Some time around his 50th birthday, Ambrose Zephyr fails his annual medical check-up. An illness of inexplicable origin with no known or foreseeable cure is diagnosed and it will kill him within a month. Give or take a day. In the time that remains, he decides to travel to all the places he has most loved or ever wanted to visit, in strict alphabetical order. And so, Ambrose and his wife Zipper embark upon a strange adventure that takes them further and further away from home and doesn't quite turn out as either of them had expected.
The End Of The Alphabet
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'Richardson imbues the tale with intelligence and wit ... it packs in a remarkable amount of wisdom.' -- Metro
`A quirky, feel-good novella' -- Scotland on Sunday
`An elegant little fable, charmingly written, and a tender, grateful paen to time, love and literature' -- Guardian
`The ingenious theme is a framework for a story of tender romance and discovery that lifts and breaks the heart'
-- Saga
`[An] appealing book... it has a genuine and tender heart.'
-- FT magazine
`A quirky, feel-good novella' -- Scotland on Sunday
`An elegant little fable, charmingly written, and a tender, grateful paen to time, love and literature' -- Guardian
`The ingenious theme is a framework for a story of tender romance and discovery that lifts and breaks the heart'
-- Saga
`[An] appealing book... it has a genuine and tender heart.'
-- FT magazine
About the Author
CS RICHARDSON has worked in Ontario as a book designer for over 20 years, winning Canada's most prestigious design awards on several occasions and having his work exhibited at the Frankfurt and Leipzig Book Fairs. He is currently at work on his second novel for Portobello
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When Ambrose Zephyr is diagnosed with an unidentified terminal illness and given only a month to live, he decides to make the most of his final days. Accompanied by his wife Zappora Ashkenazi (also known as Zipper) he sets off on a journey round the world, visiting each city on his list in alphabetical order. Will they make it to the end of the alphabet before time runs out for Ambrose?
At 128 pages, this is more of a novella than a novel and could easily be read in one sitting. I think the book might have lost its impact had it been any longer; I felt that the shortness of the book and the shortness of the individual chapters reflected the speed at which Ambrose's remaining days were slipping away from him.
I loved the alphabetical theme which runs throughout the book from the characters' initials (AZ and ZA) to the chapter titles (each stage of their journey is headed with the corresponding letter of the alphabet). Each place they visit brings back memories and evokes strong emotions for both Ambrose and Zipper. Richardson has given his characters a surprising amount of depth for such a short book; it was interesting to see how they each coped with the news of Ambrose's illness in their own different ways.
Although there is quite a lot of dialogue in the book, the author has decided not to use quotation marks which made following the conversations unnecessarily confusing. I also sometimes found it hard to tell whether certain scenes were happening in the present or in a flashback. However, other readers will probably love his writing style.
Despite the tragic subject matter, I thought it was a warm, charming story and an impressive debut novel by CS Richardson.
At 128 pages, this is more of a novella than a novel and could easily be read in one sitting. I think the book might have lost its impact had it been any longer; I felt that the shortness of the book and the shortness of the individual chapters reflected the speed at which Ambrose's remaining days were slipping away from him.
I loved the alphabetical theme which runs throughout the book from the characters' initials (AZ and ZA) to the chapter titles (each stage of their journey is headed with the corresponding letter of the alphabet). Each place they visit brings back memories and evokes strong emotions for both Ambrose and Zipper. Richardson has given his characters a surprising amount of depth for such a short book; it was interesting to see how they each coped with the news of Ambrose's illness in their own different ways.
Although there is quite a lot of dialogue in the book, the author has decided not to use quotation marks which made following the conversations unnecessarily confusing. I also sometimes found it hard to tell whether certain scenes were happening in the present or in a flashback. However, other readers will probably love his writing style.
Despite the tragic subject matter, I thought it was a warm, charming story and an impressive debut novel by CS Richardson.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Joachimski
Format:Paperback
Richardson has worked as a publisher in Canada for more than twenty years and has won several prizes for excellent book design. This is his first book of fiction, a small delicately made and wrote novella. His protagonist Ambrose Zephyr (A-Z) has just turned 50 (like his author?) when he is diagnosed with a terminal illness that only leaves him one more month to live.
So he and his beloved wife Zappora Ashkenazi (Z-A), called Zipper, set out on a tour of the world from A-Z, following Zephyr's obsession with the alphabet that dates back to his childhood.
The reader never really knows if the couple experience their journey in the present or relive stations in their life together. They only come as far as Istanbul, then Ambrose wants to return home to England. The short chapters are headed with letters of the alphabet and when they reach Z, Zephyr dies and the tragically wonderful love story ends.
All very elegant, sophisticated, but strangely empty like the notebook Skipper buys on their trip and can only write into after Ambrose`s death.
You might suspect that Richardson put more effort in the design of the book, which is perfect, than in the story.
So he and his beloved wife Zappora Ashkenazi (Z-A), called Zipper, set out on a tour of the world from A-Z, following Zephyr's obsession with the alphabet that dates back to his childhood.
The reader never really knows if the couple experience their journey in the present or relive stations in their life together. They only come as far as Istanbul, then Ambrose wants to return home to England. The short chapters are headed with letters of the alphabet and when they reach Z, Zephyr dies and the tragically wonderful love story ends.
All very elegant, sophisticated, but strangely empty like the notebook Skipper buys on their trip and can only write into after Ambrose`s death.
You might suspect that Richardson put more effort in the design of the book, which is perfect, than in the story.
By H. McCabe
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love this book. I was given a copy as a present and have since bought another half a dozen to give to friends, because it has everything going for it - the story is lovely and quite engaging without being taxing. The characters are interesting. It is quite short as well so not a great undertaking - I have read it in a day comfortably at least once. But the thing I really love about this book, particularly the hardback edition is that it s beautifully presented and set. The book is smaller than your normal size, the font and type size are perfect, the spacing and indent just make it such a joy to hold and read through. The care that has been taken is obvious and it really makes a difference. If you think I'm being picky and stupid just try it and see.
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