blurb:
"A magical novel from the author of the international bestseller Sophie's World.

Panina Manina, a trapeze artist, falls and breaks her neck. As the ringmaster bends over her, he sees around her neck an amber charm just like the one he gave to his own child before she was swept away in a torrent sixteen years before.
The theme of a father finding a long-lost child runs through this magical novel. The tale is narrated by Petter, Jostein Gaarder's most intriguing creation since Sophie, a precocious child and fantasist who grows up to be a storyteller of disturbing mischief.
Rather than be an author himself, Petter makes his living selling stories and ideas to professionals suffering from writer's block. It's a lucrative trade. But as he sits like a spider in the centre of his web, Petter finds himself in a trap of his own making."

I will offer this as a bookring:

gia-wk (Thessaloniki, Greece / ship Europe)
OpheliaPhillips (York, UK / ship pref Europe)
madmadge (Bournemouth, UK / will ship int'l if needed)
katrinat (Chelmsford, UK / ship int'l)
moonysshadow (Bayern, Germany / ship pref Europe)
boirina (Areia, Portugal / ship int'l)
nawoo82 (Brisbane, Australia) <=== book is here
MicheleReads (Cincinnati, OH, US / ship pref US)
2of3Rs (Hillsboro, OR, US / ship int'l)
vainilla79 (Madrid, Spain / ship Europe)
solskinn (Vienna, Austria / ship int'l)
Possibly back to boirina so she can finish it (Calvià, Spain / ship int'l)
...
...

back to Fifna (Voorburg, Netherlands)

The book has started on its travels. I sent it to gia-wk today, happy reading!

The book has arrived a while ago..I hope to send it on in 2 weeks! I love the cover!!! thanks fifna:)

Book arrived today, thank you gia-wk!!!

Thank you Fifna, for setting up this ring!

I've already read quite a few of his books, and this was really quite different. I also think it's back up to the high quality of Sophie's World - some of his books I read after this I wasn't so crazy about.

No one's really said what they thought yet. I really enjoyed this book. But I really didn't like the narrator - he was arrogant, obnoxious, and really detached from the soul of being human - maybe in some ways he was one of his LSD children. And yet despite that, I really enjoyed the story of his life! And the ending, well, it was and wasn't shocking, in that I'd guessed what was going to happen. But it's quite a dark little tale.

Because it was written by Gaarder, I keep thinking there must be some bigger meaning behind this book - I'd be really interested to find out if anyone else spots anything. If you haven't already read the book, maybe you should stop reading my journal entry now!!.....

For starters, who was the little man with the cane supposed to represent? I wondered for a while if Petter was supposed to be some kind of God figure, handing out all these ideas for stories, and creating "life" so to speak - and also having a child with 'Maria'; neither of whom he had any real relationship with. And yet when you put the ending onto all of that, it gets a bit twisted and Oedipel. Or is it just a comment on life immitating art immitating life??? I don't know, I might be reading too much into it because I'm expecting there to be something under the surface.

I already have Madmadge's address so I will get this away in the post asap.

This book arrived today and I will start it very shortly. Thanks Ophelia for sending it to me and to Fifna for including me in the ring.

I hate it when I don't enjoy a book which has come to me through a ring or ray but I'm afraid to say I just couldn't get on with this one. I just couldn't relate to the story teller and found it a bit 'other wordly'. In fact the story depressed me and I didn't finish the book. Sorry Fifna - it just wasn't for me but many thanks for including me.

I will PM the next in line and send it on.

a bookring, will start it tomorrow

I really enjoyed this book, it really reminded me of The Book of Lost Things which I read last year.
I actually liked the narrator, yes he was a pretentious child but I loved his intrigue and his ability to create tales out of thin air - a great way to never be bored.

Don't read this till you have read the book:
I also wasn't to sure what the little man was meant to represent other than his wild imagination, it is quite telling that he disappears at the end, when Petter's tale reflects real life. I have to say that I had guessed who Beate was so I wasn't too shocked at the end, and thought that the event i the cave could have been made more of if Gaarder was aiming to shock.

I have pm'd moonysshadow for their address and hope to get this sent out to Germany early next week. Thanks for the chance to read this Fifna x

edt: Moonyshadow has asked to be skipped

RELEASE NOTES:

sent on its way to Portugal x

The book has just got here.

Thanks for sharing!

The book has left for Australia today. As I told Fifna, I haven't managed to read it all, as life has got in the way. It might come my way again. Who knows!

Thanks for the chance to start what seems to be an amazing story.

Hugs to you all.

Received the book today. Wil start it as soon as I've finished my current book.
Thanks boirina for sending it.

I finished the book a couple of weeks ago but forgot to journal it.
Like all of Jostein Gaarder's books, I really loved the story. It's not his best book, but it's still very good.
I think Jostein Gaarder is a rare master in story telling, with a very fruitful imagination.

My feelings on the narrator were 50-50. I neither liked nor despised him, but like katrinat I liked his ability to create amazing stories all the time.

!!!POSSIBLE SPOILER!!!
I did guess the end, too. Maybe Gaarder wasn't aiming at "surprising' his readers, but maybe tried and tell us something.
Like a few people have said above, because the book is by him I was on the look-out, trying to find a meaning everywhere.
I have wondered about the Little Man with the Cane and have came up with a few theories, but I'm still in the shadow. It would be interesting to know what Gaarder thought when he create the Little Man's character.

I have tried to contact MicheleReads by PM a while ago but haven't heard back. I will send another PM and send the book on ASAP.

Thnaks Fifna for this bookring!

I appreciate the opportunity to read this book. I didn't read Sophie's World, and now I would like to read it as well. Thank you, and my apologies for not journaling sooner! Today I am sending an e-mail to the next in line and will get the book in the mail as soon as I get that address!

Thanks!