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Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster
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Mr. Vertigo (original 1995; edition 1995)

by Paul Auster

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2,169397,278 (3.82)64
Walt is an orphan from the mid-West who is set on the road to stardom by the dark and mesmerizing figure of Master Yehudi. When the Master takes little Walt back to the mysterious house on the great plains, he initiates the tutorial process that will culminate in Walt's learning to fly.
Member:spongebelly
Title:Mr. Vertigo
Authors:Paul Auster
Info:Penguin (Non-Classics) (1995), Edition: Some Corners Dog Earred, Paperback, 304 pages
Collections:Your library
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Work Information

Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster (1995)

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» See also 64 mentions

English (23)  Spanish (4)  French (3)  Dutch (3)  Italian (2)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  Danish (1)  Catalan (1)  Norwegian (1)  All languages (39)
Showing 1-5 of 23 (next | show all)
Story of a performer and the changes through his life. ( )
  brakketh | Aug 15, 2022 |
This isn't your typical Paul Auster. I tend to think of his works as contemporary New York, but this is a Great Depression era novel set primarily in the Midwest. That said, a number of his common themes shine through. It is the tale of a boy who is whisked away from his family with promises of fame and fortune. This brings me roughly half-way through my collection and it was a nice change of pace. ( )
  eclecticheart | Dec 10, 2018 |
Mr. Vertigo tells the life story of Walter Claireborne Rawley, from his boyhood as an orphan in St. Louis during the 1920s to his reflections as an old man some 70 years later. The pivotal event for Walt occurs early on when he is rescued from his abusive uncle’s care by a mysterious man called Master Yehudi. The Master has seen greatness hidden in Walt and the two embark on an ambitious path to turn the lad into “Walt the Wonder Boy,” someone capable of levitating and moving through the air at will. After considerable initial success touring with their act, Walt suddenly loses his powers and that incident alters his fortunes for the rest of his life. Eventually, he moves on to become a Depression-era mobster in Chicago before spending most of his adulthood in relative anonymity. The tale ends with Walt writing his memoirs, which, in a clever bit of meta-fiction on the part of the author, turns out to be the novel itself.

This book really seemed like two separate stories to me. The first one involving Walt’s youth and his training to become the Wonder Boy was charming and very engaging. Auster did a marvelous job of presenting the magical realism elements associated with the human levitation angle in a matter-of-fact way that made it easy for the reader to suspend any natural sense of skepticism. Also, the dialogue is crisply written and captured nicely the patois and spirit of the Roaring ‘20s. By contrast, the second part of the novel covering Walt’s post-Wonder Boy career fell flat for me. In fact, the whole gangster story arc seemed completely contrived and the scheme involving the baseball player stretched credulity to the breaking point. So, while I came away from reading Mr. Vertigo liking the book, the unfortunate thing is that for most of the tale I was prepared to love it. ( )
1 vote browner56 | Jul 8, 2017 |
I do not generally like magical realism but this book was amusing and touching and the magic was well integrated into the story. The story is told from the point of view of an orphan in 1920s America who learns to fly under the guidance of his 'Master.' They take the show on the road and both hilarity and tragedy ensue. The writing is very funny at times. I've read 4 Auster novels now and his breadth of style and topic are immense. Highly recommended. (My 11 year old son wanted to read this book. I didn't think he's get far, but he finished it in 4 days. It's a bit rough for that age group, but I guess the story was compelling enough to keep him glued to the pages. My rule is 'if you can read it, you can read it.') ( )
1 vote technodiabla | Feb 8, 2017 |
Very nice job... Auster is always good for the fantastic/absurd. I particularly liked how the narrator's voice changed as he grew up... He matured but never lost that rough, uneducated edge despite all that he had learned and experienced. Fun stuff. ( )
  BooksForDinner | Jan 27, 2016 |
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I was twelve years old the first time I walked on water.
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Walt is an orphan from the mid-West who is set on the road to stardom by the dark and mesmerizing figure of Master Yehudi. When the Master takes little Walt back to the mysterious house on the great plains, he initiates the tutorial process that will culminate in Walt's learning to fly.

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