- Paperback
- Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd (3 Feb 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1847676561
- ISBN-13: 978-1847676566
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 193,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Jamrach's Menagerie
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'In Jamrach's Menagerie, Carol Birch quickly sucks you into a world of the senses, from the filthy streets of Victorian London to the rolling hills of the South Seas. Jaffy Brown, the gifted narrator at the center of this mythic tale, rivals David Copperfield and Ishmael of Moby-Dick with his gift for storytelling. His `rare old time' becomes, in due course, a fable of friendship, and a tribute to human survival. What a beautifully written and engaging novel!' --Jay Parini, author of THE PASSAGES OF HERMAN MELVILLE and THE LAST STATION
'Never mind not being able to put it down--there is a 100-page section in Jamrach's Menagerie in which you will not be able to breathe. Rarely have I read a book that so deftly marries high literary value with unbearable suspense.' --Robert Hough, author of THE FINAL CONFESSION OF MABEL STARK, THE STOWAWAY and THE CULPRITS
'One of the best stories I've ever read. [Birch] tells the most extraordinarily good story. A completely original book.' --A S Byatt
'Whenever I read of people moaning on about the dire state of British fiction, I think of Carol Birch (and people like her) who are writing such good novels . . . her forte is feelings , about which she is so acute.' --Margaret Forster
'Birch is a naturally literary writer who can, with a simple image, evoke the deepest emotion.'
--Guardian
'An imaginative tour-de-force ... gripping, superbly written and a delight.' --Times
'Riveting ... Masterful... A teeming exhibition of the beautiful and the bizarre.' --Sunday Times
'A juicy tale of 19th-century dragon-hunters, wombat-pedlars and Jolly Jacks Tar ... [the] words sing on the page.' --Financial Times
'Magical ... A sustained feat of imagination and diligent research.' --Daily Mail
'A captivating yarn of high seas and even higher drama.'
--Guardian
'A career-defining book. Thoughtful and elevating as well as effortlessly readable.' --Ben East, The National
As good as anything Peter Carey has done in this line and, in certain exalted moments, even better. --D J Taylor, Independent
'Never mind not being able to put it down--there is a 100-page section in Jamrach's Menagerie in which you will not be able to breathe. Rarely have I read a book that so deftly marries high literary value with unbearable suspense.' --Robert Hough, author of THE FINAL CONFESSION OF MABEL STARK, THE STOWAWAY and THE CULPRITS
'One of the best stories I've ever read. [Birch] tells the most extraordinarily good story. A completely original book.' --A S Byatt
'Whenever I read of people moaning on about the dire state of British fiction, I think of Carol Birch (and people like her) who are writing such good novels . . . her forte is feelings , about which she is so acute.' --Margaret Forster
'Birch is a naturally literary writer who can, with a simple image, evoke the deepest emotion.'
--Guardian
'An imaginative tour-de-force ... gripping, superbly written and a delight.' --Times
'Riveting ... Masterful... A teeming exhibition of the beautiful and the bizarre.' --Sunday Times
'A juicy tale of 19th-century dragon-hunters, wombat-pedlars and Jolly Jacks Tar ... [the] words sing on the page.' --Financial Times
'Magical ... A sustained feat of imagination and diligent research.' --Daily Mail
'A captivating yarn of high seas and even higher drama.'
