Moon Palace Perfect Paperback

I have just read the various reviews of 'Moon Palace' present here om Amazon.co.uk, and I must admit that it surprises me to see that the book has got so bad grades as it has.'Moon Palace' is to me, a guy in his early twenties with limited knowledge on the theories of post-modern literature and what not, so I can only tell you what I got out of it.The book is, to me, a great story of coincidences and how some people continue to choose paths that seems wrong to you, but makes perfect sense to the protagonist. M.S. Fogg, the protagonist, is a person that you do not really know whether you like or not, but given his sad childhood with an absent father and a mother that dies tragically, maybe it is not so difficult to understand why Fogg does what he does.As in all Auster books, Auster creates a really great background story to all the characters, describing them so vividly that you are convinced they must have been real people. Both Thomas Effing, Kitty Wu, Solomon Barber and Miss Hume are presented really well, and whereas the protagonist sort of becomes a character in the background, all the others steal the picture quite elegantly.How Mr Auster creates these stories I do not know, but it is certain that I will have read each and every one of them before long.

This is a deep philosophical and psychological novel whose journey gets the reader to question life. It took me a while to get into, but once I believed in the story, I simply couldn't put it down.The story is narrated by a passive youth, who has apparently lost his entire family and is unable to process his grief. This leads to a terrible personal crisis and mental breakdown, leaving him homeless and completely vulnerable. With the help of friends, he slowly returns to life, exploring his feelings and the many mysteries of his past. As luck would have it, he meets a series of extraordinary people, all of who are closer to him than he could dare imagine. He falls for a lovely woman, Kitty, whose story is like his, and works for a difficult man who also serves as a mirror for his life. In spite of the strange coincidences, I found his journey entirely believable and psychologically real in the way that only art can accomplish.Auster's style is a wonderfully playful experiment. The narrator often reveals what will happen, but continues on the journey as the most important part of his message. Though nothing much seems to be happening for large stretches, the boy is looking into himself as banal outer events push him to a flawed introspection. There are also many stories within the story, in particular the lives of the Barbers, but also Kitty's. While extremely disparate, they share common themes that link directly to the narrator's plight.The ending is also a surprise. I took it optimistically as a yet another rebirth, if still with his awareness of terrible pain and bad luck.Warmly recommended. This is an unusual novel that will grow in the imagination of the careful reader.

this review contains some spoilers.this is actually the first time i am genuinely motivated to write a book review. All because of the this wonderful but also splendidly sad book by Auster.the first impression you will have when you set eyes on any page of this book, is the exquisite fluidity of the prose. turn to any page and the comfortable flows of language automatically begin without any effort, and you just feel you can go on and on until the very end.the "story" in this book, if it is not a "sin" now to still expect some sort of plot from a novel, is not very gripping in the sense of a 19th century sensation novel, or detective stories. the story of a a young man's development, his journey into life, his coming to terms with his past. that is pretty much it. yet i did't feel bored during the reading except on very few occasions when the prose runs into prolonged descriptions of the physical features of the characters, for example Effing's and Solomon's.for me, Auster has created a charismatic central charter, Marco, whose audacity to experiment on his own life, largeness of heart, romantic impulses of love imbue the whole book. sometimes i regret the fact that in the middle part, when Effing retells his story, Marco retreats into the background. i just want to read more of his story, especially his love affair with Kitty. As a Chinese person, i naturally fell in love with Kitty. How could i possibly not?therefore, apart from all the beautiful symbolism, the pleasure of the prose, the interesting ideas here and there, the biggest complaint about this book i have, is the somewhat "tragic" ending. after experiencing all the sufferings and solitude, I just wish Marco could enjoy a brighter denouement. although you can argue with the actual ending of the book, a transcending vision or beauty is achieved. but i am vulgar, i am just a common reader.after finishing the book, the images that remain in my mind are those of the rugged mountains and deserts of Utah. i never knew that human loneliness could extend to such a degree, and yet it is still bearable... thank you, Paul Auster, for such a memorable book about fatherhood, the impenetrable mystery of fate, and the pleasures and sorrows of love.

First book I have read by this author. It was quite enjoyable but not amazingly. The plot was too contrived.

Although his novels rely heavily on coincidence (as did those of Dickens), Paul Auster is a master storyteller. He could be the best writer in the world - now or ever! This is another perfectly crafted tale. Along with The New York Trilogy, Oracle Night, In The Country of Last Things, The Book of Illusions, The Music of Chance and Travels in the Scriptorium (which should be read last in any sequence), Moon Palace is the sort of book any author would aspire to write and spend a lifetime failing to do so. Yet Mr Auster has pulled the rabbit from the hat at least seven times!Any one yet to be introduced to his works should get reading!

This is the first Paul Auster novel I have read. It took me a while to get into it, the first 20 pages or so were difficult to absorb but then I couldn't put it down. I love his style of story telling and shall definately read more of his.

mit erhabenen Weissheiten darin und sehr gut geschrieben. hatte schon lange kein so gutes Buch mehr gelesen. sehr zu empfehlen

We accompany the character through stages of his life described in such a vivid way that you feel you're with him.

Paul Auster will be required reading for university Lit classes in a very short time

A fantasmagorical, swinging and swaying journey through madness, coincidence, chaos and cunning. Magnetic and pathetic at the same time. Totally human in its unpredictability.

É Paul Auster! Fantástico! Todos os livros dele são top! É LITERATURA!Eu recomendo. E acho que essa avaliação eh chata de fazer