Amazon.com: Only Revolutions: A Novel (9780375421761): Mark Z. Danielewski: Books

Amazon.com Review

Mark Danielewski's first novel House of Leaves is a cult-favorite--experimental horror fiction in a gorgeous (and newly remastered) full-color package. His new book Only Revolutions takes the experiment 10 steps further in a story about teenage lovers Hailey and Sam: the book is printed on two sides--one side tells the story from Hailey's point of view, flip it over and you get Sam's side (literally). We caught a glimpse inside the mind-bending new novel--take a look for yourself below.

Inside Only Revolutions


Hailey's Story	Covers	Sam's Story

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A pastiche of Joyce and Beckett, with heapings of Derrida's Glas and Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 thrown in for good measure, Danielewski's follow-up to House of Leaves is a similarly dizzying tour of the modernist and postmodernist heights—and a similarly impressive tour de force. It comprises two monologues, one by Sam and one by Hailey, both "Allmighty sixteen and freeeeee," each narrating the same road trip, or set of neo-globo-revolutionary events—or a revolution's end: "Everyone loves the Dream but I kill it." Figuring out what's happening is a big part of reading the book. The verse-riffs narrations, endlessly alliterative and punning (like Joyce) and playfully, bleakly existential (like Beckett), begin at opposite ends of the book, upside down from one another, with each page divided and shared. Each gets 180 words per page, but in type that gets smaller as they get closer to their ends (Glas was more haphazard), so they each gets exactly half a page only at the midway point of the book: page 180—or half of a revolution of 360 degrees. A time line of world events, from November 22, 1863 ("the abolition of slavery"), to January 19, 2063 (blank, like everything from January 18, 2006, on), runs down the side of every page. The page numbers, when riffled flip-book style, revolve. The book's design is a marvel, and as a feat of Pynchonesque puzzlebookdom, it's magnificent. The book's difficulty, though, carries a self-consciousness that Joyce & Co. decidedly lack, and the jury will be out on whether the tricks are of the for-art's-sake variety or more like a terrific video game. (Sept. 5)
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Product Details

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Pantheon; First Edition edition (September 12, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375421769
ISBN-13: 978-0375421761
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,638 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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	62% buy the item featured on this page: Only Revolutions: A Novel 2.9 out of 5 stars (56) $17.16
	24% buy House of Leaves 3.9 out of 5 stars (616) $13.57
	6% buy Whalestoe Letters 3.9 out of 5 stars (17) $9.95
	6% buy The Raw Shark Texts: A Novel 3.8 out of 5 stars (96) $9.48

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Customer Reviews

56 Reviews

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
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Average Customer Review

2.9 out of 5 stars (56 customer reviews)

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45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Danielewski's Gadsby, June 19, 2007

By	doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Old editions of the Guinness Book of World Records often noted a weird achievement in writing - a novel called "Gadsby" (Earnest V. Wright, 1939) that does not contain the letter E. This is known as a lipogram, or a work in which the writing is constrained by an enforced method. But would anyone remember "Gadsby" for its story? Or is that supposedly unique method its only memorable quality? This kind of incredulous infamy is likely to be the fate of this tome from Danielewski. Imagine that you have spent years working on your personal manifesto, and you expect everyone to be as excited about it as you are. But then you're devastated to find that your labor of love is only appreciated by half the people who read it, while the other half just DON'T GET IT or don't find your work to be as important as you think it is. Half of the reviews here offer ecstatic praise for Danielewski's unique visual and semantic methods of writing. But don't assume that the negative reviewers here simply DON'T GET IT. These are people who, like me, probably loved (and GOT) Danielewski's masterful "House of Leaves." But this book is much less likeable and is nowhere near as rewarding. The negative reviewers who appear that they DON'T GET IT actually have been given no reason to try to get it.

That's because this story accomplishes very little, other than the creative non-linear methods. Of course, Danielewski has concocted a storytelling schema that is truly unique, and I can appreciate the mechanical focus on the numbers 180 and 360, and the running theme of revolutions in the book's graphical layout. You may even dig the main premise about the literally timeless and ageless road trip, while Danielewski's creative language constructions and period slang can be quite likeable. But where does this story go beyond its contribution to the book's visual and mechanical methods? Hence, this will likely be remembered as Danielewski's Gadsby - a book that's unique for reasons other than a memorable story, empathetic characters, or insightful themes. Plus, you really have to wonder about a book in which the publisher has to suggest HOW to read it. Most of us would rather spend our time on books where the publisher doesn't have to tell you to simply start on page 1 and read forward to the end. [~doomsdayer520~]

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79 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only revolving, September 12, 2006

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Mark Z. Danielewski stunned readers with his debut, "House of Leaves," a bizarre down-the-rabbit-hole tale of madness, surreality and a house where space is unending.

