Fermata, The

by Nicholson Baker | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0679415866 Global Overview for this book
Registered by siriradha of Colorado Springs, Colorado USA on 4/24/2004
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13 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by siriradha from Colorado Springs, Colorado USA on Saturday, April 24, 2004
Pre-numbered label used for registration. Gordon, from Fountain, CO, gave me this hardcover.
BookList - Stuart Whitwell
Were not the subject of Baker's novel pornography, one would speak without hesitation of its delicious wit. On the other hand, this "is" the story of a 35-year-old man who, by snapping his fingers or by resorting to some more desperate measure (for example, turning on a rubber-band stretching machine built by a woman at MIT), can and does stop time for the mere pleasure of taking sexual advantage of the women around him. Sounds sick, doesn't it? Well, get over it and you will find yourself in one of the funniest and most inventive books you've read for a long time. For the nice thing about our hero--and this is what subverts our own values as well as his--is that he is really a rather sensitive and even tender young man. For instance, he has no intention of embarrassing the women whose lives he explores and whose bodies he undresses. He would certainly never undress a woman he did not think he could put back together so precisely that even she will not notice. And anyway, what is most delighful is not this sexual naughtiness but the guiltless pleasure the hero takes in all the sensual data of life: the way chalk rubs against the blackboard, the way a voice sounds on a dictaphone machine, the noise a ball bearing makes when shaken in a can of paint. Baker knows all this can lead to something dangerous and corrupt, but his hero is not only playful, kind (he gives away a brand-new dildo to a woman he will never see and will never know him); in his own way he is also very moral. This last point is tricky. We see that our hero refuses to take money in the periods he freezes time and he is delicately prudish ("'Panties' is a word to be avoided, I feel"). So what do we have here? Let every reader decide for themselves. All we will say here is that Baker can be very funny and that, perverse or not, he certainly knows how to write.

Journal Entry 2 by siriradha from Colorado Springs, Colorado USA on Thursday, May 27, 2004
Bookray participants in mailing order
Karikitten MD
three104 WI
RlyLv2Rd MN
MollyGrue WA
tabby90 NC
WritinReader KY
copchic905 Missouri
Jolyn Canada
Sherria CT
Brujula France
Auglaise Wales
Mfa Portugal
Mundoo Australia
Newk Australia



Journal Entry 3 by siriradha at on Friday, May 28, 2004
Released on Friday, May 28, 2004 at N/A in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

Sent off to the first person on the bookray--
karikitten

Journal Entry 4 by karikitten from Atenas, Alajuela Costa Rica on Saturday, June 5, 2004
Just received as part of a bookray. Hope to read and pass on asap.

Journal Entry 5 by karikitten from Atenas, Alajuela Costa Rica on Friday, July 9, 2004
Interesting book... Definitely gives you something to think about :)

Anyway, I just finished it today, hope I didn't keep it too awfully long, it's my first ring/ray. Hope to get it to the post office over the weekend and it'll be on the way to three104.

Journal Entry 6 by ThreeSixNine from Catawba, Wisconsin USA on Tuesday, July 13, 2004
This came in the mail the other day but haven't had a chance to journal it. Started reading and am on page 55. Not real sure where it's going yet..........

Journal Entry 7 by ThreeSixNine from Catawba, Wisconsin USA on Sunday, July 18, 2004
Ok, I've finished it.

When I first started it, I wasn't too keen on it but I just kept at it and got into the story more. I do think Arno was a bit of a perv, but he did have some standards, say against rape and stealing. It was plenty steamy, though I tended to shy away from some parts, the ones that aren't my kind of thing. But definately an interesting read, one I never would have found on my own, at say the local library. Thanks for the chance to read it.

Sending on to next reader in tomorrow's mail.

Release planned for Monday, July 19, 2004 at n/a in n/a, A Bookray Controlled Releases.

On it's way to RlyLv2Rd.

Journal Entry 9 by RlyLv2Rd from Viroqua, Wisconsin USA on Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Holy bookrings, batman. This one looks awesome. It has been a bevy of action here lately with rings and rays, but I will get to this one after I finish the one that arrived yesterday. Luckily, I am a pretty quick reader.

Journal Entry 10 by RlyLv2Rd from Viroqua, Wisconsin USA on Thursday, August 12, 2004
First of all, thank you so very much for sending this out. It was a very inventive book and I do appreciate a new concept, and the fact that I was allowed the priviledge of reading it. That said, here goes an act of sacriledge (please forgive me fellow readers/journalers)...

