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Penguin Lost (Paperback)

by Andrey Kurkov (Author), George Bird (Translator)
2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Paperback (New edition) £7.99 £4.99 32 used & new from £1.15

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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: The Harvill Press (4 Mar 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1843430959
  • ISBN-13: 978-1843430957
  • Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 13.6 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 348,557 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Scotsman

'A darkly comic and offbeat journey. P-p-p-pick it up!' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


Product Description

When last we saw Viktor, in the final pages of Death and the Penguin, he was taking his seat aboard the Expedition to Antarctica plane, fearing for his life. Meanwhile, Penguin Misha was left abandoned in a clinic recovering from a heart transplant. Now, in Penguin Lost, we join Viktor for his brief stay in and escape from Antarctica to discover that, characteristically, he has fallen on his feet. Visiting, on his return to Kiev, Penguinologist Pidpaly's grave, Viktor mistakes an elusive child in white shirt and black shorts for Misha on funeral duty. He is first interrogated and then befriended by a Mafia boss who, while burying his contract-killed son-in-law, is also running for election as People's Deputy. Viktor helps in his campaign, and is rewarded with introductions to those able to further his desperate search for Misha, said to be in the zoo of the murderous Chechen Khachayev. For Viktor, it is both a quest and an odyssey of atonement; for the reader, an experience as rich, topical and black-humouredly illuminating as Death and the Penguin.
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52% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
2.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing and unnecessary sequel., 12 May 2004
By Chandler (London) - See all my reviews
Firstly, this book will make very little sense if you have not read 'Death and the Penguin', which introduced Viktor and Misha, the penguin who he adopted when the Kiev zoo closed down. The first book is quite brilliant, especially for the maudlin character of Misha, who suffers from depression and is integral to the plot set in post-Soviet Ukraine. A typical Kurkov joke is to describe another human character as 'Misha-non-Penguin' to distinguish him from the penguin.

'Penguin Lost' suffers for the absence of Misha- the plot is disjointed and jumps from one idea to the next - within 3 pages of the start, a coincidental meeting to cause Viktor to leave Antartica and provides him a reason to go to Moscow. Similarly convenient events occur to take the plot through the corruption of post-Soviet politics and the war in Chechenya.

Whereas the first book was effortless and full of mordant humour, the second seems forced, as if written to order. I very much wanted to enjoy this book, but regret that it is an average novel on its own merit and a sad and unnecessary sequel.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Weak sequel to Death and the Penguin, 30 Aug 2009
By Spilsbury (UK, Liverpool) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Penguin Lost (Paperback)
This book was for the main part disappointing, lacking a strong storyline and without the paciness and satire of the first part of the Penguin story. In this story Viktor goes in search of his penguin Misha that he 'lost' in the first episode after falling foul of the Mafia, writing Obituaries for a Government agency, involved in the liquidation or cleansing of society of its criminal elements. There are some interesting themes. Viktor in search of the wretched Penguin ends up in Chechnya. By way of hoping to meet the Boss who holds Misha, he embarks on a period of work for the aforementioned Khachaev, and finds himself disposing of corpses in a decommissioned oil industry furnace!
Something of the worst elements of Stalins 30's immediately spring to mind. There is no emotion or morality ever questioned by author or characters, which is quite disturbing, and no doubt is intended to reflect the moral vacuum of the former Soviet space.
Towards the end of the book, the story loses its way and becomes quite tedious. Viktor thankfully finally gets a fast boat to Argentina with some Bosnian Croats and conveniently marries the ship captains daughter, thus escaping his Ukrainian life which had promised more-and maybe worse- of the same. More importantly the morose penguin is finally liberated, and with a final hard stare disappears from the pages of a book forever.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Lost something in the translation?, 17 Oct 2006
By Green Pixie (Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Penguin Lost (Paperback)
As strange and surreal as Death and the Penguin, but not quite as good. The story is a real rollercoaster, galloping along, taking bizarre and sudden twists and turns, but it seemed a bit patchy. Some sections were very detailed, while others just sketched. It almost felt like there were bits missing, or as if the translating was rather perfunctory in places (although the same translator worked on both Penguin books).
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed it, and will read more Kurkov when I get the opportunity.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Reader Won
This is a worthy sequel to Death and the Penguin. Although ultimately not as good, in some ways, PL is superior to the prequel. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. Bowditch

1.0 out of 5 stars Disapointing Sequel
The first book was charming, if lacking a little depth. This book seems to full of rather convenient coincidences and women everywhere seem to just jump into bed with him! Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2006 by Mr. I. P. Moore

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