Wrinkles
by Charles Simmons
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Description
A brilliantly original examination of the many aspects that make up a life--from birth, up and over the hill, and into the wilderness of old age A truly astonishing and original work of fiction,nbsp;Wrinklesnbsp;is the story of a life lived forty-four times, from childhood to adulthood to old age. It is a story of one man, a writer, who is born, who grows, who loves, who stops loving; who eats, sleeps, smokes, lies, boozes, cheats, regrets, has sex, has dreams, and lives. In short yet show more intimately detailed chapters, each covering a single aspect of his life from youth through old age, we get to know this person fully through the small yet telling incidents that make him who he is. He remembers the taste of a cigarette, the feel of his army uniform, the scent of a lover, the strange and unexpected touch of a college professor's hand, and so many more small experiences that can never be shaken off. At once poignant, funny, and troubling, Charles Simmons'snbsp;Wrinklesnbsp;is a dissection of an ordinary existence made extraordinary through reflection--a brilliant celebration of the not-so-simple act of being alive. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Short, 'biographical' chapters on a man's life in the following format: starts out with some remembrance or theme or obsession/compulsion of childhood, and then moves onto adulthood in which the man is still trying to figure out life, and future. By that point he has usually accepted or lost interst in whatever was previously preoccupying him. Each chapter is 3 1/2 - 4 pages long. There are about 40 chapters. I can see why Earl Shorris recommended this novel as one fot ebest books written about people. Even though the chapters are not very long and the dscriptions are thus terse and short, one gets the feeling that the author is wise. And sees a lot in people as the reader comes away from each chapter with increased understanding and show more compassion for the people of this world. (Dec 2002) show less
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ThingScore 75
Demzufolge zieht er mit seinem autobiographischen Roman also in keiner Weise ein Fazit seines Lebens, es ist wohl vielmehr eine Halbzeitanalyse. Auf jeden Fall macht Simmons mit seinen "Lebensfalten" deutlich, dass es nicht immer große Erlebnisse braucht, um den Leser zu unterhalten. Auch das Normale - ausgenommen seine vielleicht nicht ganz so normalen erotischen Abenteuer - kann sehr show more fesselnd sein. show less
added by Indy133
Author Information
6 Works 351 Members
Charles Paul Simmons was born in Manhattan, New York on August 17, 1924. He received a bachelor's degree from Columbia University and served in the Army during World War II. After stints in book and magazine publishing, he was hired as a copy boy at The Times, where he also composed brief commentaries for the editorial pages. He worked as an show more editor for The New York Times Book Review for thirty years. He wrote five novels during his lifetime including Powdered Eggs, An Old-Fashioned Darling, Wrinkles, The Belle Lettres Papers, and Salt Water. He died on June 1, 2017 at the age of 92. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards
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- Members
- 71
- Popularity
- 440,105
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.50)
- Languages
- English, French, German, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 3
