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"A grand novel--grand in its reach, grand in its themes, grand in it patterning . . . If Powers were an American writer of the nineteenth century . . . he'd probably be the Herman Melville of "Moby-Dick". His picture is that big."--Margaret Atwood, "The New York Review of Books"
"A brilliant novel . . . A vision of wonder."--"The Boston Globe"
"Fascinating . . . In the end we see what Powers, with his beautiful language and broad reach, always wishes to have us see: the eternal mystery of human personality and how it functions in the extreme drama of the modern world."--"O, The Oprah Magazine"
"A kind of neuro-cosmological adventure . . . an exhilarating narrative feat . . . Powers is a formidable talent, and this is a lucid, fiercely entertaining novel."--"The Washington Post Book World"
"A wise and elegant post-9/11 novel . . . The mysteries unfold so organically and stealthily that you are unaware of his machinations until they come to stunning fruition. . . . Powers accomplishes something magnificent."--Colson Whitehead, "The New York Times Book Review"
"Powers may well be one of the smartest novelists now writing. . . . In "The Echo Maker, " Powers hopes to plumb the nature of consciousness, and he does so with such alert passion that we come to recognize in his quest the novel's abiding theme--What it means to be human will forever elude us."--"Los Angeles Times Book Review"
"One of the year's most engrossing."--"Entertainment Weekly"
"[Powers's] characters are unforgettable, flesh-and-blood individuals as finely drawn as those of any contemporary fiction writer."--Steve Weinberg, "The Seattle Times"
"A brilliant novel . . . A vision of wonder."--"The Boston Globe"
"Fascinating . . . In the end we see what Powers, with his beautiful language and broad reach, always wishes to have us see: the eternal mystery of human personality and how it functions in the extreme drama of the modern world."--"O, The Oprah Magazine"
"A kind of neuro-cosmological adventure . . . an exhilarating narrative feat . . . Powers is a formidable talent, and this is a lucid, fiercely entertaining novel."--"The Washington Post Book World"
"A wise and elegant post-9/11 novel . . . The mysteries unfold so organically and stealthily that you are unaware of his machinations until they come to stunning fruition. . . . Powers accomplishes something magnificent."--Colson Whitehead, "The New York Times Book Review"
"Powers may well be one of the smartest novelists now writing. . . . In "The Echo Maker, " Powers hopes to plumb the nature of consciousness, and he does so with such alert passion that we come to recognize in his quest the novel's abiding theme--What it means to be human will forever elude us."--"Los Angeles Times Book Review"
"One of the year's most engrossing."--"Entertainment Weekly"
"[Powers's] characters are unforgettable, flesh-and-blood individuals as finely drawn as those of any contemporary fiction writer."--Steve Weinberg, "The Seattle Times"
The Sunday Telegraph
`Richard Powers specialises in strong human stories...and this engossing tale, set in Nebraska, finds him at his formidable best'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Another impressive and entertaining novel from Richard Powers. He does well at taking a big theme and using it as an extended metaphor throughout the narrative. In this instance, the phenomenon of brain disorders, specifically Capgras Syndrome, is well deployed to drive both plot and character. For anyone with a very basic knowledge of consciousness this book will be informative. It presents the facts in a very accessible way, although the inclusion of certain case studies did sometimes feel contrived.
Powers excels at portraying the debilitating and disturbing effects of brain damage on both the victim, Mark Schluter, and his sister Karin. The notion of identity, and how much of what we are is defined by the acknowledgement of those we love, is well explored. Power's is good at showing how Karin's inherent insecurities and lack of confidence are compounded by her brother's refusal to recognize her. Mark's paranoia, changes of personality and sort of improvement are also convincingly described.
Power's handling of the eco-theme is less assured. The descriptions of the cranes show his characteristic linguistic strengths - there is a wonderful, aching lyricism to the writing. But the larger issues of over-development and threat to nature felt rather predictable and bland. Certainly, these are important subjects, but Power's failed to bring them alive with his usual intensity.
