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Title: The Silent Gondoliers: A Fable by William Goldman, S. Morgenstern ISBN: 0345442636 Publisher: Del Rey Pub. Date: 02 January, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4
Rating: 5
Summary: A delightful journey into a fantastic dream
Comment: As an opera singer and having visited Venice for the first time this past year, this was a perfect book. I loved this novel--as a diversion from an otherwise boring Sunday afternoon, as a jaunt into the life of someone special, and even as a complete story worthy of never being compared to it's predecessor "The Princess Bride." My main point in this review is to state that there IS no comparison between this and "The Princess Bride." The only simularity is the fact that Willian Goldman wrote both under the pseudonymn "S. Morgenstern." In all actuality... and this is a big thing for a dedicated romantic, like myself, to state... I think I liked this book better than "The Princess Bride." It was concise, to the point, short, and all the while it lost no magic that was intended and even drew me in more because of it's clear-cut nature. It is a fable that should be read over and over... I believe the moral is there for anyone to see, however, one must choose for himself or herself what the message is for him/her as an individual. Don't read this for a message though... read it to become wrapped up in the glitz and glamour of Venice, to become enamoured of the romantic nature of Luigi, and mostly...to become lost in the dreams and the discovery that those dreams can come true.
I particularly liked the part - chapter XIV - where "S. Morgenstern" breaks in with a statement about famous swimmers.... I know this makes no sense if you haven't read the book. Just read it; when you do you'll understand the brilliance of Goldman's intervention. This is amazingly perceived and brilliantly written. It touched me and I do believe that I will always consider the Luigi character a personal hero.
Rating: 3
Summary: Cute
Comment: I am one of the handful of people who haven't yet read "The Princess Bride," so I can't comment on how this compares to that book. However, this was an entertaining little tale and a cute fable.
Everyone once knew that the gondoliers of Venice were the best singers in the world -- so amazing, in fact, that the great Enrico Caruso was overwhelmed when he heard them singing. One talented young gondolier with a "goony" smile, Luigi, is incredibly skilled as a gondolier and wins the heart of the girl he adores. But when he tries to sing, chaos reigns. People pelt him with vegetables and dead fish, even when he isn't singing.
Out of necessity, poor Luigi is drummed out of the gondoliers. His girlfriend dumps him, and he ends up washing dishes in a tavern with only his dreams to sustain him. Can Luigi overcome his terrible singing voice and realize his dreams?
This is a cute little story, though "fable" might be the wrong description for it because there is no firmly-defined lesson in it. Is it the special-rubbing-off line? Never give up on your dreams? Be an insane optimist? I never really figured it out. The outlines of it are rather uneven, especially the entire chapter devoted to the history of surfing. This might work in a book three or four times "Gondoliers"'s length, but in a story this short it merely feels awkward. And for the record, the translation of "pizza" is not "pizza," but "pie."
Nevertheless, Luigi is a sweetie, with his goony smile and obsessions with being a gondolier. The reader really does want him to succeed, and boos enthusiastically at the unsympathetic The Great and the aptly named "John the Bastard." The line drawings add a nice touch, very pretty in most cases. And the author manages to make Venice sound like one of the loveliest places in the world.
A nice little book, good for passing twenty minutes on a rainy day.
Rating: 3
Summary: Nice addition to your library
Comment: I must admit that I shot myself in the foot by expecting this book to be another Princess Bride. This "fable" is definitely not the same. No high adventure here. But the book certainly has its merits. Goldman/Morgenstern is able to create characters with whom you instantly connect. You can't help but adore them--even in the case of John the Bastard, the overly-critical professor of hopeful gondoliers. The ending, overly sentimental for my taste, was a bit disappointing. Overall, the book was not an unpleasant read. When it was out of print, I would have said it wasn't worth the trouble of hunting down a copy. But since it's been re-released, I think it would be a shame not to check it out. It's a nice addition to any collection.
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Title: The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure (The 'Good Parts' Version) by William Goldman ISBN: 034543014X Publisher: Ballantine Books (Trd) Pub. Date: 1998 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Temple of Gold by William Goldman ISBN: 0345439740 Publisher: Ballantine Books (Trd Pap) Pub. Date: 02 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Boys and Girls Together by William Goldman ISBN: 0345439732 Publisher: Ballantine Books (Trd Pap) Pub. Date: 31 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, Ralph Manheim, Roswitha Quadflieg ISBN: 0140386335 Publisher: Puffin Pub. Date: 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Soldier in the Rain by William Goldman ISBN: 0848805062 Publisher: Amereon Ltd Pub. Date: 1989 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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