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fbroom's review against another edition
5.0
I highly recommend the audible version of this book narrated by Joe Barret. I listened at 1.25 the speed and it was perfect. I definitely feel that one read/listen isn’t enough. I still don’t have a good grasp of all the details. There are many events that interleaved with each other that left me with many questions.
City of Glass:
Daniel Quinn who is a writer writing under the name William Wilson receives multiple calls asking for the detective Paul Auster. By the third call he decides to answer by yes. Virginia Stillman, Peter Stillman's wife is the caller. She hires Daniel/Paul to protect her husband who suffers from multiple speech problems caused by his dad who had locked him at home for many years causing his son multiple disorders. Daniel loses himself in the case of Peter Stillman specially that Daniel has no friends and both his wife and his son have died after a car accident. He moves into an alley so that he can keep monitoring Peter's (the son) apartment. After months, he finally discovers that there was no case and Peter (the dad) have committed suicide long time ago. When he meets Paul Auster, Paul tells him that he is only a writer. When Quinn goes back to his apartment, he discovers that someone else lives there and that he doesn’t have a home anymore.
Ghosts:
The story of Blue who was trained by Brown. Gray is mentioned as some one Blue knows who disappeared and then came back later to marry the same wife and called himself Green and everyone knows him as green. Blue was assigned a case by White to watch Black. Black did nothing every day except for writing in his room. Blue submits a report to White about what Black is doing. Again Blue loses himself in the case and becomes so interested in Black’s life.
The Locked Room:
It is about a writer who didn’t accomplish much yet but had this brilliant friend Fanshawe. His friend did amazing work, married a beautiful wife (highly similar to Paul’s wife Siri) and has a son. He then disappears and the wife goes to him asking him to publish her husband work. They become close and he eventually publishes all of Fanshawe’s work. He also marries her after receiving a letter from Fanshawe telling him to live his life and to forget about him. The narrator again find himself immersed in the life of Fanshawe to the point where he gets really tired and frustrated and decides that he is ready to find and kill Fanshawe to erase him from his life! He starts writing a biography of Fanshawe and goes to Paris to meet some of the people he knew. He goes to a bar and decides to call a stranger Fanshawe (who insists that he is Peter Stillman!). He fights with him and survives and after that he decides that he is ready to go back. Years later he receives a letter from Fanshawe to meet him in Boston for a final meeting. He meets him there and he is given a red notebook! (Quinn’s notebook?). The narrator finds the words in the red book very familiar?
I’m not sure but in Ghosts Gray is mentioned who disappeared and then came back as Green and married his wife? Is Gray Fanshawe?
City of Glass:
Daniel Quinn who is a writer writing under the name William Wilson receives multiple calls asking for the detective Paul Auster. By the third call he decides to answer by yes. Virginia Stillman, Peter Stillman's wife is the caller. She hires Daniel/Paul to protect her husband who suffers from multiple speech problems caused by his dad who had locked him at home for many years causing his son multiple disorders. Daniel loses himself in the case of Peter Stillman specially that Daniel has no friends and both his wife and his son have died after a car accident. He moves into an alley so that he can keep monitoring Peter's (the son) apartment. After months, he finally discovers that there was no case and Peter (the dad) have committed suicide long time ago. When he meets Paul Auster, Paul tells him that he is only a writer. When Quinn goes back to his apartment, he discovers that someone else lives there and that he doesn’t have a home anymore.
Ghosts:
The story of Blue who was trained by Brown. Gray is mentioned as some one Blue knows who disappeared and then came back later to marry the same wife and called himself Green and everyone knows him as green. Blue was assigned a case by White to watch Black. Black did nothing every day except for writing in his room. Blue submits a report to White about what Black is doing. Again Blue loses himself in the case and becomes so interested in Black’s life.
The Locked Room:
It is about a writer who didn’t accomplish much yet but had this brilliant friend Fanshawe. His friend did amazing work, married a beautiful wife (highly similar to Paul’s wife Siri) and has a son. He then disappears and the wife goes to him asking him to publish her husband work. They become close and he eventually publishes all of Fanshawe’s work. He also marries her after receiving a letter from Fanshawe telling him to live his life and to forget about him. The narrator again find himself immersed in the life of Fanshawe to the point where he gets really tired and frustrated and decides that he is ready to find and kill Fanshawe to erase him from his life! He starts writing a biography of Fanshawe and goes to Paris to meet some of the people he knew. He goes to a bar and decides to call a stranger Fanshawe (who insists that he is Peter Stillman!). He fights with him and survives and after that he decides that he is ready to go back. Years later he receives a letter from Fanshawe to meet him in Boston for a final meeting. He meets him there and he is given a red notebook! (Quinn’s notebook?). The narrator finds the words in the red book very familiar?
I’m not sure but in Ghosts Gray is mentioned who disappeared and then came back as Green and married his wife? Is Gray Fanshawe?
libeccio's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
katykelly's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this more. It's clever, twisty, intelligent but maybe a little TOO intelligent.
Three interconnected detective stories, set in New York. For me though, each was about a rather unlikeable man, who made some silly choices (that he didn't have to) that then affected his life and relationships.
And it's all grim, gritty and depressing too.
It's well written though. I was impressed with the voice of the younger Peter Stillman in 'City of Glass', a moving tale told in an impressively realistic voice.
The book was recommended to me and while I'm glad I got through it, it was a bit of a slog, it's not easy (the second tale almost made me give up, with characters called White, Blue, Black etc but it didn't end up confusing me.
Not one for someone who's after a cheery or light read. It's deep, depressing and dark but it is clever. Make of it what you will.
Three interconnected detective stories, set in New York. For me though, each was about a rather unlikeable man, who made some silly choices (that he didn't have to) that then affected his life and relationships.
And it's all grim, gritty and depressing too.
It's well written though. I was impressed with the voice of the younger Peter Stillman in 'City of Glass', a moving tale told in an impressively realistic voice.
The book was recommended to me and while I'm glad I got through it, it was a bit of a slog, it's not easy (the second tale almost made me give up, with characters called White, Blue, Black etc but it didn't end up confusing me.
Not one for someone who's after a cheery or light read. It's deep, depressing and dark but it is clever. Make of it what you will.
andrea_hr's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hunziker's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
diogoexmarques's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vicaleggecose's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
robfarren's review against another edition
2.0
People seem to think this is my kind of thing--why is that? By the third one, I couldn't even get through it anymore and had to quit. It was a bit too meta and postmodern for me.
adeselnaferreira's review against another edition
4.0
Noir, meta e surrealista ❤️ Saudades do Auster
thomasgammon's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5