- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Vintage; New title edition (Mar 9 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0375706038
- ISBN-13: 978-0375706035
- Product Dimensions: 13 x 1.2 x 20.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,265,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
One man's simple, colloquial meditations on his past, his family, and his life's daily minutia are the substance of Nicholson Baker's A Box of Matches. Feeling that life is passing him by, Emmett, a middle-aged medical textbook editor, decides to wake up early each day to sit by a fire in his country house and record his thoughts in a diary. "Good morning," Emmett begins, "it's January and its 4:17 a.m., and I'm going to sit here in the dark." From this vantage point, Emmett reflects stream-of-consciousness style on whatever occurs to him, no matter how mundane: his recent trip to Home Depot, how he met his wife, the habits of the family duck. Routines, such as how he makes his morning coffee in the dark or picks up his underwear with his toes, are described with childlike reverence and directness. All told, nothing much happens in A Box of Matches, which seems to be the point. Baker is more interested in the idea that for many, life is made up of such apparent trivialities, and that only by pausing to appreciate them can anyone gain any lasting satisfaction. Baker emphasizes this through the moments of understated wisdom and joy that Emmett derives from ordinary occurrences, such as the daylight through the window: "a simple light that goes everywhere but with no heat, aware that it is taken for granted and content to be so." This is the philosophical equivalent of a one-joke premise, however, and there are moments when Emmett's naiveté and laundry list-like narrative wear thin. Likely understanding this, Baker has wisely kept things short. A curious, often charming novel, A Box of Matches will inspire some readers, while inspiring frustration in others. --Ross Doll
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
The science of the insignificant has always been Baker's field of study. Treading a fine line between microcosmic dazzlement and banality, he has carved out a minuscule kingdom for himself. After his recent excursion into nonfiction (the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning Double Fold), he returns to fiction with a novel in the classic Baker tradition. For Emmett, a 44-year-old father and textbook editor, the predawn wintry darkness is an invitation to musings and meditations on life's events-make that nonevents. Each chapter begins virtually identically ("Good morning, it's 4:45 a.m...."), with Emmett reflecting on something as he sips coffee and warms himself by the fire: the family's pet duck, outside in the cold; a well-worn briefcase; an alternative career as a lichen expert; the idea of collecting paper towel designs. His family-two children and wife Claire-occasionally appear in his ruminations, and his love for them is palpable. But they never emerge as more than background figures, because Emmett's preoccupation is with himself; at one point, he (literally) gathers lint from his navel. Baker struggles to manufacture drama ("Last night my sleep was threatened by a toe-hole in my sock"), and his prose is evocative (a match bursting into flame becomes a "dandelion head of little sparks"). He is such an excellent writer, a master of descriptive detail with an unusual perspective on the world, that he can almost be forgiven for his tendency to focus on the mundane-almost. Emmett's life may seem rich to him, but it isn't rich enough to propel an entire novel. Even readers with a weakness for Baker's particular brand of minutiae may find themselves hoping that next time he will find a subject worthier of his prose.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bedtime stories for grown-ups,
By A student (Salt Spring Island) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Box of Matches (Paperback)
At first I didn't have much hope for this novel, as other stories about nothing (to which I was exposed through school) were nearly the death of my love of reading, but this was a book apart. I flipped through it several times on different visits to the book shop, each time thinking to myself that there was no point to reading it, yet inexplicably I kept picking it up. When I got it home I just couldn't put it down. It is original and well observed, and it is also deeply moving and strangely poetic. I found the subject matter and writing style very soothing-- like reading "Goodnight Moon" as a child. The pureness of emotion was amazing; who'd have thought that reading about somebody drawing the curtains could make you cry? If you open your mind to it, this book will rekindle your appreciation for life's little things.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Who knew that a lot of random thoughts can make sense,
By "icerushz" (Bronx, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Box of Matches: A Novel (Hardcover)
A Box of Matches is one of the most unique books I've ever read due to the fact that it consists of a man regaling us with his random thoughts, theories and advice. It just goes to show they're really is more going on inside a person's head then we actually think and what's more, some of Emmett's advice can actually be considered and used. I'd recommend this book to anyone who finds the hidden thoughts and un-said ideas just as interesting and comical as the ones that are said.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Box Of Matches...A Journey into Life's Smallest Details,
By Alex Hodgman (Rindge, NH) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Box of Matches (Paperback)
A Box Of Matches is a very unique novel from Nicholson Baker. Although this is a story in which absolutey nothing of significance occurs in the physical realm, the novel more than makes up for its lack of action. I have never read something quite like this before in my career as a student/reading enthusiast. Baker takes hold of the reader through a regimented story telling process in which everyday begins in the same way. Baker, (through main character Emmett) speaks about the simple things in life and how these things desirve more attention than they get. This novel allows access into the mind of Emmett, a man who is your typical New England man, with a not so typical thought process. This book is a very interesting read. It is clear with this novel that Baker is a very talented and imaginative writter who is not afraid to tackle new writing styles. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who likes to think deeply about life. There is a good chance that this book will change the way you live it.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
