Forty Rooms by Olga Grushin 2016 Hardcover Novel

$ 3.16

Topic: Psychological, Contemporary Women, Family Life, Literary Book Title: Forty Rooms Item Length: 8.5 in brand: Penguin Publishing Group LCCN: 2016-299579 Dewey Decimal: 813/.6 Dewey Edition: 23 gtin13: 9781101982334 Illustrator: Yes LC Classification Number: PS3607.R85 Genre: Fiction Item Width: 5.7 in Item Weight: 16.6 Oz Reviews: Praise for The Dream Life of Sukhanov "Grushin's beautifully constructed puzzle is a triumph of singular yet universal genius." --Boris Kachka, New York magazine "Make no mistake about it: The Dream Life of Sukhanov is the work of a true artist . . . in its expansiveness, its refusal to dwell on the tiny palace of self, it harks back to the great Russian masters. In so doing, it breathes new life into American literary fiction." --Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World "To write a novel as good as this, you have to be very talented. And Grushin is."-- Financial Times "Ironic, surreal, sometimes stunning . . . Gogolesque in its sardonic humor." --Richard Eder, The New York Times "Grushin raises the bar for first novels. Like all excellent works, it does one unusual enough thing: It fills one with joy, because it works at every level." -- The Irish Times "[A] stunning fictional debut, and a book which reminds us of what a superb contribution the Russian tradition has made, and can still make, to the literary art, compared with our own fallen and humdrum literary world." -- The Independent (UK) "Grushin's haunting dreamscape of her native land is a debut to be cheered here, there and everywhere."--Dan Cryer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "In Grushin's wonderful novel, the incandescent wealth of Russia's literary heritage blazes."--Ruth Scurr, Daily Telegraph Praise for The Line "Utterly brilliant . . . recommended ecstatically."-- Library Journal "A writer of tremendous talent."--Elif Batuman, The New York Times Book Review "If you missed Grushin's first book, [this] is your chance to catch a rising star as she establishes herself in the top ranks of American authors."-- Garrett Kenyon, LitKicks.com "I'm not sure which is the bigger accomplishment, Grushin's ability to depict the tumult, disappointment and daily grind of life in post-revolution Russia, or the light touch of her style. The city her characters inhabit may be oppressive, but The Line is not."--Jessa Crispin, "What We're Reading," NPR.org ISBN-13: 9781101982334 Number of Pages: 352 Pages Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group Author: Olga Grushin Publication Year: 2016 Synopsis: The internationally acclaimed author of The Dream Life of Sukhanov now returns to gift us with Forty Rooms, which outshines even that prizewinning novel. Totally original in conception and magnificently executed, Forty Rooms is mysterious, withholding, and ultimately emotionally devastating. Olga Grushin is dealing with issues of women's identity, of women's choices, that no modern novel has explored so deeply. "Forty rooms" is a conceit: it proposes that a modern woman will inhabit forty rooms in her lifetime. They form her biography, from childhood to death. For our protagonist, the much-loved child of a late marriage, the first rooms she is aware of as she nears the age of five are those that make up her family's Moscow apartment. We follow this child as she reaches adolescence, leaves home to study in America, and slowly discovers sexual happiness and love. But her hunger for adventure and her longing to be a great poet conspire to kill the affair. She seems to have made her choice. But one day she runs into a college classmate. He is sure of his path through life, and he is protective of her. (He is also a great cook.) They drift into an affair and marriage. What follows are the decades of births and deaths, the celebrations, material accumulations, and home comforts--until one day, her children grown and gone, her husband absent, she finds herself alone except for the ghosts of her youth, who have come back to haunt and even taunt her. Compelling and complex, Forty Rooms is also profoundly affecting, its ending shattering but true. We know that Mrs. Caldwell (for that is the only name by which we know her) has died. Was it a life well lived? Quite likely. Was it a life complete? Does such a life ever really exist? Life is, after all, full of trade-offs and choices. Who is to say her path was not well taken? It is this ambiguity that is at the heart of this provocative novel., Totally original in conception and execution, Forty Rooms is a mysterious, withholding, and ultimately, emotionally devastating. Grushin is dealing with issues of women's identity, of women's choices, in a way no modern novel has explored so deeply. When our protagonist finds her children grown and her husband absent, she must evaluate the choices that led her away from her bohemian poet dream and into a comfortable marriage. Was it a life well lived? A life complete? Does such a life really exist? This ambiguity is the core of this provocative novel. Item Height: 1.1 in Format: Hardcover ISBN-10: 1101982330 Intended Audience: Trade Language: English

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Rated 3 out of 5

This novel is a beautifully written, thought-provoking journey through a woman's life, framed by the forty rooms she inhabits. Grushin's prose is lyrical and immersive, blending fantasy and reality in a way that lingers long after the last page. The hardcover edition feels luxurious, making it a perfect addition to any bookshelf. A must-read for lovers of literary fiction!

Derik Wilson

Forty Rooms by Olga Grushin 2016 Hardcover Novel

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