Leviathan Paperback – September 1, 1993

This book is a transitional piece for Auster. In this excellently written story about a man lost in the world after years of bohemian existence we find a wonderful work of internal psychological reasoning. In this book, Auster makes the leap from the observer, narrator or protagonist, to the insertion of himself, as a writer/observer, into the story as a character. The choice of the name "Peter Aaron" is a not so subtle clue that Auster means Aaron to be himself. With both Auster and Aaron having the initials "P.A." it is difficult to ignore Auster's presence in the story.The book takes us deeply into the activities of his good friend, Ben Sachs, another writer. The book illustrates the development of the existential Sachs in a world which he is mostly powerless to control. At some point, Sachs believes he has wrested control over his own life, and yet, just at that point, is the point that perhaps he has least control over his life; but does not realize it.Auster, as usual, has surrealism meet reality. It is a talent he has developed and only gets better with practice. And he practices it to the fullest extent here. Auster combines his talent for surrealism with a wonderful sense of human irony. His use of that combination often leaves the reader with a feeling that `nothing really matters; but everything really matters.' Yet he clearly shows also, that if nothing really matters, any road will get you there.This book is recommended highly for all readers of Auster's work as the reader can see Auster's transition in this book. In addition, it is recommended for all readers who wish to further examine the depth and breadth of human thought, once derailed from what we consider "reality."

Leviathan by Paul Auster is an excellent book for anyone ranging from teen to adult that is looking for an easy enjoyable read. The book is full of many interesting stories that cause one to wonder the relevance of some of them, but once read through the entire book, all of the stories fit together. The title of the book is very interesting. Its title I believe is very meaningful to the book. The author chooses it for very interesting reasons. I am leaving these reasons out in an attempt to not spoil the book. The ending was exactly as I figured. It wrapped up all loose ends and fit all the random stories together to give them meaning. I thought the most interesting part of the book was the ways Auster pieces all the stories together at the end of the book to give each and every one of them meaning. It's not very often an author does this in a book. The most exciting part of the book was probably the end where major character Ben Sachs reveals very important information to his best friend, Peter Aaron. I found myself enthralled in the book at this point because I wanted to see how Peter would react to the news. The book didn't leave me disappointed for one second. It stayed strong throughout the entire novel, and I would definitely recommend this book to just about anyone.

Reread Leviathan after 20 odd years. It still is a masterpiece of a novel. Unmissable.

Auster is one of my favorite writers but the adventures of the liberty terrorist are not that believable. We come to the main characters point of view late. Still he skillfully maneuvers relationships in the beginning of the novel, blending eccentric characters. He is a master of psychological mystery. Loved the book, but I prefer his other works like The Book of Illusions.

Great writing, though like some of Auster’s other books the ultimate plot equals less than the some of its parts.

About ourselves and other people. Most of it surmise. Some of it testable. Some of it useful. Almost none of it provable. None of it matters. Unless it’s written down for someone else to accept as a story.

Auster has the gift to make you feel that you are writing the story with him. He is addictive; after reading Leaviatan and many other of his books you tend to compare his style with others maybe equally famous but you miss his pulse.

It is a very good book as usually Auster write. Just a little slow. On the other hand, the argument is very for today and inteligent

Livraison rapide et livre en très bon état

Paul Auster escreve muito bem. Fala do mundo de escritores e artistas de uma forma mais sombria e intimista.

Muy buen thriller. Maravillosamente escrito. Es muy fácil de leer. Me gustó mucho. Lo recomiendo ampliamente a cualquiera la buena lectura.

Great

For lack of a better superlative I'll say that this book is brilliant, like most of Paul Auster's books. This is the first line in the book "Six days ago a man blew himself up by the side of a road" - and from then on the book is an explosive narrative that grips you until the last line. The characters are real, alive and their story is a testimony to the complacency of modern life.