This book was dreadful. It put me to sleep so many times I lost count. I ended up having to finish the other bookring that arrived on the same day just to get through it. I swore I would divorce it and just send it on then tried to keep giving it "one more chance" hoping I would get into it like everyone else, but no go.

First, the character is narcissistic and patronizing. Next is the fact that I can read porn with the best of them, but this wasn't even titillating. Vulgar would be more apt of a description. I thought I would scream if he used the word "vadge" one more time. Also, how many cheesy names can you call a clit once you start using "gummi bear" and "marschino cherry."

I generally read a book that size in two or three days...this one took me three weeks (I apologize for the length of time) as time and time again I dozed off a page and a half after I started. This book was dreary and insipid.

Oh, I feel so bad for bagging it. I really want to thank you for sending it out siriradha, and mailing it to me three104. It just wasn't my cup of tea :).

Journal Entry 11 by MollyGrue from Tacoma, Washington USA on Saturday, August 21, 2004
I have a couple of bookrings ahead of this one, but I should get to it soon.

Journal Entry 12 by MollyGrue from Tacoma, Washington USA on Wednesday, September 15, 2004
I really did not like this book. It's not that I like or don't like soft porn, I just want to be well-written and have some kind of point to it than endless masturbation scenarios. I managed to get half-way through before deciding that the book was not going to get better during the next half.

Sending off to the next reader.

Journal Entry 13 by MollyGrue at In The Mail in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, September 18, 2004

Released 19 yrs ago (9/18/2004 UTC) at In The Mail in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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Sent to Tabby90. Happy reading!

DC# 03041070000256458463

Journal Entry 14 by tabby90 from High Point, North Carolina USA on Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Got in the mail, thanks! Looks like most folks said it just wasn't their bag. That makes me really curious.

Journal Entry 15 by tabby90 from High Point, North Carolina USA on Tuesday, November 2, 2004
I thought this book had a neat concept. I could've done without the stories of Marian the Librarian, but given the nature of the book, I lean towards them being necessary. I liked the conversational tone of the book, but it did kind of feel like a job to read it. I wasn't picking it up because I had to see where it was going, I was picking it up because it's a bookring and I need to get it on it's way.
It was definitely original though, and I'm glad I got to read it.

Journal Entry 16 by tabby90 from High Point, North Carolina USA on Monday, November 15, 2004
Writinreader asked to be skipped and I did not receive a response from copchic905. I've received Jolyn's address this morning, so I'll be mailing the book tomorrow.

Journal Entry 17 by Jolyn from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada on Saturday, December 18, 2004
Certainly an interesting read. I'm not sure that his ethical arguments convinced me. As kind as it is, giving away vibrators does not make stripping women and fondling their breasts without their consent okay. I'll send this on to the next person on the list as soon as possible.

Journal Entry 18 by Sherria from Bethel, Connecticut USA on Friday, February 4, 2005
I heard about this book years ago, and I'm really looking forward to reading it finally. I have another one I'm finishing, but I expect to get this one started within the week. Thanks for sharing it!

Journal Entry 19 by Sherria from Bethel, Connecticut USA on Friday, February 11, 2005
I tried. I REALLY tried. I read over half of this book, waiting for it to get better, but it just didn't. I really didn't like the writing style, despite the fact that it's an interesting premise. The story reads like bad porn written by a thirteen year old boy. I have nothing against porn, but this was just so poorly written I had to give up.

I'm sorry that I didn't enjoy it more, since I war really looking forward to reading it. I first heard about the story from a friend who thought it was so interesting, but thinking back, he was guy barely out of his teens, so that's likely why it appealed to him!

I've PM'd the next participant for her address and will get this one moving again as soon as I can. Thanks for sharing it sirradha. Even when I don't enjoy a book, I still enjoy the opportunity to try something new.

Journal Entry 20 by Sherria from Bethel, Connecticut USA on Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Finally got this one in the mail today. Sorry for the delay. I just couldn't seem to get into a post office sooner. This went out via surface mail to France.

Journal Entry 21 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Thursday, April 21, 2005
Well, this book arrived in my mailbox today.
I have several rings and rays to read ahead of it, but I'll try not to keep it longer than one month.
Thanks for the ring, siriradha, and for mailing the book all the way to France, Sherria!