There is also a bit of a `who done it?' twist to the novel. This makes for interesting guessing along the way and the outcome was unexpected for me.
What I missed most in the book was the emotional intensity of his last one, The Time of Our Singing. There the language and insight regularly soared to exquisite heights. It would indeed have been quite a feat to manage that again. So perhaps we cannot blame Power's for not quite managing it.
The Echo-Maker is, nonetheless, a good and satisfying read.
Powers excels at portraying the debilitating and disturbing effects of brain damage on both the victim, Mark Schluter, and his sister Karin. The notion of identity, and how much of what we are is defined by the acknowledgement of those we love, is well explored. Power's is good at showing how Karin's inherent insecurities and lack of confidence are compounded by her brother's refusal to recognize her. Mark's paranoia, changes of personality and sort of improvement are also convincingly described.
Power's handling of the eco-theme is less assured. The descriptions of the cranes show his characteristic linguistic strengths - there is a wonderful, aching lyricism to the writing. But the larger issues of over-development and threat to nature felt rather predictable and bland. Certainly, these are important subjects, but Power's failed to bring them alive with his usual intensity.
There is also a bit of a `who done it?' twist to the novel. This makes for interesting guessing along the way and the outcome was unexpected for me.
What I missed most in the book was the emotional intensity of his last one, The Time of Our Singing. There the language and insight regularly soared to exquisite heights. It would indeed have been quite a feat to manage that again. So perhaps we cannot blame Power's for not quite managing it.
The Echo-Maker is, nonetheless, a good and satisfying read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I always ending buying copies of this book (mostly second hand I confess) because I give so many copies away, or people borrow a copy and it never comes back and i feel I'm taking something important away from them if I ask for it back. This book more than most others you can read again and again because it has a poetry and a depth you just cannot find in other novels.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A good story with a twist in the tale, along with a good portrayal of the tragedy of brain injury and the effects on the family.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Serious psychology in a novel
American author Richard Powers explores the ideas of mind, soul and self in this prize-winning novel. Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2008 by J. Cronin
Outstanding
Ignore all the negative comments here and read the (proper) reviews on the book itself. It's a book about people and their relationships, about emotions, identity and memory and... Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2008 by pencil
Too Long & Too Much Jargon, and Where did the Plot Go?
I enjoyed the start of this book - and then it just seemed to drift, and go nowhere fast. There was two much technical information that did nothing for the plot. Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2008 by K. Ibbotson
A Patchy Novel of the Mind
This book is like an extremely slow roller-coaster, there are highs, lows and the odd sharp turn, but ultimately moments of exhilaration are few and far between, and it's all a bit... Read more
Published on 23 July 2008 by Quicksilver
Extremely unimpressed
I found this book very very slow in pace and hugely frustrating. I've never read a book until now that I've actually wanted to rip in half!! Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2008 by K. Whiteman
Nonfiction Book About Brain Injuries and Consciousness Wrapped into a...
It's hard for me to know who would like this book. It contains a great deal of information about how the brain works, consciousness is created, and the quirks of various mental... Read more
Published on 14 May 2008 by Donald Mitchell
Nonfiction Book About Brain Injuries and Consciousness Wrapped into a...
It's hard for me to know who would like this book. It contains a great deal of information about how the brain works, consciousness is created, and the quirks of various mental... Read more
Published on 14 May 2008 by Donald Mitchell
An Echo of Greatness
The Echo Maker is Richard Powers nineth novel, and its greatness can be measured by the fact that it was a Pulitzer prize finalist and went on to win the National Book Award, 2006. Read more
Published on 9 May 2008 by Herman Norford
An ambitious and thought-provoking novel
This is a big novel in every respect - over 550 pages long; tackling big themes like human identity and the fate of the environment; and bringing in the latest thinking from the... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2008 by J. H. Bretts
A fascinating and intelligent story, tackling many big themes
"The Echo Maker" is the ninth and latest novel by American author Richard Powers. One winter's night in Nebraska, Karin Schluter receives a call: her brother Mark has been involved... Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2008 by The Wanderer
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