No Word From Gurb (Paperback)

~ Eduardo Mendoza (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A great read. Literary Prozac.' French Cosmopolitan 'Eduardo Mendoza is one of contemporary Spain's most important writers.' New York Times Book Review 'For sheer descriptive writing he is unrivalled.' Andre Clavel 'An accomplished literary novelist who knows how to entertain.' Kirkus Review

Product Description

"Literary Prozac."-Cosmopolitan

"Eduardo Mendoza is one of contemporary Spain's most important writers."-The New York Times Book Review

"An accomplished literary novelist who knows how to entertain."-Kirkus Reviews

A shape-shifting extraterrestrial named Gurb has assumed the form of Madonna and disappeared in Barcelona's back streets. His hapless commander, desperately trying to find him, records the daily pleasures, dangers, and absurdities of our fragile world, while munching his way through enormous quantities of churros. No stone is left unturned in the search for his old pal Gurb.

Will Barcelona survive this alien invasion? Will the captain ever find his subordinate? Are there enough churros in Barcelona to satisfy his intergalactic appetite?

Eduardo Mendoza was born in 1943 in Barcelona. He spent some years in New York working as an interpreter for the United Nations before returning to his native city. His other novels include The Truth About the Savolta Case, The City of Marvels, and The Year of the Flood.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 158 pages
• Publisher: Telegram Books (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846590167
• ISBN-13: 978-1846590160
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #542,158 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting for about the first 60 pages., January 3, 2010

By	Opinionated Student (Alaska/California) - See all my reviews

The entire book is written as a series of diary (Captain's log) entries. At the start of the book, I thought this would get old very quickly, but 25% of the way through, it had become pretty interesting. As I continued reading, however, the book became rather monotonous and dull, as though I were reading a bunch of Twitter posts . The author seems to stop including wit in the character's log entries, which was really the only thing saving this book (since there's very little plot). There is no climax to speak of, and in the end, the status quo is really no different than it was on page 3. There are no twists, no real plot to peak the reader's interest. For example, if you skip 20 pages at any point after the first 10 pages, you really will have missed nothing, and it will seem like you just picked up where you left off (the main character walking through his surroundings, making observations which may have been humorous at the beginning, but are becoming quite old).

There is one line I particularly liked though, which reads roughly as, "Children do whatever they want to do, adults do the same thing but get paid for it." If only it were that simple.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious in both languages, August 2, 2009

By	M. L. Heard - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is hilarious in English and Spanish. In the English translation, a few of the names are changed to create more familiarity amongst English speakers but nothing is lost. Very clever book. Definitely laugh out loud.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very funny, January 17, 2008

By	NYC "atravelingreader" (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Eduardo Mendoza is overlooked as a significant Spanish author. This book is a great read - if you want to laugh out loud, pick this book up - you will not be disappointed and then read the rest of his translated novels.