The Confabulist weaves together the life, loves and murder of the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, with the story of the man who killed him (twice): Martin Strauss, an everyday man whose fate was tied to the magician's in unforeseen ways. A cast of memorable characters spins around Houdini's celebrity-driven life, as they did in his time: from the Romanov family soon to be assassinated, to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the powerful heads of Scotland Yard, and the Spiritualists who would use whoever they could to establish their religion. A brilliant novel about fame and ambition, reality and illusion, and the ways that love, grief and imagination can alter what we perceive and believe.
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Publisher:
Toronto : Alfred A. Knopf Canada, c2014.
ISBN:
9780307400864
9780307400857
9780307400857
Characteristics:
304 pages ;,24 cm.
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patcumming
Nov 26, 2014
Martin Strauss has a condition that not only leaves gaps in his memory, but fills those gaps with false memories. This allows Galloway to play with facts about historical figures Harry Houdini, Arthur Conan Doyle and the Romanov family. Like a magic trick, you are never really sure whether the described events are reality or illusion and so the reader is drawn in to the story of how Martin Strauss killed Harry Houdini twice...or did he?
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Add a CommentInteresting story looking at the nature of reality, truth and life. Very complex characters involved in a story that stretches out over many years. Enjoyable!
Nice story. Good characters. An enjoyable read. Full review can be found here: www.671books.net
R Penney recommendation Oct 2014
Plot twists and turns, magic, espionage, this book has it all.
When I picked this book up it was because I liked Galloway's The Cellist of Sarajevo and wanted to read another of his books. I didn't know it was partly about Houdini or I may not have chosen it. I've never liked magic tricks and illusions make me crabby. I had just watched the Houdini TV series starring Adrien Brody and confirmed my feelings once again. Having said that, I did plough through this book with very little enjoyment. There were no likeable characters in the book for me, and the ending was annoying and confusing. I was left trying to do the math and I don't like math as much as I don't like magic tricks.
A patron review from the Adult Summer Game: "A mesmerizing story shared between two people -- Harry Houdini and Martin Strauss, spanning the times between 1897 to present day. Martin has a disease that make him 'confabulate' facts. The result is greatly entertaining."
A very amusing read on an unusual topic. I never thought I may be interested in Huidini but it is so much more, history interwoven. I did look up a lot of facts while reading. And the end makes you wonder…
Steven Galloway never fails to surprise, and his strong plotlines and superb writing ensure you will gobble up this book. "The Confabulist" entertains and makes you consider what is real and what we think is real. Great read.
Well worth reading. I liked the ending. You will find yourself wanting to read more on Houdini.