The Implacable Order of Things - Book Club December '10
December's book pick is The Implacable Order of Things (also known as Blank Gaze) by Jose Luis Peixoto. It was recommended by Phil and he will also be the discussion leader.
I honestly don't know much about the book. But from the description, it sounds intriguing. Phil says it's great and he has pretty good taste. So I have no problems with trusting his judgment on this.
Here's the description from amazon.
A pair of twins conjoined at the pinky, a 120-year-old wise man, a shepherd turned cuckold by a giant, and even the Devil himself make up the unforgettably oddball cast of The Implacable Order of Things. As these lost souls come together and drift apart, José Luís Peixoto masterfully reveals the absurd, heartbreaking, and ultimately bewitching aspects of human nature in a literary performance that heralds the arrival of an astoundingly gifted and poetic writer.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/030738828X/sr=8-1/q...
I'll be ordering this in the next day or two. (The end of November really snuck up on me.)
Get to reading.
Is this the book you did/are doing the audio recording of?
Indeed, I may be doing the audiobook for this novel. That's in the future, however.
thanks for sharing.blackhawk tactical pants.
— Spambot
"I could have done worse!" exultantly cried the murderer Lebret, sentenced at Rouen to hard labor for life. — Félix Fénéon
My copy is ordered. 
Is nobody reading this?
I'm still waiting for my copy in the mail. Then I'm reading it first thing.
It looks like not a soul apart from me so far has read it. Which is too bad, too, because it's a great book. If I get any sign of life on this front I'll cook up some discussion questions.
Tomorrow I'll be interviewing the author.
thanks for sharing.blackhawk tactical pants.
— Spambot
"I could have done worse!" exultantly cried the murderer Lebret, sentenced at Rouen to hard labor for life. — Félix Fénéon
I'm bummed because I was really looking forward to reading this. Everything I'd read on it sounded fantastic, brilliant, even. But I simply don't have the spare cash at the moment. It's sitting on my digital pile in amazon, but I can't afford a purchase.
Sorry, man.
Phil, make sure you link us to the interview after you do it.
I started reading this yesterday. It's different than I thought. It's a little hard to get into. We'll see though.
It's definitely not an easy book. One of those books that scores big with the highbrow lit crowd — he's won just about every Portuguese literary award, and in the US he's won stuff too. It's serious stuff. I'm not sure he's capable of writing something light. But I love his work.
The interview went well, by the way, and will be available online at some point soon.
thanks for sharing.blackhawk tactical pants.
— Spambot
"I could have done worse!" exultantly cried the murderer Lebret, sentenced at Rouen to hard labor for life. — Félix Fénéon
I'm sorry it's taking me so long to read this. It's one of those books you kinda have to read slow.
I'm trying to finish it though so at least you and I can have a discussion Phil!
matto
don't they have libraries down undah? we have a thing called Inter Libary Loan (ILL)if your exact local doesn't have this book. they borrow it from a neighbor. but i thought you were in school, and surely they would have a copy. hope that helps.
i have to go back to work.
I finished Book 1, so I'm a little over halfway through with the book now.
It was a tough start, but once you get used to his rambling literary style it starts to flow. I find his repetitiveness a little annoying. But overall I'm starting to enjoy the book.
I didn't predict everything that happened towards the end there. I think in the last two chapters.
Is he going to expand on the Devil and the Giant more? I want to know more about their motives.
Is it going to be a whole new story? Or is it continuing on from there?
don't they have libraries down undah? we have a thing called Inter Libary Loan (ILL)if your exact local doesn't have this book. they borrow it from a neighbor. but i thought you were in school, and surely they would have a copy. hope that helps.
i have to go back to work.
Yeah we have a national library and you can borrow from all over the place. But I ruined my credit with the library. Had a bunch of books out on loan and moved place and never found them. So I can't go back. It's okay. I mostly buy books anyway.
A brilliant book, with the original title in Portuguese ""Nenhum Olhar"."No looking".
First published in 2000, is a novel authored by Portuguese writer Jose Luis Peixoto. It is the most translated of his novels. He received the José Saramago Prize in 2001 and describes a universe in which the Alentejo countryside blends with elements of fantasy. In the novel there is almost no dialogue, the author uses the technique of stream of consciousness.
It is a novel where you can find aspects of today's world transposed into the novel carefully and excellently portrayed by the characters. Through this novel, as well as others of this writer, you can live or relive the emotions that we can hardly find in books, where we can find the strength of a human being and at the same time its weakness, the strength with which to establish friendships or relationship and a weakness that can break that bond. It is a journey through the lives of characters who both share moments of joy and moments of sadness and loneliness.
First published in 2000, is a novel authored by Portuguese writer Jose Luis Peixoto. It is the most translated of his novels. He received the José Saramago Prize in 2001 and describes a universe in which the Alentejo countryside blends with elements of fantasy. In the novel there is almost no dialogue, the author uses the technique of stream of consciousness.
It is a novel where you can find aspects of today's world transposed into the novel carefully and excellently portrayed by the characters. Through this novel, as well as others of this writer, you can live or relive the emotions that we can hardly find in books, where we can find the strength of a human being and at the same time its weakness, the strength with which to establish friendships or relationship and a weakness that can break that bond. It is a journey through the lives of characters who both share moments of joy and moments of sadness and loneliness.
I agree — it's one of my favorites, and I wish more people had given it a shot.
It's good to see another Portuguese Cultie, too!
thanks for sharing.blackhawk tactical pants.
— Spambot
"I could have done worse!" exultantly cried the murderer Lebret, sentenced at Rouen to hard labor for life. — Félix Fénéon
I've finished it.
The language was beautiful. I will give it that.
There were characters I wanted to see more of. Obviously the Devil had his hand in just about everything. But I would have liked to see more of him.
I feel the same way about the giant. I would have liked to see him more in the book.
The thing I didn't like about the book was the repetitiveness. Even when new things were happening, they didn't seem new. And he says a lot of things over and over, to a point that, to me, was annoying. Maybe it loses something in the translation?
I'm willing to discuss it more though if anybody wants to jump in.
The Book of Disquiet makes me think of the voice in the trunk.
It's a great book, and I'll be interviewing the author in front of an audience in December — so I'll post a link to the video when it's done.
thanks for sharing.blackhawk tactical pants.
— Spambot
"I could have done worse!" exultantly cried the murderer Lebret, sentenced at Rouen to hard labor for life. — Félix Fénéon