Third Wish (Kindle Edition)

by Robert Fulghum (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Listen to the Music of Third Wish
Click on each track title listed below to listen to the MP3.

1. Cuckoo Not Song 2. Alex's March 3. The Jumwillies' Fight Song 4. Alice and Alex 5. Vasliev Ouranie 6. The Really Really Green Waltz 7. Wonko's Waltz

8. White Rabbit Suit 10. Waltzing The Bull 11. The Saddest Waltz 12. Waltz Of Strangers 13. Eros & Psyche 14. Three Wishes

15. Night Train To Barcelona 16. Jumwillies 17. The Queen of Queen Anne Hill 18. Sweet Sunday Morning 19. Left_Right Surprise A Cappella 20. Left_Right Surprise 21. Walk On

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Amazon Vine Voices on Third Wish by Robert Fulghum

We asked customer reviewers participating in Amazon Vine to answer four questions about Robert Fulghum's Third Wish after reading an advance copy. We've included excerpts of reviewers' responses below to give readers an opportunity to learn more about the book (and get excited to read it themselves) before it releases in February 2009.

How would you describe Third Wish to a friend?

"Third Wish is like an erudite travelogue, filled with vivid descriptions of real places and things that an educated tourist would love to see, and well-traveled tourists will recognize."

"Third Wish is, above all, a journey. A journey of history, friendship, laughter, love, peace, sadness, and finally, understanding and acceptance."

"An odd and thought-provoking book that penetrates into the minds and lives of the characters in the book with simplicity and yet complexity."

"Third Wish may be classifiable as a novel, but it really isn't just a story. It is perhaps better to characterize it as a quest, or an expedition. The subject is humanity, human identity, and relationships. It isn't a psychological study, but is certainly a look at life. The characters meander through a series of events in a stream that permits easy excursions that form eddies and gentle whirlpools without disrupting their course."

It's a fictional, and metafictional, exploration of how one learns and understands one's life through interactions with others. It's about trust, and loss."

"This is an epic, sweeping story about several unique and unforgettable characters which is told in the past, the present, as fiction, fable, history, mythology, geography, culture, intrigue and romance. It is not an easy or a quick read. You don't and won't want to simply skim through paragraphs or descriptions because you really might miss something."

"Third Wish is a novel about falling in love, not with someone else, but with life itself. It's a story that takes place in various locations, with each location offering a distinctive backdrop to the narrative that adds to the emotional impact of the story. Although infused with philosophical concepts of impermanence and the nature of change, it's not preachy."

"I'd say it's a different kind of human story, not about love so much as what it means to be human, a story of three friends haunted by mystery. The reader becomes ravenous for the author to explain things, which he obliges, but slowly. Along the way are lessons in history, philosophy and religion, on art and Japanese tattoo that enrich the characters without slowing the story. It's a book of surprises."

"Third Wish is an epic story about a group of unusual characters who meet by accident, or hand of fate, and find strength in each other's company. The first part is a story within a story, with other smaller stories along the way."

Would you recommend Third Wish to a friend?

"I would definitely recommend this book to a friend!"

"I would recommend this book to my friends if they were of the intellectual type that would enjoy seeing into the minds and hearts of people and places."

"I have friends who really like to read slowly, to lose themselves, to think and ponder. Those friends would love it. I also think it might be a perfect book club book for a group who maybe wants to take a summer break, and read a longer book during that break."

"I think it would appeal to someone who has a sense of wanderlust. Not just because it starts off on a train, or that it involves characters who meet while traveling. But rather, those who enjoy the mystique of adventure, of traveling to new places where you sometimes feel on edge, or very aware of how foreign you are, those people would be perfectly suited to this book."

"Unequivocally, yes. Several of my friends have expressed impatience with the fashion for metafiction; I would ask them to refrain from classifying Third Wish in any particular way. Structurally, this book works extraordinarily well."

"I would only recommend Third Wish to friends who could fully appreciate the experience. This means only readers who are interested in myth, awakenings, riddles, and the variety of stories woven into one in this book."

"If someone likes allegories, riddles and personal stories that involve multiple cultures and various geographical settings with a historical backdrop, this is THE book to read."

Does Third Wish remind you of other books you've read? Which ones?

"Third Wish stands alone among the hundreds of books I have read. It is unique in many ways, and the level of intertwining of characters and stories is rare in my opinion."

"It does remind me of Catcher in the Rye, except Third Wish is much more in depth with regard to the thoughts, feelings, and interactions of the characters."

