author Jeri Massi
Nowhere is that quote more aptly illustrated than in the fiction writing of B. J. Hoff, and her latest book, Cadence, is no exception.
In this second book in Hoff's American Anthem series, we become further acquainted with the appealing cast of characters we met in Cadence. There's the handsome and brooding composer, Michael Emmanuel, and Susanna, the sister of his deceased wife, who acts as a governess for his young daughter. In Cadence, Michael and Susanna deal with the growing awareness of their feelings for each other...and Susanna must face her fear of failure in regard to her own musical talent.
We get to know more about the altruistic Scottish doctor, Andrew Carmichael, and his medical partner, Dr. Bethany Cole, and discover that there is something significant in the good doctor's past. Meantime, Andrew and Bethany are another couple that realize their dawning love for one another.
The Irish immigrant, Conn MacGovern, continues to be one of the most engaging characters in the series. Proud and strongwilled, he embodies the strong immigrant spirit, and you can't help but like him and his equally strong wife, Vangie.
I suspect --and hope--we'll be learning more about a few of the characters in the next book, including the intriguing Irish police officer, Frank Donovan, as well as Renny McGee, the former busker girl taken under the wing of the MacGovern family.
I really enjoyed this book's predecessor, Prelude, but I do believe I liked Cadence even more! Maybe it's because the characters now feel like old friends, and I'm even more involved in their individual stories. As always, I relished B.J. Hoff's lovely and evocative writing and the smooth flow connecting the characters' scenes.
Most of all, this book touched me on a spiritual level, causing me to look inward and challenging me to face my own fears with the help of God's Word. An entertaining, absorbing read that points you to spiritual truth...can you ask for more?
Just one problem, though. Now I can't wait until the next book in the series!
Book Description
The three books gathered together as Eustace and Hilda explore a brother and sister's lifelong relationship. Hilda, the older child, is both self-sacrificing and domineering, as puritanical as she is gorgeous; Eustace is a gentle, dreamy, pleasure-loving boy: the two siblings could hardly be more different, but they are also deeply devoted. And yet as Eustace and Hilda grow up and seek to go their separate ways in a world of power and position, money and love, their relationship is marked by increasing pain.
L. P. Hartley's much-loved novel, the magnum opus of one of twentieth-century England's best writers, is a complex and spellbinding work: a comedy of upper-class manners; a study in the subtlest nuances of feeling; a poignant reckoning with the ironies of character and fate. Above all, it is about two people who cannot live together or apart, about the ties that bind—and break.
Customer Reviews:
Incredible Psychological Novel.......2006-04-09
This trilogy traces the unhealthy relationship a brother and sister, Eustace and Hilda Cherrington, from childhood through young adulthood in early twentieth-century England.
Eustace is a weak-willed indolent creature, easily dominated and swayed by any stronger personality. He is perfect material for his elder sister Hilda, a forceful personality with a puritan streak a mile wide. Each needs the other's weakness to survive, Eustace because his ineffectualness needs an outside goad, and Hilda because she must have someone to exercize her will over.
It was fascinating to observe the social development of the characters. Eustace gradually becomes independent of Hilda, but she can't thrive without him. At the end of the book, Eustace is well on the road to maturity, not so much a case of arrested as delayed development. He has learned to face responsibilities, and become a man of action. There is even a hint of a possible future romance. It is left to conjecture if he would have fallen again under Hilda's sway, but the reader feels he would have had a good chance.
Hilda, while she initially appears more competent and effective, is unable to withstand the pressures of adult life, particularly adult sexuality. She cannot stand to be thwarted; to dominate and control is as necessary for her as air and water.
Eustace, while handicapped by his passivity, has several strokes of luck. Several people assist his development and have his best interests at heart. Stephen Hilliard, an Oxford classmate who becomes a lawyer, manages his financial affairs and helps steady his impulsive generosity. Lady Nelly, his Venetian hostess, encourages him to write a book. He is able to accept and integrate outside advice into his life and learns to view the world in shades of gray; for Hilda everything must always be black and white.
If you are interested in novels of psychological developement, I strongly recommend this book.
