- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Faber and Faber; New edition edition (20 Mar 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0571203035
- ISBN-13: 978-0571203031
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 11.2 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,333,307 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
Product Description
'By the time Nashe understood what was happening to him, he was past the point of wanting it to end . . .'
Following the death of his father and the inheritance of a large sum of money, Jim Nashe takes to the open road in pursuit of a 'life of freedom'. But as the money runs out he finds that his sense of disillusionment has only been compounded by his year on the road. However, having picked up Pozzi, a hitchhiking young gambler, he is drawn into a dangerous game of poker with Flower and Stone, two eccentric and reclusive millionaires. Unwittingly, Nashe finds himself in a situation in which, although the stakes have been raised, he will finally meet a challenge equal to his questions.
About the Author
Paul Auster is the best-selling author of Invisible, Man in the Dark, The Brooklyn Follies, The Book of Illusions, The New York Trilogy, among many other works. In 2006 he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature and inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Among his other honours are the Independent Spirit Award for the screenplay of Smoke and the Prix Medicis Etranger for Leviathan. He has also been short-listed for both the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (The Book of Illusions) and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (The Music of Chance). His work has been translated into more than thirty languages. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
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
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There is something about The Music of Chance that makes the reader fall in love with Paul Auster.It could be the clarity of his prose and his real precision with language. It might be that he takes an idea, two men being forced to build a wall because they lost a poker game, and elevates it from the absurd to the brilliant. The novel speaks about chance - brief encounters with people and ideas. It is a beautiful novel.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A thought provoking tale. Asks us whether a man can be truly free, and indeed, whether such freedom necessarily leads to happiness. Nashe comes into an inheritance, setting off on an aimless driving marathon around the USA. He only feels free when driving, but must keep going to avoid his responsibilities and the real world catching up with him. Eventually, with his money running out, a chance encounter with a young gambler leads to Nashe losing his precious liberty in bizarre fashion. I strongly recommend this book, whether read just as a strange story, or as an examination of Man's existential plight.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I thought i would read a Paul Auster book as i have not before.Music Of Chance tells the story of Jim Nashe and Jack Pozzi who are two strangers who meet up by chance.Pozzi is a poker player and he and Nashe end up playing a card game for a lot of money.I will not go into too much detail but i will say i enjoyed this little novel.I cannot say for certain what it is about but there is obviously a larger subtext to the story then my awful synopsis suggests.The character Nashe seems to be going a bit,shall we say existentialist.Finding a freedom and also futility in letting go,seeing something through.Nicely written by Auster with good characters and thoughtful story.I am going to try Don Delilo next so i will most certainly return to Auster soon.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
"He risks everything on the single blind turn of the card..."
I'm an immense fan of Paul Auster's writing. He is disquieting, edgy, and probes the deeper recesses of the reader's mind. Read more
Published 6 months ago by John P. Jones III
Is this a social fable?
Having read almost all of Auster's novels, I find that their appeal often lies in the ideas they deal in rather than the plots, which are sometimes less than spectacular. Read more
Published 21 months ago by reader 451
Masterpiece
I first studied this book at university and have been hooked on Auster ever since. The book follows the story or Pozzi and Nashe as Auster details his ideas on the order - or lack... Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2010 by Mr. C. B. Foote
Suspense and Brilliance
Faber and Faber's 2005 publication of some of Paul Auster's novels in collected form has made it more convenient to embark on Auster binges, eating up two or three of his novels in... Read more
Published on 4 April 2010 by Leyla Sanai
hypnotizing
It took me a good 50 pages to get into it but once I was into it I could not put this novel down ! As soon as the hero meets Pozzi, I got hooked. Read more
Published on 6 April 2009 by French reader
'Chance' - the musical !
I'm having a sudden urge to raid Paul Auster's works, following up `Mr. Vertigo` with `The Music of Chance`, a book I had long-neglected but somehow - like an Auster character,... Read more
Published on 21 Nov 2008 by Demob Happy
It's all about the journey
Unlike Leviathan which took me by the scruff of my neck from page one, it took me about 30 pages to get off the blocks with Music of Chance. Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2004 by "jimconnor9"
Cleverly crafted tale of fate..
This novel begins with a random chance encounter, and as the story develops Auster weaves this blinding tale of how fate and destiny can be manipulated by circumstance. Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2000 by Mr. G. S. Rencourt
A reader from Tokyo
Bizarre. It is a very strange book - the characters in it are extremely strange, almost unbelievable, and Paul Auster has created a strange world where reality twists and a simple... Read more
Published on 20 April 2000
You all might think I'm fulla beans, but here goes....
First I saw the movie, and halfway through, it literally detonated in my head. It's a Freemasonic allegory! Read more
Published on 2 Sep 1999
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
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.