"I would say by comparison, if you joined Odysseus on his return to Ithaca, or followed Leopold on his walk about in Dublin, skipped down the yellow brick road with Dorothy, or followed a hare down a hole in your garden, Third Wish has a place in your life. Indeed, it may alter your view of it."

"It evokes strong feelings, which are associated with other books I've read, by Gerald Durrell, Graham Greene, Kenneth Grahame.... But Third Wish is sui generis."

"Third Wish reminds me of three, very different types of books: The first ones that came to mind and stayed with me throughout were the Griffin and Sabine trilogies. The next books that came to mind were by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. His books are certainly labyrinthine. And finally, Travels with Charlie: In Search of America, by Steinbeck.

"It reminds me of T.H. White's The Once and Future King, not because of story similarities, but rather on account of the way I felt when I was reading the book."

"I was really reminded of Will Durant's History of Civilization, especially of the volume on Greece. The genre is different obviously, but it had the same feel of moving from music, to architecture, to philosohy, to religion, etc. While obviously this is not a cultural history, the author managed to get a great deal of elements to it that touched on all these issues."

"Most assuredly, Atonement, as well as Don Quixote. The Alice books (Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are frequently invoked in the story, and the heroine is named Alice) play a role, as does the work of Edward Lear."

"Some of the humor and word play reminds me of Tom Robbins. The geographical and historical parts remind me of James Michener."

Imagine you are at a bookstore reading for Third Wish. What would you like to ask the author? What would you like to tell him?

"I loved everything about your work. It was so unique, and it drew me completely in. Brilliant use of all five senses. I have to say if more books were written this way, and were this interesting, and different, I would definitely take the time to step out of my comfort zone and read books of other genres."

"As a story teller, you took me on a journey that I have really enjoyed. I think of visiting Crete one day, and enjoying the simple pleasures that Alex and Max-Pol experienced. I think of the many simple pleasures that in a busy world are forgotten."

"This book has touched me more deeply than any other work of creative imagination. (I won't say "work of fiction", because that understates the metafictional, poetical, and documentary aspects of the work.)"

"I am curious as to how long this book took to write. Was it based on journals, or was it created entirely from imagination? I'd like to know what the author envisions as his audience, as his perfect reader."

"Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. It's a wonderful book. And, in the spirit of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, I would encourage him to revisit Third Wish at some point, to add or change things without hesitation. It's a never-ending story."

"My only sadness was that I could not appreciate the CD of music as much as the books. The melodies are beautiful and even haunting, but I prefer a more fuller sound than just a violin or a guitar by themselves."

"The addition of music to the experience is like taking a reader's mind into a film setting without the help of actual video, so the reader must rely heavily on one's own imagination, it's wonderful!"

"I'd tell the author that I appreciated his love of lists and wordplay, but that I found it difficult--since this is no ordinary love story--to engage viscerally with the characters."

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Product Description

In fairy tales, the third wish is the last one left when the first wish was foolish, and the second wish was used to undo the first wish. Now the remaining wish must be used wisely and well--with the help of co-conspirators. The main thread of Third Wish--like Ariadne-s string guiding Theseus into the labyrinth with the Minotaur--begins at a table on a terrace on the Greek Island of Crete, winds its way into the center and back out to the same table, passing through Greece, Japan, France, England, and Seattle. Its main characters are Alice, Max-Pol, Aleko, Wonko, Zenkichi, Polydora, Alice-Alice, and Dog. Woven into the fabric of the novel are cultural history, art, philosophy, archeology, poetry, theater and music. The mode of the novel is contained in the words Slowly, Surprise, and Witness. More than anything else, Third Wish is a long love story--not in the usual sense--but the story of people who love life and will go to great lengths to find a flourishing Way onward.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 7528 KB
• Print Length: 936 pages
• Publisher: Robert Fulghum (January 12, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001P7GGS2
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,316 in Kindle Store (See Bestsellers in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Strangely interesting but it's not for me, December 10, 2008

By	Timothy B. Riley "Traveling Fool" (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Third Wish (2-Volume Boxed Set with CD) (Paperback)

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It took me a while to give this book a fair and considerate read. I have to admit that at first I really did not like it. I hated many of the character's names (and still do) and I had problems with the incomplete sentences and the unorthodox indentations. It can work when done correctly but I thought that the author was trying too hard to break the rules without having a reason to. Frankly, the whole book seemed pretentious and self-important. If it wasn't for the commitment that I made to truly review the book I would have given up on it half way through the first volume. However, as I stuck with it I began to be interested in some of the characters (I really liked India-What and cared about what she said). Still, I always felt like a lifelong carnivore sitting down to a gourmet vegan dinner. As good as it is I still crave butter and meat.

