The Brooklyn Follies

by Paul Auster | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0312941579 Global Overview for this book
Registered by gatoleer of Leverkusen, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on 10/6/2006
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12 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by gatoleer from Leverkusen, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Friday, October 6, 2006
Starred Review. Nathan Glass, a retired life insurance salesman estranged from his family and facing an iffy cancer prognosis, is "looking for a quiet place to die. Someone recommended Brooklyn." What he finds, though, in this ebullient novel by Brooklyn bard Auster (Oracle Night), is a vital, big-hearted borough brimming with great characters. These include Nathan's nephew, Tom, a grad student turned spiritually questing cab driver; Tom's serenely silent nine-year-old niece, who shows up on Tom's doorstep without her unstable mom; and a flamboyant book dealer hatching a scheme to sell a fraudulent manuscript of The Scarlet Letter. As Nathan recovers his soul through immersion in their lives, Auster meditates on the theme of sanctuary in American literature, from Hawthorne to Poe to Thoreau, infusing the novel's picaresque with touches of romanticism, Southern gothic and utopian yearning. But the book's presiding spirit is Brooklyn's first bard, Walt Whitman, as Auster embraces the borough's multitudes—neighborhood characters, drag queens, intellectuals manqué, greasy-spoon waitresses, urbane bourgeoisie—while singing odes to moonrise over the Brooklyn Bridge. Auster's graceful, offhand storytelling carries readers along, with enough shadow to keep the tale this side of schmaltz. The result is an affectionate portrait of the city as the ultimate refuge of the human spirit. (Jan.)

Will be a bookring.

participants:

1.boagat
2.Sternschnuppe28
3.Wasserfall
4.sintra
5.MrBennet
6.haley79
7.Qantaqa
8.Kiki66
9.BerlinBookworm
10.luvvv
The book is back home.
Other readers are welcome.

Journal Entry 2 by boagat from Briedel, Rheinland-Pfalz Germany on Monday, January 8, 2007
Ist gut bei mir angekommen und ich habe auch schon ein paar Seiten gelesen. Gefällt mir bis jetzt sehr gut.

Edit 25.01.
A great book. The episodes in Nathans book of human follies made me laugh out loud .

I visited Sternschnuppe28 and gave her the book.

Journal Entry 3 by Sternschnuppe28 from Flörsheim am Main, Hessen Germany on Thursday, January 25, 2007
what a service: boagat was so kind to visit me during her lunch break and brought along the "Brooklyn Follies", in addition to that we had a nice chat on New York and other things connected to the US ... and certainly to bookcrossing.

I am looking forward to the book, first because I like Paul Auster and second because I love New York.

Journal Entry 4 by Sternschnuppe28 from Flörsheim am Main, Hessen Germany on Friday, May 25, 2007
Sorry for the great delay I have caused. In the meantime I tried to read the book several times, but have never managed to stick to it until the end. Maybe it was not the right time and place. I definetely dont like the small printing ;-) but in general Auster and New York are delicious proposals.

Today I forwarded the "Brooklyn Follies" to Wasserfall.

Journal Entry 5 by Wasserfall from Wien Bezirk 12 - Meidling, Wien Austria on Thursday, May 31, 2007
The book arrives today - and it turns out, that this matches quite perfect, because the last day I listened to Paul Austers "my New York" (only short episodesfrom different books) and now I expect some of my questions to be answered.

Thank you!

Journal Entry 6 by Wasserfall from Wien Bezirk 12 - Meidling, Wien Austria on Saturday, July 28, 2007
No, the book is definitely too new and there aren''t any parts of it in "my New York"...

A beautiful book, but I was nevertheless rather surprised: for Auster it was so normally, native and not at all dark. And there are nice political statements, too :-)

I enjoyed the book, also probably, because it wasn''t exicting at all (sympathetic!!) - that was exactely what I need for the moment *hihi*

Thanks for the ring, I have already asked for sintras adress.

Nachtrag: macht sich heute (29.07.) auf die Weiterreise.

Journal Entry 7 by sintra from Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, July 31, 2007
The book arrived today. It will have to wait a wee bit longer because I have to finish the book I'm currently reading first. Thanks a lot!

Journal Entry 8 by sintra from Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, September 4, 2007
I really enjoyed reading this book. It has a very warm-hearted and sympathetic tone, and the various episodes that form the story have an urban fairytale quality. It reminded me a lot of Smoke, for which Auster wrote the film script and which is also light-hearted and full of melancholy at the same time.

Personally, I could have done without the last paragraphs but I guess there is a similar compulsive urge in contemporary American writing to refer to 9/11 as there is in contemporary German writing to squeeze in a reference to the 3rd Reich or the Holocaust even if it doesn't really do anything for the plot. It's a bit of a pity that Paul Auster obviously couldn't resist, either...

