Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Chronicle Books (1991), Edition: Illustrated, 48 pages
Description
It all started with a mysterious and seemingly innocent postcard, but from that point nothing was to remain the same in the life of Griffin Moss, a quiet, solitary artist living in London. His logical, methodical world was suddenly turned upside down by a strangely exotic woman living on a tropical island thousands of miles away. Who is Sabine? How can she "see" what Griffin is painting when they have never met? Is she a long-lost twin? A clairvoyant? Or a malevolent angel? Are we witnessing the flowering of a magical relationship or a descent into madness? This stunning visual novel unfolds in a series of postcards and letters, all brilliantly illustrated with whimsical designs, bizarre creatures, and darkly imagined landscapes. Inside the book, Griffin and Sabine's letters are to be found nestling in their envelopes, permitting the reader to examine the intimate correspondence of these inexplicably linked strangers. This truly innovative novel combines a strangely fascinating story with lush artwork in an altogether original format.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member miketroll
From my bookcrossing shelf:
Finally got round to reading this. Loved it! I'm now going to read the other two books in the series before I go to bed tonight. Their onward path is already sketched out.
The impact of this book is astonishing. Objectively, not a great deal happens in this first volume,
This is due partly to the sumptuous surrealist artwork, but also to the (no doubt expensive) technique of presenting the text in real postcards and letters - in envelopes attached to the page!
There is an immediacy and intimacy in reading what appears to be handwritten private letters from a friend. One almost becomes a character in the story. Delicious! Uncanny!
Finally got round to reading this. Loved it! I'm now going to read the other two books in the series before I go to bed tonight. Their onward path is already sketched out.
The impact of this book is astonishing. Objectively, not a great deal happens in this first volume,
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but the reader feels suddenly thrust into a different reality.This is due partly to the sumptuous surrealist artwork, but also to the (no doubt expensive) technique of presenting the text in real postcards and letters - in envelopes attached to the page!
There is an immediacy and intimacy in reading what appears to be handwritten private letters from a friend. One almost becomes a character in the story. Delicious! Uncanny!
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
I read this slim little novella when it first came out (and have a first edition). I was completely captivated and was thrilled that the feeling remains the same on my second reading.
Griffin Moss is an artist living in London. He produces a series of postcards that are beautifully illustrated with
Thus begins an extraordinary correspondence between these two souls. Sabine explains that she has been seeing visions of his art for many years, though she cannot really explain why or how. He confesses he has felt “watched” but put it down to paranoia; now he feels exhilarated to have found her.
The reader feels as if she is eavesdropping on a particularly intimate exchange between two lovers as they learn more about each other and pour their hearts out in their letters and cards to one another. The illustrations begin as beautiful, colorful, drawings; Griffin’s are whimsical (a kangaroo in a red hat); Sabine’s focus on the island fauna. But as their correspondence continues the drawings become ever more fantastical and disturbing, hinting at madness and violence.
The ending takes the reader by surprise, and leaves one hanging, wanting more.
Griffin Moss is an artist living in London. He produces a series of postcards that are beautifully illustrated with
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his artwork. One day he receives a cryptic postcard from Sabine Strohem, a woman living in the South Pacific island nation of Sicmon Islands. She asks him to send a particular postcard, and mentions an earlier version. But how could she know about that earlier version? Griffin never showed it to anyone and changed the design before ever producing the cards.Thus begins an extraordinary correspondence between these two souls. Sabine explains that she has been seeing visions of his art for many years, though she cannot really explain why or how. He confesses he has felt “watched” but put it down to paranoia; now he feels exhilarated to have found her.
The reader feels as if she is eavesdropping on a particularly intimate exchange between two lovers as they learn more about each other and pour their hearts out in their letters and cards to one another. The illustrations begin as beautiful, colorful, drawings; Griffin’s are whimsical (a kangaroo in a red hat); Sabine’s focus on the island fauna. But as their correspondence continues the drawings become ever more fantastical and disturbing, hinting at madness and violence.
The ending takes the reader by surprise, and leaves one hanging, wanting more.
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LibraryThing member TheScrappyCat
Gorgeous artwork and wonderful, interactive reading experience. The first in a series, this is a love story told in letters and postcards...actual letters, since you remove them from their envelopes to read them. It's more of an experience than just a read! Enjoyed immensely.
LibraryThing member misselainey
I found the first three books in this story on a coffee table of a friend of a friend in a strange city some years ago. I was transported to a magical place which I have never felt the need to fully shake off .
Bantock is an addiction. Reading his works is like visiting dreamland, although I am
Bantock is an addiction. Reading his works is like visiting dreamland, although I am
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awake. If you can remember your younger self and the way a book could become the whole of the world while in it , these are an extension of that place. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nickelini
Highly original. From the first page I just wanted to keep reading --not through just this book, but through the whole series--and see where the journey would take me. A great gift for the arty reader in your life.
