Christian Dobbert Dobbert itibaren Aix-en-Provence, Fransa
this book youll never get bored of
This was a clear case of packaging drawing the buyer in. If I hadn't seen the "chew mark" on the right-hand margin of this book, I probably wouldn't have even noticed it on the shelf. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, in spite of the fact that the foremost thought in my head was: "I'm being drawn in by a rat. I'm being drawn in by a rat who recklessly chewed his way through literary works that most of the world revered. I am being drawn in by a rat who is better read than I am!" Firmin is an amusing character. He's got grand dreams, but never loses sight of his place in the world, or of his short-comings. He lives his life in a balloon, devouring the written word that so many people never even become acquainted with, and he unfailingly puts his faith and trust in his illusions of people. The only thing that really got to me was Firmin's delusion about Ginger Rogers. As a huge (my husband would classify me as "rabid") Fred and Ginger fan, I was disturbed by the final "scene" involving Firmin and Ginger, which actually made me cringe. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the illustrations (not being one to buy books with pictures included), but I found that they were put in places that enhanced the story, instead of detracting from it. My favorite by far was the illustration of Firmin's first encounter with a mirror. So much was depicted in his reflection that you can't help but feel for him. And I must say, I loved Jerry (how could you not?), but the first illustration of him made me shudder. It was the eyes...or the black pits that were supposed to be his eyes...that did it, man... If only everybody in the world was as trusting, open, and had such aspiritations as Firmin. His innocent delusions, desires, and the tenuous connections he built to the authors, stories and characters he encountered in Shine's Bookstore turned a simple street rat into an unexpected hero with a wit, charm and panache all his own. Good-bye zipper!
I wasn't as enchanted with this one as the others....but it was still really really good!