A Leap [Paperback]

Anna Enquist (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

The characters in the monologues that make up A Leap seek a home, some kind of anchorage or self-realization, but circumstances or fate ensure that their goal remains elusive.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An award-winning poet and novelist, Enquist (The Secret) presents a slim volume of dramatic monologues. In the first piece, set in 1906 Vienna, Alma is a pianist whose role has morphed into wife of the composer, Gustav Mahler, and mother to his children. During Mahler's absence, Alma reflects on her life with the man who forced her to give up her music. In another monologue, Cato is a young woman anxiously searching for her lover in war-torn 1940 Rotterdam, not afraid of the bombs but that he has forgotten me. In The Doctor a black physician in Rotterdam, whom the Nazis insult by not allowing him to treat their general, faces an ethical dilemma. Although Enquist creates believable protagonists, her lapses into melodrama are overkill; the backdrop of war and the resulting pain has pathos enough. (Apr.)
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About the Author

Anna Enquist is a musician, a psychoanalyst, a poet, and a novelist. ONe ofhte best-loved writers of her native Holland, she is also a best-selling author in Germany, Switzerland, France, Sweden, and Austria.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: The Toby Press (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592642586
• ISBN-13: 978-1592642588
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,090,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but not for me, March 6, 2009

By 

K. Gilligan "grad student & literature lover" (Haddon Heights, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Leap (Paperback)

This book of short stories is by Dutch author Anna Enquist. I had never heard of her, but the blurb says she is a "musician, a psychoanalyst, a poet, and a novelist" and also a best-selling author in other countries.... so I thought I couldn't go wrong with picking up this book.

First off, the book is only 100 pages. This is something that is displayed on the product page, but I rarely pay attention to... I expect that many other customers may do the same, so therefore this is a warning that the book is short- something I was disappointed with. Also, the 'monologues' just weren't very connected in my opinion. I thought these monologues would all be related, or have some interaction with each other, but this is not the case. The summary says they are connected in that they are all looking for a home, but I just didn't get that either. There are five of these short stories, the first and last being the longest and in my opinion it is those two which are most connected. Music is the common theme. Of these, I really only enjoyed the last one.

The stories start with "Alma" followed by "Mendel Bronstein," "Cato and Leendert," "The Doctor," and "... And I am Sara". "Alma" is about a woman who loves music and composing, but gives them up because her husband (a composer himself) makes her. It's about her struggling to deal with this loss, since music is such a part of her and gives her so much joy. "Mendel Bronstein" is about a man who wants to travel to America but really has no idea what he is getting himself into. This story is quite short, and unless you read carefully, you miss what really happens at the end. "Cato and Leendert" takes place during WW2, and most interestingly deals with the animals being kept in the zoo. "The Doctor" also takes place during the same time and deals with a doctor's mixed thoughts about helping a German soldier. Finally, "... And I am Sara" deals with a young woman trying to find herself after college.

As with most short stories, these seem to be bleak and depressing. Again, the last one ("... And I am Sara") which I enjoyed most of, is the only one that broke of that mold for a short time. In that story I did enjoy the writing style. The sentences were short and choppy, like thoughts flitting through Sara's (the main character) head. It really worked for Enquist there.

Enquist's imagery was also extremely well done, in "... And I am Sara," and in the other stories. At times it was so well done that I was disgusted, as was probably Enquist's goal- when discussing bloody soldiers, or unwashed immigrants. Other times it gave off a peaceful and beautiful image, like when Enquist wrote of spring flowers.

There's no doubt that Enquist is a talented writer, but I felt that this collection just wasn't perfected. I would have liked to see those stories be more connected. Perhaps something is lost in translation? After all, they were originally published in Dutch, so maybe we're just not getting the original meaning. I don't know, but as these stories are now, I find myself unable to recommend them.