Customer Reviews

Zazoo

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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!!

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.

"She swam like no one I had known,
this little girl of mine,
as if into a fish she'd grown---
all silver-finned and fine.
But when the surface glazed with ice
that sealed away her paradise
she couldn't bear my sage advice
on nature's sweet design,
and wept--like no one I had known---
this little girl of mine.

But then she slept in air so clear
that she could hardly help but hear
the sound of someone coasting near
along the bright divide.
When she awoke, two slender skates
sharp-edged for carving figure eights
lay winking in the sunlight by her side--
two glinting blades on midnight boots,
longing to be tried.

And now she flies, on nights so cold
the dry canal ice sounds too old
to creak and crack and barely hold
her blades from slipping through--
this under- and yes, over-water,
liveliest, by far, granddaughter
ever to have worn a skating shoe:
this loveliest,
no longer little
girl I call Zazoo."
_________

So is the story of Zazoo, a sweet, vietnamese orphan destined to uncover the buried histories of her small family and those interlinked with it. On the border between childhood and adulthood, this is not only Zazoo's story of growth, but of the maturity of those she loves as they come to terms with the horrific times of the past and as her unifying love binds them to each other.
When one stranger walks into Zazoo's life asking questions about those she has known from her childhood, she embarks on a quest to fill in the missing answers. As she tries to put the pieces of this puzzle together, a river of memories threatens to become unleased, suggesting that some things may be better left alone.
Zazoo is a very strong, magical and poetic story of the destructive and empowering element of love. Richard Mosher's style certainly expresses a lyrical and poetic movement with words, creating an exquisitely drawn setting and well-layered themes. One such passage I find exemplary in this:
"Up the river I rowed, by the light of the shrouded moon and the dim, distant streetlamps. Stroke after stroke, bending my back, glad to be pulling, pulling, bending my legs and pulling again with my mittened hands until I was warm top to toe except in some darker place I supposed must be my heart.
Since a rower sits facing the stern, it was good I knew the river's shallows and angles, the twists where its current was tricky. The moon was so wrapped in snowy clouds that I saw only vague shapes, and steered from old habit. Rowing was fine in the dark, in the falling snow. My boat didn't whisper hero or coward, Gestapo or Vietnam. It didn't whisper at all, only groaned with the pull of it's oars."
Short, but chock full of wonderful and complex concepts, Zazoo is well worth your time.
Recommend? Definitely.
Rating: G, Ages 8 and up for comprehension. Older readers may appreciate its complex beauty further.
Pages: 266 small pages with average to small text size.
When to read? On a rainy day, when you need a mood boost, or nearby a river. . .

I am 15 and this story connected with me. After reading it I was so surprised that a man wrote it! Zazoo's voice is so true to that of a thirteen-year-old girl. The setting is romantic and the three love stories that progress throughout the novel are delicately put. I would reccomend this novel of love, sorrow, accepting differences, and healing the past to anyone.

Zazoo is a girl with tons of tangled knots from her past. With dead parents, a historic home, and a mysterious guardian, Zazoo must uncover her past while dealing with her current life in this mystery novel by Richard Mosher.
Zazoo is a girl from Vietnam who was taken to France after World War two. In her life, some odd things come up which lead her to figuring out her past life and facts about her guardian, Grand Pierre. When she finds out the link between her pharmacist and Grand Pierre, she thinks and sees her life in a completely different way.
The entire story is about Zazoo and her journey to find out how she got to France, who Grand Pierre really was, and what the people from her town did during World War two. Some other problems emerge involving a boy named Marius and an odd pain in her chest. With all of these unknown mysteries, Zazoo has to live her life to figure them out.
This is an action-packed book which almost impossible to put book down. Readers who enjoy mysteries and reading about different cultures would really enjoy uncovering the clues from Zazoo's past. They will absolutely adore the plot and conclusion of Zazoo.

