World of Wonders [Library Binding]

Robertson Davies (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1977

This is the third novel in Davies's major work, The Deptford Trilogy. This novel tells the life story of the unfortunate boy introduced in The Fifth Business, who was spirited away from his Canadian home by one of the members of a traveling side show, the Wanless World of Wonders.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Robertson Davies is one of the great modern novelists."
—Malcolm Bradbury, The Sunday Times (London)

"Robertson Davies is a novelist whose books are thick and rich with humor, character and incident. They are plotted with skill and much flamboyance."
—The Observer (London) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Robertson Davies (1913-1995) was an actor, a University Professor and a writer. He is the author of The Salterton Trilogy, The Deptford Trilogy and The Cornish Trilogy. M.G. Vassanji was born in Kenia and raised in Tanzania. His first novel, The Gunny Sack, won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 1990. His other books include Uhuru Street, No New Land, Amriika, and The In-Between World of Vikram Lall. He lives in Toronto. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: San Val (April 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417646047
• ISBN-13: 978-1417646043
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,059,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Magician's Biography Unravels a Mystery, June 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: World of Wonders (Deptford Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

Davies uses the 'accidental' revelation of a great magician's life--by the magician himself--to complete the Deptford Trilogy and answer the mystery: "Who killed...?" Davies is at his storytelling best here, spinning out a strange, fascinating life story that begins when a young boy is captivated by a carnival magic show. By far the best book of the trilogy, this novel stands brilliantly on its own and is head and shoulders above the two recent novels that use almost the same plot: Mr. Vertigo, by Paul Auster, and Millroy the Magician, by Paul Theroux

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Davies' Deptford Trilogy - A must-read, July 14, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Piscataway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World of Wonders (Deptford Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

The only bad thing about Robertson Davies' Deptford Trilogy (FIFTH BUSINESS, THE MANTICORE, WORLD OF WONDERS) is that it had to end! Sparklingly clever, bawdy, poignant, erudite, and laugh-out-loud funny, Davies entertains in a wonderfully rich, old-world style.

A friend of mine (who recommended the books, and to whom I will be forever grateful) put it this way: "Reading Robertson Davies is like sitting in a plush, wood-paneled library--in a large leather chair with a glass of excellent brandy and a crackling fire--and being captivated with a fabulous tale spun by a wonderful raconteur."

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest novel of the twentieth century, December 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: World of Wonders (Deptford Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the best novel of the century's best English language novelist. The plot is sure-fire (kid runs away with the carnival), the characters memorable (sideshow freaks, revealed to be--human beings! theater people, great and small, revealed to be--human beings!), the sins enormous (pederasty, pride, perhaps even murder), the virtues marvelous (love, devotion to love). The theme of this book, as with the other books in the trilogy, is search for self--the main character of this book lives four different lives during his life. This book works on every level; it reads well as a story, gives you something to think about, and stands up to any number of readings you'd care to give it. (I've given it at least five.)