- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; First Edition edition (Dec 27 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 2286016909
- ISBN-13: 978-2286016906
- ASIN: 0805077146
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14.7 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 476 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #451,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Nathan Glass arrive à l’âge des bilans, et force est de constater que le sien n’est pas très réjouissant. Trente ans de carrière dans une compagnie d’assurances, un cancer, un divorce, une fille qui ne veut plus le voir, il regarde son passé avec lucidité, mais sans désespoir. Alors qu’il vient de s’installer à Brooklyn, il retrouve par hasard son neveu adoré, Tom Wood. Le garçon a aujourd’hui 30 ans; il est vendeur dans une librairie de livres anciens et a abandonné ses rêves de jeunesse : il n’a ni femme ni enfant, n’a jamais terminé son doctorat, et a perdu de vue sa sœur qu’il aimait. “(…) après s’être acharné trois ans sur sa thèse, Tom avait fini par comprendre qu’il n’avait pas en lui ce qu’il fallait pour en venir à bout ou que, s’il l’avait, il ne parvenait plus à se persuader que cela en valait la peine. Il était donc parti d’Ann Arbor et revenu à New York, has been à vingt-huit ans, sans la moindre idée d’où aller ni du tour qu’allait prendre sa vie.” Il ne se doute pas alors que ses retrouvailles avec son vieil oncle Nath vont changer à jamais le cours de son existence.
Brooklyn Follies recèle cette part d’étrangeté quotidienne qui fait le charme un peu inquiétant des livres de Paul Auster. Mais, derrière une construction rigoureuse, il s’agit sans doute aussi de son roman le plus optimiste; un récit où les émotions, l’amour, l’amitié et l’enfance, tiennent les premiers rôles. --Pascale Millot --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Nathan Glass, a retired life insurance salesman estranged from his family and facing an iffy cancer prognosis, is "looking for a quiet place to die. Someone recommended Brooklyn." What he finds, though, in this ebullient novel by Brooklyn bard Auster (Oracle Night), is a vital, big-hearted borough brimming with great characters. These include Nathan's nephew, Tom, a grad student turned spiritually questing cab driver; Tom's serenely silent nine-year-old niece, who shows up on Tom's doorstep without her unstable mom; and a flamboyant book dealer hatching a scheme to sell a fraudulent manuscript of The Scarlet Letter. As Nathan recovers his soul through immersion in their lives, Auster meditates on the theme of sanctuary in American literature, from Hawthorne to Poe to Thoreau, infusing the novel's picaresque with touches of romanticism, Southern gothic and utopian yearning. But the book's presiding spirit is Brooklyn's first bard, Walt Whitman, as Auster embraces the borough's multitudes—neighborhood characters, drag queens, intellectuals manqué, greasy-spoon waitresses, urbane bourgeoisie—while singing odes to moonrise over the Brooklyn Bridge. Auster's graceful, offhand storytelling carries readers along, with enough shadow to keep the tale this side of schmaltz. The result is an affectionate portrait of the city as the ultimate refuge of the human spirit. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Enthralling Read from a Master Novelist,
By Janelle Martin "member of RIO, Reviewers Inte... (Waterloo, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Brooklyn Follies: A Novel (Hardcover)
Good opening lines and paragraphs are tough to find but Paul Auster came up with a doozy for The Brooklyn Follies: "I was looking for a quiet place to die. Someone recommended Brooklyn, and so the next morning I traveled down there..." The I is Nathan Glass; divorced, retired insurance salesman, estranged from his daughter, lung cancer patient (in remission) who's looking for a place to die. To wile away the moments until then, Nathan begins by consigning to paper the human blunders, foibles, inane act and embarrassments committed by himself and others. He calls these his "Brooklyn Follies."Soon after his arrival in Brooklyn, Nathan runs across his nephew Tom, working at a local bookstore. A scholar destined for greatness, Tom has derailed and after years of penance driving a taxi cab, has chosen to sell rare books. What follows is a story of redemption, lost souls and the lives that intersect with Nathan and Tom's saga. Nathan is a lovable rogue. He exists in the calm eye of a storm while all around him chaos rules. His reentry into Tom's life helps Tom regain his will to live and slowly reengage life. The novel thrusts the reader into this storm, disorienting the smooth flow of plot by adding new characters and continually altering the pace. The chaos is thrilling and serves to absorb the reader more fully into the search of the main characters. Near the end of Brooklyn Follies, Auster shares a thought that permeates the novel: "Most lives vanish. A person dies, and little by little all traces of that life disappear." Nathan goes on to wonder who publishes books about the forgotten ones. Auster has answered that question with "The Brooklyn Follies," a novel chockfull of forgotten ones and little lives. Redemption for Nathan and another enthralling read from a master novelist for those of us fortunate enough to enter his Brooklyn. As Auster reminds us, "Never underestimate the power of books."
5.0 out of 5 stars
Think and smile,
By Sam Doucette (Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Brooklyn Follies: A Novel (Hardcover)
If you have never read Paul Auster, this might not be the best book to start with. Still, its an amazing book and, as all of Austers work, it's extremly well written. Paul Auster writes in both a simple and very deep way.Its through the pen of a man who is pretty much at the end of his life that Auster takes a look on the human folly, the beautiful absurdity of man and his relationships with others. Every page of that book had something to make me think about my own life and smile.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly enjoyable,
By
This review is from: The Brooklyn Follies: A Novel (Paperback)
Well considering I'm a fan of Paul Auster's literature, it should come as no surprise that after finishing The Brooklyn Follies I can confidently say I enjoyed this book. And since I enjoyed it, I would naturally recommend this novel.As a summary of what the book is about, Nathan Glass (the main protagonist in this story) returns to Brooklyn after a divorce. He and his now ex-wife have raised a family and, realizing they no longer love one another, have divorced one another. Nathan returns to his roots, Brooklyn, where he plans to live out his days in peace and quiet. What Nathan doesn't realize is that his old way of life is about to catch with him. People from his past who frequented the Brooklyn scene have returned. And almost immediately after coming back to Brooklyn, Nathan finds himself caught up in the lives and event of his friends and family. I like this story because it is just that - story. The people are believable and I could put myself in to Nathan's shoes and realistically believe this story took place. Regardless of the fact it is fiction, I think Auster does a fantastic job of making it believable fiction. And that, to my mind, is the mark of a great writer. Although summer is over (at least in my part of the world anyway) this is a great summer read. Definitely a book to take with you to the beach. And if summer is over in your part of the world as well, then make sure you pick this book up anyway. You won'tregret it.
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