Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
75 used & new from CDN$ 0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Magician's Assistant
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

The Magician's Assistant (Paperback)

by Ann Patchett (Author) "PARSIFAL IS DEAD ..." (more)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 17.95
Price: CDN$ 13.10 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
You Save: CDN$ 4.85 (27%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Ordering for Christmas? To ensure delivery by December 24 to Toronto, Ottawa, or Montreal, choose Express at checkout. Read more about holiday shipping.

17 new from CDN$ 8.21 58 used from CDN$ 0.01

Frequently Bought Together

The Magician's Assistant + The Patron Saint Of Liars: A Novel + Taft
Total List Price: CDN$ 52.95
Price For All Three: CDN$ 38.66

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

  • This item: The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

  • The Patron Saint Of Liars: A Novel by Ann Patchett

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

  • Taft by Ann Patchett

    Usually ships within 3 to 5 weeks.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Patron Saint Of Liars: A Novel

The Patron Saint Of Liars: A Novel

by Ann Patchett
3.9 out of 5 stars (21)  CDN$ 12.78
Taft

Taft

by Ann Patchett
3.2 out of 5 stars (5)  CDN$ 12.78
84 Charing Cross Road

84 Charing Cross Road

by Helene Hanff
4.9 out of 5 stars (53)  CDN$ 13.87
Run: A Novel

Run: A Novel

by Ann Patchett
4.3 out of 5 stars (6)  CDN$ 13.86
The Help

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett
4.6 out of 5 stars (8)  CDN$ 16.50
› Explore similar items

Product Details

Product Description

From Amazon.com

The Magician's Assistant sustains author Ann Patchett's proven penchant for crafting colorful characters and marrying the ordinary with the fantastic. When Parsifal, Sabine's husband of more than 20 years and the magician of the title, suddenly dies, she begins to discover how she's glimpsed him only through smoke and mirrors. He has managed to keep hidden the existence of a family in Nebraska--his mother, two sisters, and two nephews. Sabine approaches them hungrily, as if they are a bridge to her beloved husband and a key to the mysteries he left behind. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From Library Journal

For two decades, Sabine has loved the magician Parsifal and served as his assistant. Theirs is an unorthodox relationship, however, for Parsifal loves men. When Parsifal's lover dies of AIDS, he marries Sabine so that she will be his widow. When Parsifal dies, Sabine receives some surprising news about his will. Believing her husband to have no living relatives, she is shocked to learn of a trust fund established for a mother and two sisters in Nebraska. When his family contacts her, she introduces them to the Los Angeles Parsifal. She then visits them in Nebraska to discover the truth about the man she loved and thought she knew, gaining insight into herself as well. Well written and full of interesting twists, this is recommended for larger collections.?Kimberly G. Allen, networkMCI Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
PARSIFAL IS DEAD. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?

The Magician's Assistant
83% buy the item featured on this page:
The Magician's Assistant 3.9 out of 5 stars (69)
CDN$ 13.10
The Patron Saint Of Liars: A Novel
8% buy
The Patron Saint Of Liars: A Novel 3.9 out of 5 stars (21)
CDN$ 12.78
Truth & Beauty: A Friendship
5% buy
Truth & Beauty: A Friendship 4.2 out of 5 stars (34)
CDN$ 13.86
Run: A Novel
3% buy
Run: A Novel 4.3 out of 5 stars (6)
CDN$ 13.86
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

69 Reviews
5 star:
 (28)
4 star:
 (19)
3 star:
 (11)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (5)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (69 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Parsifal is dead. That's the beginning of the story., Jan 16 2000
By David Benioff (Otisville, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Magician's Assistant (Hardcover)
Ann Patchett, who lives in rural seclusion with her pet raccoons (at least according to the profile in Modern Tennessean), is so good I wish she wrote the morning paper. That way I could wake up and read her sentences all day long.

If you've glanced at the editorials above, you know the novel's plot. Two of the most fascinating characters are already dead when we begin reading; they occupy the heroine's dreams, refusing to rest like peaceful corpses should. Among her other talents, Patchett is masterful with adolescents-- a notoriously tough breed to write about. And she's excellent with violence, too. Not the habitual, ritual violence of genre fiction, but the quick, mean violence of unhappy men.

I don't want to tell you too much. Read the book. If you don't like it, e-mail me and complain about what an idiot I am.

I don't think I'll be hearing from you.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Read something else, Jun 16 2004
By A Customer
This is another one of those books where everything and everyone is either black or white. LA and the three main characters are all flawless. Nebraska is a wasteland populated by ignorant brutes.
Come on Ann give us a little credit. Life isn't like that.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story of all kinds of love, Jul 2 2000
By Rebekah Sue Harris (West Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Rather than lock herself in her own misery after her husband's death, Sabine (the Magician's Assistant) welcomes his long lost family -- first out of manners, then out of love. The characters are warm and UNIQUE -- and unique is rare in a cast of characters. This was one of those books I just couldn't put down. Its only problem was that it ended too soon. (The ending was well-written, but it left me longing for more)
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I've read six of Patchett's books
This novel was the first I read of Ann Patchett's writing. It also happens to be my favourite. I think Bel Canto is her best novel so far, but I've only read that one twice. Read more
Published 3 months ago by pedestrian

2.0 out of 5 stars Not cativating, a little interesting
I chose this book because I was captivated by Ann Patchett's "Run" and "Bel Canto". I was disappointed. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Penny

5.0 out of 5 stars Best novel of loss ever.....
I am amazed at the 'average 4-star rating' listed for this book. It is flat out the best book of loss ever. I send this book to anyone who has lost a loved one. Read more
Published on May 29 2004 by Michael H. Jones

4.0 out of 5 stars The Sweetness of Intimacy Lost: A Book Review of The Magicia
The Sweetness of Intimacy Lost: A Book Review of The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett, Harcourt Brace & Company, paperback p. 356. Read more
Published on May 7 2004 by J. Owen

4.0 out of 5 stars Problem with the ending
Patchett is an exceptional writer but possessive of a flaw that more and more authors have. Bad endings. Read more
Published on April 25 2004 by Bill Shea

3.0 out of 5 stars It could have been so much more...
I LOVED "Bel Canto" and had high hopes for this book. As I began, I thought the characters were lovingly drawn and that the only reason the book felt a little flat was... Read more
Published on April 8 2004 by Karie Hoskins

3.0 out of 5 stars Had promise but didn't measure up in the end
I was drawn in by the characters and their relationships. I think the author told the story well, but then the plot took a couple strange turns, and not necessarily what I think... Read more
Published on Dec 27 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Beautiful
This book moved me so deeply. Ann Patchett is a true artist. She intertwines realistic journeys into grief, dream sequences, touching human interaction, and flashbacks to craft a... Read more
Published on Oct 29 2003 by Lara Willing

3.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe it turned out this way!
I loved this book up until the last 50 pages. I thought the characters and relationships were beautiful. But, I was shocked by the end of the story. Read more
Published on Sep 19 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Work of Art
I could not put down the Magician's Assistant. It follows the grief process of the main character, who is very easy to relate to and hard not to love. Read more
Published on Sep 5 2003 by Lara Willing

Only search this product's reviews


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject











i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.