Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
München: Dt. Taschenbuch-Verl.
Description
"A large, lavishly inventive novel . . . an American descendant of The Arabian Nights . . . erudite and artful entertainment."--The New York Times Book Review At a Manhattan planetarium in 1965, ten-year-old Enzo is whisked away from his young adoptive aunt, Mala. His abductor turns out to be a blood relative: his great-uncle Junius Samax, a wealthy former gambler who lives in a converted Las Vegas hotel surrounded by a priceless art collection and a host of fascinating, idiosyncratic guests. In Samax's magical world, Enzo receives a unique education and pieces together the mystery of his mother's life and the complicated history of his adoption. Back in New York, Mala only knows that Enzo has disappeared. After a yearlong search proves fruitless, she enlists in the Navy Nursing Corps and on a hospital ship off Vietnam falls in love with a wounded B-52 navigator, who disappears on his next mission. Devastated again, Mala embarks on a restless, adventurous journey around the world, hoping to overcome the losses that have transformed her life. Fusing imagination, scholarship, and suspense with remarkable narrative skill, Nicholas Christopher builds a story of tremendous scope, an epic tale of love and destiny, as he traces the intricate latticework of Mala's and Enzo's lives. Each remains separate from each other but tied in ways they cannot imagine--until the final miraculous chapter of this extraordinary novel. "A writer of remarkable gifts."--The Washington Post Book World "This labyrinthine novel . . . is animated by an encompassing lust for beauty."--The New Yorker "[Nicholas] Christopher is North America's García Márquez; Borges with emotional weight. . . . This is one of those rare books that, by connecting the stars, catches you in its web."--The Globe and Mail Includes an excerpt of Nicholas Christopher's Tiger Rag… (more)
Media reviews
If you were looking to write a crossover fantasy novel — one whose audience extended beyond sci-fi enthusiasts and aging Tolkienistas — you could hardly do better than to study “A Trip to the Stars.” With this zestful riff on an enduring genre, Nicholas Christopher should easily satisfy the
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admirers of his previous novel, “Veronica.” He is also likely to gain new readers, including those who foray reluctantly into so-called imaginative literature. Show Less
''A Trip to the Stars'' is on the whole a strongly written novel; I point to these uncharacteristically slack phrases merely to indicate that the rendering of the subtleties of emotional life is not Christopher's goal. Though set in the modern world (the story takes place against the backdrop of
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events like the Apollo moon landings and the Vietnam War), ''A Trip to the Stars'' is best read as a contribution to the literature of the fantastic -- an American descendant of ''The Arabian Nights'' -- and as such it's thoroughly satisfying, an erudite and artful entertainment. Show Less
Breathtaking coincidences, magical occurrences, dramatic confrontations, mystical beliefs, the influence of astronomical phenomenon and the intriguing confluence of fate and chance are plot elements that bubble like champagne in Christopher's (Veronica) brilliantly labyrinthine new novel.
User reviews
LibraryThing member LizzieD
A Trip to the Stars is the real deal, and Nicholas Christopher is quite a dealer. Ten year-old Loren is kidnapped after he and his adoptive aunt attend a show at a planetarium. That kidnapping was the biggest pill for me to swallow, but once down, I gulped all the rest happily. All the rest turns
The narration alternates between the aunt and Loren. Alma, who changes her name to Mala, tells her own story of her search for Loren and then for her lover whom she found on a hospital ship during the Vietnam War and lost almost immediately. Loren, who learns that his name is really Enzo, tells his coming of age story, which takes place in the Hotel Canopus in the desert outside Las Vegas, a hotel filled with lost people or people searching for what has been lost. Their stories sometimes parallel each other, intertwine strangely, yet are lived without any knowledge of whether the other is alive.
Lovers of magical realism, rejoice! This is a magical book that, whatever depths it may or may not reveal, tells a mesmerizing story.
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out to be a magical mix of star and spider lore, hotels, abstruse allusions to lots of religions and philosophies, and more - all served up in highly readable prose.The narration alternates between the aunt and Loren. Alma, who changes her name to Mala, tells her own story of her search for Loren and then for her lover whom she found on a hospital ship during the Vietnam War and lost almost immediately. Loren, who learns that his name is really Enzo, tells his coming of age story, which takes place in the Hotel Canopus in the desert outside Las Vegas, a hotel filled with lost people or people searching for what has been lost. Their stories sometimes parallel each other, intertwine strangely, yet are lived without any knowledge of whether the other is alive.
Lovers of magical realism, rejoice! This is a magical book that, whatever depths it may or may not reveal, tells a mesmerizing story.
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LibraryThing member aubreyfs
I couldn't put this book down! Involving issues of destiny, chance, nature, power and mysticism, the author alternates between two stories until they emerge together having really been one all along. The story begins with a kidnapping and follows with strange and amazing characters, star
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fascination, spider bites, estranged family, feuds, mind-reading.... mostly in Nevada and Hawaii. I already want to read the book again! Show Less
LibraryThing member tungsten_peerts
No, I did not finish this.
Nevertheless, I am putting up a short review, just in case there is someone out there who might be in the same bracket I was in when I first encountered this novel.
I'm a sucker for (almost) anything astronomy - starry - space related. I have also enjoyed most examples of
So I tried to read it. And then I stopped. And I stopped because, although Nicholas Christopher certainly does sling loads of astro- and pseudo-astro-terms around, it is deadly clear that he never bothered to learn what any of them actually meant. Which, I'm sorry, I took as a fatal mistake that rendered the book unreadable.