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This gets five stars because of the original conception and beauty of the visual execution--even though if this were text only I doubt it would impress. A friend of mine mentioned the book and when I confessed I had never heard of it raved about it.
It's a funny little book. Less than fifty pages,
It's good to get in touch with you at last.
Could I have one of your fish postcards?
I think you were right--the wine glass has more impact than the cup.
Just one thing--Griffin had never met her before.
There are 19 pieces of correspondence, all short, and as a story this isn't all that strong. The romantic aspect, for one, is beyond rushed. But the experience of the book is another matter. The postcards, even the stamps of the South Sea Island, the decoration on the envelopes, are lovely, several are surreal and Dali-esque. And the letters aren't simply text on a page. Instead, an envelope is glued to the page. You open the flap and slip out the one-page letter and read. There's something about the experience of holding the letter in your hand and reading it that can't be captured by its contents.
So, for prose and story, maybe I'd give it a two. But for the experience of this...what? Pop-up book for adults? I'm going to give it five stars. I was enchanted, even if I doubt I'll ever get the other books in the series.
It's a funny little book. Less than fifty pages,
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it's the correspondence between two artists, Sabine from the South Seas and Griffin of London. This is the text of the first letter, from Sabine to Griffin:It's good to get in touch with you at last.
Could I have one of your fish postcards?
I think you were right--the wine glass has more impact than the cup.
Just one thing--Griffin had never met her before.
There are 19 pieces of correspondence, all short, and as a story this isn't all that strong. The romantic aspect, for one, is beyond rushed. But the experience of the book is another matter. The postcards, even the stamps of the South Sea Island, the decoration on the envelopes, are lovely, several are surreal and Dali-esque. And the letters aren't simply text on a page. Instead, an envelope is glued to the page. You open the flap and slip out the one-page letter and read. There's something about the experience of holding the letter in your hand and reading it that can't be captured by its contents.
So, for prose and story, maybe I'd give it a two. But for the experience of this...what? Pop-up book for adults? I'm going to give it five stars. I was enchanted, even if I doubt I'll ever get the other books in the series.
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LibraryThing member Osbaldistone
I don't know what to say about this odd little book. I read it the day I bought it (it doesn't take long), and was the sense of forensic snooping, trying to get into the head of someone I've never met, was delicious. The unavoidable tactile nature of this book adds to the effect. And the conclusion
Os.
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is both startling and expected. I had no choice but to start the sequel immediately.Os.
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LibraryThing member 9days
I've been waiting to read this one for years, the price my only detraction. I originally fell in love with Nick Bantok's work through his amazing "The Museum At Purgatory". He's something of a blend of a writer and artist, creating stories he augments with ephemera (artwork, collages, bric-a-brac)
Griffin & Sabine is his more lauded work, telling the story of two lovers who've never met and only communicate through postcards and letters (the letters being folded into envelopes attached to the page, so you can take them out and read them).
I was seriously disappointed. The story is flat, neither character is particularly likable (not that either is necessarily unlikable), and the whole books takes about ten minutes to get through. And it ends in such a way that, if you want to know what happens next, you'll have to go out and spend more money on yet another 10-minute romp through disappointment.
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that's tangible (you can touch and play with it, as it were).Griffin & Sabine is his more lauded work, telling the story of two lovers who've never met and only communicate through postcards and letters (the letters being folded into envelopes attached to the page, so you can take them out and read them).
I was seriously disappointed. The story is flat, neither character is particularly likable (not that either is necessarily unlikable), and the whole books takes about ten minutes to get through. And it ends in such a way that, if you want to know what happens next, you'll have to go out and spend more money on yet another 10-minute romp through disappointment.
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LibraryThing member auntmarge64
An exquisite little book of illustrated postcards and letters (including the actual letters in envelopes), which tells of the first correspondence between two artists, one of whom has been dreaming the other's art for years. Taking the letters out of the envelopes, unfolding and reading them, and
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returning them lends an intimacy to the story which lingers long after. Simply beautiful, and a unique experience. Show Less
LibraryThing member FireandIce
What would you do if you received a postcard from a total stranger who seemed to know an awful lot about you? If you're postcard artist Griffin Moss, you write back. The story follows their burgeoning relationship through a series of postcards and letters (tucked into envelopes attached to the
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page) and leaves the reader wanting more, more, more! Show Less
LibraryThing member bookishbunny
I love the G&S books more for the art than the story. However, in this first volume of the series, a mystery unfolds...
LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
This is a very intriguing book. I really like the style of it, written in the form of letters from one character to another.
LibraryThing member nnylrac2
Unique and moving. You'll want them to meet. Hands on in a way most "adult" fiction is not.
