Customer Reviews

The Silent Gondoliers

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am one of the handful of people who haven't yet read "The Princess Bride," so I can't comment on how this compares to that book. However, this was an entertaining little tale and a cute fable.

Everyone once knew that the gondoliers of Venice were the best singers in the world -- so amazing, in fact, that the great Enrico Caruso was overwhelmed when he heard them singing. One talented young gondolier with a "goony" smile, Luigi, is incredibly skilled as a gondolier and wins the heart of the girl he adores. But when he tries to sing, chaos reigns. People pelt him with vegetables and dead fish, even when he isn't singing.

Out of necessity, poor Luigi is drummed out of the gondoliers. His girlfriend dumps him, and he ends up washing dishes in a tavern with only his dreams to sustain him. Can Luigi overcome his terrible singing voice and realize his dreams?

This is a cute little story, though "fable" might be the wrong description for it because there is no firmly-defined lesson in it. Is it the special-rubbing-off line? Never give up on your dreams? Be an insane optimist? I never really figured it out. The outlines of it are rather uneven, especially the entire chapter devoted to the history of surfing. This might work in a book three or four times "Gondoliers"'s length, but in a story this short it merely feels awkward. And for the record, the translation of "pizza" is not "pizza," but "pie."

Nevertheless, Luigi is a sweetie, with his goony smile and obsessions with being a gondolier. The reader really does want him to succeed, and boos enthusiastically at the unsympathetic The Great and the aptly named "John the Bastard." The line drawings add a nice touch, very pretty in most cases. And the author manages to make Venice sound like one of the loveliest places in the world.

A nice little book, good for passing twenty minutes on a rainy day.

I just now, this moment, have set down the book, "The Silent Gondoliers." It is the story of the Gondoliers of Venice, and why they no longer sing as they row. It was written by Morgensern late in life, the result of years of study. It seems as a child, he heard the beautiful voices of the Gondoliers, and began years of study and research to see why they no longer sang. The culmination of that is "The Silent Gondoliers," a very short book--only 110 pages, that bears absolutely no resemblence to "The Princess Bride." I am grateful for this. If the whole thing had just been a rehash of the Princess Bride, it would have made Morgensten a panderer. It is not nearly as funny--I figure this is likely because Morgenstern was basing it on "Real Live Events." But, and this is an important but, it is as entertaining. It is an easy read, and if you decide you hate it you will by no means have wasted much of your time. If, however, you find the story rings absolutely true with what you believe about the world, then I think you will enjoy the story of Luigi, the greatest Gondolier who ever lived, who, due to circumstance, was stuck washing glasses at the Tavern.

Writing as a researcher, the elusive S. Morgenstern investigates a mystery that has bothered him ever since he learned of it. Why are the gondoliers of Venice, once world-famous for their beautiful singing voices, now silent? As he reveals the facts of the case, we are treated to a fable that is as engaging, in its way, as The Princess Bride.

The bulk of the story deals with Luigi, an aspiring gondolier who wants nothing more than to join his peers in song in the Grand Canal. When his dreams are crushed, he becomes a quiet background figure in Venice, known only for his ability to wash dishes and his goony smile. But behind that sad, goony smile, Luigi never stops dreaming of accomplishing his lifelong goals.

I don't want to spoil any of the plot points of the book, so instead I will praise the skill of the writing, which is equal to the skill on display in Princess Bride. The device of the garrulous researcher is consistently hilarious, as are all of the asides and digressions that shine light on the impossible, yet almost-real world of Venice. The story lacks the depth and complexity of the Princess Bride, and so falls far short of that book in terms of overall impact. Rather, it's as if this is an extension of the former work, and could almost have been worked into The Princess Bride as a longish chapter (the entire book clocks in at a meager 110 pages).

Readers will fall in love with Luigi's stoic smile and deference to the world around him. He is a humble man, but one who has an inner spark that can never be extinguished, and the power of his character, along with the humorous writing, drives the book.

This is a must read.

As an opera singer and having visited Venice for the first time this past year, this was a perfect book. I loved this novel--as a diversion from an otherwise boring Sunday afternoon, as a jaunt into the life of someone special, and even as a complete story worthy of never being compared to it's predecessor "The Princess Bride." My main point in this review is to state that there IS no comparison between this and "The Princess Bride." The only simularity is the fact that Willian Goldman wrote both under the pseudonymn "S. Morgenstern." In all actuality... and this is a big thing for a dedicated romantic, like myself, to state... I think I liked this book better than "The Princess Bride." It was concise, to the point, short, and all the while it lost no magic that was intended and even drew me in more because of it's clear-cut nature. It is a fable that should be read over and over... I believe the moral is there for anyone to see, however, one must choose for himself or herself what the message is for him/her as an individual. Don't read this for a message though... read it to become wrapped up in the glitz and glamour of Venice, to become enamoured of the romantic nature of Luigi, and mostly...to become lost in the dreams and the discovery that those dreams can come true.
I particularly liked the part - chapter XIV - where "S. Morgenstern" breaks in with a statement about famous swimmers.... I know this makes no sense if you haven't read the book. Just read it; when you do you'll understand the brilliance of Goldman's intervention. This is amazingly perceived and brilliantly written. It touched me and I do believe that I will always consider the Luigi character a personal hero.

