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The Wrench (Abacus Books) (Hardcover)

by Primo Levi (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £4.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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The Wrench (Abacus Books) + The Periodic Table (Penguin Modern Classics) + If Not Now, When? (Penguin Modern Classics)
Price For All Three: £17.44

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 176 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus; New edition edition (21 Jul 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0349100128
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349100128
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.6 x 1.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 22,940 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #4 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > L > Levi, Primo
    #5 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > P > Primo, Levi

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Product Description

Review

A beautiful book by a beautiful man. Not a word he has written should be missed.' - Independent 'A masterpiece of quiet patience' - London Daily News


LONDON DAILY NEWS

'A masterpiece of quiet patience'
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Wrench (Abacus Books)
47% buy the item featured on this page:
The Wrench (Abacus Books) 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
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The Periodic Table (Penguin Modern Classics)
13% buy
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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A simple thing well done., 12 Feb 2004
A previous reviewer claimed "there is no heroism in the mundane." Perhaps. Yet, despite Bernard Levin's cover note, heroism was never the subject of this book. Levi saw too much of the fallibility of humans to divide them into "heroes" and "mortals".

A better divsion would be lovers of life and whatever their antithesis may be. Read his poem, "Some other Monday" for an insight into the simple pleasures of life that Levi held so dear. From the depths of his suffering at the end of the war, Levi absurdly imagines the voice of the tannoy announcer at Turin Station bellowing out "I'll tell you who's going to heaven/hell", the former being those who innocently love life, the latter, the cynics and smart-arses.

The Wrench it is a reflection of Levi's other life, the one before and after his encounter with the extraordinary. The simple, unheroic one in which he found peace, contentment, fulfilment and the odd mundane adventure in his day-to-day business. The original Italian title, a much more subtle play on words than "The Wrench" perhaps suggests something of Levi's simple philosophy: "La Chiave a Stelle" - "The Key with Stars", the Italian term for a Monkey wrench, but maybe also the key TO the stars?

Faussonne is an ordinary man, performing an ordinary job, but in this book he transcends the ordinary in his love and devotion for his everyday tasks. Maybe there is no heroism in this, but the satisfaction of a simple thing, done to the best of one's ability is, in Levi's experience the key to happiness.

A beautiful, simple and profoundly unheroic book.

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5 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars a mix of mundane and profound, 30 Nov 1999
By A Customer
a book that mixes construction with greek mythology. a book that remains with you and is not easily forgotten
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