Synopsis
A brilliant, unforgettable novel from bestselling author Ruth Ozeki—shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award
“A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.”
In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Nao has decided there’s only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates’ bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun who’s lived more than a century. A diary is Nao’s only solace—and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine.
Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao’s drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future.
Full of Ozeki’s signature humor and deeply engaged with the relationship between writer and reader, past and present, fact and fiction, quantum physics, history, and myth, A Tale for the Time Being is a brilliantly inventive, beguiling story of our shared humanity and the search for home.
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About the Authors
Ruth Ozeki is a novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest. She is the award-winning author of three novels, My Year of Meats, All Over Creation, and A Tale for the Time Being, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her critically acclaimed independent films, including Halving the Bones, have been screened at Sundance and aired on PBS. She is affiliated with the Brooklyn Zen Center and the Everyday Zen Foundation. She lives in British Columbia and New York City.
Visit www.ruthozeki.com and follow @ozekiland on Twitter.
Ruth Ozeki is a novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest. She is the award-winning author of three novels,My Year of Meats, All Over Creation, and A Tale for the Time Being, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her critically acclaimed independent films, includingHalving the Bones, have been screened at Sundance and aired on PBS. She is affiliated with the Brooklyn Zen Center and the Everyday Zen Foundation. She lives in British Columbia and New York City.
Visit www.ruthozeki.com and follow @ozekiland on Twitter.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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A Tale for the Time Being
Published by
Penguin Publishing Group, 2013
ISBN 10: 0670026638
ISBN 13: 9780670026630
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # GRP77475951
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A Tale for the Time Being
Published by
Penguin Publishing Group, 2013
ISBN 10: 0670026638
ISBN 13: 9780670026630
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 709297-6
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A Tale for the Time Being (Ala Notable Books for Adults)
Seller: Half Price Books Inc., Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_476648240
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A Tale for the Time Being (Ala Notable Books for Adults)
Seller: HPB-Ruby, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_477063190
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A Tale for the Time Being
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0670026638I4N00
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A Tale for the Time Being
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0670026638I3N10
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A Tale for the Time Being ***ADVANCE READERS COPY***
Published by
Viking, New York, NY, U.S.A., 2013
ISBN 10: 0670026638
ISBN 13: 9780670026630
Used
Soft cover
Seller: Beaver Bridge Books, Holiday Island, AR, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Fine. Advanced Readers Copy. ADVANCE READERS COPY in pictorial wraps. Clean, tight and bright. No bumps, creases, tears or stains. Spine uncreased, lies flat. Publisher's marketing sticker on upper front wrap. Shipped padded in a box with tracking number provided on domestic shipping. Seller Inventory # 003860
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A Tale for the Time Being
Seller: Second Site Books, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: As New. Soft cover Advanced Reading Copy. STATED - NOT FOR SALE - Soft cover pre - release first edition. These are collectible and may increase in value. Artwork is in color. Copy is not final, some typos. First edition. Seller Inventory # 000667
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A Tale for the Time Being (ALA Notable Books for Adults)
Seller: Bay State Book Company, North Smithfield, RI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. The book is in good condition with all pages and cover intact, including the dust jacket if originally issued. The spine may show light wear. Pages may contain some notes or highlighting, and there might be a "From the library of" label. Boxed set packaging, shrink wrap, or included media like CDs may be missing. Seller Inventory # BSM.17VQO
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A Tale for the Time Being [Advance Uncorrected Proofs]
Seller: Remarks Used Books, Pittsfield, MA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Fine. No Jacket. Special Edition. Advance Reader's Copy of Uncorrected Proofs in paperback. Bright, clean & tight copy, unread, in Fine condition. "'A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.' In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Nao has decided there's only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates' bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun who's lived more than a century. A diary is Nao's only solace--and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine. Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox--possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao's drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future. Full of Ozeki's signature humor and drawing from the deep currents of our times--history, myth, manga culture, and quantum physics--A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING explores the intimate relationship between writer and reader, past and present, and fact and fiction to tell a brilliantly inventive, beguiling tale of our shared humanity and the search for home." [publisher copy] "As contemporary as a Japanese teenager's slang but as ageless as a Zen koan, Ruth Ozeki's new novel combines great storytelling with a probing investigation into the purpose of existence. She plunges us into a tantalizing narration that brandishes mysteries to be solved and ideas to be explored. Ozeki's profound affection for her characters makes A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING as emotionally engaging as it is intellectually provocative."--The Washington Post. "Ozeki's absorbing novel is an extended meditation on writing, time, and people in time. The characters' lives are finely drawn, from Ruth's rustic lifestyle to the Yasutani family's straitened existence after moving from Sunnyvale, California, to Tokyo. Nao's winsome voice contrasts with Ruth's intellectual ponderings to make up a lyrical disquisition on writing's power to transcend time and place. This tale from Ozeki, a Zen Buddhist priest, is sure to please anyone who values a good story broadened with intellectual vigor."--Publishers Weekly. Pristine paperback ARC has bound-in pages of Dear Reader recommendations & acclaim from publishers worldwide; colorful copy w/brilliant corners & crisp edges, a square & tight binding w/no creases in spine & no jacket as issued. Seller Inventory # RUB1946