Read 'Table of Everything' and take a uniquely funny, crooked, questioning path through life. 'You know, sometimes, things happen that promise to make life breezy and blue, but turn out to make things more gluey and orange than before.' 'We were in the bath again, where many great scientific advances have taken place. But not tonight.' 'The pros and cons of the organised method of living. For: always know where things are and what to expect each day. Against: feel like a snake inside a bamboo pole; no surprise at seeing a dinner-plate moon; drawings turn out like circuit diagrams.' 'The Chamber will accept: dead flowers (particularly hospital bouquets), jealousies, regrets (old and current), soured milk and soy milk, chipped paint, toenails (don't have to be yours), foul burps, parking tickets.' Trudy White is a new writer with an original and intriguing voice.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Australian writer White's collection of prose poems and short stories features 17 narrators with different interests, occupations and preoccupations. Their voices, nearly indistinguishable, express a scientific approach to living, a poetic sensibility and a strong philosophical bent. The author carries to an almost absurd extreme the narrators' musings and actions. Most of the selections begin with the implied question, "What if?" What if street sounds were recorded as a concerto, wishes grew into paper mountains in the back yard, or cats could speak poetry? Answers are rarely clear cut, but the process of imagining the results provide whimsical comedy. For instance, the woman in "Method of Living" wonders if it is more effective to work in a chaotic or organized environment. Starting her days "with a perfect arrangement" makes her feel like "a snake inside a bamboo pole," but the disorganized method has "even more dispiriting results." In "Very Slow Train," the characters' goal is to build a train "the exact opposite of the one that ran between Melbourne and Sydney." After purchasing an antique wooden train and laboring many hours renovating its cars, the designers believe that they will please the fancy of every imaginable passenger. The only problem: the train can only travel at a snail's pace. Traditionalists may balk at the author's open endings and sketchy characterizations, but those who favor the journey over reaching a destination will be carried far by this book's meditations. Ages 13-up.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
Young creative writers and fans of the unconventional will be amused, entertained...by these quirky vignettes. -- Kirkus Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thoroughly engaging!,
By
This review is from: Table of Everything (Paperback)
I really enjoyed this book. It is a series of interesting short stories that are both very descriptive and incredibly quirky. I really liked that each story was completely different from the last. It has been one of the few books that I re-read on a regular basis, just to remind myself that there are other (more interesting) ways to look at your surroundings. This book is probably not going to change your life, the stories don't necessarily go anywhere, but it inspires you to think (but not so much that your brain hurts and you get frustrated). Actually a better word would be to "ponder". I did a lot of "pondering" while reading this book. The good kind of pondering that involves rainy days, a snoozing cat, a cup of tea and toast in bed. Overall this book made me happy, and I think that is a pretty good feeling to be left with.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not for everyone,
By SHR (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Table of Everything (Paperback)
This is quirky; I am sure some people would describe it as poetic, but it failed to be that for me and just landed in weird and unengaging.
Most of the pieces are short, many are illustrated and all are unusual. I think they all look at something in the human condition, but I wouldn't be sure what for all of the stories until I had someone to discuss it with (it is that kind of book!). My favourite expression was "torn orange-pink tissue clouds striped the sky."
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