--Guardian
'A career-defining book. Thoughtful and elevating as well as effortlessly readable.' --Ben East, The National
As good as anything Peter Carey has done in this line and, in certain exalted moments, even better. --D J Taylor, Independent
Product Description
'I was born twice. First in wooden room that jutted out over the black water of the Thames, and then again eight years later in the Highway, when the tiger took me in his mouth and everything truly began.' 1857. Jaffy Brown is running along a street in London's East End when he comes face to face with an escaped circus animal. Plucked from the jaws of death by Mr Jamrach - explorer, entrepreneur and collector of the world's strangest creatures - the two strike up a friendship. Before he knows it, Jaffy finds himself on board a ship bound for the Dutch East Indies, on an unusual commission for Mr Jamrach. His journey - if he survives it - will push faith, love and friendship to their utmost limits. Brilliantly written and utterly spellbinding, Carol Birch's epic novel brings alive the smells, sights and flavours of the nineteenth century, from the docks of London to the storms of the Indian Ocean. This great salty historical adventure is a gripping exploration of our relationship to the natural world and the wildness it contains.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rip-roaring read expertly told,
By Song2 "jep" (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jamrach's Menagerie (Paperback)
Carol Birch is not a writer I have come across previously, but I am immensely grateful to have finally bumped into her work- her brilliant evocations of both the grimy, tough life of 19th century working-classs London and then the harshness of life on the ocean waves are vivid, rich and addictively more-ish.Coupled with Birch's ability to spin an excellent yarn peopled by loveable, cheeky, yet frail characters, Jamrach's Menagerie is a reading feast. It's a novel which takes you on a classic, gothic adventure to the ends of the Earth, whilst exploring the essence of what it means to be human. This novel is a treat, and is almost imppossible to put down once you've set sail on the search for the ever-so-rare Komodo dragon.
77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This tall tale will eat you up like wildfire,
This review is from: Jamrach's Menagerie (Paperback)
The opening chapter of this book is glorious reminder of the power of a good yarn in the right hands. A young boy meets an escaped tiger on the streets on east London and his life is transformed. With each subsequent chapter the story just gets more compelling. I haven't read a more enjoyable book in years.Like the best Victorian novels it follows a boy's life through to old age, and on the way recounts the most extraordinary voyage. After his encounter with the tiger, our hero Jaffy takes on work for its owner, Mr Jamrach - traveller, menagerie-owner and purveyor of the world's strangest creatures. This work soon involves a commission to procure a creature for Jamrach that may or may not exist, a so-called sea dragon that is recorded as living in the Indian Ocean. So Jaffy's voyage begins, and seems to be going very well. But then fate's winds blow in another direction. It has all the verbal energy of The Ryme of the Ancient Mariner, with the storytelling nous of Joseph O'Connor. Like a great David Attenborough film it takes you right up close to nature, whether the whiskers of Bengal tiger, the spout of a whale or the snapping jaws of a komodo dragon. But best of all it explores the wildness within our own species and asks what circumstances might see that laid bare. A stunning piece of fiction from a writer at the top of her game. I must read more Birch.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Evocative, original story-telling,
This review is from: Jamrach's Menagerie (Paperback)
Carol Birch's new novel is the evocative, moving, and original story of Jaffy Brown, a young boy in nineteenth-century London. Jaffy has an encounter with a tiger in an East-End street, and this leads him to make the acquaintance of Mr. Jamrach, a trader of exotic animals. Through working for Jamrach Jaffy meets a wide variety of characters in London, including Tim and Ishbel. These are twins one year his senior who come to shape his life.Jaf's story is gripping and unusual. There is a refreshing lack of clichés, in either plot or narrative, and no lazy shortcuts. The writing is evocative, with Birch excellently portraying atmosphere, with an almost tactile sense of London and of life on board a ship. Birch's real triumph however is in her characters and characterisation - the real menagerie. As the narrator, Jaf is the standard likeable everyman and moral compass of the tale. Those surrounding him, such as Dan Rymer, Ishbel, Skip, Captain Proctor, and Rainey are illustrated in deft strokes, each believable and rounded. This is especially evident in the character of Tim, Jaf's boyhood friend and later shipmate. Tim's youthful cruelty and tyranny is excellently portrayed as an aspect of youth. Similarly, the growth of their friendship is realistically handled, and their later scenes together are quite affecting. The only issue with this novel is the sometimes inconsistent voice of Jaf, the first-person narrator. This was particularly noticeable at the beginning of the novel, when Jaf's voice shifted between that of his young, uneducated London patter, and that of his older, educated and experienced voice, who was ostensibly telling the story of his life. This shift between Jaf's memories and contemporary narration was not always clear. This, however, is a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent novel.
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