Items related to Moths
Opening in the 1930s, this stunning novel tells the parallel stories of a father and son whose lives take the reader through critical moments of mid 20th-century European history, in miniature - from WWII and its aftermath to the Siberian Gulag. Alongside its Nabokovian precision and dark undercurrents, it has an unexpected black humour as well as a fantastic jazz sub-plot. A self-indulgent Dutch businessman finds himself caught up in the liberation of Auschwitz, imprisoned as a spy by the liberating Russian army, shipped off to Minsk and Moscow to play in a bizarre jazz band, and then, when jazz becomes 'decadent' once more, to the Gulag, where his estranged son, a long-distance runner, finally catches up with him...Meanwhile, the boy (called Dolboy, because he looks like a tiny blond doll) is brought up by his doting childless aunt in the flat farmlands of east Holland, post-war. Wherever he goes, he runs, past dark forests, foxgloves, fields and birch trees. One day his running takes him to an old moated castle, where the summer house is full of moths - and he meets the curious young girl who breeds and keeps the creatures. He becomes a world-class runner, she a photographer. Vivid, allusive, heartbreaking and with an astonishing range and layers of meaning, this is a startlingly original, important and gripping novel about people forced constantly to improvise their lives, about regeneration and the courage to embrace those single moments of opportunity.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
'Ambitious, masterful story...imaginative and extremely moving'
-- The Times
'Moths displays humanity in all its shimmering beauty and base
depravity.'
-- Independent on Sunday - Rev'd Christian House
'The rhythmic pulse of his writing often reflects that of jazz' -- Metro (Scotland) - Rev'd Claire Allfree
'scintillating novel...this writing, with extraordinary visual
power, is a pleasure to read....The novel is full of richly imagined
detail' -- Times Literary Supplement
A 'pleasing debut novel ... it approaches history as a shifting
set of echoes and overlapping narratives' -- Metro
`This debut novel boasts considerable logodaedalic verve...
beautifully written and readable' -- Independent - Rev'd Tibor Fischer
From the Publisher:
-- The Times
'Moths displays humanity in all its shimmering beauty and base
depravity.'
-- Independent on Sunday - Rev'd Christian House
'The rhythmic pulse of his writing often reflects that of jazz' -- Metro (Scotland) - Rev'd Claire Allfree
'scintillating novel...this writing, with extraordinary visual
power, is a pleasure to read....The novel is full of richly imagined
detail' -- Times Literary Supplement
A 'pleasing debut novel ... it approaches history as a shifting
set of echoes and overlapping narratives' -- Metro
`This debut novel boasts considerable logodaedalic verve...
beautifully written and readable' -- Independent - Rev'd Tibor Fischer
A dazzling, potent, beautiful novel about moths, running, jazz, the Siberian Gulag, and seizing the moment, reminiscent in its unexpected combination of dark European sensibility and compelling readability of The Reader or Rachel Seiffert's The Dark Room.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherChatto & Windus
- Publication date2007
- ISBN 10 0701181060
- ISBN 13 9780701181062
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages320
- Rating
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Moths
Published by
Chatto & Windus
(2007)
ISBN 10: 0701181060
ISBN 13: 9780701181062
Used
Hardcover
Quantity: 1
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Book Description Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. Ex library copy with usual stamps & stickers. Seller Inventory # wbb0022728699
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Moths
Published by
Vintage Publishing, United Kingdom, London
(2007)
ISBN 10: 0701181060
ISBN 13: 9780701181062
Used
Paperback
Quantity: 1
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Opening in the 1930s, this stunning novel tells the parallel stories of a father and son whose lives take the reader through critical moments of mid 20th-century European history, in miniature - from WWII and its aftermath to the Siberian Gulag. Alongside its Nabokovian precision and dark undercurrents, it has an unexpected black humour as well as a fantastic jazz sub-plot. A self-indulgent Dutch businessman finds himself caught up in the liberation of Auschwitz, imprisoned as a spy by the liberating Russian army, shipped off to Minsk and Moscow to play in a bizarre jazz band, and then, when jazz becomes 'decadent' once more, to the Gulag, where his estranged son, a long-distance runner, finally catches up with him.Meanwhile, the boy (called Dolboy, because he looks like a tiny blond doll) is brought up by his doting childless aunt in the flat farmlands of east Holland, post-war. Wherever he goes, he runs, past dark forests, foxgloves, fields and birch trees. One day his running takes him to an old moated castle, where the summer house is full of moths - and he meets the curious young girl who breeds and keeps the creatures. He becomes a world-class runner, she a photographer. Vivid, allusive, heartbreaking and with an astonishing range and layers of meaning, this is a startlingly original, important and gripping novel about people forced constantly to improvise their lives, about regeneration and the courage to embrace those single moments of opportunity. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR003165251
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