The Confabulist
by Steven Galloway
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/Very Good+
- ISBN 10
- 0307400859
- ISBN 13
- 9780307400857
- Seller
-
Brossard, Quebec, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Knopf, Toronto, 2014. First edition. Condition: Near fine in very good plus dust jacket; light edge wear and bumping at corners. Top edge has light creasing.
From the beloved, award-winning, bestselling author of The Cellist of Sarajevo, a beautiful, suspense-filled novel that uses the life and sudden death of Harry Houdini to weave a magical tale of intrigue, love and illusion.
The Confabulist weaves together the life, loves and murder of the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, with the story of the man who killed him (twice): Martin Strauss, an everyday man whose fate was tied to the magician's in unforeseen ways. A cast of memorable characters spins around Houdini's celebrity-driven life, as they did in his time: from the Romanov family soon to be assassinated, to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the powerful heads of Scotland Yard, and the Spiritualists who would use whoever they could to establish their religion. A brilliant novel about fame and ambition, reality and illusion, and the ways that love, grief and imagination can alter what we perceive and believe...
From the beloved, award-winning, bestselling author of The Cellist of Sarajevo, a beautiful, suspense-filled novel that uses the life and sudden death of Harry Houdini to weave a magical tale of intrigue, love and illusion.
The Confabulist weaves together the life, loves and murder of the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, with the story of the man who killed him (twice): Martin Strauss, an everyday man whose fate was tied to the magician's in unforeseen ways. A cast of memorable characters spins around Houdini's celebrity-driven life, as they did in his time: from the Romanov family soon to be assassinated, to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the powerful heads of Scotland Yard, and the Spiritualists who would use whoever they could to establish their religion. A brilliant novel about fame and ambition, reality and illusion, and the ways that love, grief and imagination can alter what we perceive and believe...
Synopsis
STEVEN GALLOWAY lives in British Columbia and teaches creative writing at the University of British Coumbia. He is the author of The Cellist of Sarajevo .
Reviews
On May 28 2014, CloggieDownunder said:
The Confabulist is the fourth novel by Canadian author, Steven Galloway. Martin Strauss admits upfront to being an unreliable narrator; after all, his doctor has just told him “Yours is a rare condition in which the damage that is being done to your brain does not destroy cognitive function but instead affects your brain’s ability to store and process memories. In response to this, your brain will invent new memories.” The reader does well to keep this in mind as Martin tells the tale of his encounter, as a young man, with the famous Harry Houdini, an encounter that ends with him causing Houdini’s death. Or does it? Martin tells us “I didn’t just kill Harry Houdini. I killed him twice.” Intriguing, to say the least. Galloway weaves many known facts and real people from Houdini’s life into his novel, bringing to life historical facts and anecdotes whilst constructing his mystery. The narration switches between Martin’s life in the present day, Martin’s life in 1926 and 1927, and details of incidents in Houdini’s life. Just as in any good magic show, the reader is left wondering what, precisely, is fact and what is illusion, no doubt exactly as Galloway intended. As well as enthralling the reader with accounts and explanations of Houdini’s tricks, Martin’s version of Houdini’s life includes the Secret Service, Scotland Yard’s Special Branch, the Russian secret police, Russian nobility, séances and spiritualists, kidnap and coercion, diaries in code, a Congress Judiciary Subcommittee, spies and thieves, murder and a mystery daughter. Martin’s mother offers advice long after she departs this world, providing a source of both wisdom and humour. Galloway explores the nature of truth: “…truth wasn’t easily identifiable. You could spot a lie, but the opposite of a lie wasn’t always the truth”; of parenthood: “Being a parent is a monumental thing. You shape reality for another person. You cannot be an illusion”; and of memory: “A memory isn’t a finished product, it’s a work in progress” and “What is a memory anyway, other than a ghost of something that’s been gone for a long time?” This novel is imaginative, intriguing and ultimately, very moving.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Shop-books.ca (CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 202000298
- Title
- The Confabulist
- Author
- Steven Galloway
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good+
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0307400859
- ISBN 13
- 9780307400857
- Publisher
- Knopf Canada
- Place of Publication
- Toronto
- Date Published
- 2014-04-29
- Bookseller catalogs
- Mystery; First Editions;
Terms of Sale
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About the Seller
Shop-books.ca
Biblio member since 2020
Brossard, Quebec
About Shop-books.ca
Online bookseller, specializing in limited editions, science fiction, and fantasy. www.shop-books.caI have been a small, mobile bookseller for over 15 years and have recently decided to stay in one place!
Glossary
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- Fine
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- First Edition
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