The Book of Illusions: A Novel
2 journalers for this copy...
I read this book for an undergrad literature class three years ago, then read it several more times just for fun. I am tempted to keep it, but I think it's time to let someone else enjoy it. A quick read with lots of plot twists, this book is definitely worth catching.
The cover caught my eye a few months ago, in the sale room at the library, where I pick up secondhand books. Your note taped to the inside flap also caught my eye; it's the first one I've seen, although I may have seen BCID numbers before without knowing what they were.
I've found names, business cards, notes, and receipts inside books, hinting at where they'd traveled, and often wonder how books move across the country before ending up in my library. Perhaps you've forgotten about this journal, so my entry will come to you as a surprise, like Frieda's letter.
I like to hold onto books that I've read, so this book's (mysterious) 11-year journey may end here, at least for some time. It won't just disappear though (like Hector's films), because I share books with a few people, and will lend it to them with my recommendation.
I enjoyed the story, and for a book about illusions, the characters seemed realistic and alive. I especially enjoyed the idea of giving a voice to a silent-movie character, as well as the parallels between Hector and David's lives.
There's one glaring technical flaw, which is that revolvers don't have safeties, so the chance that saved his life (Alma forgetting about the safety) was impossible. When David put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, he would have killed himself, ending the story. After a bit of grumbling, I chalked it up to common error among literary types (other than Hemingway and old-school noir crime writers).
If you see this entry, I'm interested to know what you wrote about it for your lit class. Did you give any thought to the names? A zimmer is a room (a chamber within a structure), and a zimmermann is a carpenter. Hector's name changes had meaning (e.g. Loesser can be pronounced as "lesser" or "loser"), so I'm wondering if these names also have a deeper meaning.
Thanks for putting this book out into the wild, and I'm glad I caught it. I hope you see this, which I'm writing one day short of 11 years after your entry.
I've found names, business cards, notes, and receipts inside books, hinting at where they'd traveled, and often wonder how books move across the country before ending up in my library. Perhaps you've forgotten about this journal, so my entry will come to you as a surprise, like Frieda's letter.
I like to hold onto books that I've read, so this book's (mysterious) 11-year journey may end here, at least for some time. It won't just disappear though (like Hector's films), because I share books with a few people, and will lend it to them with my recommendation.
I enjoyed the story, and for a book about illusions, the characters seemed realistic and alive. I especially enjoyed the idea of giving a voice to a silent-movie character, as well as the parallels between Hector and David's lives.
There's one glaring technical flaw, which is that revolvers don't have safeties, so the chance that saved his life (Alma forgetting about the safety) was impossible. When David put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, he would have killed himself, ending the story. After a bit of grumbling, I chalked it up to common error among literary types (other than Hemingway and old-school noir crime writers).
If you see this entry, I'm interested to know what you wrote about it for your lit class. Did you give any thought to the names? A zimmer is a room (a chamber within a structure), and a zimmermann is a carpenter. Hector's name changes had meaning (e.g. Loesser can be pronounced as "lesser" or "loser"), so I'm wondering if these names also have a deeper meaning.
Thanks for putting this book out into the wild, and I'm glad I caught it. I hope you see this, which I'm writing one day short of 11 years after your entry.
