City [Import] [Paperback]

Alessandro Baricco (Author), Ann Goldstein (Author), Modern fiction (Translator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New Ed edition (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140293280
• ISBN-13: 978-0140293289
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If bank robbers go to jail, why do intellectuals roam free?, August 10, 2002

By 

Douglas Jenkins (Honolulu, currently) - See all my reviews

This review is from: City (Hardcover)

I made the mistake of holding off on reading this because the critics didn't seem to like it. But the criticisms are injust. It is more like Ocean Sea than it is like Silk. I would suggest that it is a little more mature than Ocean Sea. It is vast and surreal, yet cohesive and holds your attention. It is a wonderful book -- touching and funny and depressing, blah blah blah. Difficult to describe. But absolutely worth reading.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Follow Barrico on a splendid tour through his City, June 13, 2003

By 

Philippe Vandenbroeck (HEVERLEE, BELGIUM) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: City (Italian Edition) (Paperback)

Barrico's 'City' seems, in all its fragmented splendour, a thoroughly modern book. Yet, at the same time it casts a long glance back to the origins of the novel as a Western cultural invention, emulating the picaresque models of Cervantes and Rabelais, or the 'sentimental' journeys of Laurence Sterne. Barrico says he has conceived of the book as the plan of a (European) town, with its irregular, organically grown quarters, streets, buildings. Reading the book then amounts to an exploratory ramble through this city, with sudden twists and overlaps in the narrative as you turn a corner and an unexpected vista opens onto a different neighbourhood. It takes a few pages to get used to, but once one has adjusted to Barrico's pace, the experience becomes utterly engrossing. Barrico has real talent as a story teller; his prose has the directness and vivacity to keep you very involved.

It is difficult to say what this book is 'about'. Given the heterogeneous and evolving nature of a city it would be against the spirit of Baricco's undertaking to outline the see-it-all-in-one-hour tour. A few important themes that emerged from my reading - as the major arteries in this sprawling town - are the importance of personal authenticity and the nature of mentorship. Ultimately, the city becomes a metaphor for human life, which is also a crooked, haphazard affair with many unexpected twists and turns. But at each crossing, we are free to choose our direction, if we really want to. Even the predicament of being a 'genius' doesn't liberate one from making these tough choices, time and again. To understand why that is you'll need to read this book ...

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Although critics may find it disappointing...., June 21, 2002

By 

Mila (Glen Allen, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: City (Hardcover)

... I really enjoyed this book. It tells you about the day dreams of a boy, who could not live his childhood to the full because it happened to him to be a genius. You will love the stories he tells himself, like the one about the famous boxer, because they're written in the "typical" magical Baricco's style.
You will feel pity for the genius kid and you will be amazed at the young girl , who can reach his hearth and teach him how to be free. Two scenes you won't forget: the fast food experience, and the lesson about the porch. I keep on reading it loud and being touched.