A long time fan of the Princess Bride movie and then, enamoured by Goldman's origianl rendering via the novel...(not to mention a long hunt for this out-of-print book), left me a little disappointed after actually reading this second Morgensternian tale. While the line drawings were a nice touch...and the inner-story digressions predictably amuzing and ever-so Goldmanesque, the storyline leaves unexplained the very point where and why the Gondoliers actually become "silent". A bit frustrating and a bit of a let down...after waiting so long. I expected more.

I must admit that I shot myself in the foot by expecting this book to be another Princess Bride. This "fable" is definitely not the same. No high adventure here. But the book certainly has its merits. Goldman/Morgenstern is able to create characters with whom you instantly connect. You can't help but adore them--even in the case of John the Bastard, the overly-critical professor of hopeful gondoliers. The ending, overly sentimental for my taste, was a bit disappointing. Overall, the book was not an unpleasant read. When it was out of print, I would have said it wasn't worth the trouble of hunting down a copy. But since it's been re-released, I think it would be a shame not to check it out. It's a nice addition to any collection.

A classic book with an old-fashioned fairytale feel. If you love The Princess Bride as I do, you will instantly fall in love with Luigi and his "never give up" attitude. He is the unsong hero, the quiet guy in the background getting on with his life as best he can. He bears many similarities in my view to dear Wesley of The Princess Bride but in a more unassuming way. It is a really sweet book and I loved every page of it.

The word 'farce' is not deep enough to describe the deep humor that is the whole book - the so-called author's notes and explanations why there's been such a delay since the publication of Princess Bride - and you should not miss a word of it. The Silent Gondoliers is high art of a sort known only to S. Morgenstern ... ahem ... William Goldman. The very pen name has a story hanging from it. Indeed, as described at The Jaded Consumer, the whole story itself hangs from the supposed author's supposed confusion:
[...]

That said, the story itself is more artful yet - because it is not only a belly-laugh, it's deep with the emotion and humanity evoked by S. Morgenstern - ahem ... William Goldman - in The Princess Bride.

Unlike the Princess Bride and its cast of characters who exchange vengeance, betrayal, murder, and so forth without batting an eye, The Silent Gondoliers is the tale of an innocent in pursuit of a humble ambition in the face of nature and society. It's a much more accessible source of hilarity than the enormous Princess Bride, and an excellent introduction to Goldman for those not willing to invest a lot of time in a traditional fantasy or a work that's as hefty as the Princess Bride. Having read this, a reader will surely pursue anything he can get his hands on by Goldman.

The Silent Gondoliers is not a traditional boy-gets-girl tale and lacks the swordplay of more mainstream fare with a more easily communicable hook (e.g., the Princess Bride's main struggle was one of long lost lovers to re-unite despite the machinations of an evil king and his numerous henchmen), but explaining why getting a gondolier's license is a big deal for Luigi so people understand they want to read the book seems likely to prevent the masses from knowing about the work. But you should defy the lemming horde and get a copy to read!

I enjoyed "The Pricess Bride" very much. I liked the style. I liked the story. It was a lot of fun.

I like "The Silent Gondoliers" better. It has a zany style like The Princess Bride, and it has an amusing story, and it's fun to read. I found it more than that, though. Luigi comes across as a real human being. I found his struggles to deal with life heartwarming as well as amusing. Not that the book is serious and moralizing, though. It's not heavy, it's fun.

I liked the short length too. I think it's just right for this story, and I enjoyed being able to read it in an afternoon. I didn't time myself, but I think it took me between two and three hours, maybe less. My wife read it in an hour, and she liked it too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I absolutely adore the Princess Bride, Marathon Man, and several movies with Goldman's screenplays, so I was excited with this find, and I was not disappointed. A short, light read with a solid story and entertaining characters. Not high art, but a great "in-between" book (a.k.a. between heavier readings), or one day read.

On a personal note: I think this would make a wonderful animated feature film. Get Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo, Josh Groban, Russell Watson... I would pay to see that.