Blue, Black, Quinn, Stillman, Fanshawe - I got it, I think, but now I've forgotten what happened and why.

These three stories set in New York City seem at first unrelated but certain common themes soon emerge; the writer’s relationship with his/her work and characters, the fine line between illusion and reality, between sanity and madness and obsession, questions of identity are a few that come to mind. Having read several other Auster books, I immediately felt at home with his familiar voice which isn’t to say that I was able to make head or tails of these stories. One clearly senses Auster is working out his personal issues about writing here but he does so imaginatively and with a sense of mystery that kept me hooked for the ride, and though this book made me think, I felt slightly bewildered, with no idea where I’d ended up by the time it was over. ( )

I took The New York Trilogy (by Paul Auster) with me on my vacation to
Manhattan. Good choice. These three somewhat related non-traditional detective
stories are very thought provoking and have strong themes of obsession,
identity, & anonymity. There are many literary references which I enjoyed and
it was fun to read in NYC (my first visit there).
Rating: 4.0 ( )

This was my first exposure to Auster, so it took me awhile to get into the rythm and wit of his writing. As a result, I liked the second better than the first, and the third better than the second. Each was about someone re-making themself, as opposed to re-discovering themself. I really enjoyed the descriptions and the way each made me feel as if I were standing next to the character watching it unfold. I have the Book of Illusions on Mt. TBR and look forward to getting to that one, too. ( )

City of Glass 1985
listened to this in 2000. found it hard to follow. this time found it strange but okay. kind of fun to follow his routes in nyc. the guy sure can walk.