Picked this up at a youth hostel whilst in Sydney at the the first ABC convention during our flashmob (did an exchange - left a registered book, took away this one).
Different cover on my copy.

A novel about four people brought together at the end of World War Two in a Tuscan villa. Hana is a young Canadian nurse just turning 21 years old. Kip, an Indian sapper, Caravaggio an older Canadian soldier and the English Patient - or is he; perhaps a spy instead?
They live together in a limbo, isolated from the ending war except for Kip's contact via short wave radio. Eventually the dramatic news of the atomic bombs ends their life in limbo and relationships fall apart.
Written with beautifully constructed sentences, however I found this fairly slow-paced.
Reserved for tantans Booker prize ring

Received in the mail today thanks to meganh. I'll be on to this as soon as possible.

I finished this today. At times I found it a little confusing and slow-paced, but as meganh mentioned it has some beautiful writing. I particularly loved this: For echo is the soul of the voice exciting itself in hollow places..

This won the Booker Prize in 1992, and was a co-winner with Barry Unsworth's Sacred Hunger. I've got Sacred Hunger here on my TBR pile, and I'll be interested to see what everyone thinks of it compared to The English Patient. Black Dogs by Ian McEwan was also shortlisted in the same year, and as I'm a bit of a McEwan fan I'll be hunting that one out eventually to have a read.

This book will be heading off to fushmush next.

Received in the mail today. I'm a bit of a Booker blackhole at the moment. I'm trying very hard to stay on top of it all.

I finished this yesterday. I don't really have anything much to add to the above reviews. Yes, I found it very slow paced. Yes, it is beautifully written.

Ondaatje also writes poetry and this is reflected in this novel. Every now and again, I'd take a break, sit back and close my eyes so I could fully appareciate a sentence I'd just read. No wonder it took me a week and a half to read.

The book will continue its travels when i can make it to a post office.

oh dear, arrived today with 4 other rings.
how bad is my timing.
Looks like I'll give up life and be reading from dawn till dusk.

Thanks for sharing and to Tantan for organising the Booker ring.

oh dear
have I really lost my reading habit.
I just couldn't get into this at all.
I kept wanting something to happen, yes there is some beautiful prose but I kept thinking "oh do get on with it"

Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have tried reading it straight after Moon Tiger which I found even mre irritating.

Glad everyone else enjoyed it, thanks Meganh for sharing, it will be on its way to Dodau shortly

Arrive safely this morning. I have a few in front of it but will read and send on within a week or two.

I was affraid by the cover that I would find this boring and I was right. It says in the synopsis that it is a tale of love but I didn't see that. All I saw I'm affraid was a short fling due to cirmcumstances and a lot of boring anitdotes that ultimately led nowhere

RELEASE NOTES:

Not released,. my mistake

This came a few moments ago. Thanks!

The postie also bought me a Christmas parcel and guess what was inside it? It was "Book Lust," by Nancy Pearl. Somebody knows me very well :)

Shall finish my current read and get on to this one. CR is Full Dress Gray by Lucian Trescott, c. 1998

Finished this last night. It was a quick read and I enjoyed the language. Thanks for sharing! I shall send this book out into the great yonder over the weekend.

I collect quotes as I read. These ones are fun, poetical, or even philosophical. Take what you like, and leave the rest. Note that these aren't necessarily the "best" in the book. These happen to be close to the spot where I stopped reading each night.

She walks down the hall and climbs into her hammock, giving it a swing as she leaves the ground.
Moments before sleep are when she feels most alive, leaping across fragments of the day, bringing each moment into the bed with her like a child with schoolbooks and pencils. The day seems to have no order until these times, which are like a ledger for her, her body full of stories and situations. Caravaggio has for instance given her something. His motive, a drama, and a stolen image. p35

Sometimes when she is able to spend the night with him they are wakened by the three minarets of the city beginning their prayers before dawn. He walks with her through the indigo markets that lie between South Cairo and her home. The beautiful songs of faith enter the air like arrows, one minaret answering another, as if passing on a rumour of the two of them as they walk through the cold mountain air, the smell of charcoal and hemp already making the air profound. Sinners in a holy city. p154

Passing along to Penne across the road. Enjoy!