Zazoo [Paperback]

Richard Mosher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2004

Zazoo is Vietnamese by birth but feels entirely French. She has lived with her adoptive Grand-Pierre in France in an old stone mill between the river and the canal since she was two, sharing poetry, adventures, and the predictable rhythms of the seasons. Then one misty October morning, a young man on a bicycle rides into Zazoo’s small village and asks a question from which many stories begin to unfold. A love story within a love story.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One wispy October dawn, a boy on a bike came and went. Little did almost-14-year-old Zazoo know that this inquisitive, bird-watching bicyclist would hold the key to her past and open a window to the future as well.

The orphaned Zazoo lives alongside a canal with her loving adoptive grandfather, who brought her from Vietnam to his French village when she was just 2 years old. She and her tiny, 78-year-old Grand-Pierre share daily oatmeal, a passion for poetry, and a mysterious history. Why do the villagers seem leery of her gentle grandfather, even though he is often referred to as a war hero? Why does Grand-Pierre call World War II the "Awful Time"? And what happened to the brown-haired Jewish girl with whom he used to dance the tango so gracefully?

Philosophical, compassionate, and exquisitely lyrical, Richard Mosher's Zazoo is one of our favorite teen novels of 2001. Zazoo's voice is dreamily poetic, but the dialogue is immediate and true, and the story carries enough suspense (When will her beloved bicyclist return? What is Grand-Pierre's story?) and romance, past and present, to keep the pages turning quickly. Zazoo's struggle with her increasingly forgetful grandfather, her friendships with Juliette and Monsieur Klein, and a powerful infatuation with her elusive visitor combine to create a multifaceted love story of an extraordinary sort. Along the way, we glimpse a time in history, an awful time, demanding us to ask the big questions about life, love, loneliness, death, war, and heroism--and how to let joy creep into sadness and carry on. Highly recommended. (Ages 13 and older) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The quiet banks of a French canal, where this book is set, perfectly matches the reflective quality of Mosher's (The Taxi Navigator) resonant prose. With exquisite tenderness, the author explores the revelations of a Vietnamese-born girl raised by her adoptive grandfather, Grand-Pierre. A chance meeting with a mysterious Parisian boy sets 13-year-old Zazoo on a course to excavate secrets from the "Awful time," when Nazis invaded France. The horrors over a half-century ago echo the disturbing changes Zazoo now experiences, like the chronic ache in her chest and Grand-Pierre's failing health. Metaphors from nature the deceptively calm river, a "sad gray cat" from long ago and an ancient owl symbolize connections between past and present and emphasize the dull pain of longing still lingering with Grand-Pierre and other villagers. Despite the novel's somber undertones, there is a promise of rebirth as love, compassion and forgiveness help heal old wounds. The author's intelligent yet accessible wordplay on French vocabulary also leavens the narrative. Readers will be swept away by the evocative images and emotive scenes in this story, offering a mix of bitter and sweet. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Graphia (June 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618439048
• ISBN-13: 978-0618439041
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TOUCHING PERFORMANCE, August 20, 2002

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zazoo (Audio Cassette)

If ever a story merited reading aloud it is "Zazoo," the poignant story of a young Vietnamese/French girl and her journey to self-understanding. Joanna Wyatt gives a touching performance as the voice of the narrator, 13-year-old Zazoo.

Born in Vietnam, Zazoo has lived most of her life in France, actually in Burgundy with her adoptive grandfather, Grand-Pierre. Her life is peaceful and serene; she has not questioned her past or Grand-Pierre's life before she came to live with him.

The tenor of her days changes when Marius, a 16-year-old French boy, bicycles into her small village. His queries lead Zazoo to think and to ask about the time when France was under the boot of the Nazis.

As multiple secrets are revealed we learn of a unique link between Marius and the village pharmacist. We also learn of Grand-Pierre's past, some of which he would not wish to be revealed.

"Zazoo," as it explores the years of war, is a rather painful story yet it is one buoyed by love, hope, and forgiveness.

- Gail Cooke

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something Different, March 21, 2002

By 

Natalie K. (Tacoma, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zazoo (Hardcover)

This was such a good book. I dont know where to start! Zazoo is so different from teenagers today (maybe all the French are like that though). She actually has an adventurouse life with out even leaving home. Richard Mosher did such a good job writting this book, I was suprized how well he wrote about a girl, of all things. When I finished reading it I wanted to read it again. I must say if you like Love stories (not just between two young people but between family)you will love this story. I wish I could tell you how good it was, and of course I have tried. I suggest that anyone who is able to read english should read this!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Young Adult Reading, July 16, 2002

By 

Viorica Chiosea (El Dorado Hills, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zazoo (Hardcover)

Zazoo is a 13-year-old Vietnamese girl who lives with her adoptive French grandfather in a romantic Normandy setting, surrounded by natural beauty and fascinated by the mysterious, at times oppressive past of the land and its people. Somewhere in the transition from 13 to 14, Zazoo starts on her own journey of discovery to find her roots, and to solve the riddle of her grandfather's past. The novel is a lyrical narrative with several story threads bound together in a web of reminiscences that spring from the minds of different characters, each revealing different aspects of the truth. Behind the appearance of a peaceful countryside existence, the reader discovers the intense emotional lives of the main characters, each one on a quest of self discovery.
The book starts as a promise for teen romance, however, as it progresses, it unveils a complex tapestry of past events unfolding in a slowly revealing drama, expanding in time over generations and cultures. Several motifs are apparent in the book: the horror and senselessness of war, the devastating consequences of prejudice and intolerance, the healing power of love and forgiveness, and the beauty of friendship. The pictorial fabric of the book and its subtle blend of prose and poetry ensure the novel's final unifying design. The contemplative, static nature of Richard Mosher's novel may not appeal to all readers. Brief descriptions of violence (atrocities of WWII) are unsuitable for younger readers.