Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful
Review: If you enjoy the poetry of Pablo Neruda, I highly recommend this book. This book was a recommendation from a very literary, lyrical friend, and a wonderful surprise to boot. There is a passage not too far into the book of a man who is writing to a woman he is waiting for, writing his whole life out for her so he can share it with her when they finally meet. It is one of the sweetest pieces of writing I have ever read. On th other hand, it is not a traditionally, romantic book, either. The sensuousness is not related to a person, but an idea and thing; the sea. It will draw you in, surround and envelope you, wash over you, and recede leaving only a salty residue on your skin for you to remember it ever passed.
Rating: 
Summary: Enigmatic and amazing. Ocean blue. Pure.
Review: -Sometimes I wonder what are we waiting for. -For it to be too late, madame.I have read OCEANO MARE in its original language, but the grammatic is so clear that the translation can easily keep the beauty of Baricco's writing. It recalls the style fo the naturalists fo the XIX century. It is an original story. There are differents settings that runs parallel and then blend together. Several characters with different stories find a personal meaning in the ocean that can be either terrible or beautiful, gentle of furios, can carry joy oy death. A group of men abandoned on a boat; two men that look for the end or the beginning of the sea; storytellers that comes from the waves; lovers walking on the beach; children that know more than adults about everything; they are all connected to the ocean sea somehow. The book is strong and delicate. It goes beyond the love and hate human feel for the sea, it is a story that goes deep in the human soul, it is a rappresentation of the most secret desires, that goes beyond rational thinking. Enigmatic and pure. OCean blue. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully thrilling!
Review: Alessandro Baricco is one of the most splendid writers of the twenty-first century. The manner in which he chooses his words and makes them flow flawlessly is unmatched. With his words, the reader is able to create beautiful mental images of the characters and the scenes contained within the book. There aren't many contemporary authors - in my opinion - that have that ability. Each character is spendid in his or her own way. The novel not only contains stories of love, but also of horror and comedy. The reader will not appreciate the beauty of this novel until after he or she has completed it. It is only then that each chapter/section falls into place. I highly recommend this book to anyone. It is also a quick read.
Rating:
Summary: Emotionally honest "realistic" fantasy
Review: Baricco has written a tremendous story of the truth of our human condition - individuals with a variety of obsessions - revenge, art, science, sensual experience - who are seemingly unrelated come together for the healing of the sea. They come together in a small ocean inn run by fay children. At the center of the book stands a horrofic story of humanity at its worst. . . . The structure of the book is a difficult one but one Baricco has fashioned into the absolutely correct form for his story. The prose ranges from very lush, descriptive prose to very taciturn conversation, from art catalogue entries to poetic prayers. Occasionally a sentence or two will misfire, but Baricco has exquisite control over his medium. This book belongs on any must read list.
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreakingly beautiful. Poetry meets prose.
Review: Never before has a novel moved me so deeply with just two pages of its prose. The author is so good (and the translator too) that I found myself tasting brand-new emotions, new flavors of heartbreakingly wistful love, through these words. At times the story itself is heavy-handed and unimpressive. And the book is rather short, and the chapters don't all hang together so well. But the layers of meaning, the metaphors and above all the well-described emotions, put Ocean Sea in the highest stratum of literary novels. It's that good. It's the sort of book that you'll want to give to a friend after you finish it, and then you'll want to buy another copy for yourself because you don't want to be without it.
Rating:
Summary: poetic pleasure
Review: Reading this book reminded me of other poetic and philosophic fairytales such as by St. Exupéry (le Petit Prince) or Coelho (The Alchemist). Rich, almost too much so at times, evocative, romantic, cinematographic in its imagery, and sometimes very funny, this book was a delight to read. I could appreciate it even more once I had given up the need to rationally understand or analyze the characters or events (do fairytales make sense?), and could go with the elegant flow of images and connections. The diverse characters coming together at the dream-like hotel by the sea all go there to re-create or save themselves and thereby create life anew. The little children who run the hotel and the hotel itself are the stuff of ethereal dreams that leave you wondering after you wake up, finishing the book, with a sadness that the dream is over.
