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A carregar... The End of the Alphabetpor CS Richardson
Books Read in 2012 (506) A carregar...
Adira ao LibraryThing para descobrir se irá gostar deste livro. Ainda não há conversas na Discussão sobre este livro. This is a gem of a book - perfect for reflection on the cusp of a new year as it honors the past in so many aspects but also demands priorities for time ahead. Sweet, melancholy, whimsical this book details the true love relationship between Ambrose Zephyr and Zappora (Zipper) Ashkenazi over the course of a meaningful month. There is so much in this little book — alphabetical word play, Love, friendship, travel, time, and big questions about the meaning of life especially lived as a couple. A book blurb by Chris Cleave says it best: “An alphabet of the language of lovers, a beautiful fable of art and mortality: elegant, wise, and humane. I like to think of the happiness this book will bring. I’m sure it will be given as a gift between lovers, and will inspire many journeys — geographical and emotional.” If you wish to fill a couple of hours of your life with a nicely written weepie, this is for you. Is it a novella? It is 140 small pages, large margins, double-spaced text. I've certainly read lots of 'short stories' this length. It does consider a dilemma I've often wondered about. There are those quick deaths - one moment you are vacuuming or cooking dinner, next moment finito la musica. Death displaces life and you scarcely even have time to register it. There are the long ones, where you know for years what is going to happen and death simply becomes part of life, which goes on much as it had before. Then there is finding out you have one month give or take, as the doctor says to Ambrose. I tried to make this sound better: 40,320 minutes. What do you do then? It makes me weep just thinking about it. Again. I had a friend to whom this happened. We were on the phone, we asked him to dinner, he said he couldn't for precisely that reason. He had 30 days, that was his news. There were so many things for which there was no longer time. We did see him for a coffee visit one morning during that 30 days, but in retrospect I feel terribly guilty about having taken that time from him, we just weren't important enough in his life to have justified 60 of those 40,320 minutes. Maybe, since you very devoutly believed in God despite this shitty situation, you will be reading this and if so, accept my apology, Richard. This is Ambrose's account of those thirty days he discovered he had left. Completely different from my friend Richard's. Just as heart-breaking. I have had this little gem of a book for quite some time and only now pulled it off my shelf. What a sweet and touching story! The writing was extraordinary! A real breath of fresh air. I chuckled a lot and smiled a lot and felt the emotions Zipper was feeling. I really enjoyed the writing style and the journey. The book itself in hardcover is a sweet little package. Well designed and gorgeous. I can't even remember where I got my copy, but turns out it was signed by the author! It's a keeper. sem críticas | adicionar uma crítica
THE END OF THE ALPHABET is a tender, intimate story of an ordinary life defined by an extraordinary love. Ambrose Zephyr is a contented man. He shares a book-laden Victorian house with his loving wife, Zipper. He owns two suits, one of which he was married in. He is a courageous eater, save brussels sprouts. His knowledge of wine is vague and best defined as Napa, good; Australian, better; French, better still. Kir royale is his drink of occasion. For an Englishman he makes a poor cup of tea. He believes women are quantifiably wiser than men, and would never give Zipper the slightest reason to mistrust him or question his love. Zipper simply describes Ambrose as the only man she has ever loved. Without adjustment. Then, just as he is turning fifty, Ambrose is told by his doctor that he has one month to live. Reeling from the news, he and Zipper embark on a whirlwind expedition to the places he has most loved or has always longed to visit, from A to Z, Amsterdam to Zanzibar. As they travel to Italian piazzas, Turkish baths, and other romantic destinations, all beautifully evoked by the author, Zipper struggles to deal with the grand unfairness of their circumstances as she buoys Ambrose with her gentle affection and humor. Meanwhile, Ambrose reflects on his life, one well lived, and comes to understand that death, like life, will be made bearable by the strength and grace of their devotion. Richardson's lovely prose comes alive with an honesty and intensity that will leave you breathless and inspired by the simple beauty and power of love. THE END OF THE ALPHABET is a timeless, resonant exploration of the nature of love, loss, and life. Não foram encontradas descrições de bibliotecas. |
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Google Books — A carregar... GénerosSistema Decimal de Melvil (DDC)823.92Literature English English fiction Modern Period 2000-Classificação da Biblioteca do Congresso dos EUA (LCC)AvaliaçãoMédia:
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Ambrose Zephyr is a contented man, he shares a book-laden Victorian house with his loving wife, Zappora Ashkenazi, the love of his life. Zappora (Zipper) simply describes Ambrose as the only man she has ever loved. Without adjustment. They both have fulfilling jobs but no children because they simply didn't want any.
Then, just as he is turning fifty, Ambrose is told by his doctor that he has an unnamed illness and only one month to live. Reeling from the news, he and Zipper embark on a whirlwind expedition to the places he has most loved or has always longed to visit, from A to Z, Amsterdam to Zanzibar. As they travel to these romantic destinations, Zipper struggles to deal with the grand unfairness of their circumstances, whilst Ambrose reflects on his life.
'The End of The Alphabet' is a tender, intimate story of an ordinary life defined by an extraordinary love but is truth little more than a short story, (my copy only had 123 pages, wide margins and double spacing). Despite or perhaps because of its brevity Richardson’s prose has an honesty almost poetic in nature. This book is a very touching exploration of the nature of love, loss, and life which only took me about two hours to read. A simply beautiful piece of writing. ( )