CHEMISTRY OF TEARS - Softcover

CAREY, PETER

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0571280005 ISBN 13: 9780571280001

Publisher: Faber And Faber Ltd., 2012

Synopsis

Paperback. Pub Date :2012-10-04 Pages: 278 Language: English Publisher: Faber and Faber London 2010. Catherine Gehrig. conservator at the Swinburne museum. learns of the unexpected death of her colleague and lover of thirteen years. As the mistress of a married man she has to grieve in private. One other person knows their secret. the director of the museum. who arranges for Catherine to be given a special project away from prying eyes. Mad with grief. the usually controlled and rational Catherine discovers a series of handwritten notebooks telling the story of the man who originally commissioned the extraordinary and eerie automata she has been asked to bring back to life. With a precocious new assistant. Amanda. at her side. she starts to piece together both the clockwork puzzle and the story of the mechanical creature which was commissioned in 19th century Germany by an E...

About this title

Review

"Few writers manage so consistently and delightfully as Peter Carey to conjure wondrous scenes populated with idiosyncratic yet credible characters. "The Chemistry of Tears "does not disappoint . . . Carey is one of the finest living writers in English. His best books satisfy both intellectually and emotionally; he is lyrical yet never forgets the imperative to entertain . . . A wholly enjoyable journey."
--"The Economist "(UK)
"Characters that beguile and convince, prose that dances or is as careful as poetry, an inventive plot that teases and makes the heart quicken or hurt, paced with masterly precision, yet with a space for the ideas to breathe and expand in dialogue with the reader, unusual settings of place and time: this tender tour de force of the imagination succeeds on all fronts."
--"The Independent" (UK)
"A powerful novel on the frailty of the human body and the emotional life we imbue in machines . . . Catherine and Henry, linked both by the automaton and by grief, ponder questions of life and death, questions that, as posed by Carey, are more fascinating than any solution."
--"Publishers Weekly "(starred, pick of the week)
"Carey's exceptional storytelling talents are all on prominent display here. Catherine's and Henry's voices are lustily generated and expertly distinguished from one another; contemporary London and 19th-century Germany are conveyed in lightly distributed yet powerfully evocative physical detail; both narratives are invigorated throughout by a thrilling verbal energy, and an almost unfailing knack for alighting on the "mot juste. "These are precisely the qualities that have always characterised Carey's novels, and which have twice made him an eminently deserving winner of the Booker Prize."
--"The Observer" (UK)
"Carey's world is always interesting and thought-provoking . . . It is a unique combination of raw human passion and complicated puzzling about human ingenuity . . . Completely convinc

"Dazzling . . . encompasses heartbreak, the comfort of absorbing work, the transformative power of beauty and the soul of an old machine. . . . part historical, part fanciful, and completely wonderful." --Heller McAlpin, NPR
"Ambitious, playful and engagingly strange." --"San Francisco Chronicle"
"Touching and thought-provoking." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"Deeply moving. . . tells the story of the essential human desire to return to the individual Edens that we inhabited. . . . beautifully told." --"Nature"
"Characters that beguile and convince, prose that dances or is as careful as poetry, an inventive plot that teases and makes the heart quicken or hurt, paced with masterly precision, yet with a space for the ideas to breathe and expand in dialogue with the reader, unusual settings of place and time: this tender tour de force of the imagination succeeds on all fronts." --"The Independent "(London)
"Carey is one of the finest living writers in English. His best books satisfy both intellectually and emotionally; he is lyrical yet never forgets the imperative to entertain. . . . A wholly enjoyable journey." --"The Economist
"
"Carey is one of the most original novelists writing today." --"The New Republic
"
"Vividly rendered. . . . Carey has given each story the chaotic quality of hallucination. . . . He shapes the two madnesses with imaginative intensity." --"The Boston Globe"
"A beautifully written, richly layered novel that includes treats like a meaningful, hidden message in Latin and a mysterious blue wooden block hidden inside the automaton. . . . Its graceful subtlety will keep you thinking long after you've closed the book." --"Vancouver Sun
"
"A short novel that bristles with ideas. . . . Carey is a master novelist." --"The Oregonian"
"Heartbreaking. . . . [A] profoundly detailed study of love and grief. . . . Carey has built us a captivating replica of the most timeless piece of machinery of all--a broken heart." --"The Seattle Times
"
"Leave it to a protean virtuoso like Peter Carey to write a novel, "The Chemistry of Tears," that draws compelling parallels between a Victorian-era automaton of a defecating duck and the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And, what's more, to make of it another delightfully recondite tour-de-force performance." --"The Toronto Star"
"For his new, briskly paced novel, "The Chemistry of Tears," he has pulled off a nifty trick, offering interconnected plots set in two distinct eras. . . . Carey's deft, spare prose is full of striking images. . . . Carey explores a series of interconnected themes that are admirably complex for such a short book." --"Richmond Times-Dispatch
"
"A writer of such sustained flair that he has, only two years after his Man Booker-shortlisted "Parrot and Olivier in America," delivered another stylish tour de force. . . . With typical dogged panache, Carey's exploration of technology and tears indicates that emotion defies rationalism's impositions." --"The Daily Telegraph" (London)

