Continent

Fun, fun, fun!!! I was hooked early and stayed hooked until it finished - way too soon. The book description above tells you as much about the book as it is possible to tell without totally spoiling the read. There are several interrelated stories that will amuse, puzzle and dazzle you. The used prices are cheap enough for you risk a few bucks to discover an enjoyable story. I have ordered all of his books. If the rest are even close to being as good as this, I have many great reads ahead.

In Jim Crace's first novel (actually in disguise a seven stories), CONTINENT, the talented author of QUARANTINE and THE GIFT OF STONES has brought to life the very landscape of the story itself, making it the 'character' that all of the stories have in common, the thread that ties them all together. It is quite an invention -- unique, alien and unrecognizable, a seventh continent, unnamed, for which Crace has conceived languages, people and cultures that will not allow themselves to be pigeonholed by the reader's preconceptions. This device is a risky one -- and Crace pulls it off beautifully. He has brought into being a clean, empty slate upon which to paint these tales -- and in doing so he has freed himself of societal conventions.By separating the reader from the known world, Crace holds up a painting for us to lose ourselves within -- and before we know it, it becomes a mirror, and we are looking at ourselves, but in a fabulist landscape wherein our beliefs and actions are actually more sharply in focus than if they were in their usual surroundings. Very effective.I have only (so far) read the two other works by Crace that I mentioned above -- and I enjoyed them thoroughly as well. This book is quite different -- reminding me, as one of the quotes on the book jacket mentioned, of Italo Calvino. Not bad company for Mr. Crace to share, in my opinion -- and I'm not saying his work is derivative of Calvino's art in any way. I'm also reminded of the recent novel by Gaetan Soucy, THE LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS TOO FOND OF MATCHES, another amazing creation of a seemingly parallel -- but just as unnamable -- space and time.There is much to be gained and absorbed from this work -- it will definitely merit repeated readings. I'm also looking forward to reading BEING DEAD and THE DEVIL'S LARDER.

Prior to the first of the stories in this book there is a quote. It is from The Histories Of Pycletius, and it makes a statement upon 4 topics that are each comprised of 7 parts. Author Jim Crace adds his collection of stories, which are 7 in number, to bring the confines of a pentagon of like numbers to a close. While this is only the second time I have had the pleasure of reading this man's work, I can safely say that every word of his writing is carefully chosen. Whether this book grew from the quote, or was merely a pleasant coincidence, only the Author knows. I doubt it was chance. I think it is another demonstration of the unique writing this man shares with readers.An imagined 7th continent is revealed in 7 stories. This imagined land might not be named or located for us, however it certainly is amongst those we do know, and regularly interacts with its neighbors. Pycletius states that his 7th landmass has business, and it is that of both trade and superstition. The Continent of Mr. Crace shares the attributes that Pycletius lists, and the darker sides of man. It was almost as though he was going to tell tales of the 7 deadly sins. While some of the stories do fit those themes, to say that others do would be a stretch. If you were to add some of the fables of Aesop, then you would have the stories covered.These stories do contain some themes that are familiar. What makes them special is Jim Crace's unique way of presenting his variations. A person who jogs for exercise would seem to be completely benign, however Jim Crace demonstrates how this seemingly harmless activity can damage a small town. The concept of tradition is examined, and success when it means money can become insidious, and destructive.Jim Crace is an author whose work I initially found difficult to engage with. I started with his work, "Quarantine", and now starting here with, "Continent", I hope to read the balance of his work is the sequence he wrote it. The man's work is fascinating, and is well worth any initial hurdles you may experience.

an undiscovered continent peopled by not-quite people. I felt as if I were an "anthropologist from Mars" (c.f. Oliver Sacks) inspecting the social habits of, say, ants--they look like humans, they talk like humans but the behave soooooo. . .

I still don't understand why this book won an award for a first *novel*, since it comes off as a book of seven short stories with no apparent interconnections. Nonetheless, as a book of stories it is fascinating--sometimes funny, always sharp, often just bizarre. In "In Heat," a woman narrates the story of her father's career as a "Natural Scientist," obsessed with the study of feminine biological processes. In the last paragraph, the narrator suddenly launches into a strange, driven series of questions about herself and her relation to all of this, and the result is a truly stunning, haunting finale. In "Sins and Virtues," by far the wisest and and most cleverly balanced tale in the collection, a calligraphic artist deals with the push and pull of an art market driven by blind fetishism. His art and his own "sins and virtues" come together ironically in his final, perfectly composed masterpiece. I recommend this book highly. It did seem a bit uneven at times, but I found it well worth the ride