Customer Reviews

Lempriere's Dictionary: A Novel

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had heard that the American edition had been edited, so I read the English edition. I then looked through a copy of the American edition, looking for differences. The differences aresignificant; even a casual inspection turns up major differences in the ending of the novel. The true identities of at least two major characters (and one minor character) are not revealed in the American edition. (Surprisingly, the Kirkus review quoted above seems to refer to the English edition.) Furthermore, the ending of the American edition is extremely compressed, giving it a noticeably different tone from the rest of the novel. I don't understand why the Americanpublishers would make such changes. If they wanted to make the novel shorter or more accessible, they could have cut some of the descriptive passages; instead, they chose to alter the ending, which serves only to weaken the novel. I also wonder why there is no indication that the American edition has been edited. I thought there was a requirement to note that an edition has been abridged or otherwise revised, but apparently there isn't. If you want to read this book as the author intended, read the English edition. It's worth your while.

I absolutlely loved the awesome inventiveness of this novel. And although it is tremendously complicated and difficult to read I found it very rewarding. The amazing thing that I found out only after I finished the book is that there really is a "Lempriere's dictionary"! I know absolutely nothing about the mythology that is so often referenced in the book and simply ignored it. I suspect that readers with a better classics background than mine would like it even more. Not recommended for those that need the pace of John Grisham or Tom Clancy to stay interested in a book.

I really enjoyed this book the first time, but in reading it the second time, it was even better. Ok, so the suspense wasn't quite the same, but a lot of the narrative/plot made more sense. Reviewers on this site have called it "drivel" and "boring", but they must be easily distracted, for I was fascinated by the oddness of Lempriere's obsessions, though I occasionally wanted to smack him for being naive. Read it. You may just like it. (And as for the Publisher's Weekly review, if they can't even spell the main character's name correctly, it would implicate that they don't know what the heck they're talking about.)

Akin to Pynchon, I think, Norfolk is definitely a master. I loved the conspiracy, grotesquery, and wicked wierdness that is this novel. Once read, it can never be forgotten. Ancient mythology forms a tapestry of clues for young Lemprière, who struggles to make sense of his mission from within a cabalistic underground society whose hermetic and dangerous agenda contrive to weave an ever more convoluted yet fascinating web around him. Exciting and wonderful, there are very few novels such as this.

I would have rated this book only four stars, but it appears that my only real problems with the text - namely, the mocking loose strings and confused identities at the end - are the fault of callous American editors and not the author himself. The writing is strong, assured, and eloquent, particularly the descriptive passages. Mr. Norfolk is a stylist of remarkable virtuosity. His deft layering of perspectives, time frames and details combine like an impressionist's daubs of colour - I can only wish that one's glimpse of the completed canvas were not so imperfect at the end. I shall be looking for the English edition.

This is the first I've read by this author. His writing style is dense, with many allusive references, detailed and extravagant descriptions of background, rather heavy usage of foreign (non-English) terms and passages, and an often-intimidating vocabulary. Still, it is not difficult to follow the story. One finds them self not understanding what is happening, or to whom, until the author clears it up, sometimes. For example, at a chapter's beginning, there is an entire page devoted to describing a coach ride to Paris, including the trees, the texture and nature of the road, French peasants friendly waves, the horses, and on and on, before the identity of the passengers is revealed.

The story is set, for the most part, in 18th-century London, where John Lempriere, a classical scholar, is writing a dictionary of mythological characters and their activities in an attempt to exorcise the demons raised by his father's violent death, which he witnessed on the island of Jersey. Lempriere is in London because of his father's will, where he discovers a 150-year-old conspiracy by a cabbala that has kept his family from a vast fortune--their one-ninth share of the fabulously wealthy East India Company.

Criticism aside, Lawrence Norfolk has a lyrical style that is intriguing. This is not an ordinary meat-and-potatoes novel. It is entertaining, imaginative and extravagant.

Joseph Pierre

When I was first presented with this book for a research project, I was not really interested. However, as soon as I started to read it, I could not put it down. The quick pace of the movements among John Lempriere, the goings-on of the East India Company, the French Revolution, The Siege of Rochelle, and many other events and perspectives keep you turning pages all night long. It is admittedly a slow read, but it is well worth it. Many of the events in the book were real, and John Lempriere really did exist and write the dictionary mentioned in the title. The book is one of the best I have ever read, and I would recommend it to anyone.

When I started this book, I thought "no, this is not the right time to read this." I've been under a lot of stress at work and felt that I would not be able to devote the intellectual concentration that this book would require. Boy, was I wrong. This novel was about the best therapy that I could find. I found myself slowly but surely becoming totally, obsessively involved in this complex and wonderful story. It became a mix of Dickens, A.S. Byatt, Stephen King, and John Le Carre all rolled up into one. It is truly historical fiction at its best. I found myself literally wanting to come back to the book to discover what happened next at very late hours of the day. And although the plot is extremely complex and all is not revealed until the last pages of the book, Norfolk wraps up all the loose ends and even gives us a happy ending. . .I think. Do yourself a favor--find and read this book!

This book rates in my top 5 so far. It has a bit of everything: mystery, conspiracy, horror, mythology, history, romance, sesquidepalia, and many more examples of Lawrence Norfolk's wide breadth of knowledge.

It is similar to Quincunx in its historical and conspirative nature, but like Darconville's Cat, in that you must look up many words and references in order to fully comprehend the book.

It's funny, because I picked this book up for $1 at a used book sale, not knowing anything about it. Talk about being lucky!

[I read the English edition] This book is hard, but well worth the concentration needed to get through it. It was a surprising book from start to finish. I never knew where it was going, or how it could end, not until the last minute, so to speak.

I couldn't possibly describe the whole book, and I wouldn't want to ruin the plot twists. There isn't a pigeonhole to fit this into, either - historical, biographical (perhaps not!), fantasy, thriller, romance... there's something of all of those in this.

If you feel like a challenging read, and if you have the stamina for a long book; if you have an open enough mind to enjoy different types of book, grab a good dictionary and get stuck in.

Superb.