- Hardcover: 128 pages
- Publisher: Flamingo (5 Jun 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007129688
- ISBN-13: 978-0007129683
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,635,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
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
Review
‘One of the many remarkable achievements of this precise yet mysterious novel is its brevity: into its 120-odd pages Marcel Möring folds a war memoir, a family psychodrama and a meditation on time and memory. With a winning lightness of touch, he pinpoints that cusp of adolescence when a child begins to wake up to what he is, feeling "the first nudge in the back that later becomes the rhythm of life itself, grown-up life", and to apprehend the multi-layered pasts that have made his parents what they are. The Dream Room effortlessly weaves the freshness of a child's perspective with the wisdom of recollection. It is a miracle of compression: everything is significant, yet nothing is laboured. One races through it, eager to discover the heart of the mystery, right to the end of the stubbornly resistant coda in which the adult David offers us a fairy story; the concentrated narrative perfected into myth. And then one reads it again, still looking for the kind of answers that can't be
‘It’s been a while since a Continental star of fiction shone over here in the Kundera or Eco style. Moring stakes a strong claim to that role with this quite magnificent performance. Rich, Dickensian storytelling, warm and wise humour, a sweeping sense of history – a world-class performance from the new Dutch master.’ Independent (on In Babylon)
‘Immensely rewarding, instantly readable yet full of imagery, myth and magic.’ Good Book Guide
‘In Babylon is that rarest of things: a truly intelligent novel with a terrific story at its heart.’ Amazon
‘A fat, rich novel, stuffed with story, bulging with plot. Read it once then read it again.’ The Times
CARP (Holland)
‘It takes Möring only ten pages to turn his characters into flesh and blood, loved by the reader, anxious to know their secrets.’
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
WHEN, IN A SUDDEN SURGE OF PRIDE, HE GAVE UP his old job without actually having a new one, my father decided to build model airplanes. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
WHEN, IN A SUDDEN SURGE OF PRIDE, HE GAVE UP his old job without actually having a new one, my father decided to build model airplanes. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
The story is narrated by a 12 year old boy, in a period following WW2. David and his family spend a summer constructing model aeroplanes for their landlord, a toy shop owner. At the same time, we learn about how his parents met, and are introduced to an old friend, Humbert Coe, who holds the key to family secrets.
This is a very short but poignant novel. The characters are quiet but solid, and against a gentle sense of humour, there is a backdrop of sadness, or loss. Read in one sitting, if you can, so that the small details and connections do not evade capture. It's a subtle web, in which dreams and memories intersect but can easily slip beyond grasp if you aren't paying attention.
I was a little uncomfortable with the final chapter which I felt reverted to sentimental cliche, at odds with all that had preceded it. But even though the story is set in a very specific period of history, it also has the timeless quality of a fable, so the 'traditional' framework is perhaps forgiveable.
This is a very short but poignant novel. The characters are quiet but solid, and against a gentle sense of humour, there is a backdrop of sadness, or loss. Read in one sitting, if you can, so that the small details and connections do not evade capture. It's a subtle web, in which dreams and memories intersect but can easily slip beyond grasp if you aren't paying attention.
I was a little uncomfortable with the final chapter which I felt reverted to sentimental cliche, at odds with all that had preceded it. But even though the story is set in a very specific period of history, it also has the timeless quality of a fable, so the 'traditional' framework is perhaps forgiveable.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A sane very moving book about growing up which made me feel renewed afterwards. It is a celebration of small things, often unmentioned, unacknowledged which colour life, ideas and dreams in deep and vital ways. It's not an English book. That's its value. We need reminding of the sacred ordinary in our frantic search for meaning in laws and behaviour in UK. A humane optimism warms the prose (and the reader). It suits most ages over 15. The title says it all!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Beautifully written - this marvellous novel brings its characters to life superbly, and manages to be entertaining, moving and though-provoking - all in about 120 pages.
Very highly recommended indeed.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
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.
