⋙ Download Free The Rise Fall of Great Powers Tom Rachman 9780679643654 Books

The Rise Fall of Great Powers Tom Rachman 9780679643654 Books

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The Rise Fall of Great Powers Tom Rachman 9780679643654 Books

I love this book. I am a fast reader, but I slowed my pace to savor the characters in their glory. These people are readers, and the prose is rich and literate. One can only luxuriate in Humphrey who correctly surmises that, "That movement is overrated." He is the author of the philosophy of "Slob Gravity" which renders it's followers immobile under the onslaught of hours of reading. He is the mysterious father/companion to Tooley, his favorite human. He rates his life's accomplishments as nurturing her and the great writer's of literature. Tooley is a masterpiece of a woman who regards clothing as covering and warmth. Her character development is lush, multifaceted, and deeply satisfying.

The plot of this exquisite novel is that of the mystery of her life. Her early memories are of a wandering life with the deeply mysterious Paul. At the age of ten, her mother appears in Thailand only to turn her over to the charismatic Venn who shares her upbringing with Humphrey. As the novel progresses we share with her quest to discover the role of these people in forming her. As a child she gravitates to other outcasts, though she is sometimes burned because some children are outcasts for very good reasons. She mixes easily with adults. She is trained to always watch people, always observe. And of course she learns to find companions in books.

This is a reader's book. It is a meringue of world views. One is liberally challenged to not wander off on a stream of Slob Gravity to pursue the authors at play on these pages. And I spent many a side trip in Wikipedia tripped up by Murphy's liberal interpretation of the lives of philosopher's. Tooley believes that books contain the reader's past, "the texture of being oneself at a particular place, a particular time." This book will certainly serve as a such piece of me.


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The Rise Fall of Great Powers Tom Rachman 9780679643654 Books Reviews

I am happy to claim mr. rachman as one of my new favorite authors, now that he has followed his wonderful debut book, the imperfectionists, with another stunner!
this new novel is an inventive and sometimes tricky tale of an unusual 'family', told by following the story of tooly - an eccentric woman with an unconventional upbringing.
i must confess that i typically love any book that has a bookshop owner as a central character, and even more so when the bookshop is located in a charming overseas village! this book has that, and so much more!
this book is also a tribute to book books - and has me wondering about a future where they might not actually be paper books - just electronic readers. books in this book are revered and precious!
you will definitely meet some unique characters in this novel and you will not be saying - oh, of course that's what is going to happen; i saw that coming...
this is a work of great imagination, and skillful storytelling!
as the story travels back and forth through tooly's life, you will experience that feeling that time maybe isn't just forward-moving, but circular and forever spiraling just like Gatsby's 'and so we beat on, borne ceaselessly into the past...'
there are also clever and thought provoking conversations about historical happenings in the 20th century and about the demise of civilization - as one character puts it - what people had been and what they've become....
so spend some time with this rag tag group of 'grifters' off to see the world!
if you are a lover of books, you will definitely enjoy the trip!
I've read both The Imperfectionists and also am 73% of the way through this book, which I bought based on my admiration of The Impressionists. There is no question that Tom Rachman is a fantastic writer. His ability to understand and seemingly effortlessly explain the motivations behind how people of all backgrounds and ages act, and the many faces such people show to the world, rank him as one of the world's best writers. At the same time, there seems to be a very significant streak of depression inside him and a desire to also make his readers depressed. Its as if he got a bachelor's degree in creative writing at the head of his class, and a graduate degree in depression. Regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, the people who inhabit this book are seldom happy, and the protagonist appears to get her strength solely from the basis of not letting anything get to her. While I thought The Imperfectionists was one of the best books I have ever read, I find this book intriguing and extremely well written, while at the same time an emotional chore to get through. I am sure I will finish it, but am sure my impression of it will remain the same after I have read it in its totality.
This book is a mystery, but unlike most mysteries, there's no dead body. The real mystery is who is the main character because she doesn't even know herself. She has lived a very unorthodox life with no clear parents of any kind and a cast of family-like individuals who have taught her the message that she doesn't need anyone and people are there to be used. Well written and engaging. The main character does eventually solve the mystery and learns who she wants to be. Recommended.
At no point in my reading could I understand what the purpose of the novel was, where the author was leading us and why. All the main characters at first appear interesting, all have mysterious backgrounds, suspenseful enough to keep the reader involved for a brief period. But then that's it. The suspense is short-lived as the reader comes to realize that behind these zany characters there is no real plot development. The characters are just Peter Pan figures trying to survive emotionally (and financially) in an adult world, believing themselves to be intellectually superior with their infantile word games and philosophy, disdaining all mature attachments and responsibilities, and any hints of international intrigue, Russian mobs, the under-world, etc., that could perhaps tie all these disparate characters together, remain just that....tropes to create suspense. It is only in the last dozen pages that the author's writing skills finally rise to the occasion and the reader feels that, at least for two of these lost souls, redemption is possible.
I love this book. I am a fast reader, but I slowed my pace to savor the characters in their glory. These people are readers, and the prose is rich and literate. One can only luxuriate in Humphrey who correctly surmises that, "That movement is overrated." He is the author of the philosophy of "Slob Gravity" which renders it's followers immobile under the onslaught of hours of reading. He is the mysterious father/companion to Tooley, his favorite human. He rates his life's accomplishments as nurturing her and the great writer's of literature. Tooley is a masterpiece of a woman who regards clothing as covering and warmth. Her character development is lush, multifaceted, and deeply satisfying.

The plot of this exquisite novel is that of the mystery of her life. Her early memories are of a wandering life with the deeply mysterious Paul. At the age of ten, her mother appears in Thailand only to turn her over to the charismatic Venn who shares her upbringing with Humphrey. As the novel progresses we share with her quest to discover the role of these people in forming her. As a child she gravitates to other outcasts, though she is sometimes burned because some children are outcasts for very good reasons. She mixes easily with adults. She is trained to always watch people, always observe. And of course she learns to find companions in books.

This is a reader's book. It is a meringue of world views. One is liberally challenged to not wander off on a stream of Slob Gravity to pursue the authors at play on these pages. And I spent many a side trip in Wikipedia tripped up by Murphy's liberal interpretation of the lives of philosopher's. Tooley believes that books contain the reader's past, "the texture of being oneself at a particular place, a particular time." This book will certainly serve as a such piece of me.