The Tuner of Silences (Biblioasis International Translation Series)
10 journalers for this copy...
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Description from Amazon:
Mwanito was eleven when he saw a woman for the first time, and the sight so surprised him he burst into tears.
Mwanito has been living in a former big-game park for eight years. The only people he knows are his father, his brother, an uncle, and a servant. He’s been told that the rest of the world is dead, that all roads are sad, that they wait for an apology from God. In the place his father calls Jezoosalem, Mwanito has been told that crying and praying are the same thing. Both, it seems, are forbidden.
The eighth novel by the internationally bestselling Mia Couto, The Tuner of Silences is the story of Mwanito’s struggle to reconstruct a family history that his father is unable to discuss. With the young woman’s arrival in Jezoosalem, however, the silence of the past quickly breaks down, and both his father’s story and the world are heard once more.
The Tuner of Silences has been published to acclaim in more than half a dozen countries. Now in its first English translation, this story of an African boy's quest for the truth endures as a magical, humanizing confrontation between one child and the legacy of war.
Journal Entry
2 by
mathgirl40 at
Waterloo, Ontario Canada on Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Mia Couto's writing style is unique. It's infused with poetry and seems surreal and dreamlike. The book feels like it belongs to the genre of magical realism, even if there's no magical element in it. I found the book, at various times, suspenseful, moving and disturbing. I'm looking forward to hearing it discussed in the 2014 Tournament of Books.
Journal Entry
3 by
sjt105 at
Waterloo, Ontario Canada on Wednesday, January 22, 2014
A deep and poetic novel about a young boys journey in isolation. At times disturbing, the story keeps you turning the pages.
Journal Entry
4 by
mathgirl40 at
Waterloo, Ontario Canada on Saturday, January 25, 2014
I've offered this book for a bookring. Participants are as follows:
cinnycat (USA, will ship within US)
bookworm2525 (USA, will ship to UK)
Blue_berry (UK, will ship within Europe)
dutch-book (The Netherlands, will ship within Europe)
Tarna (Finland, prefers to ship within Europe, will ship anywhere)
Billbooks (Australia, will ship anywhere)
Edwardstreet (New Zealand, will ship anywhere)
HappyHarryBabe (UK, will ship anywhere)
Forum thread:
http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/20/497845
Journal Entry
5 by
mathgirl40 at
Waterloo, Ontario Canada on Sunday, January 26, 2014
Released 10 yrs ago (1/25/2014 UTC) at Waterloo, Ontario Canada
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
This book has started its bookring journey and is on its way to cinnycat!
Journal Entry
6 by
BookBirds at
Central Square, New York USA on Tuesday, February 4, 2014
thanks so much again for sharing these 'Tournament of Books' books! (For the unaware, it starts in March at themorningnews.org and is one of the funnest things for bookish people on the internet!)
This sounded like the best book ever even before I knew it would be on the ToB, so I'm thrilled I get a chance to read it! It will be the next up after 150 pages of The Goldfinch. Another journal entry will be here shortly. thanks again! I really appreciate it!
Journal Entry
7 by
BookBirds at
Central Square, New York USA on Sunday, February 16, 2014
This one will be battling it out in the 2014 Tournament of Books (themorningnews.org/tob). I might not known of its existence if it wasn't on the list. But as soon as I read the description, it sounded absolutely amazing. In Mozambique, a man named Silvestre decides to take his two sons to live in an abandoned game reserve called Jezoosalem. He tells his sons the world has ended, there are no other people left and basically doesn't allow them to do anything: dream, read, write, pray. They are waiting for God's apology. Then a woman enters their lives and Silvestre's imposed reality starts to crumble.
The writing style is lovely. Even the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter are so perfectly chosen, it's like the book was written along their path. The characters are heart-wrenching. As Silvestre tries to keep his sons away from grief and loss, he ends up making grief and loss their entire lives. I love what it says about being human. One of the lessons I think the book teaches is not to believe a person's problems are only mental illness as there isn't a way anyone can know 100% of a person's story. Sometimes just labeling a person's problems as mental illness can do more harm than good, as any person has things that even their nearest and dearest don't know about. Once you read what has happened to Silvestre, it is understandable how he decided to react to the world. The book is a sad one, but with these characters, a superb writing style, and what it has to say, it is worth the sad journey. I'm thrilled it was picked for the Tournament this year and I'd like to see it go far!
thank you so much again mathgirl40 for starting these bookrings! I'm already 1/5 through The Son, so it hopefully won't be long until I can get these sent on their way...
Journal Entry
8 by
BookBirds at
Central Square, New York USA on Saturday, March 1, 2014
Released 10 yrs ago (3/1/2014 UTC) at Central Square, New York USA
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sent out today! Very happy I had a chance to read this one! thanks again for sharing, mathgirl40 and to bookworm2525 for helping me out a ton by mailing these out of the US!
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9 by
bookworm2525 at
Puyallup, Washington USA on Monday, March 10, 2014
Got this in the mail this weekend. I will read ASAP and send it on to the next in line. Thanks for the bookring :)
Journal Entry
10 by
bookworm2525 at
Puyallup, Washington USA on Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Released 10 yrs ago (4/1/2014 UTC) at Puyallup, Washington USA
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Not something I would normally read but a good book. Glad I was able to join the ring. Sent off to Blue_berry.
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11 by
Blue_berry at
Croydon, Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Received with thanks! This took a while to arrive as I was away and it waited in the post office.
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12 by
Blue_berry at
Croydon, Greater London United Kingdom on Friday, May 9, 2014
This was a very exotic story! There is a lot of poetry and I agree with the others that the style is magnificient and rather surreal.
