THE KING IN THE TREE THREE NOVELLAS [Paperback]

Steven Millhauser (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Vintage Books (2003)
• ASIN: B00151XUPK
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite, December 24, 2003

By 

Patrick O'Brien - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King in the Tree: Three Novellas (Hardcover)

The three novellas contained in this book are perhaps the most exquisite I've ever read and it pains me to see this beautiful book with but three reviews previous to mine. Anyone who hasn't read "The King in the Tree" is really missing something extraordinarily special.

The first novella, "Revenge" was simply not to my taste but it is perfectly crafted and oozing in irony and sarcasm. Your taste might be very different from mine and this could well end up being your favorite among the three. It is the least "flowery" and the one told in the most spare, but perfect, prose.

"An Adventure of Don Juan" was my favorite because of its overriding sense of melancholia, something I like in a book. In this novella, Don Juan's adventure at an English manor house is quite different from his adventures in Spain or other parts of continental Europe. I loved every word of this novella, from the first to the last.

The title novella, "The King in the Tree" is a heartbreaking retelling of the story of Tristan and Isolde told from the viewpoint of Oliver Cromwell. As the Amazon editorial review says, this novella is a small masterpiece. While I preferred the second novella just a little more, I do have to say that I finished reading this one with a sense of awe. If Millhauser can write something this crystalline in its perfection, this moving, this absolutely beautiful, then I feel the man can surely write anything at all. This is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I have ever been fortunate enough to read. This is what every "would be" writer should aspire to.

If you love good fiction and you haven't read "The King in the Tree" you are really cheating yourself. Buy or borrow a copy today. This is probably the most beautiful book and the most perfectly crafted book I've ever read. I feel so lucky to own a copy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly gorgeous, August 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The King in the Tree: Three Novellas (Hardcover)

This dazzling collection should be of interest to all lovers of Interstitial Fiction, for Millhauser is a master at blending different genres -- myth, fantasy, surrealism, historical fiction and Romance, contemporary realism, horror -- into elegant, innovative, and utterly gripping stories. He is, quite simply, one of the best writers of our day -- and this collection of three stunning novellas is not to be missed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading this is an elevating experience., August 12, 2007

By 

Sarah Young (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The King in the Tree: Three Novellas (Hardcover)

All the over the top praise the other reviewers have given this work is justified. One can't help but to gush over it. Liked all the stories - each one got increasingly better. Extraordinary use of the famous Millhauser love triangles (sometimes quadrangles) - every story utilizes this technique. The best thing about Millhauser is that he understands this about the nature of love (and lust and hate): it is rarely a neat and tidy relationship between two people. Rather, it is almost always a complex web of interactions, contextualized between the lover and the object of the lover's desire, who usually only obtains that status when compared against another love or lover! Deep stuff, huh? Deep stuff that Millhauser portrays perfectly in this collection. Not to mention the beautiful, fluid langauge. Not to mention the lush imagry. Not to mention the interesting pacing ..... It could go on and on. Anyway, get this book, because after you read it you'll feel glad to be alive simply for the experience of discovering a fine work such as this one.