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Loading... The End of the Alphabetby C. S. Richardson
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  Nickelini | Aug 5, 2009 |  what a stupid book. i can't believe the reviews! (  ) mahallett | Aug 3, 2009 | A man finds out he has thirty days to live. As a child he helped his dad in the printing business. He liked the alphabet dies and kept the letter Z for his name. He started collecting articles about different places that he could visit that started with the letters of the alphabet. Now he wants to go visit as many as he can with his wife before he dies. (  ) libraryclerk | Jul 26, 2009 | The End of the Alphabet is one of the most perfect novellas i've ever read. it's staggeringly beautiful in very few pages. the idea is mesmerizing: visit places that are somehow attached to each letter of the alphabet. perfection. (  ) atlargeintheworld | Apr 7, 2009 | This was a tragic little book. It was kind of a downer. I loved however, the way the book was constructed and I loved the idea of in his last days of life traveling around the world visiting a city for every letter of the alphabet. I was sad that the mission was left uncompleted in the end. The writing lacks very little, which is fantastic. It was a quick little read, which I intend to read again to get the full force of it. There is much to be found in this book. (  ) goldiebear | Jan 12, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
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THE END OF THE ALPHABET is a tender, intimate story of an ordinary life defined by an extraordinary love.
Ambrose Zephyr is a contented man. He shares a book-laden Victorian house with his loving wife, Zipper. He owns two suits, one of which he was married in. He is a courageous eater, save brussels sprouts. His knowledge of wine is vague and best defined as Napa, good; Australian, better; French, better still. Kir royale is his drink of occasion. For an Englishman he makes a poor cup of tea. He believes women are quantifiably wiser than men, and would never give Zipper the slightest reason to mistrust him or question his love. Zipper simply describes Ambrose as the only man she has ever loved. Without adjustment.
Then, just as he is turning fifty, Ambrose is told by his doctor that he has one month to live. Reeling from the news, he and Zipper embark on a whirlwind expedition to the places he has most loved or has always longed to visit, from A to Z, Amsterdam to Zanzibar. As they travel to Italian piazzas, Turkish baths, and other romantic destinations, all beautifully evoked by the author, Zipper struggles to deal with the grand unfairness of their circumstances as she buoys Ambrose with her gentle affection and humor. Meanwhile, Ambrose reflects on his life, one well lived, and comes to understand that death, like life, will be made bearable by the strength and grace of their devotion.
Richardson’s lovely prose comes alive with an honesty and intensity that will leave you breathless and inspired by the simple beauty and power of love. THE END OF THE ALPHABET is a timeless, resonant exploration of the nature of love, loss, and life.
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:51 -0400)
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Recommended for: readers are in the mood for a quirky, romantic little book. I can see that this one isn't for everyone--one of the reviewers called it "treacly," and although I vehemently disagree, I can see how someone might think that. But I'm not a sappy type, and I liked it a lot. A good vacation read. (