Now six years later, Danielewski has produced his follow-up -- the equally strange, scintillating road-trip novel "Only Revolutions." The format is mind-bending, the characters equally strange -- and Danielewski hasn't lost his touch for the compelling, poignant, the postmodern, and the post-weird.

Hailey and Sam are a pair of eternal teenagers, apparently untouched by time either physically or psychologically ("We're always sixteen!"). They careen through much of American history -- past and present -- in a changing fleet of cars, touching down in various important places and times.

But though they have no responsibilities, Hailey and Sam are not free of cares. As they run through the US, they seem to be enmeshed in the goings-on of wars, parties, exploration and social revolution (the Civil War). Will they escape the oppressive THEM pursuing them, or lose what is most important to them?

For a cult author, there's always a question about whether they can stay fresh and cutting-edge. Fortunately, Danielewski has outrun that particular concern. "Only Revolutions" is written in the same surreal freestyle as "House of Leaves," but the author never forgets to include the story as well.

And as the Escherian plot unwinds ("unfolds" just doesn't fit), it becomes obvious that this is actually two stories: a love story, and a sort of American allegory. They are rebels and free spirits, running up against bizarre characters -- like the multi-military Creep -- who seem symbolic of the nastier sides of our society. Hailey and Sam are the ones who represent the better side of the country.

Danielewski is still fascinated by places/people where time and space are warped. That includes the entire book -- every page. Each page has a scramble of quotes and text on its sides. There is vivid abstract poetry, blank pages (the future), geometric plotting, shrinking pages, mysterious side-notes submitted by Danielewski's fans...

... and oh yeah, you can flip the book upside down and read the two different "sides" of the story. One is Hailey, one is Sam. They are compared to legendary lovers like Tristan and Isolde, Romeo and Juliet, but that's not too far off. Their love evolves as they do, and by the end they are more endearing if less vibrant than at the start of their story.

"Only Revolutions" is both a work of postmodern art and an endearing novel, and while it's hard work to follow Hailey and Sam to the end of their journey, it's worth the trip. Absolutely brilliant.

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26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Approach with caution, October 10, 2006

By	Matthew (Albany, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I loved House of Leaves, its unconventionality, its layers. I could not stand this book. Make sure you understand this is a book of verse - a long narrative poem (and yes, it rhymes). I just could not get into it, the language annoyed me, the characters were not interesting to me. Was there a plot of some kind? It didn't work for me, which is really frustrating if you know what Danielewski is capable of.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely difficult, but quite thought-provoking once you get into it
I'm not going to lie; this book is incredibly frustrating. It's a classic sophomore novel; after his commercially and artistically successful House of Leaves, Danielewski seems to... Read more

Published 2 days ago by Peter Sullivan

2.0 out of 5 stars A Review by Dr. Joseph Suglia
The mystery of all mysteries surrounds Mark Z. Danielewski's ONLY REVOLUTIONS (2006): Someone actually thought that this endless circuit of gibberish qualified for the National... Read more

Published 11 days ago by Dr. Joseph Suglia

2.0 out of 5 stars This is a work of art. It's not a novel, nor is it a narrative.
I loved House of Leaves, and, in a way, I was not disappointed by Only Revolutions.

Where HoL was art and readable as narrative, OR is a work of art not readable as... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Brian Macaskill

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone -- if you want to like it, you're going to WORK!
If you're looking for an easy novel with a beginning, a middle and an end, this is not the book for you. Seriously, you'll hate it. Just move on. Read more

Published 2 months ago by brucedickinson

4.0 out of 5 stars Trying, but no HoL.
I'll be the first to say, I absolutely fell in love with House of Leaves, this lead me to read more of Danielewski, that of which I do not regret. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Chris Bacon

3.0 out of 5 stars Not just over most peoples head, this one is plutonian in its distance.
House of Leaves was a revelation to me when i was 16, about the possibilites of literature and horror and textural themes. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Matthew Reuter

2.0 out of 5 stars Reach exceeding grasp?
I really liked "House of Leaves." "Only Revolutions" is incomprehensible. On the other hand, if you never try and fail, you don't know what you're capable of. Read more

Published 12 months ago by R. Taylor

2.0 out of 5 stars Fine to read, not a good buy
After Danielewski's House of Leaves I immediately bought this book, no questions asked. I had it reserved and got one of the first copies, and, while this is a great thing from a... Read more

Published 15 months ago by A. Davenport

1.0 out of 5 stars Not for me
To put it mildly, this is a difficult book. As a follow up to House of Leaves, I wasn't surprised at the unique design and writing style. Read more

Published 16 months ago by M. Inkster

4.0 out of 5 stars Interestingly strange...
Either you'll love this book, or you'll hate it. There's no happy medium. You can't "enjoy" parts of it, and then be "frustrated" with others, because this book is written in the... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Cecilia Rodriguez

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