This Breathing World [Paperback]

Jose-Luis de Juan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

A pair of thrillers are placed up against each other in this connected collection of murder mysteries. One takes place in first-century Rome and tells the tale of Mazuf, a homosexual scribe who is driven to kill. The second is set in the modern day United States and seems to focus on the sexual exploits of a Harvard student until it is revealed that he, too, is a murderer. The two mysteries are constructed as reflections of each other, like mirrors set up in a deserted ballroom, enveloping readers in the stories of the young murderers told through their eyes. ""Succeeds brilliantly in constructing [an] edifice of mirrors and echoes.""-TLS

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Succeeds brilliantly in constructing [an] edifice of mirrors and echoes."  —Times Literary Supplement

"A work of stunning virtuosity, intelligence, and elegance.”  —Francis King, author, The Dividing Stream

“An elegant, disturbing, and labyrinthine thriller.”  —Richard Zimler, author, Guardian of the Dawn

“Rare enjoyment . . . beautifully written.”   —El País

"Spanish baroque with time travel thrown in."   —Duncan Fallowell, author, A History of Facelifting

"Dissected with biting irony . . . very talented."   —L’Express

About the Author

José Luis de Juan is the French author of four novels, a book of essays, and a collection of short stories.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Books (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 190085080X
• ISBN-13: 978-1900850803
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,291,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring and pedantic erotic romp, August 19, 2008

By 

Jose L. De Juan "Jose De Juan" (Los Angeles USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: This Breathing World (Paperback)

This book is terribly boring, period. The premise sounded promising: an scribe of Syrian origin in ancient Rome, Mafuz, spends his time altering the literary works of other writers and enlists some disciples to do the same. In a parallel story, Lawrence, a Harvard student, commits a series of murders and is intrigued by the alterations performed to Gibbon"s "Fall of the Roman Empire" treatise.

The nature of the alterations to the Gibbon, the reason or motivation for the murders,the plot if you will, is completely absent. Characters jump in as needed to create a semblance of a plot which remains "open", unexplained and needless. The descriptions of libraries in Harvard and ancient Rome are repetitive. The constant reference to the weather and street names as means of description wears thin very soon. The erudite details regarding ancient roman times fail to create a sense of place or atmosphere which is probably what the author intended. And the erotic episodes are completely gratuitous in most cases and indistinguishable from each other. In other words, the lack of story is weaved with episodes of erotic nature which fail to arouse interest.

Most characters have absolutely no sense or function and are interchangeable. Even if we wanted to concede that may be that is how the protagonists sees the world, this makes for a very dull motivation. If at least the descriptions were poetic or inspired but every thought and phrase barely rises above adequate or simply implausible. Save your time and read Gibbon's "Fall of the Roman Empire".