Zazoo may be Vietnamese by birth but she has been raised French, and this is how she thinks of herself. Orphaned when she was very young, Zazoo has spent 12 of her 14 years living in a sleepy little village in France with her adoptive grandfather, Grand-Pierre. Zazoo and Grand-Pierre share many things and two great loves: poetry and sailing on the canal where they share duties as lock-keepers.

Early one October morning, while taking a swim, Zazoo meets Marius, an elusive bicyclist who asks questions about local pharmacist Monsieur Klein. Because Marius cannot stay for very long, Zazoo agrees to find out the answer for him. Zazoo starts to investigate Monsieur Klein, and along the way, many other questions arise. What did Grand-Pierre do during World War II? Why do the villagers treat him with respect mixed with fear? And what are the mysteries of Zazoo's own origins? Before the end of the book, Zazoo learns more about her adoptive grandfather and their little village than anyone ever would have guessed.

Sometimes the best books are the ones with slow pace storylines. This is the case with ZAZOO by Richard Mosher. Told through the eyes of its title character, Zazoo is a sweet, quiet story about war, love, and how time really can heal all things.

--- Reviewed by Kat, Reading Diva

This is one of the most beautifully wrtited books that I have ever read. The characters are inticing and wonderful. Zazoo is a great character. The book has so much depth and meaning to it that it is amazing. It is historical fiction but has a meaningful element of poetry within. Anyone who likes historical fiction books will love this book. It is my favorite book out of the over 400 hundred I have read in the last 4 years. The middle and end are ecspecially good. One lesson from the book is that love is timeless.

The novel Zazoo by Richard Mosheris a beautiful drama. a young girl named Zazoo who is originally fom Vietnam is currntly living in France. It is soon after World War 2 and the Vietnam war. Her parrents were killed after accidentily trigering a small bomb. Zazoo's adoptive parent "Grand Pier" has been taking care of her ever since. They live a simple and poetic life full of love. Then one day a young man named Marius visits the lake near Zazoos house. He asks Zazoo an intreeging question, from which many more unfold. Falling deeper, and deeper, Zazoo finds out more about life, love, war, and past then she could have ever imagined.
This book was highly enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the part when Marius and Zazoo were watching Grand Pier peel an apple. That scene was filled to the brim with sensory details. I also liked how the author incorporated actual French aspects. My favorite part was whan Zazoo first met Marius. I did not apreciate how in the prologue it makes you believe that their are actual gosts in this story.
I highly recomend "Zazzoo" to anyone ten and up. The style and charactors are so developed it would be a shame not to add it to your "To do..." list.

I found the book Zazoo, by Richard Mosher to be disappointing. I was somehow expecting more suspense than what the book delivered. The novel starts out slow and does not recover.
The book is about the life of a girl named Zazoo. She was born in Vietnam, but when she was just two, she was adopted by a French man. Her new home is a mill located between a river and a canal. The man who adopted her is called Grand-Pierre. He is a seventy eight year old veteran of World War II. Although his memory is fading, Zazoo finds out that memories from the war still haunt him.
One day in October, Zazoo was rowing along the river when she spotted a sixteen year old boy bicycling down a path. They stopped and talked and later in the book found out that they shared connections to Grand-Pierre's past.
Zazoo made periodic trips to the local pharmacy to pick up Grand-Pierre's thyroid pills. The pharmacist, Monsieur Klien was thought by most school children to be a boring old man. As Zazoo got to know him, she learned of his sad past and realized he was anything but boring.
The author of this book describes the people and scenes of the novel beautifully. He uses great imagery to describe the peaceful river. He describes how the river changes throughout the seasons and makes it come alive. Zazoo is described in good detail also. She is a very deep character who expresses her emotions through poetry. These are the good things about the book.
The novel lacked a good plot. It was very slow moving; it lacked the suspense that would make me want to read on. The problems in the book were solved to easily and too quickly. I found certain elements of the book completely unrealistic. For example, Grand-Pierre's memory was almost completely gone, yet, he remembered every detail of the war.
This book was a let down to say the least. I started the book expecting a great mystery and adventure, what I got was something almost predictable, the opposite of what I had hoped for.