The Confessions of Max Tivoli

I ordered this book because the author won the Pulitzer Prize a couple of years ago for a book called "LESS". LESS was a fantastic, comical journey about a guy who wins a prize to go to Provincetown with a writers group. I liked that book so much I was sure I would also like this book, The Confessions of Max Tivoli. The Max Tivoli book has the EXACT same plot as the movie "Benjamin Butler" about a kid born old and then grows young. I found the whole book confusing as the main character is getting younger on the outside, but NOT on inside (???). I felt that there was plagiarism afoot and was unable to finish it. Order LESS instead.

THE CONFESSIONS OF MAX TIVOLI by Andrew Sean Greer August 13, 2005 THE CONFESSIONS OF MAX TIVOLI is the story of the unusual life of Max Tivoli, who physically ages in reverse, as he mentally grows older. Max is born "old". He's the size of a normal baby, but his outward appearance is that of an old man. People are repulsed by him, not knowing what to make of him. Even his family takes special care to keep him away from the curious public. As he gets "older" it is noticed that he is starting to grow younger, and his grandmother estimates that he will die at the age of 70, in the year 1941. Narrated by Max, he tells his tale of how he cannot be who he truly is. As a young boy, he has to pretend he's an elderly man, because that is what the world thinks he is. At an early age, his mother tells him "Be what they think you are". And he does as she says, until he meets Alice, who eventually becomes the love of his life. There isn't too much that one can say about this book. It's a story about friendships, love, and wanting what one can't have. It is also a novel about learning how to deal with handicaps, because Max is truly handicapped in every sense of the word. The world we know cannot accommodate someone like him, who does not look the way the public would expect him to. Yet, he longs to live the way everyone else does, but he knows this will never be. The only person that truly understands him is Hughie, his best friend for life, and at the core of this story is their relationship, a friendship that lasts a lifetime. I loved THE CONFESSIONS OF MAX TIVOLI, and will most likely be one of my favorite books read in 2005. It was beautifully written, a unique look at what true friendship is all about, and how it feels to live as an outcast, as someone that is perceived as different from the mainstream. This book will truly become a modern classic.

I was initially drawn to this book by the concept of the title character aging backwards, but found that the characters were truly at the heart of this novel. The backwards aging process, while providing the reason for much of Max Tivoli's behavior, became secondary to the love story. Despite my strong dislike of the title character and the slow pace of the story at the start, I stayed with the book and was rewarded in the end. My dislike eventually became sympathy and finally affection for Max Tivoli. If that was Mr. Greer's intent, I am not sure. Was I supposed to be put off by the self-centeredness of Max at the start and grow to care about his predicament as the book progressed? I am not sure. Did the character change or did I just begin to feel sympathy for him? Either way, I cared about him and the people he loved by the end of the book and was saddened by the ending. The ending brought meaning to the first line of the novel, "We are each the love of someone's life." The author smoothly resolved the issue of Max's return to infancy in a way that satisfied this reader. If I am still thinking about a book several hours or days after reading it, it is a winner in my estimation.

Imagine being born an old man and growing physically younger. Imagine grappling with physical and chronological ages that are at odds with each other for all but a brief period in your middle age. Imagine falling in love and stopping at nothing to be near the one you love. Max Tivoli has had such a life. He is a protagonist like no other, and now he writes his confessions. No, not his memoirs... his confessions. Max bares his soul, revealing the paradoxes, the ironies, and the cyclical patterns in his unique and tumultuous life. He documents his struggles against the currents of time, where he has had to keep reinventing himself as time moved inexorably forward for others. He laments the deceit and rejection he has had to practice to follow his mothers advice to "be what they think you are." He describes how his best friend, in stages, plays the role of his son, his brother, and his father. He memorializes a love that transcends drastically changing age differences. Taking place in San Francisco around the turn of the twentieth century, when gaslights and carriages make way for electric lights and automobiles, the action centers on the three time periods in Max's life when his path crosses that of his love, Alice. In each of the three sections he reluctantly reveals, bit by bit, the surprising details that comprise the core of his life. His need for acceptance and love is portrayed in an entirely new and fresh way. The story evinces emotions that are powerfully heartrending. The writing is lyrical and full of imagery. This incredible novel will take your breath away, and I recommend it highly. If you only have the time to read one literary novel this season, make it this one.Eileen Rieback

I'm a writer, a reader, a book reviewer and a literary website host. I'm not a friend of the author and I'm completely independent-minded when I tell you this is the most beautiful, poignant, stunning book I have read in years. It's a marvelous discovery, one that will leave you wanting to read all of Greer's work. It's a mesmerizing tale that anyone with a love of language and of character will take into their hearts. It's one of those books that simply makes you want to stop reading for a while because you know everything else is going to fall short for a long time. I envy anyone getting to discover this great book.