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Nabaza.net-The MarketPlace - Timbuktu: A Novel
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List Price: $12.00
Our Price: $9.60
Your Save: $ 2.40 ( 20% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Picador
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780312263997
ISBN: 0312263996
Label: Picador
Manufacturer: Picador
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 192
Publication Date: 2000-05-01
Publisher: Picador
Studio: Picador
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Editorial Reviews:
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Mr. Bones, the canine hero of Paul Auster's astonishing new book, is the sidekick and confidant of Willy G. Christmas, a brilliant and troubled homeless man from Brooklyn. As Willy's body slowly expires, he sets off with Mr. Bones for Baltimore in search of his high school English teacher and a new home for his companion. Mr. Bones is our witness during their journey, and out of his thoughts, Paul Auster has spun one of the richest, most compelling tales in American fiction.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Very touching book
Comment: very touching book. Dog lovers will relate to this book and see their dogs under a different perspective.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sweet and believable
Comment: Everyone who shares their life with a dog has undoubtedly wondered how cognizant their canine friend is. How much can a dog reason? How much do they truly understand? Many times, writers anthropomorphize animals making their narratives unbelievable and outlandish. This is not the case with Paul Auster's Timbuktu, which follows a short time in the life of old dog: Mr. Bones.
Mr. Bones is the companion of Willy G. Christmas, a homeless poet of questionable mental health. But Willy is sick and soon Mr. Bones's life will change irrevocably. Auster tells the story from Mr. Bones's point of view, taking into consideration all the things most important to our canine companions, and never crossing over into the unbelievability of over-anthropomorphizing.
A lovely read.
- C.A.Wulff, author of Born Without a Tail
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Charming Novel By An Unpredictable Author
Comment: I absolutely admire Paul Auster because whenever I pick up one of his books, I totally have no idea what to expect. You've surely noticed how some authors basically tell the same story over and over again? Not Auster. I've read quite a few of his works by now, and while he has similar themes delving into aspects of humanity, he delivers each and every one of said themes in a totally original and captivating manner.
Timbuktu is unlike anything I thought Auster capable of writing. Our narrator and protagonist is Mr. Bones, a through-and-through mutt owned by a delusional and kind-hearted vagabond named Willy. We see life through Mr. Bones' eyes, and Auster does a magnificent job of breaking we humans down to our most essential characteristics. Mr. Bones sees life as it is, and sees us for who we are.
The story took a while to heat up because Willy proclaimed early on that death awaited him. The only problem was, while death certainly awaited him, I got irritated waiting for Willy to finally die so that Mr. Bones' next step in life could begin. Once Willy headed for Timbuktu and Mr. Bones blazed a new trail in the world, I could hardly put the book down.
Again, I can hardly believe the man who wrote The New York Trilogy, an utterly experimental and complex work, also wrote Timbuktu, a short novel told to us from the experiences of a dog.
Auster is a true artist, a man willing to write whatever he wants despite externally imposed conventions, and I dare you to resist the warmth and charm of this story and Mr. Bones. Furthermore, I challenge you to keep a dry eye on the last page.
~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant
Customer Rating:
Summary: Well Intentioned, but Poorly Executed
Comment: There is no question that Auster is a talented writer, but Timbuktu fails to add anything to his previous work. The word play is common and sometimes embarassingly obvious (as when the protagonist's owner turns Santa into Satan, or Dog into God), and much of the story feels improvised. In more than a few places you have to wonder if Auster knew where he was going at all. Still, much of the story is entertaining, and if you are able to get past the idea of a story told from inside the mind of a stray dog you may very well enjoy this book. For me it was a little bit predictable in its themes (there is more to life than material possessions among others) and felt front-heavy in its pacing.
Bottom line: If you are new to Auster, read the New York Trilogy instead.
Customer Rating:
Summary: In the mood for something sentimental?
Comment: Are you in the mood for something sentimental? How about a book on the sadness of a dog's existence?
Paul Auster has taken a simple idea to a whole other level of reality and in the process has created a work that would transform human perception of the average canine awareness.
Yet, I have to say the story was a bit much for me to swallow. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs (heck, I wrote `The Basenji Revelation' after all) and sometimes I wonder what they feel, think and dream. I had a dog and know for certain that it understood me (I hope not to the degree of Timbuktu's main character). But then the dog died and now I change the radio channel when I hear a sentimental melody which brings forth the memories of us walking together down the street (I still can't get over the fact that my dog suffered the heart condition that eventually killed it). Yes, I change the channel and quickly drain the pan of overflowing nostalgia, which is what I should have done long before reaching the final pages of Timbuktu (Well, what can I say, I love Mr. Auster's writing style).
The story is written from the perspective of a dog by the name of Mr. Bones and follows up with its experiences as it looses one master, finds another, then a third, before it finally succumbs to the desire to escape the pain of its miserable, sickly existence in exchange for the chance to go Human Heaven called Timbuktu (Oh, the beauty of fiction).
If you love dogs and have recently lost one, this book will warm up your heart and then perhaps help you with your grief (although I'm still angry at Fate for the loss of my little pooch).
by Simon Cleveland
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