About this title: Winner of both the Prix Goncourt and the Prix Médicis in France, this novel concerns a young Russian émigré in France who records his grandmother's memories of her childhood in a Siberian town, and comes to the realization that the past can be transcended only by turning memory into art.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: NORTH AMERICAN ed.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Date Published: 08/1997
ISBN-13:9781559703833ISBN:1559703830
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 320 p. Previous Owner's Inscription. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780684852683ISBN:0684852683
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Cover has wear with a crease mark; pages are unmarked except for a black line on bottom page edges and tiny stains on top and bottom page edges. Some pages have a crease mark. SHIPS NEXT DAY. read more
Edition: Reprint.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Simon and Schuster, New York
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780684852683ISBN:0684852683
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. 241 p. Trade paperback. Clean and unmarked inside. A few pages with creased corners. Slight wear to covers/spine. Very nice copy. read more
Edition: NORTH AMERICAN ed.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9781559703833ISBN:1559703830
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Very good ++++ condition. Not sure if ever read. Daily shipping. Trade paperback 241 p. Audience: General/trade. Topics Coming of Age; Eastern Europe; Fiction; Grandmothers; Grandparent and child; Historical; Literary; Russia; Russia. Russian Empire. Soviet Union. Former Soviet republics read more
"This is a fantastic journey by a young boy who has a vivid imagination which is inspired by his grandmother. Through her he is able to piece together and embrace his rich heritage. Although the book is a novel, it reads as if it is a person's memoirs.
The book is richly poetic. It reads like a dream. The author has an uncanny knack of drawing the reader into the lives of ordinary people as well as into the lives of historical figures including the Tsar of Russia. It combines a past drawn from many cultures. This is all part of the heritage of the boy.
It is a beautifully written coming-of-age story. It is captivating and inspiring. Since it contains a message of hope, I especially embraced the book since I am the author of a spiritually-themed novel. This is writing at its best.
Davis Aujourd'hui, author of "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude""
"A memorable read! Makine recalls lessons of life from summers with his French grandmother in Russian. A combination of my loves - French, history, Russian literature and memoirs."
"I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. The prose is flowery (reminded me a little of Orhan Pamuk's scented pages) but ultimately seemed right for this slipping in and out of memory, going between a French past and a Russian present, between languages. I liked the urgency of the adolescent narrator's frustration in trying to reconcile the world of stories and feelings and ideas with the world in front of his face. He's alert to poignancy--he finds it everywhere and makes his reeling way toward adulthood--and he lives by longing."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.