Sinking Siblings.......2006-01-28
Anita Brookner, in her introduction to Hartley's trilogy, makes much of a comparison between Hartley and Henry James. This is at once apt and inapt. It is apt in that James is certainly the novelist one is reminded of most by this trilogy. But it is terribly inapt in that James is much the better writer and his works are truly "masterpieces", a claim Brookner makes for this work which simply won't hold literary water. Hartley certainly holds his own with James in mere description of place, and thus one is reminded at different points of James's most popular novel (A Portrait of A Lady) and his best (The Ambassadors).-But all similarity ends here.-There are none of the depths of character insight of which James is such a master, nor, really....anything else to remind one of James. Just page after page of-description-that leads to one cul-de-sac after another (a good example is the chapter "The Larva" or "ghost" in Latin, which seems to have been written with absolutely no purpose in mind, or perhaps a forgotten one). Yes, there is an overall plot. But one doesn't come away with any insights into the human condition in the way one does from a James novel, or any "masterpiece" for that matter.
The overall effect of this novel and of the writing is a sort of slippage, that the author doesn't really know where he's going with Eustace or Hilda, and that they don't know where they're going either, and the reader is left wearily turning page after page waiting for some, any sort of insight.-Perhaps to say this is to equate Hartley, in some sense, with Eustace himself-Everything is sinking or slipping, much like Venice, where much of the book occurs. There is a passage which describes this quite nicely when Eustace (typically) just happens to find himself amidst a "lustral" bathing:
"He felt his identity flowing out of him, to be soaked up heedlessly by the grains of sand or parcelled out in fragments of a thousandth among all the figures standing or sprawling round him."p.533
This is very much what reading this book is like. Hartley does a much better job with The Go-Between, which I would recommend to all prospective readers rather than this meandering book.-Or, if you really are in search of a "masterpiece" of this sort, Henry James's The Ambassadors will not leave you sinking, dear reader.
An Unexpected Pleasure.......2002-02-01
I cannot imagine how I manged to go through college, a graduate program in English, and many years of teaching British literature without ever having read this book. The character development is excellent, and even when the characters are being aggravating (as they sometimes are), the reader truly cares about them and wants to see what happens next. I highly recommend this book to all fans of the well-crafted British novel. Furthermore, I recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in the ways, both healthy and unhealthy, that siblings interact.
A masterpiece..........2001-10-20
Certainly the most complicated and complex set of charcters in literature. And that THE charcters count up to only two only serves to underline the essence of the book. The trilogy is basically an exploration of releationship between a very unforthcoming and rather narcisstic Eustace and the domineering Hilda. "Shrimp and the anemone" starts off the tale from their childhood and culminates with "Eustace and Hilda". Both are certainly doomed to disappointments - neither can look beyond the other. For all Hilda's success at the hospital, it is Eustace's guardian that she sees herself - moral as well as the economic guardian.
One never senses any feeling in Eustace to escape this bond.Rather he is as much a slave to Hilda as she wills all to be. As the story progresses towards an intriguing climax, the tables are turned as Hilda now becomes dependant on Eustace for her medication. Eustace gears up to it gamefully - and it is reeally the final chapters of the book which explore the relationship at a direct level.
All in all, it is a wondferful read. Recommended for those who love words and who do not mind a leisurely pace. A masterpiece !
A deeply flawed, deeply interesting work.......2001-09-18
Anita Brookner refers to this trilogy in her introduction to the NYRB edition as "a masterpiece," and it is quite clear from reading it that L.P. Hartley intended this as his artist's summa. The works are not as well known, however, as Hartley's THE GO-BETWEEN, and I think there is a reason for that: although the acccomplishments of the EUSTACE AND HILDA trilogy are genuine, it is not as polished a work as THE GO-BETWEEN. The principle problem with the trilogy is that almost all of the characters (including Hilda) exist only as they are perceived by the timid, pleasure-loving, and deeply narcissistic Eustace: thus they do not wholly "live" for us, and though Eustace himself seems quite real, he is so very sensitive that (to paraphrase Christopher Durang) you'd like to hit him. Eustace's fascination with the wealthy and with luxury inevitably bring to mind Marcel Proust, who clearly seems a model for Hartley's trilogy. The trilogy also seems modelled on Galsworthy and Meredith, however, and at times it makes for a very strange melange. It does have some fantastic set pieces, however, including Hilda's trip in the airplane with Dick Staveley and her later breakdown and its aftermath.
