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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 . . .'
Paul Auster fuses Samuel Beckett and The Brothers Grimm in this brilliant and unsettling parable.
Following the death of his father, Jim Nashe takes to the open road. But there he picks up Pozzi, a hitchhiking gambler, and is drawn into a dangerous game of high-stakes poker with two eccentric and reclusive millionaires.
About the Author
Paul Auster was born in New Jersey in 1947. After attending Columbia University he lived in France for four years. Since 1974, he has published poems, essays, novels, screenplys and translations. He has also edited the story collection TRUE TALES OF AMERICAN LIFE. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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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.
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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 24 months ago 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
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