Thanks a lot for this ring! The book will continue its journey this week.

Journal Entry 9 by MrBennet from Darmstadt, Hessen Germany on Saturday, September 15, 2007
Came running into me today - thanks for sending, sintra, and thanks for letting me participate, gatoleer!
I really love this book - what a splendid style! I didn't know American english could be that beautiful! It reminds me of the old victorian writers. I never read an original book by Paul Auster - I like them very much in German. But now I know I'll read the rest of his books in original.

I also liked the characters very much - they're so believable in their peculiarity. I do recommend this book to anyone who likes low-action stories about amiable people. It's just the end which I did not like especially - it sucks (anyway, it's really short)!

Journal Entry 10 by MrBennet at By Mail in Mail, Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Released 16 yrs ago (11/20/2007 UTC) at By Mail in Mail, Bookring -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Just took off heading to haley 79

Journal Entry 11 by haley79 from Bensheim, Hessen Germany on Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Book arrived yesterday. Thanks a lot, MrBennett. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Journal Entry 12 by haley79 from Bensheim, Hessen Germany on Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Loved that book but cannot say anything more right now...

Will be sent to Quantaga next.

Journal Entry 13 by Qantaqa from Dachau, Bayern Germany on Saturday, January 12, 2008
Arrived today - thanks a lot. It'll have to wait a bit, though, because I'm drowning in bookrings at the moment.

Journal Entry 14 by Qantaqa from Dachau, Bayern Germany on Sunday, February 3, 2008
Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful book. It was the first novel by Paul Auster I ever read and now I can't wait to read more. I really enjoyed his style of writing - lots of likeable and, more importantly, believable characters; heart-warming yet funny - what more could you want?
Looks like I'm the last person on the list. Do you want to look for more readers, gatoleer, or should I send the book back home to you?

Journal Entry 15 by wingkiki66wing from Gauting, Bayern Germany on Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Well, I visited qantaqa today and she told me about this book... sounded interesting so I took the book with me and hope that gatoleer won't mind?!?!

If you Do mind please tell me and I will send the book to you! no problem....

Journal Entry 16 by wingkiki66wing from Gauting, Bayern Germany on Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Well well, the book is read and I really liked it. It was my first Auster novel as well and I am pleasantly surprised.
I just can agree to everything the other readers have written...

Sorry it took me longer though to finish it, but since I am the last reader I have to admit that I read more 'urgent' rings in between ;-)
What now? back to you, gatoleer??

Journal Entry 17 by wingkiki66wing from Gauting, Bayern Germany on Monday, July 28, 2008
So, das Buch darf - finally - zurueck zu seinem Besitzer!
Danke fuer den Ring..

So the book went - finally - back to its owner!

thanks for the ring...

Journal Entry 18 by gatoleer from Leverkusen, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Sunday, August 3, 2008
The book is back home. More readers are welcome.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Reist zur nächsten Station: BerlinBookworm

Journal Entry 20 by BerlinBookworm from Berlin (irgendwo/somewhere), Berlin Germany on Thursday, October 30, 2008
The book arrived today, thank you so much! It is my first novel by Paul Auster and I'm very much looking forward to reading it. Considering my mount TBR it might take me a while though.

Well, I have finally read the book and LOVED it. I will definitely read some more Auster soon. I already have "Leviathan" on my Mount TBR and I'm waiting for the ring "The New York Trilogy".
The book was so much fun to read. Just the kind of American literature that I really enjoy.

Journal Entry 21 by BerlinBookworm at Tiergarten, Berlin Germany on Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Released 14 yrs ago (9/16/2009 UTC) at Tiergarten, Berlin Germany

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I gave the book to a colleague today whose BC-name I don't know.
I hope you enjoy it! Please send a message to gatoleer when you're done with it since it is still a ring.

Journal Entry 22 by Luvvv from Hamburg - City, Hamburg Germany on Sunday, February 7, 2010
Got the book ages ago...was busy with new job, moving houses and sorting out different sorts of things. So now I'm wondering how time passed by so quickly without reading a decent book. (Sorry, lads didn't mean to let you down! I promise to improve!)

Not sure if I'll be in te mood for this book. I've tried it inbetween but somehow it didn't work with me. Maybe I just release it in the near future. We will see.

Journal Entry 23 by gatoleer at Burscheid, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Saturday, May 28, 2011
The book is home again.
Waiting for another reader.

Journal Entry 24 by Kikoyu at Strausberg, Brandenburg Germany on Friday, April 13, 2012
Aus gatoleers Brownies-Box

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