Journal Entry 22 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Tuesday, May 24, 2005
I found the beginning of the book interesting, I even liked it. The idea of being able to freeze time and people while being able to move and using this for a novel is interesting. The naughtiness of the narrator didn't really bother me at the beginning, nor his strange morale (no stealing, no raping, but it's ok undressing and fondling and peeping...)
I really liked the bit about his thoughts and feelings when he types tapes dictated by others... and found funny his way of punishing the kids who wanted to rob him.
But towards the middle of the book, the stories he writes or puts on tape put me off a little. They were really "too much" for me, didn't do anything for the story, or for the character, and I could have done without them. I almost stopped reading the book then. But I continued, and although the MRI scene seemed grotesque to me, I read on to the last page, and I rather liked the ending. It reconciliated me with the narrator and his weird ways...

So, thank you siriradha for letting me read this!

(oh, I'll mail the book as soon as I have the adress of the person after me in the list!)

Journal Entry 23 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Thursday, May 26, 2005
Mailed to Auglaise today!

Journal Entry 24 by Auglaise from -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Saturday, May 28, 2005
Received today. Thank you!

Journal Entry 25 by Auglaise from -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Tuesday, June 7, 2005
After reading all the journal entries, I almost feel like I should say something nice about this book!

I thought it was...interesting. I wouldn't say that I liked it, but at the same time I didn't find it difficult to read or over the top. I think that Arno has a very strange set of morals - It being okay to sneak into someone's flat for example but not okay to steal money. The concept of being able to stop time is a fairly interesting one in this context, but I did get the feeling that he was using it as an excuse to not really try to do anything with his life. The ending was also not one that I expected, especially when Joyce seems to be given the powers. This seems to be an indication that, as he realizes the need for honesty and a committed relationship his powers are taken away from him, the author is trying to say that 'Well, that was all very nice, but now it's time to settle down' by giving the main thing in his life to someone else. I also found the ending a bit abrupt, and felt that suddenly Baker just didn't know what to write anymore.

Thanks for sharing, and I'll be posting it on soon!

Journal Entry 26 by mfa from Lisboa - City, Lisboa (cidade) Portugal on Thursday, July 21, 2005
got it in the mail yesterday (thanks, auglaise!). i can't remember joining this in the first place, but i surely will read it in a short while.

Journal Entry 27 by mfa from Lisboa - City, Lisboa (cidade) Portugal on Saturday, December 10, 2005
oddly enough, because i have no time at all for male centered pornography, i did enjoy this book. clearly not due to its erotic content (whose only virtue is quantity in terms of voyeristic fetishes), nor the moral challenge. for me, there's no ambiguity: any sexual pratices without a clear "yes" from the other side is called rape in my vocabulary.
what i liked is the mathematical thought, the attempt at giving a scientific aura to what would otherwise be a random act of cheap science fiction. Dealing with time as a physical concept is not easy at all, and i found it convencing and well ballanced with the erotic fantasies.
it is a very intelligent book, i must say. too bad i felt it to be quite sexist too: the narrator claims to be all nice and sensitive but what he is about is forcing his own male sexuality on women who for some reason i really cannot grasp should somehow be grateful...
having said that, i must confess i'm giving it as a christmas gift to an ex-boyfriend :)

i apologise for keeping it for so long. will post it to mundoo first thing monday morning.

Journal Entry 28 by Mundoo from Hindmarsh Island, South Australia Australia on Sunday, January 8, 2006
Arrived today in the mail.
2 ahead of it.

Journal Entry 29 by Mundoo from Hindmarsh Island, South Australia Australia on Tuesday, February 21, 2006
I didn't like this book. The concept of freezing time was interesting but how he used that time kept annoying me and one of my 1st thoughts was that what he was doing constituted rape. I kept putting this book down and reading others and now that the book has sat around for 2 weeks untouched I have decided that I am not going to finish it.

I will send it on to Newk when I get his address.

Journal Entry 30 by Mundoo at By Mail in per Post, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, February 23, 2006

Released 18 yrs ago (2/23/2006 UTC) at By Mail in per Post, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases

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On its way to newk

Journal Entry 31 by newk from Adelaide, South Australia Australia on Friday, March 3, 2006
I have it, thanks to all before

Journal Entry 32 by newk from Adelaide, South Australia Australia on Friday, June 9, 2006
I have taken far longer over this book than I would have liked. I did enjoy it. Interesting concept.
Carried on a bit in parts and these were easily skipped through.
Thanks to the organiser and all the participants.
I will release this book in the next day or two. I'll check with sirradha first

Journal Entry 33 by newk at pacific coffee company in Terminal 1, Changi Airport Singapore on Saturday, June 10, 2006

Released 17 yrs ago (6/10/2006 UTC) at pacific coffee company in Terminal 1, Changi Airport Singapore

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near internet terminals. Buy a drink and get free internet.
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