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The Visible World

Author: Mark Slouka
Publisher: Portobello Books Ltd
Category: Book

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

25 reviews
Sales Rank: 1880

Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1

ISBN: 1846270863
EAN: 9781846270864
ASIN: 1846270863

Publication Date: January 1, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: This book is in stock and will ship within 24 hours from our warehouse in the UK.

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Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Unmissable June 26, 2008
I simply cannot understand the negative reviews here, unless they have been written by youngsters who are not yet sophisticated enough to appreciate it. This is an absolutely magnificent book that works on several levels. Unlike many novels today, it is beautifully written but is also incredibly easy to read and tells a gripping and tragic story. The first part is a memoir with the narrator telling of his childhood growing up in the USA as the child of immigrants who have not told him everything about their past. As an adult he travels to Prague and discovers some of the facts for himself. The third part is an imagining - if you like - of what his parents' story was.

Unlike some other reviewers, the fact that this was a Richard & Judy choice might actually have put me off if I had not read The Conjuror's Bird, one of their previous choices and also a brilliant book.
If you like The Visible World I would suggest you read The Lost by Daniel Mendelsohn. It is non fiction but the two have a lot in common.

3 out of 5 stars

Moments of beauty June 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

A man looks back at the lives of his parents and the events in the second world war that brought them together. A beautifully composed narrative at its best when describing the natural surroundings in which the events of the story take place. The tenderness and understanding of the writing is beautiful and evocative, the characterisation is detailed and sensitive. It's a book which needs to be read more than once, one which needs to be read and read again to allow the details to sink in. Yet, even so, I felt that it didn't quiet work, that I never felt close enough to any of the characters to really share their experience. Maybe it is because the writer does not really evoke the terror of the Nazi occupation of Prague. Maybe it is because the inital sections of the book seem fragmented and disjointed, never really allowing the plot to take shape.

1 out of 5 stars

The Visible World May 19, 2008
0 out of 4 found this review helpful

Very disappointing. Nothing happens and it's an extremely boring read. I'm sure it was therapeutic for Mark Slouka to write this book but if you're looking for an interesting read - look elsewhere.

3 out of 5 stars

Hard work May 14, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful

Really don't waste your time. Great idea for a book but not a great book.

1 out of 5 stars

Dont waste your time May 9, 2008
1 out of 5 found this review helpful

Boring, pointless and pretentious. How on earth this could be shortlisted for R&J when there are some many far superior books to choose from is beyond me. Dont even bother thinking the book will get better - it doesn't!