- Paperback: 228 pages
- Publisher: Velluminous Press (15 May 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1905605056
- ISBN-13: 978-1905605057
- Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 12.7 x 1.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,477,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
girlondemand.blogspot.com
full of suspense, and twists at the very end for a clever, highly-imaginative closing.
Product Description
One Sunday evening, the town of Parcival, USA disappeared. It was Tuesday morning before anyone in the outside world noticed it was gone. There was something decidedly odd about Quentin C. Coriander. For one thing, no one in Parcival could ever remember seeing him arrive. One day the house was empty, bare as winter trees. Next, there was Quentin on the porch, reading the Parcival Post or doing the crossword. From then on it was usual for townsfolk to nod at Quentin as they passed and to receive a cursory nod in return. It never evolved beyond that. Quentin never encourage conversation. No one in Parcival much bothered to keep an eye on Quentin. What they didn't know was that he always had his eye on them... Miss Alice Merriwether's Long Lost Cakes is a transdimensional science-fiction satire that riffs on 1950s B-movies, Midwestern stereotypes, and small-town America. Cover design: Elspeth Fahey.
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There was always something quite odd about Quentin C. Coriander. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
There was always something quite odd about Quentin C. Coriander. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
An Inducement to Wonder
2 July 2006
Format:Paperback
I just spent three days reading this book, and it's unlike anything I've ever read -- yet it has elements of some of the greatest works of literary fiction ever.
It is a wonderful mix of childlike joy and wonder with adult humor and satire -- "gentle satire", the author says in his review here, and I would say that's absolutely correct.
It opens with a dizzying array of characters. The chapters are short, bulleted to give you just that little tantalizing bit to keep you hanging, the way Miss Alice's cakes so tantalize and mesmerize the denizens of Parcivel. It has great suspense -- you don't know till the very end why Quentin Coriander has come to Parcival or what he represents. Just as you start to think you are getting it figured out there is another plot twist, another new character, to nudge you out of your comfort zone, so that you never know entirely where you are being taken, only that you enjoy the ride.
There is a ton that is fun in this book -- the midwest stereotypes, intentional overblown characters and exaggerations that hallmark good satire, and even the character names --"Justin Case", Stephen a.k.a. Jelly Bean, and characters named for foodstuffs and spices (Pumpernickel, Coriander.) There are also some recipes that I'm going to want to try. But by the time you reach the end you realize that there is a method to the madness. There is in fact, like with all good literary fiction, a message in this work that is hopeful, uplifitng and connective in the sense of agelessness. Once you reach the end, it all comes together, the way an entire town that once went lost, returns, and you recognize, clearly, that you have been deftly handled.
All in all this is a wonderful, imaginative work that tells a lot about the recipe for life's success, and makes you love every bit --and bite -- of the tale. Highly recommended.
It is a wonderful mix of childlike joy and wonder with adult humor and satire -- "gentle satire", the author says in his review here, and I would say that's absolutely correct.
It opens with a dizzying array of characters. The chapters are short, bulleted to give you just that little tantalizing bit to keep you hanging, the way Miss Alice's cakes so tantalize and mesmerize the denizens of Parcivel. It has great suspense -- you don't know till the very end why Quentin Coriander has come to Parcival or what he represents. Just as you start to think you are getting it figured out there is another plot twist, another new character, to nudge you out of your comfort zone, so that you never know entirely where you are being taken, only that you enjoy the ride.
There is a ton that is fun in this book -- the midwest stereotypes, intentional overblown characters and exaggerations that hallmark good satire, and even the character names --"Justin Case", Stephen a.k.a. Jelly Bean, and characters named for foodstuffs and spices (Pumpernickel, Coriander.) There are also some recipes that I'm going to want to try. But by the time you reach the end you realize that there is a method to the madness. There is in fact, like with all good literary fiction, a message in this work that is hopeful, uplifitng and connective in the sense of agelessness. Once you reach the end, it all comes together, the way an entire town that once went lost, returns, and you recognize, clearly, that you have been deftly handled.
All in all this is a wonderful, imaginative work that tells a lot about the recipe for life's success, and makes you love every bit --and bite -- of the tale. Highly recommended.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Exquiste authorship,biting humour.....
6 Jun 2006
Format:Paperback
It's unusual to find an author whose expert penmanship draws you into a surreal scenario with biting humour that will make you cry with laughter, but prevents you from being able to explain it to your friends, particularly your conservative ones.
Genuinely exquiste authorship,I have rarely found a writer with higher skill.
Genuinely exquiste authorship,I have rarely found a writer with higher skill.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Great reading!
21 Aug 2006
Format:Paperback
Loved it! The characters reminded me uncannily of many people I have known with all their particular foibles and constantly had me chuckling to myself as the characters reacted to the strange situation they found themselves in. An interesting insight into human nature but always with its own inimitable quirky brand of humour.
I have seen it compared for its superb satire to Orwell's Animal Farm and The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. It is many years since I read Animal Farm but it does have elements of that satirical bent and commentary on human nature. Unfortunately I have never read The Great Divorce but as a result of reading Alice Merriwether it's now on my "to do" list! At times it had me also thinking of The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy but I must admit it's also a long time since I read that - time to go back and re-read it to see how right I was.........
If you have a sense of humour do your yourself a favour and read this book. I'm sure you'll love it!
I have seen it compared for its superb satire to Orwell's Animal Farm and The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. It is many years since I read Animal Farm but it does have elements of that satirical bent and commentary on human nature. Unfortunately I have never read The Great Divorce but as a result of reading Alice Merriwether it's now on my "to do" list! At times it had me also thinking of The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy but I must admit it's also a long time since I read that - time to go back and re-read it to see how right I was.........
If you have a sense of humour do your yourself a favour and read this book. I'm sure you'll love it!
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