Marcel Proust's Search for Lost Time: A Reader's Guide to The Remembrance of Things Past [Kindle Edition]

Patrick Alexander (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An accessible, irreverent guide to one of the most admired—and entertaining—novels of the past century. There is no other guide like this; a user-friendly and enticing entry into the marvelously enjoyable world of Proust.

At seven volumes, three thousand pages, and more than four hundred characters, as well as a towering reputation as a literary classic, Proust’s novel can seem daunting. But though begun a century ago, in 1909, it is in fact as engaging and relevant to our times as ever. Patrick Alexander is passionate about Proust’s genius and appeal—he calls the work “outrageously bawdy and extremely funny”—and in his guide he makes it more accessible to the general reader through detailed plot summaries, historical and cultural background, a guide to the fifty most important characters, maps, family trees, illustrations, and a brief biography of Proust. Essential for readers and book groups currently reading Proust and who want help keeping track of the huge cast and intricate plot, this Reader’s Guide is also a wonderful introduction for students and new readers and a memory-refresher for long-time fans.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author

Patrick Alexander retired from his position as a director at the University of Miami in 2007 to focus on writing. More information is available at www.proustguide.com.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1434 KB
• Print Length: 402 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0307472329
• Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (September 22, 2009)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002PXFYM4
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,055 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #26 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > World Literature > French

More About the Author

Patrick Alexander-Lane is an English born writer who has raised his children in France, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland and California before settling in Miami, Florida. He has worked on four continents as, variously - an international financial consultant, a corporate executive and as a university professor and administrator. These wildly different experiences inspired a series of short stories published in the UK by Mainstream Publishing.

Patrick's second book, 'Marcel Proust's Search for Lost Time' was published by Vintage Books in New York in 2009 and will be followed by two other books on Proust: 'The Bedside Proust' and 'The Illustrated Proust' in collaboration with the Californian painter, David Richardson.

Patrick's first novel,'The Nigerian Letter' was released in March 2009. Apart from being an exciting page-turner of a thriller - it is also remarkable for having almost no references to Marcel Proust!

When not visiting his grandchildren in France and New Jersey, Patrick and his wife Jude live in Miami where he teaches university classes in Wine Appreciation, Creative Writing and Marcel Proust.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, October 9, 2009

By 

Mario Menendez "mariomenendez" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marcel Proust's Search for Lost Time: A Reader's Guide to The Remembrance of Things Past (Paperback)

I'd been trying to wrap my brain around Proust ever since being assigned Swann's Way in a college lit class. How I wish I'd had this to guide me through at that time. Now, as I try to make my way through it again, Mr Alexander's guide has been an invaluable source for keeping track of all the characters and also the important points I may have missed. Most important, his book has opened my eyes as to how funny and entertaining Proust's work is compared to the chore of reading it my first time. Highly recommended.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this book has no substitute, January 5, 2010

By 

Caraculiambro (La Mancha and environs) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marcel Proust's Search for Lost Time: A Reader's Guide to The Remembrance of Things Past (Paperback)

Five stars all the way.

For years I have been looking for a "Cliffs Notes" guide to Proust, or something to help me negotiate it. The plot is convoluted, and there are hundreds of characters. But there are none. Cliffs Notes never printed one, Barron's either. Even Sparknotes comes up with nothing. To my astonishment, there are not even (at least as of this writing) any synopses available online, at least not in any detail. It's puzzling. Not even on Wikipedia! (UPDATE: a serviceable summary is available for purchase here: The 14-Minute Marcel Proust: A Very Short Guide to the Greatest Novel Ever Written)

You can tell Alexander's book is a quality product after flipping through it for about 10 seconds. Long lists of characters, abbreviated and extended plot summaries, discussions of themes. etc. It's not a flimsy book, either. At just shy of 400 pages, it's a solid production, in this sense analogous to Stuart Gilbert's guide to "Ulysses": James Joyce's Ulysses, although far more accessible.

It's a labor of love, too. Apparently this guy was a French professor who retired early so that he could work on it. This shows, and I would like to thank that professor if he's reading this.

There's lots of jokes in it, by the way. Not dry at all.

The closest book I know of to this is Proust's Way: A Field Guide to in Search of Lost Time which is okay if you're really getting into Proust. However, I would still recommend this one (Alexander's) over Shattuck's. Shattuck's, while it might seem interchangeable with Alexander's, really isn't. It's more of a collection of essays that explore various aspects of the novel (e.g., "How to Read a Roman-Fleuve," "The Loops of Art," etc.). No, Alexander's is a much more straightforward guide.

One thing I would like the ask the author (Alexander) is this: exactly when are people supposed to read this book? Since it blows the plot and all the surprises, you're probably not supposed to read it before reading Proust himself. After that, is that when you're supposed to read it? If so, the summaries provided are by then unnecessary. If not, then the insights provided will have to be double-checked for yourself on a second go-through. In other words, the way this book was written seems to assume you'll be reading Proust TWICE, with Alexander's volume sandwiched in the middle.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Practical Guide to Proust's Masterpiece, January 7, 2010

By 

Gwendolyn Dawson "Literary License" (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Marcel Proust's Search for Lost Time: A Reader's Guide to The Remembrance of Things Past (Kindle Edition)

Alexander's guide is a practical roadmap to Proust's masterpiece In Search of Lost Time. Proust is difficult reading, and I appreciate Alexander's no-nonesense approach to deciphering a difficult text. Alexander's Reader's Guide is not simply a plot summary of Proust's novel. Rather, the Guide is loaded with unique literary insights, information on historical context, and other interesting information, all of which enhances the experience of reading Proust's novel. I've read several guides to In Search of Lost Time, and many of them are overly scholarly and obtuse. Such books are undoubtedly useful for literary scholars, but everyday readers (like me) will appreciate Alexander's Reader's Guide more. Highly recommended.