- Paperback
- Publisher: Vintage (7 May 1992)
- Language French
- ISBN-10: 0099161710
- ISBN-13: 978-0099161714
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
Mao II
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Written by the author of "Libra", which won the Aer Lingus International Fiction Prize, this novel is about words and images, novelists and terrorists. It is haunted by the intermingled spirits of such diverse figures as Andy Warhol and Mao Zedong.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read Underworld, I though DeLillo would never have been able to prodece a book that would dazzle me more ... but Mao II is just that book. The sheer beauty of the prose is in places breathtaking, and the enormity of the ideas and themes, played out in the small details of characters lives and fragments of images viewed on television screens, held me engaged enough to finish the book in one sitting. There are sections I have returned to again and again - The photographing of Bill Gray, the depiction of Khomeni's funeral - and I have yet to not find the return worthwhile. Yes, Underworld is a huge and great novel - but for literary genius, this is the one to read.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
DeLillo's intelligence is astounding; his observations seem to clarify many uncatergorised fears that makes us 'all to human'; the scope and depth of his imagination is frightening: and all in all this is definitely a fantastic read.
In a nutshell, the plot is secondary to the ideas and themes that run throughout this epic novel - the power of imagery (photgraphs, mainly) and words, global terrorism and movements. Of these themes, the most striking is the photograph, and, in a sense, how the definite image of an event has come to resemble more than the reality itself.
The central characters are a female photographer and a reclusive author, who come together for a once-in-a-lifetime photo shoot of the hermit novelist, and it is the build-up and culmination of this which makes up the rest of the novel. The exchange here is one of the most brilliantly written, thoughtful, most inspiring pieces fo literature I've ever read, and i recommend everyone to give it a go merely for this alone.
Can't say too much about the plot, since there isn't really one. But, if a storyline is essential to your enjoyment of a book, I suggest leaving this alone . . . On second thoughts - give it a go and it'll probably change your stance.
For this reason, though, it loses one star.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can't tell you if this book is objectively good or bad; I am not a critic and I don't want to dissect it. I liked this book a lot. I read it in two days and enjoyed it; it made me think and it didn't leave an impression of being didactic or pretentious. I think it is well written.
As for Warhol ripoff accusation, I don't see how it applies to anything but the cover design. Warhol and DeLillo happen to contemplate the same problems: the role of individual and group, the relationship between a crowd and celebrity etc. And this book is no more a Warhol ripoff than the Mao series are a ripoff of the artist who did the original Mao portrait - in other words, DeLillo organically appropriates the work of Warhol in the context of his book for his own ends and gives it his own meaning.
Again: good book. Read it.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Imperfect pretentious peril.
Smart Alec narrative, pretentious dialogue and wooden characters without description of feeling make it difficult for the reader to engage. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2007 by Mark Dickens
Much to talk about: a great choice for a book group
Although there is a strong story, Mao II is more an exploration of interconnected themes and images. Read more
Published on 9 July 2006 by Big Al
Pretentious and empty
While some of his imagery does work (hence the second star), it is obvious that he is just trying too hard. Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2003 by Mr. C. Knight
Reread and Re-Enjoyed This Modern Classic
This fascinating novel probes the connection between isolation and mass movements in the modern world. Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2000
Great Book by a Great Writer
This is without a doubt one of the best novels of this decade, and one of the best by one of the best American writers. Read more
Published on 27 Mar 1999
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