Rating:
Summary: poetic pleasure
Review: Reading this book reminded me of other poetic and philosophic fairytales such as by St. Exupéry (le Petit Prince) or Coelho (The Alchemist). Rich, almost too much so at times, evocative, romantic, cinematographic in its imagery, and sometimes very funny, this book was a delight to read. I could appreciate it even more once I had given up the need to rationally understand or analyze the characters or events (do fairytales make sense?), and could go with the elegant flow of images and connections. The diverse characters coming together at the dream-like hotel by the sea all go there to re-create or save themselves and thereby create life anew. The little children who run the hotel and the hotel itself are the stuff of ethereal dreams that leave you wondering after you wake up, finishing the book, with a sadness that the dream is over.
Rating: 
Summary: it's good, truly it is, but...
Review: so here's the thing. this is a fun little read. entertaining etc... others have played up the good qualities far better than i. but (and there is a but) there's some comparisons that have just gotten out of hand, particularly the comparisons to calvino and calasso. baricco does not particularly remind me of calasso-- baricco's swooping, ebbing style has precious little to do with calasso's equally curious, yet ultimately tighter-- more restrained, approach. truth be told, i prefer calasso. and calvino-- well, calvino is on another plane altogether-- as one of the most interesting, playful, original authors of the 20th century. failure to live up to calvino's stature is no critique-- few authors do-- but to mention barrico as one who approaches such a level may be a bit excessive. nevertheless there's some fascinating moments here, and some perfect passages, but it's also a bit flawed. worth reading if think you'd dig it (esp. given the other reviews), but again it's not calvino, it's not quite calasso, and it's far from a five star read. all that said, it can stand as its own work, and i do look forward to baricco's next work. should he achieve beyond this level, that may be something!
Rating:
Summary: SEEING THE SEE
Review: Some never see it. The sea in their hart. But never mind, those who see it still have books. But they also have troubles sometimes. For example : You have been for years in your library. You regularly read the book-pages of some newspapers and magazines. You're even a librarian, as I am, of a quite (would-be) modern (semi-public) library. Yes, you might even be me. And like me, you have never remarked Ocean Sea of this Italian author of whom you've never heard, until an engimatic but wise woman, your teacher Drama at the local Academy of Arts, tells you they are going to bring it on stage (written by who ? everyone yells, and then : never heard of, very difficult, sakespeare-like I presume ... ). And then you read it, and you really see the sea. Experiencing it on scene makes it even worse : escaping this yearning feeling to tell everyone you meet they absolutely must read this book becomes impossible. And in every letter you write to your many pals, you can't stop mentioning Plasson, the painter who wants to leave his canvas white but not blanco, or others. This story is all about puzzles : pieces coming together and breaking up. It's about leaving things undefined. It's about the sea : you can dive in it, you get a little bit wet, but you can't breath under the sea, unless you wear an O2-mask, and even then. Some books take you up in the air and leave you there. Some put you down to the ground and under it. This one makes you feel alive and you keep reading it. This one you want to share with your best friends. And you would even want to e-mail on it. But you will never give it away. I promise !
Rating:
Summary: SEEING THE SEA
Review: Some never see it. The sea in their heart. But never mind, those who see it still have books. But they also have troubles sometimes. And as I, you have never seen Ocean Sea of this fabulous Italian author of whom you've never heard, until a handsome woman, your teacher Drama at the local Academy, tells you they are going to bring on stage some novel called Ocean Sea, written by a certain Baricco (who ? never heard of ? very difficult, shakespeare-like I presume, everyone yells). And then you read it, and you really see the sea. Experiencing it on scene makes it even worse : escaping this yearning feeling to tell everyone you meet they absolutely must read this book becomes impossible. And in every letter you write to your many pals, you can't stop mentioning Plasson, the painter who wants to leave his canvas white but not blanco, or others. This story is all about puzzles : pieces coming together and breaking up. It's about leaving things undefined. It's about the sea : you can dive in it, you get a little bit wet, but you can't breath under the sea, unless you wear an O2-mask, and even then. Some books take you up in the air and leave you there. Some put you down to the ground and under it. This one makes you feel alive and you keep reading it. This one you want to share with your best friends. And you would even want to e-mail on it. But you will never give it away. I promise !
|