LibraryThing member DCArchitect
If you appreciate beautiful things and have a fanciful sense of the romantic, do not miss this book.
LibraryThing member maggie1944
Clever concept and attractive art work but not a successful effort, in my opinion. The "mysterious" relationship between Griffin and Sabine strains credulity and is not moving over into fantasy or science fiction either.
LibraryThing member dizzyweasel
Beautiful and macabre epistolary novel that tells its story by making readers open letters and peruse postcards. The love story is saved from banality by the creepiness of the couple's connection and the frightening psychology of the artwork in the postcards.
LibraryThing member AmberTheHuman
I'd read this before, found it nestled in some strange part of a library. I love the artwork, the story, the "conclusion." It left me wanting more - and conveniently, there is more! I just have to get myself to the library (oh no, go to the library. The worst ...). Interesting note: this book is
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the reason that the researchers who worked with Alex the Parrot of smartness fame, decided to name the next parrot they worked with Griffin, since there's a parrot on the front of the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member HighCountry
This is one of the few books that I have purchased multiple times to send to friends as gifts. And by multiple, I mean at least 20 times. While I've enjoyed the entire series, this first book, with so much to discover and so much mystery, is the best of them all. The story of Griffin and Sabine is
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told through a series of postcards and letters, and there is something rewarding about lifting the letters out of their envelopes and unfolding them. It's a book you can read all at once or savor, letter by letter, just as you might with letters that come to you in the mail. Excellent fun and intriguing letters. Show Less
LibraryThing member JechtShot
A postcard arrives in the mail from a stranger in the South Pacific. This person appears to be linked to you somehow; a window into your mind. Thus begins, the extraordinary correspondence of Griffin and Sabine.
Griffin and Sabine is both an intriguing read and more importantly a work of art. The
Griffin and Sabine is both an intriguing read and more importantly a work of art. The
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postcards and letters found within the pages are both beautiful and thought provoking. This novel also satisfies the inner-voyeur in all of us by allowing us to follow the relationship of Griffin and Sabine through their written words. This book is akin to reading someone else's mail inadvertently, you know it is wrong, but curiosity eventually wins out. Show Less
LibraryThing member eenerd
Really weird cool trilogy where psychically connected artists correspond across the space-time continuum, fall in love, and struggle to be together. Tactile experience with real letters you pull out and read, and similar postcards all drawn by the star-crossed lovers, Griffin & Sabine. Awesome.
LibraryThing member -Eva-
Postcard artist Griffin gets a card from mysterious Sabine who somehow can view his world from thousands of miles away, and the two strike up a rather unusual correspondence. This is an inventive and aesthetically interesting epistolary story that has an unexpected spin at the end, resulting in
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more questions than answers. I was mainly impressed with the art, but the ending was surprisingly dark and intrigued me enough to pick up the following parts of the trilogy although I would have liked a more fleshed-out story. Opening the envelopes to read the continuing story was much more satisfactory than I would ever have thought even though (or maybe because) it felt slightly illicit to read someone else's mail. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
I was so excited to find this book at the Library Book Sale, and in perfect condition! I read a library copy a number of years ago and found it perfectly delightful, if not a bit creepy.
Its a short book, but you can spend a large amount of time just looking over the odd illustrations. And the
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of oddity in there life.
Its a short book, but you can spend a large amount of time just looking over the odd illustrations. And the
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ending, I am still trying to figure it out. It could go so many ways...I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of oddity in there life.
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LibraryThing member Robert.Zimmermann
Such an interesting books. It's a collection of postcards and letters between two artist, who are thousands of miles apart, and share a very unique link. I found the combination of artwork and correspondence that tells the story fascinating. I've never run into a book like this before and I
It's a story that seems to need the book 2 (and I'm confident to say, needs the book 3 as well) to fully appreciate the creativity of this author. I look forward to getting to those and read more about Griffin and Sabine.
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thoroughly enjoyed it.It's a story that seems to need the book 2 (and I'm confident to say, needs the book 3 as well) to fully appreciate the creativity of this author. I look forward to getting to those and read more about Griffin and Sabine.
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LibraryThing member xicanti
This is a beautiful book packed full of extremely lovely art. The correspondance format also makes for fascinating reading; it's wonderful to see how the relationship between the two characters develops through the written word and their shared artistic experiences.
LibraryThing member swampygirl
Liked the overall mood of the book, and found the idea intriguing at first. The very last letter took a rather bizarre turn for the worst though, and I found the ending largely unsatisfying. I did not however realize this is the first in a trilogy, so I guess I have to track down the rest of them
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before passing judgement. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (Finalist — 1993)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1991-09-01
Physical description
8 inches
ISBN
0877017883 / 9780877017882