The End of the Alphabet [Paperback]

CS Richardson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

Ambrose Zephyr is a contented man. He shares a book-laden Victorian house with his loving wife, Zipper. He owns two suits, one of which he was married in. He is a courageous eater, save brussels sprouts. His knowledge of wine is vague and best defined as Napa, good; Australian, better; French, better still. Kir royale is his drink of occasion. For an Englishman he makes a poor cup of tea. He believes women are quantifiably wiser than men, and would never give Zipper the slightest reason to mistrust him or question his love. Zipper simply describes Ambrose as the only man she has ever loved. Without adjustment.

Then, just as he is turning fifty, Ambrose is told by his doctor that he has one month to live. Reeling from the news, he and Zipper embark on a whirlwind expedition to the places he has most loved or has always longed to visit, from A to Z, Amsterdam to Zanzibar. As they travel to Italian piazzas, Turkish baths, and other romantic destinations, all beautifully evoked by the author, Zipper struggles to deal with the grand unfairness of their circumstances as she buoys Ambrose with her gentle affection and humor. Meanwhile, Ambrose reflects on his life, one well lived, and comes to understand that death, like life, will be made bearable by the strength and grace of their devotion.

Richardson’s lovely prose comes alive with an honesty and intensity that will leave you breathless and inspired by the simple beauty and power of love. The End of the Alphabet is a timeless, resonant exploration of the nature of love, loss, and life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An abrupt death sentence given to a 50-year-old London ad exec forces an uneasy deliverance in Richardson's smartly setup, poignant tale. Given less than a month to live, Ambrose Zephyr, alphabet-obsessed since childhood, decides to spend out his last days traveling around the globe from A to Z. Ambrose and his wife, Zappora Ashkenazi (the couple is childless), begin in Amsterdam, viewing art by Velázquez and Rembrandt that has been significant to them in their loving marriage, and now looks wholly transformed. The two move between the sweet memories of past love and an unreal present, from Berlin to Chartres, the Great Pyramids of Khufu to Istanbul; when Ambrose begins to falter and they return home to their Kensington terrace flat. Reality and good manners demand that they inform their respective employers and friends of Ambrose's condition, while Zappora, a fashion editor attempting to keep a journal of the couple's last moments together, endures until the end. Richardson's tightly focused tale has panache, shadowed by a brooding suspense. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Bookmarks Magazine

A Canadian book designer, C. S. Richardson delights in the alphabet, and his infatuation with everything A-to-Z shines throughout this elegant debut novel. In clear, understated prose, Richardson has written a poignant love story, a travelogue, a tribute to the good life, and a rousing call to cherish every moment. By turns humorous, heartbreaking, and inspiring, The End of the Alphabet reminded critics more of a fairy tale than a straightforward narrative, but that did not detract from the power of the story. Though a few critics found the writing pretentious, the characterizations flat, and Ambrose unsympathetic, most readers will enjoy this clever, heartfelt book.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; Reprint edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076792763X
• ISBN-13: 978-0767927635
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 0.4 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #921,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poetic, touching..., August 12, 2007

By 

R Schmidt (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The End of The Alphabet: A Novel (Hardcover)

The End of the Alphabet is a great title for this short novel. Ambrose Zephyr is obsessed with organizing his life about the letters of the alphabet. Whether his name influenced that obsession, I don't know. But A.Z. meets and marries Z.A. (Zappora Ashkenazi). I wonder about the potential names of future children (there aren't any).

"Healthy" Ambrose is given a hard prediction. He will live for no more than 30 days. What is a man to do? What is a wife to do? What is a couple to do!

They decide to travel, inspired by the alphabet.

Author C.S. Richardson switches back and forth between man and woman, past and present, thundering toward a conclusion you know is coming but yearn for an alternative ending. Both A.Z. and Z.A. are nice people, with a good life. Is this unfair? Yes, but endings are endings, in life and in stories.

Well edited, nicely formatted, and poetically written, this is a pleasant novel to read, although you will be finished in less than two hours.

It is a reminder to finish life fulfilling your dreams. Remember this.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book, August 27, 2007

By 

Nancy "Stepfordmomto2" (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The End of The Alphabet: A Novel (Hardcover)

This small book will be one of my all time favorite reads. I can't describe this book adequately because it is one of those books that depending on where you are in your life - you will get a different meaning. Ambrose Zephyr a fiftish year old man who is suddenly diagnosed with an unnamed illness that will cause his death in 30 days. He has spontaneously decided that he will take his wife, the passion of his very simply ordered life, Zappora Ashkanazi (ZA to his AZ), also known as Zipper, on a trip that will encompass all the letters of the alphabet. As they travel the story goes back and forth from their present adventure to their life before the diagnosis and how two people can see the same thing in different ways. When the end comes, and it is inevitable, what story will Zipper have to tell.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Left me wanting more, April 16, 2007

By 

D. Bannister (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The End of the Alphabet (Hardcover)

This is CS Richardson's first book although the back flap tells us that he is a very well regarded book designer and has won numberous awards. As a first book I enjoyed it. I reminded me in the writing of Steve Martin's Shopgirl novella.

The novel follows husband and wife Ambrose and Zipper as they travel the world in a whirlwind of urgency to make up for lost time. It is a book about love as much as loving however it left me wanting more for it seemed to me that there were huge aspects of their lives that were left unexplored. As I read I longed to have more flesh and soul. I wanted to know more about the characters' history and their inner lives but that was all but impossible in the short 150 pages.

Mr Richardson is an excellent writer and this is a worthy first effort. His prose while utilitarian is not so sparse as to render unbelievable and unsympathetic characters.

But he does need to give us more. I only hope that in his subsequent books he treats us to more of his talent.