Average customer rating:
- Extraordinary
- There are so many levels in this story you need an elevator
- Dressed Up Postmodern Metafiction
- not a real detective story
- trying to keep the reader confused
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City of Glass (The New York Trilogy, Vol 1)
Paul Auster
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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City of Glass: The Graphic Novel
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ASIN: 0140097317 |
Customer Reviews:
Extraordinary .......2007-02-08
I found this book to be a remarkably inventive work of fiction. Auster is a tremendously intelligent, and surprising writer who seems to create an almost continuous suspense in part by creating new mysteries and questions as he goes along. We wait and watch with the former writer Wilson Wilson now become the detective Daniel Quinn who is known to his client Shipman and his wife Virginia by the name Daniel Auster as Quinn tries to keep track of Shipman's father just released from prison who he fears being murdered by. At the end of the work we not only wonder what has happened to the younger Shipman and his wife Virginia who apparently have disappeared, but even more urgently wonder what has become of Quinn. We are not even certain where he is.
In the course of the telling the whole multiple- identity complication is informed by a discussion of fictional reality, and the text-of-reference here is Quixote. The detective Quinn goes to the house of the man whose name he has adopted, the writer Paul Auster and among things they consider Cervantes device of having the second part of his novel allegedly written by a fictional narrator.
All of the games of multiple- naming however do not diminish from the powerful real feeling created by the author, in telling for instance of Wilson's loss of his wife and son, or of what it means to him to meet a prosperous happy Auster with beautiful wife and son. The same holds true in the telling of the story of young Shipman's years of imprisonment by his father. Here the whole story is enriched by a brief history of children raised in the wild , including that of the child of Auvergne and Kaspar.
If I have one complaint about the book is that it ends leaving so many questions open. But then again it is the first novel of a trilogy and Auster may have some answers in the volumes to come.
There are so many levels in this story you need an elevator.......2006-06-17
To start this is NOT a detective story. This is NOT a standard fiction novel. This is NOT a nouveau roman in the style of Alain Robbe-Grillet's "The Erasers". What this is, IS a stylized version of a man's endeavor to encounter himself and survive. OK, this sounds almost as ambiguous as the book itself.
To my feelings (and IMHO), Auster is trying to look into the 'soul' of a character in a novel and bring him into our own thought processes. It may just be a way for him to tell us about himself and how he has searched for himself, in a very unorthodox way. His search is the story itself, and the wanderings of Auster/Quinn is his own anabasis. His time in the alley and dark room, would then be his exploration of what is the minimum we truly need to survive, and not what we want in the ways of creature comforts.
He tells us what he IS trying to do in the book in his discussion of the Auster character's essay of Cervantes "Don Quixote". He explicitly states the proposition there are questions as to who is the author of DQ. Whether Cervantes is really DQ, and the whole story of finding the book in a bookstall and translating it into spanish from arabic is Cervantes way of giving up ownership to see how it will be perceived.
I don't think that the naming of the wandering character "Daniel Quinn" (DQ) is anything but a direction by Auster to this idea. That DQ uses his name, as Don Quixote represented Cervantes seem straight forward.
The next two volumes should make this clearer as the follow-ups are supposed to do in a trilogy.
Dressed Up Postmodern Metafiction.......2005-12-12
The first book of Auster's New York trilogy was originally published in 1985, and in 1994 was adapted into this graphic novel. I've never read the original (or any of the other parts of the trilogy), so I can't comment on Karasik and Mazzicchelli's adaptation. However, I can say that since I'm not particularly fond of existentialist or postmodernist literature (those two terms being the most common critical shorthand for Auster's story), this really didn't do anything for me at all. The story is basically an exercise in metafiction, and if you like that stuff, great -- I do not. It is dressed up (at least initially) in the mystery genre, but that's just window dressing. (There's a long legacy, especially in France, of cloaking novels and films of ideas in genre trappings (for example Alain Robbe-Grillet's two books The Erasers and The Voyeur, or the films of Jean-Pierre Melville.)
