If On A Winter's Night, A Traveller

Wow! This is the most exciting book I have read in a long time.

To mimic Ludmilla - "it is a book that is full of beginnings, and less concerned with endings. It is a book that explores the changing nature of truth, and it's relationship to the written word. It is a reader's novel, that explores the nature of reading and the interconnectedness of readers and books". I love how she can put a whole lot of bizarre statements together to describe exactly te type of book she is looking for - so if this sounds good to you, give Calvino a go.

If On A Winter's Night A Traveller by Italo Calvino is an unexpected and inexplicable read - although clearly I will do my best for those in the blogosphere. It begins with a treatise on being a reader, and then begins the novel suggested by the title. And then the narrative stops, and a second person narrative begins. This second person narrative continues in every second chapter in the book, whilst every other chapter is a new beginning, a new story in the journey of the reader (addressed as you in those other alternating chapters - yikes!) to actually read If On A Winter's Night a Traveller - or any other book he has come across on the journey. Not only is the ongoing story of the reader's search for the endings to the beginnings that he reads fascinating, but each beginning is rich and intriguing, leading more credence to the central recurring plot. YOU are the reader, journeying from story to story, and even less likely than him to finish what you begin! Someone out there must be working on finishing even one of the beginnings. And yet at the same time, they all seem self-contained, as if the central dilemma of a whole plot is reflected through a beginning. Each chapter is a microcosm... it's hard to explain, but if you are interested, wikipedia does a solid job:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_On_a_Winter's_Night_a_Traveler

This was a recommendation by a good friend with exquisite taste in books, so not only will I be coming back for more Calvino, but also for more recommendations from her!

Keep them coming anyone out there! I love that wonderous feeling you get when you love a book and know that you have someone to be thankful to for introducing you to it.

Anyone else out there read Calvino and have a ideas for me? Discuss and debate?