Is Nicholas Christopher too cool for science? I don't know and I don't care ... but his book is on my personal "most disappointing" list. Boo.
I should have known better: it's my personal belief that no one sporting a last name that is also a first name is to be trusted. ;^)
Nevertheless, I am putting up a short review, just in case there is someone out there who might be in the same bracket I was in when I first encountered this novel.
I'm a sucker for (almost) anything astronomy - starry - space related. I have also enjoyed most examples of
Show More
"magic realism" I've read. Therefore, when I read about A Trip to the Stars, my thought was "Zowie! A magic realism-inspired novel with an astronomical background/framework? Outta my way! Lemme at it!"So I tried to read it. And then I stopped. And I stopped because, although Nicholas Christopher certainly does sling loads of astro- and pseudo-astro-terms around, it is deadly clear that he never bothered to learn what any of them actually meant. Which, I'm sorry, I took as a fatal mistake that rendered the book unreadable.
Is Nicholas Christopher too cool for science? I don't know and I don't care ... but his book is on my personal "most disappointing" list. Boo.
I should have known better: it's my personal belief that no one sporting a last name that is also a first name is to be trusted. ;^)
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LibraryThing member murraymint11
I'm finding it hard to make my mind up about this one. It seemed to me that this book had somewhat of an identity crisis - was it a fantasy genre or not? It left me feeling rather confused, with lots of loose ends needing clearing up - if I could just remember what they all were! I agree that the
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story would have been strong enough to do without all the woo-woo bits. I did however like the way the author scattered the text with words relating to the themes of stars and space, almost like little clues. Show Less
LibraryThing member CliffBurns
Not quite as good as Christopher's VERONICA but a fine tale nonetheless. The plot is too involved to effectively summarize but if you like urban fantasy or magic realism, I think you should give this one a shot. Nicholas Christopher is an accomplished, intelligent writer, his word choice is
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impeccable and his dialogue pristine. And don't miss reading his book on film noir, SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT, it's a masterful tome. Show Less
LibraryThing member afyfe
This was a very good and interesting book. I loved that the overall theme kept relating back to stars and space, but very subtly. I loved the stories about both characters and trying to figure out when their paths would cross and how everyone fit into the story. Althoguh it might not look too long
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it felt very epic and so much happened so I think you have to be ready for that type of book. Just an overall great book I'd recommend to anyone who has even a slight interest in fantasy (although this isn't quite fantasy). I do think that there is something in this book to please everyone from love stories to action, and mystery. I hope everyone else will enjoy it as much as I did! Show Less
LibraryThing member kakadoo202
coming of age, orphans, Vietnam war, hippie drugs, vampires, ancient history, casinos in Las Vegas, love, hate.. this book ahs it all. it is seems to be all over the place but while you are reading it, it makes sense. good writing style. keeps you engaged.
LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
Christopher's work is always hypnotic, but in this case, the work is nothing short of intoxicating. Woven of a labyrinthine hotel, exotic jungles, and ordinary passions, it moves forward with a sort of supernatural momentum that has the potential for leaving readers breathless and out of touch with
Beginning with the separation of two unique characters, A Trip to the Stars works as a web of personalities and subplots, all as frighteningly believable as they are fascinating. The novel's unique tandem of science and fantasy is entrancing, a masterful journey of passion and hope in every guise imaginable. While Christopher's writing is poetic and clever, the story here is, in itself, worth falling into over and over again.
This isn't a book so much as a journey, and it is wonderful.
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their own realities, lost in the novel's passages and grace.Beginning with the separation of two unique characters, A Trip to the Stars works as a web of personalities and subplots, all as frighteningly believable as they are fascinating. The novel's unique tandem of science and fantasy is entrancing, a masterful journey of passion and hope in every guise imaginable. While Christopher's writing is poetic and clever, the story here is, in itself, worth falling into over and over again.
This isn't a book so much as a journey, and it is wonderful.
Show Less
LibraryThing member memccauley6
I really wanted to love this book. At first I was enchanted by all the star and spider references, the magical realism, the underlying theme of the search for lost things…. but after a couple of hundred pages it just seemed to fizzle out. I think it was the overly detailed descriptions of the
Update: while I was dissatisfied overall with this book, I am haunted by some of the images of Vietnam and the Cook Islands and every time I hear a lot of classic rock songs from this era I picture the stars over the South Pacific.
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inhabitants of The Hotel Canopus. I couldn’t keep straight the convoluted relationships of 3 generations of women, all of whom had names which started with the letter “D”. I just kept wondering why I should care about these minor characters, and the hundreds of pages spent on them made very little difference in the plot. And Mala’s temporary career as a clairvoyant was just bizarre and unnecessary. I gritted my teeth and finished, but I’m kind of sorry I did.Update: while I was dissatisfied overall with this book, I am haunted by some of the images of Vietnam and the Cook Islands and every time I hear a lot of classic rock songs from this era I picture the stars over the South Pacific.
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LibraryThing member konastories
Joy's review: Beautiful language, vivid descriptions, and a very inventive plot. The coincidences abound, but for some reason, I didn't mind this at all; maybe because despite the very realistic descriptions, it felt like a dream. The plot's rather hard to describe, so I won't even try. Christopher
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needs to do better research when describing particular places and events; he gets quite a bit wrong (and he has way too many female characters whose name starts with a 'D'. But if you can let that go, this is a thought-provoking book. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011
ISBN
9783423213127