Rating: 
Summary: Seat Yourself At The Puzzle...
Review: Perec would properly be regarded as an experimentalist and this novel, like his others, was written under self-imposed constraints.
The novel takes as its plan a block of flats in a Parisian suburb, a 10 x 10 grid, over which the narrator must proceed by way of the moves of the Knight in chess, never landing on the same flat twice(this, like other formalities, were allowed to be bent but let's not get too complicated...) with a whole system for information, knowledge and learning to be allocated to each chapter.
'So far, so what' might be the natural response to this were it not for the majesty of the finished novel.
Read in translation the writing is formal yet intimate and seems to proceed at its own leisurely pace as it moves through the block of flats, through life. Numerous 'Tales' are recounted as the novel progresses, each rich in feeling and poignancy though sometimes disturbing, the key of which, indeed the key to the novel, is 'The Tale of the Man who painted watercolours and had puzzles made out of them'. To go into detail would spoil the effect for other readers but this is about life, about a plan for life and ultimately a metaphor for life. And the making of this book.
I have to confess to a love for French literature generally. It seems possible to trace an organic progression and tradition (the blanket phrase that readily comes to mind is 'intellectual pessimism'...)through its history which is then disrupted every once in a while by an individual who rebels against that tradition (Rimbaud) or subverts it (Mallarme or Aragon). Perec, arguably, both is and is not of this tradition.
He is however, in the wider tradition of great literature. And seems to recognise this. 'Life...' is crammed with literary puns ( an advertisement in a shop for 'Souvenirs' by Madeleine Proust anyone...) and what Perec refers to as 'unacknowledged quotations'. Which is how the novel manages to begin exactly where 'Ulysses' ends (with the symbolic word 'Yes'...) and how 'The Tale of the Acrobat who did not want to get off his trapeze ever again' manages to have its origins in Kafka's short story 'First Sorrow'. And so on...Perec provides a list of authors used at the end.
And an Index of the individual stories. Which is really what you must read this for. For the stories. Because they will excite, depress, frustrate and elate. Because Perec was not kidding with that title. All of life is here. In all of its wonder and sadness. It is not a 'User's Manual' in that it gives pat answers to complex problems, what it does do is far more difficult. And brave. It suggests over and over why life is worth living and how beauty and wonder surround not only the everyday but the tragic too.
Yes, it really is that good...
Rating:
Summary: Astonishing
Review: Ranks with Ulysses, Moby Dick and Gravity's Rainbow as one of the best novels I have ever read. A staggering achievement, achingly beautiful, tremendously funny and desperately sad. Just like life, really
Rating:
Summary: breathtaking
Review: So much has been written about the intricate mathematical structures of Perec's masterpiece that I have no reason to repeat them. Perec's genius - and, contrary to what one reviewer has written, it's precisely his very human, and very warm and tender understanding of humanity that generates this - is his keen insight that everything contains a story, be it the postcard on the desk, or a particular painting on a wall, or a puzzle piece that just doesn't fit. Perec takes an apartment building and jumps from room to room, grabbing at these bits of minutae, following their backstories, and creating one of the most complex and beautiful mosaics of life that's ever been put into words. As each room yields its secrets, we see that a tiny apartment building in Paris really does contain the whole world - a huge swath of history, languages, peoples, and cultures; comedy, tragedy, mystery, and drama; personal and public; fiction and nonfiction; poetry, prose, lists, games, recipes, articles, signs, crossword puzzles... Flip to the back and check out the index - it's intimidating, and yet - it's all there, in one building, waiting to be discovered and explored. I can't comment on the translation, unfortunately - I've only read it in the original. But Perec's language is always tight, witty, and deeply insightful. This is certainly one of the great works of world fiction, and absolutely not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: A truly remarkable tapestery
Review: The book presents a richly interwoven series of stories with complex, mind boggling intertwinings. The novel resembles a giant jigsaw puzzle with each piece bringing more insight into the one master jigsaw puzzle which is life itself. The novel describes the life of the residents of a Paris apartment building. It is densely packed with very fine details about the people and places, making it a slow reading. Also, it behooves the reader to remember as much as possible of whatever he reads so that he can correlate the various pieces of the puzzle (i.e., the novel). Which is also a reason to read the novel again and again (probably once every year) to enjoy it thoroughly. It resembles Tolstoy's War and Peace in this regard. In short, one can rarely expect to come across another novel like this. A must read for everyone who wants to try new things.
Rating:
Summary: wonderous
Review: This is a masterpiece.
Georges Perec is a master.
Read this book.
Read Void. (Why is void out-of-print -- a disgrace)
Read W or the Memory of Childh.
Read all Perec.
Your imagination will thank you.
Rating:
Summary: A LANGUAGE TECHNICIAN
Review: THIS IS A REREADABLE BOOK. A MAN WHO WROTE THE LONGEST PALINDROME IN THE WORLD AND A 3000 WORD BOOK WITHOUT THE LETTER E CAN DO ANTHING WITH LANGUAGE AND PEREC DOES. THIS IS A FASCINATING DESCIPTION OF PEOPLE IN A FASCINATING BUILDING IN A FASCINATING CITY, PARIS.
Rating:
Summary: A LANGUAGE TECHNICIAN
Review: THIS IS A REREADABLE BOOK. A MAN WHO WROTE THE LONGEST PALINDROME IN THE WORLD AND A 3000 WORD BOOK WITHOUT THE LETTER E CAN DO ANTHING WITH LANGUAGE AND PEREC DOES. THIS IS A FASCINATING DESCIPTION OF PEOPLE IN A FASCINATING BUILDING IN A FASCINATING CITY, PARIS.
Rating:
Summary: a modern classic
Review: this is one of those books that look daunting at first because of it's size, but in the end i found myself slowing down, trying to prolong the experience for as long as possible. it's more a collection of stories based around a loose theme than a standard novel but the quality and humanity of the writing lift Life way above the norm. there's a lot of books in the world but not many great ones. i'd put this right up there with the best
Rating:
Summary: la vie mode d'emploi
Review: This is the second most fascinating novel I've ever read,
the best one I've read in twenty years. If you revel in
complexity, this book is for you. Perec prompts intro-
spection on many levels. The plot(s) are some of the most
intriguing anywhere. The human condition is probed to the
greatest possible depth.
Despite certain minor infelicities, Bellos has done an excellent job translating, consistently capturing the atmosphere (and there is a lot of atmosphere) of the original. (The title is one of the few translating gaffes.
The original French does not convey the image of a computer
manuel and the term "user's manuel" was not in general
use in English until after the novel was written.)
Once you've read it you will be on the constant look-out
for others who know Perec.
Rating:
Summary: Truly unique and thoroughly rewarding...
Review: Wonderful! I have come across a book that I can read and re-read every year and which will always delight, inspire and astound me. I won't bother with the plot or scope of the novel, the details in the main Amazon page sum them up very well. What I will say is that this is one of the few experimental novels that actually works and is a joy to read. Hundreds of stories within stories, every other page delights you with another tale, any one of which could be expanded to make a whole novel in themselves. A complex book which can be frustrating at times but which is ultimately rewarding as it actually delivers on its promise. Perec inticately weaves together the lives of many people into this wonderful novel in an attempt to show live how it really is - complicated, full of coincidence, multi-layered, sad, tragic, beautiful and ultimately futile. Sometimes you read a book and it makes you realise how much you are wasting your life. If Perec could write something as wonderful as this I should get of my arse and try something too! Please read this book, it is astounding.
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