See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Motherless Brooklyn (Vintage Contemporaries)
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Motherless Brooklyn (Vintage Contemporaries) (Paperback)

by Jonathan Lethem (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


36 used from £1.28
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 4 used & new from £13.95
Paperback (New edition) £7.99 £4.95 32 used & new from £1.25
Hardcover (Large Print) 2 used & new from £21.10
Turtleback Order it used

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Fortress of Solitude

The Fortress of Solitude

by Jonathan Lethem
3.6 out of 5 stars (13)  £5.39
The Road

The Road

by Cormac McCarthy
4.3 out of 5 stars (327)  £2.99
Beyond the Silence: My Life, the World and Autism

Beyond the Silence: My Life, the World and Autism

by Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £7.99
Gun with Occasional Music

Gun with Occasional Music

by Jonathan Lethem
4.2 out of 5 stars (5)  £7.99
Wonder Boys

Wonder Boys

by Michael Chabon
4.1 out of 5 stars (7)  £7.19
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage Books USA (Oct 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0375724834
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375724831
  • Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.2 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 156,435 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Sunday Times
'A detective novel of winning humour and exhilarating originality.' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Time Out
'Terrific.' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Product Description

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)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
tourettes
brooklyn
new york novels
detective
entertaining
jonathan lethem
contemporary american fiction
zendo
world lit
noir
mystery

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Motherless Brooklyn (Vintage Contemporaries)
79% buy the item featured on this page:
Motherless Brooklyn (Vintage Contemporaries) 4.6 out of 5 stars (7)
The Fortress of Solitude
9% buy
The Fortress of Solitude 3.6 out of 5 stars (13)
£5.39
Motherless Brooklyn
6% buy
Motherless Brooklyn 4.2 out of 5 stars (13)
Gun with Occasional Music
4% buy
Gun with Occasional Music 4.2 out of 5 stars (5)
£7.99
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Exhilirating and Convincing Characters!, 19 Dec 2002
By Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Motherless Brooklyn (Thorndike Basic) (Hardcover)
Jonathan Lethem is a true original. His latest, "Motherless Brooklyn" manages to spin a tale of orphan misfits, detectives, gangsters and a main character that suffers from Tourette Syndrome into an impressive, rapid paced melee. The descriptions of the Brooklyn area, the characters and all the necessary sensory perceptions needed come through in snappy prose. Lethem's description of the 'impulses' and 'partly contollable' symptoms of Tourette are dead-on. Never has this reviewer read anything that so accurately captures the essence of Tourette and the personality in a novel. The reader can feel the symptoms of Tourette welling up in themselves as strongly as the character does on the page.

Half detective story and half a case study of a young man with Tourette, Lethem intertwines the two deftly, giving the reader little time to breathe between events.

The detective story may be slightly hackneyed and the closeness of the orphans and thier Fagan-like detective mentor could have been more intimately detailed, but Lionel Essrog and his Tourette's make fantastic fodder. Lethem goes for broke. This novel describes Tourette and real life on the streets like no other author has before.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An complex and original "whodunit", 2 Mar 2001
By A Customer
An Intriguing detective story, where the "detective" is a delinquent member of a gang of toughs, victim of Tourette's Syndrome. The argument is continuous and gripping. The struggle against the syndrome has elements of pathos and humour, and give a uniquely human touch to the sufferer and principal personality.

The story is set in Brooklyn, and gives some insight into the virtues and vices of the lives of the . The author is unknown to me, so when I picked the book up and started reading it, I was pleasantly suprised when I found that, not only is the story good, but it is also well written.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, genuinely inventive writing, sharp and humourous, 28 Feb 2001
By A Customer
This is the best book I have read this year. Lethem is an excellent storyteller, inventive and unusual in his character depiction and engaging throughout. The dialogue is sharp, witty and perceptive between a collection of orphaned individuals whose universe revolves around the leadership of an exploitative father figure in a shadowy area of Brooklyn. It is part coming of age, part detective story, part sheer inventive storytelling and I liked it immensely.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great hybrid of hard-boiled detective novel with psychological insight
I've read all of Jonathan Lethem's books and enjoyed them all - some more than others. This is in the top bracket - very good. Great plot, good characters, well written. Read more
Published 11 hours ago by Jezza

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving, funny and oddly poetic.
This is a unique and beautiful novel, I would agree with the other reviewers who rate it as Lethem's best. Read more
Published 9 months ago by N. Adams

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique, original, inventive - Lethem's best?
I'd rate this as Jonathan Lethem's most successful book.
In addition, he manages to create a convincing new angle in the criminal detective genre - a hard thing to do, given... Read more
Published on 15 May 2007 by nemo

3.0 out of 5 stars Surreal detective novel set in Brooklyn
Motherless Brooklyn opens with a small-time mobster, Frank Minna, dying of fatal gunshot wounds, leaving his limo service cum detective agency rudderless. Read more
Published on 14 May 2006 by kimbofo

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

›Shop The Body Shop

  

More From Jonathan Lethem

Wastelands: Stories of...

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse

Famine, death, war, and pestilence: the four horsemen of the... Read more

 

Up to 50% off Dental Care

Braun Oral-B Professional Care 6000 Rechargeable Toothbrush - Pack of 2
Put a sparkle in your smile with up to 50% off selected Oral-B and Philips rechargeable toothbrushes.

›Up to 50% off power toothbrushes

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (76)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (464)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (166)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (87)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates