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Title: The Grand Complication: A Novel by Allen Kurzweil ISBN: 0786885181 Publisher: Theia Pub. Date: August, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.21
Rating: 4
Summary: Fun but No Payoff
Comment: This novel is right up my alley. It is the story of young librarian, Alexander Short, caught up in a search for a timepiece to complete a collection owned by a wealthy eccentric, Henry James Jesson III. Books, library searches, heraldry, theft, adventure and a wife who is constantly trying to seduce her husband. Who could ask for more?
And, indeed, this is a fun little book. I am particularly fond of the scenes set in the New York Public Library with its resources and its cast of interesting characters. I also find the search for the timepiece to be an interesting one with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
My only complaint about this book is the payoff. There really isn't one. I found that the book just kind of fizzled out in the last few pages. I have not read Kurzweil's first novel, A Case of Curiosities. I wish I had. I get the impression it might throw some light on this novel. Still, as it is, it's a quick novel and well worth a read.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Grand Complication
Comment: The Grand Complication is a strong follow-up to A Case of Curiosities and an engrossing and entertaining read. The story begins when the note-taking obssessed librarian, Alexander Short, is approached by the wealthy and mysterious collector Henry James Jesson III to help him find, as it eventually turns out, a pocket watch made for Marie Antoinette. The book is well written, full of historical and literary references. Like the watch it describes, the story is packed with clever features and diverting details. I would recommend this book to anyone, particularly any lover of books and libraries. My only complaint about the book is in the handling of some of the secondary characters, particularly Emmanuel Ornstein, an orthodox jewish jewelery broker. Although the character is meant to be somewhat comical, I felt that the use of dialect in rendering his yiddish accent was a little heavy handed. Moreover, although he turns out to be more ethical than is initially suspected, his character plays too easily into malicious old stereotypes of Jews as thieves or fencers of stolen goods. A hindu security guard, Mr. Singh, is treated similarly. This point aside, I greatly enjoyed The Grand Complication and I look forward to Mr Kurzweil's next book.
Rating: 4
Summary: creative intrigue
Comment: a book written with the full use of the english language. words pour out here in a very intriguing way and capture the audience very well. a well written novel using a protaganist that has been rarely used before
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Title: A Case of Curiosities by Allen Kurzweil ISBN: 0156012898 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 10 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Ex Libris by Ross King ISBN: 0142000809 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 28 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Carter Beats the Devil by Glen Gold ISBN: 0786886323 Publisher: Hyperion Pub. Date: September, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Nautical Chart by Arturo Perez-Reverte, Margaret Sayers Peden ISBN: 0156013053 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 03 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk, Erdag M. Goknar ISBN: 0375706852 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: 27 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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