In a little town in Romania, a mass grave is discovered near the excavations of a Roman fort. Are the dead the victims of a medieval plague or, perhaps, of a Communist firing squad? And why are finger bones disappearing from the pit each night? Petrus, a young archaeologist, decides to do some investigating of his own.
Meanwhile, an Orthodox monk in the surrounding mountains stumbles into history when he becomes the father confessor of a partisan bent on bringing down the government, one handmade grenade and one derailed train at a time. Not to mention a team of Argentinean forensic anthropologists who arrive in town in a cloud of rock music, shredded jeans, and tequila.
Florian has packed real history, a religious pilgrimage, a criminal investigation, a recipe for roast pigeon, and a love story into two hundred truly remarkable pages.
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
"Little Fingers is a novel that clearly falls into the same category of magic realism as Márquez and Llosa, in its care for form and great attention to narrative detail. The arborescent sentences, the baroque imagery, the mad wisdom and obsession with the number five are reminiscent of Bohumil Hrabal, while the non-linear construction and multiple perspectives on the same event recall Milorad Pavic. However, Filip Florian does not attempt to mask his models, but intentionally brings them into view: this is the riverbed through which the tale must flow." –Catalin Sturza
"Little Fingers is an exceptional novel…Reads like a classic." –Tania Radu
"Written and then polished over a number of years, the novel Little Fingers is a retro tale with Mitteleuropa flavor, in which nostalgia blends with fine, subtle humor. The writing, the narrative intelligence, the well-honed artistic style, the highly complex issues tackled, and, beyond all these, the settled assurance of the text make Filip Florian an author who, from his very first book, has become a fixture in contemporary Romanian literature." –Tudorel Urian
About the Author
FILIP FLORIAN is the author of Little Fingers (HMH, 2009), which received numerous awards, including Best Debut Novel from the Romanian Writers' Union. He has also worked as a journalist and reporter for Radio Free Europe.
No Bio
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2.9 out of 5 stars
24 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling concept lost under laborious prose.
July 14 2009
By L. Moskowitz
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
I was very interested in reading "Little Fingers" because the synopsis sounded intriguing. The rave reviews the book garnered in its native Romania also increased its appeal, as I'm always interested in experiencing new types of literature.
Sadly, the book was an exhausting read. Glimmers of a compelling story are there, but it was very hard to pull them out with the way in which the text was composed. I suspect the English translation may be to blame, although it's certainly possible this is the way Florian writes in his native tongue. For instance, several pages would go by without a paragraph break and sentences were often constructed in very odd ways.
This book would be appealing to those readers who relish a challenge or enjoy unconventional writing. If you're taste leans more towards conventional literature, you might want to explore other books.
Sadly, the book was an exhausting read. Glimmers of a compelling story are there, but it was very hard to pull them out with the way in which the text was composed. I suspect the English translation may be to blame, although it's certainly possible this is the way Florian writes in his native tongue. For instance, several pages would go by without a paragraph break and sentences were often constructed in very odd ways.
This book would be appealing to those readers who relish a challenge or enjoy unconventional writing. If you're taste leans more towards conventional literature, you might want to explore other books.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Tough sledding
July 11 2009
By Blue in Washington
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
I like a challenging read and I really get into international mystery stories--there are some great ones being published these days. Sorry to say that I didn't find "Little Fingers" falling into that category. Too unstructured to be enjoyable. And a sense that the translation didn't do the book complete justice.
On the plus side, there is some rich, evocative language here. But the extreme density of the writing style left me feeling like I was groping through a labyrinth in pitch darkness most of the time. It just wasn't a pleasurable read. I'll bet others will disagree and find this thoroughly satisfying because of the challenge.
On the plus side, there is some rich, evocative language here. But the extreme density of the writing style left me feeling like I was groping through a labyrinth in pitch darkness most of the time. It just wasn't a pleasurable read. I'll bet others will disagree and find this thoroughly satisfying because of the challenge.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
A quirky but perplexing Romanian novel
Jun 25 2009
By Evelyn A. Getchell
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
This is a quirky Romanian novel written in a style I found funny but very perplexing. I didn't necessarily hate it but I can't say that I liked it and I don't think it rates 3 stars either.
The book does not read easily with long sentences, rambling and difficult to follow. It is a translation from the Romanian language and I wondered if perhaps something was lost in translation. The characters are colorful and their stories interesting even if the narratives are a bit confusing.
It's a very short novel and maybe I would appreciate it more after a second reading but unfortunately it didn't engage me enough to even consider rereading it.
The book does not read easily with long sentences, rambling and difficult to follow. It is a translation from the Romanian language and I wondered if perhaps something was lost in translation. The characters are colorful and their stories interesting even if the narratives are a bit confusing.
It's a very short novel and maybe I would appreciate it more after a second reading but unfortunately it didn't engage me enough to even consider rereading it.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 24 reviews
2.9 out of 5 stars
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
