- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (22 Oct 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0747591229
- ISBN-13: 978-0747591221
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 703,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Noah's Ark: rejacketed
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Product Description
Review
'I adore her books' Carol Shields 'An achingly funny novel ... wickedly observed' Libby Purves 'There is no mistaking Trapido's narrative talent, racy, vibrant and witty' Guardian 'Reading it is rather like being bombarded with sequins' Anthony Thwaite, Observer
Product Description
Ali Bobrow is an other-worldly single parent with a fraught nine-year-old daughter, a malevolent 'ex' with a grabby new wife, and an underused artistic talent. A pushover when it comes to needy neighbours and uninvited children, she allows her house to be the local drop-in centre, until she collides with Noah Glazer, who falls for her pale red hair. A solid man of science, Noah walks into her over-populated life bringing good sense, order and security. But ten years on, Ali is drawn back into the complexities of her past: an old lover, two ex-spouses, a colleague from clown school and a small smuggled cat all help to rock the boat.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This story is sexy, funny and in the end, quite touching. The characters stay with you long after you have finished, even the minor ones (especially Camilla and Arnie), and at the finale you are left with a sensation of lingering sadness that you cannot precisely define. This was my second read; I first read it five years ago and do not remember this sensation, so I suspect that the older you are, the more Trapido's evocative descriptions of aging and the passage of time (innocence to experience, children to adults, naivete to jadedness) resonate.
The book employs a strangely old-fashioned form of third-person point-of-view swapping in which the reader is given access to alternative perspectives in the same section, sometimes even having to deal with a switch in the same paragraph. For some reason, though, these shifts are handled well and it gives a pleasing sensation of omniscience without sacrificing any intimacy.
This book would have received the full five stars were it not for the dialogue. I have no idea what the editors were doing when they allowed Trapido to get away with such amateurish punctuation, most especially comma omission in direct address: e.g. "Mrs Bobrow what services do you neighbours render you...?" And at times characters, especially Ali, spout forth long, intricate and humourous speeches that no human being would ever be able to utter spontaneously. Nevertheless, if you overlook these minor flaws, the book is well worth a read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This story bounces from one plot to the next, one character to the other, without linking them together in any cohesive or enjoyable manner. The main character Ally is shallow and interesting. It is supposed to be, I suspect, racy but indeed I found it vulgar instead. As well as blasphemous. Terrible story line.
6 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As in her other books, Barbara Trapido does not take the usual route, and her characters find themselves in situations with resolutions that are far from the expected. Furthermore, her characters are human, humane, and flawed, and their predicaments unfold unpredictably. There are presently only 2 of Trapido's books available in the US, so I was glad to make the discovery that I could order her other titles through AmazonUK.
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