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The Porpoise (A Novel)
by Haddon, Mark
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 0385544316
- ISBN 13
- 9780385544313
- Seller
-
Maplewood, Missouri, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Doubleday, 2019. Very Good Hardcover with Very Good dustjacket First edition. First Printing. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good.
Reviews
On Aug 7 2019, CloggieDownunder said:
The Porpoise is the fourth novel by award-winning British author, Mark Haddon and is a retelling of the Greek legend of Apollonius. Newborn Angelica is the only survivor of a small plane crash. Her wealthy father Philippe, paralysed by grief at the loss of his wife, becomes reclusive, keeping Angelica in isolation. At first this is from a paranoia about her safety, but then it is his unhealthy obsession, his inappropriate attentions that he needs to hide from the world. And, as she matures, Angelica begins to understand that this is not normal.
It might be observed about Philippe: "If you have never had to face the consequences of your own mistakes, does the quiet, critical, contrary voice at the back of your mind grow gradually quieter until it is no longer audible?"
Darius Koulouris is the son of a recently-deceased art dealer with business ties to Philippe. This rather dissolute young man comes upon something his father had intended for Philippe and immediately recognises the opportunity to check out the fabled Angelica. Before he has been in their company for long, he intuits the situation, but hesitates to get involved. On his return, Angelica begs him to take her away, but Philippe intervenes, with violence: Darius will be lucky to escape with his life…
Angelica has always been an avid reader. "Her favourite stories are the old ones, those that set deep truths ringing like bells, that take the raw materials of sex and cruelty, of fate and chance, and render them safe by trapping them in beautiful words." Often "She enters that foggy border country between dream and story…she is weaving another world."
And now the imagined world to which she escapes when subjected to Philippe's incestuous attentions is one in which Darius escapes the far reach of her father's murderous intentions. Darius morphs into Pericles who is sometimes Appolinus or Apollonius, sailing the Mediterranean and beyond, saving a city, being ship-wrecked, winning a princess's hand, suffering terrible tragedy and wandering alone for many years of self-imposed exile.
Not all readers will be familiar with this Greek legend and its various iterations but a quick look at Wikipedia provides the basics, including the fact that William Shakespeare had a go, and Haddon refers to this in the Author's Notes. The parts of the novel featuring Will are very entertaining, particularly if envisaging him as portrayed by David Mitchell in Upstart Crow.
Haddon's version of the legend is beautifully told, with some exquisite descriptive prose that easily evokes the era, be it Ancient Greece, twenty-first-century Hampshire or Jacobean London. As the story progresses, Haddon's Pericles and Chloe, through their trials, gain much wisdom, while Marina, without the benefit of either parent, grows into a beautiful person, within and without, courageous and resilient. While quite a departure from Haddon's earlier work, this is a wonderful read.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Doubleday Australia
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Details
- Bookseller
- The Book House - St. Louis (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 230824-MB54
- Title
- The Porpoise (A Novel)
- Author
- Haddon, Mark
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Edition
- First Printing
- ISBN 10
- 0385544316
- ISBN 13
- 9780385544313
- Publisher
- Doubleday
- Date Published
- 2019
- Keywords
- Fiction, Novel, Literary, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Terms of Sale
The Book House - St. Louis
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About the Seller
The Book House - St. Louis
Biblio member since 2005
Maplewood, Missouri
About The Book House - St. Louis
Booksellers since 1986. We have over 350,000 books in our open shop located in the St. Louis, Missouri area about 45,000 listed online. A portion of all proceeds support Second Chapter Life Center for young adults with special needs.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...