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The Brooklyn Follies (Paperback)

by Paul Auster (Author)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Faber and Faber (Sep 7 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0571234550
ISBN-13: 978-0571234554
Shipping Weight: 504 g

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Amazon.ca

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 an alternate 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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Enthralling Read from a Master Novelist, Oct 17 2005

By	Janelle Martin "member of RIO, Reviewers Inte... (Waterloo, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: 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."

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3.0 out of 5 stars Very confusing., Sep 23 2008

By	Schmadrian - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Brooklyn Follies: A Novel (Hardcover)

After having heard so much about Mr. Auster's novels, I finally got around to reading one. And as much as I'd like to agree with other reviewers here, I can't.

The novel is narrated. This is a partial explanation as to why it comes across as...well...the efforts of a not-very-good writer. At least in the delivery. The narrator's 'true voice'. But it doesn't account for the fact that much of the dialogue is horrible (in fact, unbelievable), and that many of the story aspects are simply laughable.

Hence, my confusion; this is the work of one of America's best writers.

As I completed the book, I was trying to imagine how this story could have been told so that justice would have been done to the various plotlines and characters. But my confusion was a little too overwhelming, so I wasn't able to see a way where this might have been possible.

I've given it three stars, but I still wouldn't recommend it.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Highly enjoyable, Sep 21 2008

By	NorthVan Dave (North Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

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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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing! A must-read!
An amazing book! The best one that I've read in the past six months. The book begins with the protagonist, Nathan, looking for a place to die. Read more

Published on Feb 22 2007 by Tree Frog BB

5.0 out of 5 stars Think and smile
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. Read more

Published on Jun 28 2006 by Sam Doucette

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
This book pulled me out of a six-month slump full of bad and badder books. Paul Auster is gifted.

Published on April 7 2006