The Collector Collector: A Novel

I adored this fun little book about a sentient piece of pottery! It can change its form, effect the world around it, and remembers in excruciating detail every single person who has owned or handled it. Very unusual, totally refreshing and a real delight.

This was one of those intriguing books that failed to intrigue me. I gave up on it after a while, because it felt like the absurdity just wasn't going to sustain my interest. Sometimes absurdity is enough, but generally I need at least one other thing to hang my interest on. Characters whose problems I care about tend to do it, but I don't recall being enticed that way.

Still, Fischer seems well regarded, so I'm fine putting the failure down to me or to the circumstances of my reading. However, I doubt that will be enough, given all there is to read, for me to give the author another try. (Not that I don't welcome some encouragement to the contrary.)

I read this novel years ago when it was first published. I was hoping it would make more sense this time around...it didn't. The characters are well developed and interesting. However the situations they find themselves in and the stories told by the pottery are far fetched and meaningless.

Narrated by an ancient Sumerian bowl that 'collects' collectors. Witty and unusual.

Rosa , una joven londinense, tasadora de obras de arte en una casa de subastas, sueña con encontrar al hombre ideal. Un día, le encargan que certifique la autenticidad de un cuenco de cerámica que desea comprar Marius , un hombre de negocios poderoso y excéntrico coleccionista. El cuenco ―tan antiguo como la humanidad― posee los cinco sentidos y está dotado de una hilarante capacidad para narrar, entre otras historias, las peripecias que alteran por completo el apartamento de Rosa : la aparición de Nikki , ladrona impenitente y auténtica máquina sexual, a la que protege Balumba , una mujer hercúlea que ha regresado de la muerte para devolverla al buen camino; el desconcierto amoroso de la glotona Lechuga ; varios asesinatos show more frustrados y un sinfín de aventuras que el cuenco ha vivido a través de los siglos y que no tiene reparos en contar en cuanto Rosa le impone las manos. show less