⋙ [PDF] Free Book of Illusions Paul Auster 9780312990961 Books

Book of Illusions Paul Auster 9780312990961 Books

Download As PDF : Book of Illusions Paul Auster 9780312990961 Books

Book of Illusions Paul Auster 9780312990961 Books

I'm surprised at the vehemence of some of these reviews. It's a book, folks, not the Declaration of Independence. Lighten up!

Anyway, I had never read Paul Auster before, so I can't comment on the repetitive plots, but the writing is beautiful, and I found it completely believable, in a Kafaesque way. The strange way in which the title character seeks to atone for this perceived crime, speaks of a haunting soul who can't manage to accept the good of life until he almost meets death himself.

I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who likes a well-written read that reminds you to think of the important things in life, something some of the negative reviewers might consider. And no, I am not related to nor of acquaintance to the author. I just liked the book and don't understand how some folks can get so filled with vitriol over this book. Is it a 5 star book? Well, it's a solid 4.5 star book, and deserves more than the sum of 4 or so it has.


Tags : Book of Illusions [Paul Auster] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Six months after losing his wife and two young sons, Vermont Professor David Zimmer spends his waking hours mired in a blur of alcoholic grief and self-pity. One night,Paul Auster,Book of Illusions,Picador USA,0312990960,General,Fiction

Book of Illusions Paul Auster 9780312990961 Books Reviews

This was my first book by Mr. Auster. I loved it. It felt a little Tom Robbinsey, but never derivative. Imaginative, engaging, well-written from start to finish.
I really enjoyed this book. Paul Auster is a great story teller. His language is beautiful and seamless, and he tells a compelling and completely unexpected story. I liked this book so much that I'm now reading his Brooklyn Follies.
In this book Auster continues to dazzle readers with a unique and powerful writing style. His sentence structure and precision in language makes virtually all his books a pleasure to read. This one is no exception.
The story is one of disbelief and increduality, like many of Paul's books, the plot is a virtual illusion. But the book is a book of fiction, that is written almost as a detective story, with pieces of information being slowly revealed to the reader as he goes along.
In fact, perhaps the only negative criticism of the book would be, that the first 200 pages have its moments where the story is just a bit droll, but the reader is pushed forward, by the magnificence of Auster's writing.
In essence, Auster has a protagonist who is living in an elusive dream world, chasing after information about another person who also lived in a complete dream world, and at the same time, meeting a romantic partner, whose identity is in and of itself, never fully resolved for the reader.
Yet as all great books of literary triumph, this book pulls the reader back over and over again, until the end is reached. The book is mind expanding in the way it shows life as both reality and illusion. And it is concrete in that it reveals many things that all humans feel, but do not always express. The book should be read by all people, seeking to expand their limited view of reality and to join Paul Auster in the belief, that much of what is real, cannot be seen, or appears to be either an illusion or a delusion.
An epic and moving read, with a story just filled to the brim with twists and turns. Excellent holiday reading.
Takes us into the strange and historic world of the silent movie industry and the modern day criticism and interpretations of that art form. It also deals unflinchingly with horrific personal loss and the journey to heal. Parts of the relationship scenes were perhaps a little bit cheesy, although it is probably just personal taste and certainly not very important. This was quite a ride and after having finished it I still find myself thinking about the narrator, as though he were some kind of a friend or acquaintance...
A novel very easy to get lost in.
Auster is great at creating high tension situations, that are otherwise ordinary but by his style, they get infused with great descriptive skill. I do like most of his work. However, this book contains endless parts of movie descriptions, that often get tiresome. I do like his writing style, but this work got me bored at times. Worth a read, but not his best one.
This is one of the very finest books that I have ever read. It is a stunning achievement, and one does not or cannot walk away from this unmoved.

`The Book of Illusions' is an extraordinarily empathetic humanistic novel. Auster writes about identity, love, joy, loss, sadness, and hope. He speaks to the human condition.

`The Book of Illusions' provides an in-depth exploration of ones response to human brokenness, human hope, as well as human finitude. These responses are usually not fixed. They change, they grow, they evolve. This book speaks to this.

The reader is first introduced to David Zimmer, and it is Zimmer's voice we hear throughout this pitch-perfect novel. Zimmer has recently lost his family in a plane accident. He is unable to function and consequently leaves his position at a local college. Zimmer turns to alcohol spending his days drinking and in solitude. It is the laughter he feels from watching a silent film that brings life back to him. The actor in this silent film is one Hector Mann. Have you ever wondered if comedians are happy people?

There are soul-searching, heart wrenching vignettes in this novel. When Zimmer visits a doctor for a prescription, he encounters Dr. Singh. When Dr. Singh listens to Zimmer's heart, he understands. I read that passage a number of times thinking that Auster all but utilizes X-Rays into the human heart.

There are many characters in this novel. Alma is one of these, and she has a pronounced birthmark on her face. People usually look at her, and she remarks to Zimmer ....'I knew that that purple blotch would always define me on my face. .....I knew what people were thinking. The birthmark was the test of their humanity. It measured the worth of their souls, and if I worked hard at it, I could see straight into them and know who they were.' [Page 123]

We see and feel everything through the eyes of David Zimmer. I willingly went along with Zimmer's journey and had magical experiences.

`The Book of Illusions' has everything a reader could possibly want. Auster's prose dances those fluid steps of only a professional. He constantly surprises the reader. Just when one thinks he/she knows where Auster is going, he takes one somewhere else.

When I closed this book, I was left pondering immortality. `This life is only a prelude to eternity. For that which we call death is but a pause, in truth a progress into life.' [Seneca]

This book will command you to feel. It is unforgettable.
I'm surprised at the vehemence of some of these reviews. It's a book, folks, not the Declaration of Independence. Lighten up!

Anyway, I had never read Paul Auster before, so I can't comment on the repetitive plots, but the writing is beautiful, and I found it completely believable, in a Kafaesque way. The strange way in which the title character seeks to atone for this perceived crime, speaks of a haunting soul who can't manage to accept the good of life until he almost meets death himself.

I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who likes a well-written read that reminds you to think of the important things in life, something some of the negative reviewers might consider. And no, I am not related to nor of acquaintance to the author. I just liked the book and don't understand how some folks can get so filled with vitriol over this book. Is it a 5 star book? Well, it's a solid 4.5 star book, and deserves more than the sum of 4 or so it has.