Third Wish has elements from several different books, the most obvious is Alice in Wonderland with it's nonsensical phrases and silly lines such as the Jumwillies or the unusual conversations. The Rabbit costumes and the rubber noses are just a few examples of the peculiar behavior of the characters in this book. Many of the conversations (O-K, most of them) where written in a style that I have never heard anyone use in real life. It could be that the author wished that people talked more like his characters than they do, I for one don't.

All of the attention to what I can only describe as "artifacts" (such as the unusual gifts that some of the characters send to each other) in the book really made me become more and more aware that this book is not written for someone like me, however I know of several people who would love it. Maybe someone who is into Deepak Chopra or other writers of new age spiritual thought would find this book deep and full of meaning. I am much too pragmatic for Third Wish, but it could possibly appeal to someone with more developed spiritual sensibilities than I. The author can cook, I just don't care for his type of food.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unlike most Novels you will ever read!, December 10, 2008

By	B. Breen "Canuckster1127" (Sterling, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Third Wish (2-Volume Boxed Set with CD) (Paperback)

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Third Wish is a multi-genre reading and listening experience that operates and works on several different levels.

The book is a novel, and yet in reading it and listening to the accompanying music CD (original music by the way, tied specifically to points in the book) it also is a work that encompasses the culture, music, art, architecture and society of a Greek Island. Add to that, a very well written and introspective moving through the lives and relationships of the protagonists and you have a feast for the heart and intellect that is rarely seen in fictional literary works.

It may seem odd, but this reviewer found the experience more than a little reminiscent of the classical volumes of Will and Ariel Durant in some ways. See particularly The Story of Civilization, Vol II: The Life of Greece by Will Durant.

Of course those elements are not the primary focus, but the background information and research that went into this book represent a similar thoroughness and attention to detail that sets the tone and context of this work to a remarkable degree that I've never observed in a formal fictional genre.

Add to these elements, Fulgham's introspective and spiritual approach to the characters and relationships he builds upon and you have again, a very remarkable and unique book.

5 Stars. I recommend it heartily.

Bart Breen

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I sincerely tried to like this story, but it didn't work for me, January 10, 2009

By	vilnius researcher "Ginny" (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Third Wish (2-Volume Boxed Set with CD) (Paperback)

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Out of respect for the author and for Amazon.com, I read the two volumes completely and listened to the CD all the way through. I am being generous in giving the story and the CD three stars. I couldn't get the point of "Third Wish" which is a story-within-a-story and eventually a play-within-a-story-within-a-story. As such, the novel is more than somewhat labyrinthine. It does have some philosophical gems embedded throughout--and these I valued. But I did experience sensory overload from all the content and was glad to have finally finished with the book--except for writing this review.

This story will take a lot of time for most people to read and assimilate all the content. Some parts of the novel flow faster than others; in other parts some of the characters can't seem to shut up. I did not like any of the characters named Alice nor Alice-Alice, or whatever. They cannot seem to decide who they are or who they want to be. The Alice persons seemed so scatterbrained that I lost interest in what I perceived as their phony-baloney actions. Seemed to me that so much of their behavior was just an act.

I liked Alex best of all. He seemed authentic. I could even visualize a person like Alex as being among my own friends. I also liked Kostas. Again, he seemed authentic.

Almost from the beginning, before I began to dislike the story, "Third Wish" reminded me of three very different types of books and/or authors that I enjoyed from earlier readings. The first that popped out at me were the Griffin and Sabine books. It seemed to me that Griffin and Sabine were witnesses to each other. The next that came to mind were those by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. His stories are certainly labyrinthine and fascinating. And finally, "Travels with Charlie: In Search of America," by Steinbeck. Charlie, the pet dog, was Steinbeck's witness in my opinion.

I found the CD boring: Guess I was looking for lively Zorba-the-Greek style music.

I did agree with the author's description of three wishes, since I have experienced what he describes. First: Make a wish. Second: Oh, boy! Wish gets granted! Third: Try to extricate yourself from the damage that has been done to your life by the wish having been granted.

To conclude on a lighter note, I really did chuckle at the definition of savoir-faire and e-mailed that definition to friends--who e-mailed back asking for the novel's title. Perhaps they will post more-positive reviews of "Third Wish."