Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... L'horizon (2001)by Patrick Modiano
None Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. The second short novel by Patrick Modiano I read did not improve my assessment of him. Again, a wave of boredom (“ennui”) of bland characters lost in their small worlds in the streets of Paris. The horizon hangs low and seconds extend into eternity. I am not tempted to read a third novel by the author even though the newly reprinted novels decorate the Xmas bookstores. Jean Bosmans, el protagonista del libro, rememora su encuentro fortuito con Margaret Le Coz, en Paris, muchos anos antes, en una epoca en la cual ambos eran muy jovenes. Margaret es un personaje interesante, una mujer sola, con un pasado misterioso, que huye de ciudad en ciudad con un pasaporte caducado y teme a la policia. Jean, es un personaje con menos pasado, un poco inseguro y lleno de proyectos. Su personaje se vuelve mas atrayente al desarrollarse la historia, ya que se muestra no solo como era en la juvuentud, sino tambien en que se ha convertido el la madurez. La historia esta reconstruida por Bosmans, que recupera poco a poco sus recuerdos al pasear por Paris y al volver a los lugares que frecuento con Margaret, esto envuelve la narracion en una especie de neblina, y hace que algunos aspectos de la historia se desdibujen y otros tengan una enorme nitidez,:pequenos, detalles, una frase, un rostro... El autor consigue transmitir bien el efecto del paso del tiempo en los recuerdos, y como algunas situaciones y lugares logran que recuperemos aquello que parecia perdido en la memoria. Al final de la novela muchas de las incognitas sobre la vida y circunstancias de los personajes no son desveladas, pero sin embargo, se insinua que la historia de estos personajes aun no esta cerrada, que tienen un horizonte comun por descubrir. A fantastic book - read it twice within a week of buying it. All Modiano's usual themes: identity, passage of time; fantomes du passe, paths crossing but not quite crossing; sinister aspects of sudden departures, mysterious stalkers and followers, fear of being able to cross frontiers, time passing, raids, night trains, remorseless change, brilliant names - Bosmans, Margaret Le Coz - shady dealings, possibly a hint of a happy ending - and of couse Paris. Superb. no reviews | add a review
Is contained in
Jean Bosmans, an apprentice writer, meets Margaret Le Coz by chance. Years later, the protagonist of the novel questions whether the words exhcanged during their first encounter have faded into nothingness. Thirty years later Bosmans redraws the map of his relationship with Margaret, motivated by the bright horizon and not by melancholy. A hypnotic work by Modiano. No library descriptions found.
|
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)843Literature French and related languages French fictionLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
Beautifully written but not gripping, i loved to read it and in the end it takes a nice turn towards something that could evolve in a happy ending and for me it spoils a bit the darker and gloomier side of the story. A dramatic end would have been more suitable, i like to think.
Happy that i read my first of this author but in great doubt if i will read another one. Maybe one, to give it one more try.
But then again, maybe not...... There is so much to read. :) ( )