Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing, well-written and more than a little odd...,
By
This review is from: Invisible (Hardcover)
Although I try to read a lot of different books by different authors, I certainly have a group of favorites. If I see a new book by one of these writers (if I haven't been tracking them on Amazon), I will immediately by it when I see it. Paul Auster is one of those. The minute I saw his new book, Invisible, I nearly leapt on it (I'm crazy like that) and, of course, bought it.
Invisible is a well-written, intriguing and odd book. It starts in 1967 at Columbia University. Adam Walker is a college student dreaming of life as a poet when he encounters Rudolf Born and his girlfriend, Margot, at a party. Rudolf and Margot immediately intrigue young Adam with their worldliness, and the couple becomes somewhat intrigued by him as well. What happens shortly thereafter is a shocking act of violence that has ramifications for the rest of the book. And that's where everything gets a little bit hinky. The book is divided into four sections. The first is narrated by Adam himself, the second and third sections are narrated by a college friend of Adam's (through Adam's words) and the fourth is narrated by another character and almost feels tacked on. There are a lot of big issues in this book--murder, incest, voyeurism, emotional anguish--yet not a lot of it resonates. I loved the story Auster was telling even as I felt uncomfortable reading pieces of it, but ultimately I was left somewhat unfulfilled. I guess I'll hope his next one has a bit more for me.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Going to Pretend I'm Smarter Than I Am,
By KC (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Invisible (Hardcover)
I'll admit it, I'm not a huge Auster fan. I always find his stories (and his prose) engaging, but I always finish one of his books a little confused, disoriented, feeling like I'm missing something (or lots of things). That's probably part of the point. If so, I could do without it (and yet, I continue reading!) Either way, Invisible drew me in and kept me interested, despite knocking me off balance. It created space for questions of perspective, interpretation, truth. I'm not sorry I read it, but I'd sure love to know why he chose to write it the way he did...
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Invisible Truth,
By
This review is from: Invisible (Hardcover)
Paul Auster is one of the most creative and inventive novelists ever to put words on paper. His novels are incredibly unique and complex. The plot elements that he invents are so absorbing and tantalizing that it is difficult to put one of Auster's books down, even to sleep. The story pushes the reader on and on, until the book has been completely consumed. In the process of digesting the stories, the reader is taken to places within their minds that they would probably not go, were it not for Auster's tremendously engaging writing style. This book is no exception.
The plot is so wild, that it is impossible for the reader to accept it as truth in any way. Yet interestingly, Auster's books almost always contain a certain level of autobiographical material. In this book, his protagonist, one Adam Walker, definitively resembles Auster, as he tells this story in a first person narrative. The use of the first person is very often Auster's vehicle for presenting the plot. Thus, it is not surprising to find that elements of the protagonist's life are congruent with Auster's real life. In "Invisible" Auster's narrator/protagonist is from a medium sized town in North Eastern NJ. He uses Westfield, NJ as the town. Auster himself grew up in the town of South Orange, NJ, which is only about 20 minutes away from Westfield and has in many ways a similar character. In addition, "Walker" attends Columbia University in NYC, where a good part of the story takes place. Auster in fact did attend Columbia. Finally, most of the rest of the story that does not take place in and around Columbia University, takes place in Paris, France. Auster speaks fluent French and has been to Paris many times. He even did several French to English translations which have been published, as did his character "Walker," who of course starts out as a poet and writer, as is Auster. Therefore, Auster in his use of `suspension of belief' utilizes places and time frames that mirror his own life. This technique makes it difficult for the reader to separate the truth of the story from the "lies" which Auster is using as a cornerstone of the plot. These autobiographical elements combine with his incredible ability to reference great literary works and utilize the most poignant aspects of them in weaving his tale. He starts this book with a well developed reference to Dante's "Inferno" and all through the book, he refers to great works of literary fiction and great authors thereof. Auster is perhaps one of the best read novelists of his time. There are very few authors that have in reserve the breadth and understanding of literature that Auster has and he uses this talent and experience to enhance the motif of the story. The whole basis of the book is very much related to the creation of tidbits and comments that are supposed to be truth for "Walker," but throughout, there are reasons why the characters in the book, and also the reader, wonder which of these elements are supposed to be taken as truth and which are supposed to be taken as "lies." While it is much clearer to the reader which are which than it is to the characters in the book, Auster cleverly uses this `doubt factor' to enhance the intricacy of the plot and the events that make up the story. With all these characteristics so intellectually interwoven into the text, the reader has little choice but to push through the book as fast as possible, yet not so fast as to miss any of the author's true genius in the writing that makes up this incredible story. The book is a panoply of conflicting ideas and political viewpoints that clash with one another and give the book its truly wondrous qualities. Once again, Auster succeeds in creating a story which is of such terrific interest that it is almost assuredly headed for the best seller list. Without any hesitation, this book is very highly recommended to serious readers. The more serious the reader is, the more he/she will enjoy Auster's creation. How Auster manages to write such fine fiction time and time again is truly his art and talent coming through in an undeniable way. While the reader will surely enjoy the book regardless of the level of his/her literary experience, it is a definitive fact that the more well read the reader is, the more intense is the power of the reading experience of "Invisible." The book is a fictional experience that should not be overlooked or passed up by serious readers of contemporary American fiction.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
