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Der Goldsucher (1985)

by Jean-Marie G. Le Clézio(Favorite Author)

3.74 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

3462041150 (ISBN13: 9783462041156)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Kiepenheuer & Witsch

review 1: The Prospector is one of the more lyrical novels I’ve ever read. It has a rhapsodic, dreamy quality that envelopes you in the sublime landscapes and coming-of-age adventures of the protagonist Alexis L’Etang. His childhood is explored in all its curiosities and later in his compulsion to pursue an ancient treasure of the Unknown Corsair. Similar to the way Hemingway’s prose can fill up page after page with a richness of language that immerses you in a sense of place, Le Clezio writes in billowing descriptions of the pastoral island of Mauritius and the vastness of the sea. After a devastating hurricane ruins the family’s home and his father’s dream of bringing electricity to the island, Alexis’s life goes from one of wealth to struggle. He sets off on his exped... moreition for the lost treasure of the Corsair only to be later pulled into the blight of the First World War. Along the way, he becomes entranced in a love affair with an enigmatic woman named Ouma. The novel retains a state of reverie throughout, and although the writing can be dazzling with its crescendo of words, the story’s belabored pacing demands patience with events that develop slowly.
review 2: I was somewhat disappointed, though I loved reading about Mauritius, Rodrigues,Reunion, the Seychelles and other small islands in the Indian Ocean (I kept looking things up on Google maps. I think the translation was a little stilted;the protagonist's constant ruminations were somewhat repetitive; the author kept referring to the importance of the protagonist's sister in his life, yet she didn't figure much in the book and she was never well described (nor were any of the female characters compared to the men). I felt the book really stumbled during the section set on the battlefields of WWI in France. less

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