Dazzling . . . encompasses heartbreak, the comfort of absorbing work, the transformative power of beauty and the soul of an old machine. . . . part historical, part fanciful, and completely wonderful. Heller McAlpin, NPR
Ambitious, playful and engagingly strange. "San Francisco Chronicle"
Touching and thought-provoking. "The New York Times Book Review"
Deeply moving. . . tells the story of the essential human desire to return to the individual Edens that we inhabited. . . . Beautifully told. "Nature"
Characters that beguile and convince, prose that dances or is as careful as poetry, an inventive plot that teases and makes the heart quicken or hurt, paced with masterly precision, yet with a space for the ideas to breathe and expand in dialogue with the reader, unusual settings of place and time: this tender tour de force of the imagination succeeds on all fronts. "The Independent "(London)
Carey is one of the finest living writers in English. His best books satisfy both intellectually and emotionally; he is lyrical yet never forgets the imperative to entertain. . . . A wholly enjoyable journey. "The Economist
"
Carey is one of the most original novelists writing today. "The New Republic
"
Vividly rendered. . . . Carey has given each story the chaotic quality of hallucination. . . . He shapes the two madnesses with imaginative intensity. "The Boston Globe"
A beautifully written, richly layered novel that includes treats like a meaningful, hidden message in Latin and a mysterious blue wooden block hidden inside the automaton. . . . Its graceful subtlety will keep you thinking long after you've closed the book. "Vancouver Sun
"
A short novel that bristles with ideas. . . . Carey is a master novelist. "The Oregonian"
Heartbreaking. . . .[A] profoundly detailed study of love and grief. . . . Carey has built us a captivating replica of the most timeless piece of machinery of all a broken heart. "The Seattle Times
"
Leave it to a protean virtuoso like Peter Carey to write a novel, "The Chemistry of Tears," that draws compelling parallels between a Victorian-era automaton of a defecating duck and the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And, what s more, to make of it another delightfully recondite tour-de-force performance. "The Toronto Star"
For his new, briskly paced novel, "The Chemistry of Tears," he has pulled off a nifty trick, offering interconnected plots set in two distinct eras. . . . Carey s deft, spare prose is full of striking images. . . . Carey explores a series of interconnected themes that are admirably complex for such a short book. "Richmond Times-Dispatch
"
A writer of such sustained flair that he has, only two years after his Man Booker shortlisted "Parrot and Olivier in America," delivered another stylish tour de force. . . . With typical dogged panache, Carey s exploration of technology and tears indicates that emotion defies rationalism s impositions. "The Daily Telegraph" (London)"

Dazzling . . . encompasses heartbreak, the comfort of absorbing work, the transformative power of beauty and the soul of an old machine. . . . part historical, part fanciful, and completely wonderful. Heller McAlpin, NPR
Ambitious, playful and engagingly strange. San Francisco Chronicle
Touching and thought-provoking. The New York Times Book Review
Deeply moving. . . tells the story of the essential human desire to return to the individual Edens that we inhabited. . . . Beautifully told. Nature
Characters that beguile and convince, prose that dances or is as careful as poetry, an inventive plot that teases and makes the heart quicken or hurt, paced with masterly precision, yet with a space for the ideas to breathe and expand in dialogue with the reader, unusual settings of place and time: this tender tour de force of the imagination succeeds on all fronts. The Independent (London)
Carey is one of the finest living writers in English. His best books satisfy both intellectually and emotionally; he is lyrical yet never forgets the imperative to entertain. . . . A wholly enjoyable journey. The Economist

Carey is one of the most original novelists writing today. The New Republic

Vividly rendered. . . . Carey has given each story the chaotic quality of hallucination. . . . He shapes the two madnesses with imaginative intensity. The Boston Globe
A beautifully written, richly layered novel that includes treats like a meaningful, hidden message in Latin and a mysterious blue wooden block hidden inside the automaton. . . . Its graceful subtlety will keep you thinking long after you've closed the book. Vancouver Sun

A short novel that bristles with ideas. . . . Carey is a master novelist. The Oregonian
Heartbreaking. . . .[A] profoundly detailed study of love and grief. . . . Carey has built us a captivating replica of the most timeless piece of machinery of all a broken heart. The Seattle Times

Leave it to a protean virtuoso like Peter Carey to write a novel, The Chemistry of Tears, that draws compelling parallels between a Victorian-era automaton of a defecating duck and the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And, what s more, to make of it another delightfully recondite tour-de-force performance. The Toronto Star
For his new, briskly paced novel, The Chemistry of Tears, he has pulled off a nifty trick, offering interconnected plots set in two distinct eras. . . . Carey s deft, spare prose is full of striking images. . . . Carey explores a series of interconnected themes that are admirably complex for such a short book. Richmond Times-Dispatch

A writer of such sustained flair that he has, only two years after his Man Booker shortlisted Parrot and Olivier in America, delivered another stylish tour de force. . . . With typical dogged panache, Carey s exploration of technology and tears indicates that emotion defies rationalism s impositions. The Daily Telegraph (London)

"

Book Description

Following the recent success of Parrot and Olivier in America comes another wonderfully rich tale with historical themes from the twice Booker-winner.

Edition details

• Publisher: Faber And Faber Ltd.
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0571280005
• ISBN 13: 9780571280001
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 278