Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Second Hand by MICHAEL ZADOORIAN ISBN: 0-385-33570-9 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 08 May, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.65 (31 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: FUNNY and MOVING STORY
Comment: Highly recommend this to readers who enjoy well-written "small stories" that explore the emotional life of quirky characters in an interesting milieu.
The milieu is a second-hand store in Detriot, owned by Richard, and the story follows him on outings to estate sales as well as visits to his mother's hospital bedside. Even before his mother dies, Richard and his sister engage in a tug-o-war over her belongings. He deeply cares about the "junk" he accumulates in his store, but at times it seems he cares more about junk than the people in his life. The second-hand store acts as a metaphor for Richard's "junked-up" emotional life, and I liked that.
One day, Theresa crosses the threshold of Richard's store. She's an eccentric young woman with a horrible job of euthanizing animals at the local shelter. Richard and Theresa begin their dance of intimacy by taking steps to get closer to each other, then pulling away. Each hides in a private "junk store" of emotional pain and vulnerability.
The story concludes with their going to Mexico to participate in the Day of the Dead rituals. For each, its an Act of Contrition, that finally brings them together. The novel keeps building in an interesting and emotional way that brought tears to my eyes at the end.
Rating: 4
Summary: Funny, insightful, original, perceptive
Comment: This tale engages all the reader's emotions. It is laugh-out-loud funny, sexy, poignant, heart-rending, and an overall satisfying read. The protagonist and narrator is a self-deprecating second-hand-store owner who is happily addicted to other people's cast-offs: the kitch and style of items from bygone days that have become the stuff of happy memories. His mother's death triggers a series of events that includes discovering his parents' humanity and falling in love with a quirky, tortured, fellow junker. Particularly insightful are the author's theories about consumer culture. The book is a lot of fun, particularly for readers who appreciate thrift stores, estate sales, and the cast-off detritus of strangers.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Rare Gem
Comment: This book reminds me of Anne Tyler's books, transplanted from Baltimore to Detroit: we're invited into the life of an ordinary person who has to work things out before he can have a satisfactory relationship. The book pays off in many ways. The prose is highly polished, so you can enjoy it simply as an piece of great writing. The descriptions of junk items are terrific -- these alone are worth the price of the book. The author makes great use of humor. Best of all, the book resolves in a beautiful and satisfying way. I can't wait for Zadoorian's next novel.
 |
Title: Detroit Tales by Jim Ray Daniels ISBN: 0870136623 Publisher: Michigan State Univ Pr Pub. Date: June, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
 |
Title: The Lawn: A History of an American Obsession by Virginia Scott Jenkins ISBN: 1560984066 Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press Pub. Date: May, 1994 List Price(USD): $15.25 |
 |
Title: Cold : A Novel by JOHN SMOLENS ISBN: 1400050871 Publisher: Three Rivers Press Pub. Date: 23 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
 |
Title: House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III ISBN: 0375727345 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: 16 November, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: If Morning Ever Comes : A Novel by ANNE TYLER ISBN: 0449911780 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 27 August, 1996 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