The story begins fairly straightforwardly: a reclusive writer of potboiler mysteries named Daniel Quinn lives in New York on his own since the death of his wife and son. A complete stranger calls him and thinks Quinn is a private detective named Paul Auster and begs him to to take his case. (The writer Paul Auster, and his family, shows up for one scene -- it's that kind of book.) Quinn meets with the strange man, who was raised in rather harrowing circumstances by his professor father, who was seeking to discover the true language of God. The father has been released from jail and Quinn is supposed to keep an eye on him and report. Everything starts to derail when he loses track of both the old man he's been following, and his clients. He spends several months watching the building and going crazy. Once he realizes they've disappeared, he finds his own life has disappeared as well. Obviously this is all somewhat about identity, but it's more about fun stuff like language, representation, and other tiresome postmodern subjects (as are the other two parts of the trilogy, which involve a man spying on someone, and yet another disappearance).
It has to be said that the artwork does an admirable job of treating the bizarro world Auster has thrust his characters into. The simple, heavy black and white inking is a perfect match to the material, especially when the representations become less literal and more symbolic. However, if your taste runs more toward things like plots and characters, this is probably not for you. Fans of Auster may enjoy this, but fans of the graphic novel form are probably going to be much less keen.
not a real detective story.......2004-05-03
We were suposed to read "City of Glass" out of Auster's NEW YORK TRILOGY in our English advanced class. I believe the mystery of chance and the multiple personalities of the protagonist are crucial for Austers first detective story. The well chosen setting fits perfectly into the plot. Auster writes about an isolated , lonely writer at the mid-thirty, who has pleasant success in writing detective stories. Just by accident the protagonist gets the opportunity to solve an obscure case as an pseudo-detetective. It is easy to follow the plot, but somehow the reader happens to mix up the charachters. But you will never be bored while reading it, even though there are parts of the story wiht not much suspense.
trying to keep the reader confused.......2004-05-03
"City of Glass" is Austers first book of his "New York Trilogy". He keeps his themes so it is also about poverty, hunger and chance. "City of Glass" is about the writer Daniel Quinn who pretends to be the detective Paul Auster. Quinn observes a man who locked in his son for years in the dark in order to teach him god's language. Quinns client fears his father who will be set free from jail. Daniel Quinn is like the other protagonists by Paul Auster. At the beginning "City of Glass" is a very trilling novel. If you read something else by Auster before you read this book you may know what will happen. In the end your expectations won't be fullfilled. For me it is too strange because I don't like Austers theories of chance.
Books:
- The Platinum Rule: Discover the Four Basic Business Personalities andHow They Can Lead You to Success
- The Power of One (Young Reader's Edition)
- The Secret of the Old Clock/The Hidden Staircase/The Bungalow Mystery/The Mystery at Lilac Inn/The Secret of Shadow Ranch/The Secret of Red Gate Farm (Nancy Drew, Book 1-6) (75th Anniversary Gift Set)
- The Stolen Child: A Novel
- The Supernatural Ways of Royalty: Discovering Your Rights and Privileges of Being a Son or Daughter of God
- The Water is Wide
- The Way Of The Superior Man: A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Woman, Work, and Sexual Desire
- Time to Run (Navy SEALs, Book 3)
- To Pleasure a Prince (Royal Brotherhood, Book 2)
- Varney's Midwifery, Fourth Edition
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most
- Baby Minds: Brain-Building Games Your Baby Will Love
- The New York Times Film Reviews 1993-1994
- The Victims of Democracy: Malcolm X and the Black Revolution
- Think and Grow Rich
- A Time to Die
- Xeriscape Gardening: Water Conservation for the American Landscape
- CIMA Exam Practice Kit Fundamentals of Business Economics: CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting
- The Real Deal: The History and Future of Social Security
- Monkey: Folk Novel of China
The Brooklyn Follies: A Novel
The Book of Illusions: A Novel
The Invention of Solitude
Moon Palace (Contemporary American Fiction)
Leviathan (Contemporary American Fiction)
