Arthur, frankly, is a bit annoying. He's heart broken but what irritated me was his Eeyore-like woe-is-me mentality which even the humour had a tough time breaking. I did laugh out loud - some passages are pure burlesque. And I did enjoy Arthur's travels. I would simply have preferred fewer pity parties.
In the end what saved the book for me was the mise-en abyme and the revelation of the narrator, which was subtly done. Then, the last chapter was pure magic and brilliance: it brought in a light that was missing all along - dreamers have a place and innocence is beautiful and life is magical.

This copy was bought at my local bookstore.

lecture des Fêtes

From page 1 on, I enjoyed reading this novel. A sharp humor, great style. Arthur's clumsiness and bravery too, are endearing. And the last part, with the mise en abime is fabulous. A great novel!