- Paperback: 112 pages
- Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (Aug 25 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0375703829
- ISBN-13: 978-0375703829
- Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 13.2 x 1.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 113 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#148,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #67 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Italian
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
Baricco, the author of two prize-winning novels, spins an enchanting novella as delicate as the silk that fills the story. In the 1860s, Herve Joncour makes four difficult journeys from France to Japan to obtain eggs for breeding silkworms. Japan is closed to the world, but he manages to negotiate with a local baron to obtain the eggs. While there, he notices a young woman who does not have oriental eyes. Though they never address each other, they conduct a secret affair. The story, told exquisitely and very well translated, conveys the richness, delicacy, and mystery of the book's sought-after fabric. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.?Ann Irvine, Montgomery Cty. P.L., Md.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Review
“Silk has the brilliant colors . . . and the enchantment of a miniature. . . . Vividly erotic.” --Newsday
“A riveting, lyrical love story, an accomplished historical fiction, a compact, condensed . . . epic about human hearts in crisis.” --Alan Cheuse, All Things Considered
“A book with language to savor. . . . It seems as guileless as a folk tale but propels a reader with real force.” --Denver Post
“A heart-breaking love story. . . A stylistic tour de force [and] a literary gem of bewitching power.” --The Sunday Times --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
“A riveting, lyrical love story, an accomplished historical fiction, a compact, condensed . . . epic about human hearts in crisis.” --Alan Cheuse, All Things Considered
“A book with language to savor. . . . It seems as guileless as a folk tale but propels a reader with real force.” --Denver Post
“A heart-breaking love story. . . A stylistic tour de force [and] a literary gem of bewitching power.” --The Sunday Times --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Love Story.,
By
This review is from: Silk (Paperback)
Around 1860 there is an epidemic disease among the silkworm eggs in France. Hervé Joncour organizes - in the course of four years - four expeditions to japan to buy healthy silkworm eggs.Between France and Japan there begins a confrontation between two different civilizations, between two worlds totally apart from each other. Misunderstandings occur and risk to jeopardize the negotiations. But beneath the surface a weird and peculiar love story begins between Hervé Joncour and the mistress of the Japanese negotiator. They are not able to touch or speak to each-other. The woman sends mysterious notes to the Frenchman and there is only one woman in the world who is able to translate them... Long and dangerous voyages, the soft sound of a voice, the sacralization of a magnificent and sensual silk tissue, all these things add to the mysterious atmosphere of Japan in the 19th century. But above all "Silk" is a poem about a fragile and impossible love-affair.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Delicate...but certainly not a masterpiece.,
By
This review is from: Silk (Hardcover)
(At least not in English, anyway.)Although it did have its moments, I felt a lot of the time that 'Silk' read like an exercise. Again, maybe in the Italian, it doesn't come across as being contrived, pretentious...or studied. Perhaps in a fully-formed effort...a novel, or even novella...it would work for me. Because even though I salute the attempt, the lovely execution of 'less is more', I couldn't help but think 'Nice trick.' And that's not what you want going through your head when you're reading emotion-based material. Let me add this final point: I'm a 'hopeFUL romantic', so it's not like I'm not wired properly. It just didn't work for me.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiffuly written - sure to be a masterpiece,
By KH1 (Middle America) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Silk (Paperback)
The first thing that struck me about Alessandro Baricco's novella "Silk" was its structure - the form is 100% pure - no words are unnecessary or superfluous. His style is simple and warm, and reads almost like a poem. The story, too, is simple: a silkworm farmer of modest means travels "to the end of the world" to garner silkworm eggs for the failing silk industry in his small town, and meets a young woman that he cannot get out of his mind. Baricco's form, style, and imagery are what set this story apart.
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