- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Abacus; New edition edition (5 April 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 034911949X
- ISBN-13: 978-0349119496
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.6 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 559,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Burning
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Product Description
Review
** 'Brilliantly assured first novel ... THE BURNING is terrific company ... could be the coolest novel of the year' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ** 'An excellent, original novel with some extraordinary flourishes' THE TIMES ** 'THE BURNING provides enormous emotional and intellectual satisfaction. It seems unlikely there will be a better debut this year' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'Legendre's impressive first novel derives much of its strength from traditional matters ? adultery, divorce, betrayal, theft, academic rivalry ? but much also from a sense that what is at stake goes beyond the personal. His protagonist, Logan, is an economist in his first academic job, who has fallen out of love with his trade only to rediscover it as a way of discussing prudent human behaviour in a world of limited resources and maximum greed' INDEPENDENT 'Fast-paced and muscular, with an urgent message at its core, The Burning is a both entertaining and intellectually challenging ... the perfect antidote to the eco-sceptic loopiness of Michael Crichton's recent novel State of Fear' DAILY MAIL 'Mixes a spirited challenge to our faith in economic growth with a full-blooded tale of infidelity and romantic redemption ... the emotional pyrotechnics are handled with a deftness and confidence that are rare in a first-time novelist. Also rare is a book that can carry a social message with such gravity and conviction ... the novel's greatest accomplishment is Dallas, a woman of great passions and considerable guile' NEW STATESMAN 'Legendre's muscular prose ? unapologetically realist in the manner of one of his heroes, Cormac McCarthy ? is astonishingly confident for a first-time novelist ... thrillingly realised, electrifying' TIME OUT 'What's most impressive about The Burning is that as well as being one if the few novels of ideas which actually gives the reader something to think about beyond the standard nihilism usually found in such books, Legendre is brilliant at three-dimensional descriptions ... His narrative grip never weakens, and The Burning provides enormous emotional and intellectual satisfaction' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
Independent on Sunday
‘The Burning provides enormous emotional and intellectual satisfaction. It seems unlikely there will be a better debut this year’
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I feel that I urgently need to let people know how good this book is.
I can't remember how long is it since I read a book that satisfies on so many levels. It is immensely clever (in a good way), brilliantly planned and meticulously detailed. But more than anything else it is a rip-roaring good read. So absorbing in fact that I wound up being late for work more than once because I could not put it down over breakfast!
The craft in the storytelling - letting the different threads unravel with just the right pace, cadence and cross-interference - is simply wonderful; in fact amazing for a first novel. Likewise the richness and density of the content suggests that the author might have spent years in research and preparation. Maybe he has just spent more time gambling, reading and having sex than most people. Whatever, there is an energy and sensuousness running through the entire narrative that ranges from exhilarating to oppressive - it's hard not to feel baked dry by the glaring Arizona sun - and it just carries you along with it like a tidal wave.
And then comes the best achievement: this book has something very important to say. It is about the way we view ourselves, our expectations of our lives, the way we choose to live them, and the consequences it brings. Legendre delivers this message beautifully: not preachy nor sensational, but passionately and grounded in a logic that makes it utterly convincing. And entertaining too.
So read this book. You may not have heard of the author before (I hadn't before I picked it up), but don't let that put you off. Try something different and be astonished and gratified by the change!
I can't remember how long is it since I read a book that satisfies on so many levels. It is immensely clever (in a good way), brilliantly planned and meticulously detailed. But more than anything else it is a rip-roaring good read. So absorbing in fact that I wound up being late for work more than once because I could not put it down over breakfast!
The craft in the storytelling - letting the different threads unravel with just the right pace, cadence and cross-interference - is simply wonderful; in fact amazing for a first novel. Likewise the richness and density of the content suggests that the author might have spent years in research and preparation. Maybe he has just spent more time gambling, reading and having sex than most people. Whatever, there is an energy and sensuousness running through the entire narrative that ranges from exhilarating to oppressive - it's hard not to feel baked dry by the glaring Arizona sun - and it just carries you along with it like a tidal wave.
And then comes the best achievement: this book has something very important to say. It is about the way we view ourselves, our expectations of our lives, the way we choose to live them, and the consequences it brings. Legendre delivers this message beautifully: not preachy nor sensational, but passionately and grounded in a logic that makes it utterly convincing. And entertaining too.
So read this book. You may not have heard of the author before (I hadn't before I picked it up), but don't let that put you off. Try something different and be astonished and gratified by the change!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This novel blew me away! Legendre has a great ability for showing how economics can apply to the emotional aspects of a person's life. There are loads of great insights woven into the writing as well as truly fascinating characters (although I didn't care for some of the minor characters as much). I especially liked the way Legendre seamlessly wove together all the economics and physics and gambling and sex. The descriptions of the American southwest are also evocative and powerful. On the down side, I found the slang of two of the minor characters irritating, but fortunately they aren't around very much! I recommend this book to anyone who wants a gripping and thought provoking experience.
Format:Hardcover
As I have never cared for economics, I didn't think I would enjoy this novel, but I was completely swept away by the story and the characters and the setting, all superbly rendered. The narrator's voice is a bit odd at first, but I warmed up to it rather quickly. I think it is meant to call into question many of the reader's assumptions, much in the way Logan (the main character) questions the assumptions of economics. This narrator's voice is also the voice of an economist, developing its own passion as the novel progresses. By the end I simply couldn't put it down.
My only complaints are that sometimes the sex was a bit too graphic and I couldn't quite follow the details of the gambling (perhaps because I've never visited Las Vegas), but these were minor distractions. This is one of the best novels I have read in years.
My only complaints are that sometimes the sex was a bit too graphic and I couldn't quite follow the details of the gambling (perhaps because I've never visited Las Vegas), but these were minor distractions. This is one of the best novels I have read in years.
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