The Echo Maker: Amazon.co.uk: Richard Powers: Books

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Product Description

Waterstone's Books Quarterly

`A compelling and thought-provoking novel' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

The Sunday Telegraph

`Richard Powers specialises in strong human stories...and this engossing tale, set in Nebraska, finds him at his formidable best' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

3.4 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Echos, 2 May 2007

By

Robert (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Echo Maker (Hardcover)

Another impressive and entertaining novel from Richard Powers. He does well at taking a big theme and using it as an extended metaphor throughout the narrative. In this instance, the phenomenon of brain disorders, specifically Capgras Syndrome, is well deployed to drive both plot and character. For anyone with a very basic knowledge of consciousness this book will be informative. It presents the facts in a very accessible way, although the inclusion of certain case studies did sometimes feel contrived.

Powers excels at portraying the debilitating and disturbing effects of brain damage on both the victim, Mark Schluter, and his sister Karin. The notion of identity, and how much of what we are is defined by the acknowledgement of those we love, is well explored. Power's is good at showing how Karin's inherent insecurities and lack of confidence are compounded by her brother's refusal to recognize her. Mark's paranoia, changes of personality and sort of improvement are also convincingly described.

Power's handling of the eco-theme is less assured. The descriptions of the cranes show his characteristic linguistic strengths - there is a wonderful, aching lyricism to the writing. But the larger issues of over-development and threat to nature felt rather predictable and bland. Certainly, these are important subjects, but Power's failed to bring them alive with his usual intensity.

There is also a bit of a `who done it?' twist to the novel. This makes for interesting guessing along the way and the outcome was unexpected for me.

What I missed most in the book was the emotional intensity of his last one, The Time of Our Singing. There the language and insight regularly soared to exquisite heights. It would indeed have been quite a feat to manage that again. So perhaps we cannot blame Power's for not quite managing it.

The Echo-Maker is, nonetheless, a good and satisfying read.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars powerful stuff, 7 Sep 2011

By

Elliot Jackson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Echo Maker (Paperback)

I always ending buying copies of this book (mostly second hand I confess) because I give so many copies away, or people borrow a copy and it never comes back and i feel I'm taking something important away from them if I ask for it back. This book more than most others you can read again and again because it has a poetry and a depth you just cannot find in other novels.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, intelligent read, 3 Jan 2011

By

E. L. Riggs - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Echo Maker (Paperback)

A good story with a twist in the tale, along with a good portrayal of the tragedy of brain injury and the effects on the family.

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