But about the story; Silvestre, the father, is unbearable and I cannot understand why nobody is unable to orverrule him. He is an archetype of a patriarch, misogynist, selfish and insane. (And whatabout Jezebel the donkey!) I cannot feel sorry for him one bit. Arrival of Marta brings some normality to the goings on. Then I find it really unplausible that the boys would have endured what they do in this book for 8 years and not go totally crazy!
So I cannot say that I liked the story much, but it has many thruths in it, not all of them pleasant, and it was a very absorbing and thoughtprovoking read. I would recommend it!
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13 by
Blue_berry at
-- Somewhere in London 🤷♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, May 12, 2014
Released 9 yrs ago (5/12/2014 UTC) at -- Somewhere in London 🤷♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sending to the next reader in the BR, enjoy!
Journal Entry
14 by
dutch-book at
Heerenveen , Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Arrived about two weeks ago, but because some workmen accidentally hit the cables for internet I did not have internet. Since then journalling this book has been on my ToDo list, but only due to a reminder of Blueberry I finally journal it now.
I'm already reading this book and I am at page number 120.
Journal Entry
15 by
dutch-book at
Heerenveen , Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Saturday, May 31, 2014
I finished this book today and I don´t really know what to think. I´ve enjoyed it, but somehow I need a reason, a point, for this story, and I can´t really find it. The book probably doesn´t need a point, sometimes a point isn´t even needed, but for me right now there needs to be a point. So in that respect, it´s not the book, it´s me. But that doesn´t mean that the book isn´t any good, because I believe it is very good for the right reader at the right time and I hope that the next reader will be that reader.
I will send Tarna a PM.
Journal Entry
16 by
dutch-book at
Heerenveen , Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Saturday, June 14, 2014
Released 9 yrs ago (6/14/2014 UTC) at Heerenveen , Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
On its way to Tarna.
Journal Entry
17 by
Tarna at
Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Friday, June 20, 2014
The book arrived yesterday. Thank you, dutch-book. I fell in love with Mia Couto (or his texts, really) immediately whe reading the
Finnish translation of
O último voo do flamingo (English translation of which is
The Last Flight of the Flamingo). I hope my expectations are not too high this time.
I've got a couple more books to read before this, and one of them has few more hundred pages tha I think a novel should have. Also, currently I have some problems with my eyesight. Had an unexpected eye-operation a fortnight ago and it'll take some time before my eyesight stabilizes. So, reading is a bit of a challenge for me now. — If I can't read
The Tuner of Silences in time, I'll just pass it on unread. Hoping it won't come to that anyway.
Mia Couto at Wikipedia
Mia Couto — Mozambique, Homepage
Journal Entry
18 by
Tarna at
Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Wednesday, August 27, 2014
First of all, I'm so sorry I kept this book so long. For some reason I've had trouble in reading anything during past six months or so, and reading any other language than Finnish has been even more difficult. Maybe I should have mailed the book to Billbooks without reading it — but I couldn't. I loved it from the very first words.
I love the way Mia Couto writes and I find the story fascinating. I don't really know what else to say but that I totally agree with BookBirds. (S)he took the words out of my mouth when saying, ”Even the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter are so perfectly chosen, it's like the book was written along their path.”
The Tuner of Silences is one of my best reads this year. Thank you so much for sharing, mathgirl40!
I took the book to the mailbox today and it's supposed be on its way to Billbooks now. It's travelling in economy class, so it may take a while before it gets there but the journey has started anyway.
Journal Entry
19 by
Tarna at
Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Released 9 yrs ago (8/27/2014 UTC) at Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
The book is on its way to Australia.
Happy reading, Billbooks!
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20 by
Billbooks at
Malvern East, Victoria Australia on Saturday, September 13, 2014
Arrived safely in Australia. Must be careful not to misplace it during the renovations.
Journal Entry
21 by
Billbooks at
Malvern East, Victoria Australia on Sunday, February 7, 2016
This book did get misplaced during the renovations but luckily ended up on the bookcrossing TBR pile so was easy to find. Will be my next read.
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22 by
Billbooks at
Malvern East, Victoria Australia on Sunday, February 28, 2016
I can't agree with any of the other readers I'm afraid. I found this book extremely tedious and pretentious. Will pass on to Edwardstreet
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23 by
Edwardstreet at
Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand on Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Letter box surprise thanks Bill. I had forgotten this ray. Will read asap but it is on a pile of must reads for other rays.
Journal Entry
24 by
Edwardstreet at
—- by hand, post, or courier in Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand on Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Released 8 yrs ago (3/16/2016 UTC) at —- by hand, post, or courier in Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Unusual for me and not to my taste. Persisted as I wished to complete for the 666 challenge. I was pleased that we finally got to learn what had sent the father completely mad. And of course the background of colonialism and civil war is a type of madness inducing. A country that has an AK 47 on its flag must have had madness in my opinion. Sending on as soon as the next recipient provides an address
Journal Entry
25 by
Edwardstreet at
Ministry of Education in Lower Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Released 8 yrs ago (3/16/2016 UTC) at Ministry of Education in Lower Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
The next person in the ray declined so I am therefore the last
. Will put at the work book exchange but offer to other 666 challengers
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26 by
fee19 at
Stewart Island, Southland New Zealand on Monday, October 16, 2017
Caught at the 2017 Unconvention.
Journal Entry
27 by
fee19 at
Kohukohu, Northland New Zealand on Sunday, March 17, 2019
Released 5 yrs ago (3/24/2019 UTC) at Kohukohu, Northland New Zealand
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Will be given to a friend.