Balthasar's Odyssey: A Novel

by Amin Maalouf
Balthasar's Odyssey: A Novel  
published November 14th 2003 by Arcade Publishing
binding Paperback
isbn 155970702X   (isbn13: 9781559707022)
pages 392
literary awards 2004 IMPAC Dublin Award Nominee
description It is 1665, and all the signs and portents foretell that next year the Antichrist will appear and the world will come to an end. Antiquarian merchant...more
date added
03-01-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 129)



tia
tia rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
08/13/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
sebenernya waktu baca kalo latarnya di turki dan sekitarnya dengan tema yang lumayan 'ajaib' (bayangin aja ada pedagang antik kliling2 eropa buat nyari nama ke-100 Asmaul Husna supaya dia selamet dari kiamat) aku jadi agak ragu juga bacanya. biasanya kan baca novel yang latarnya barat, kalo latarnya arab2 gitu takutnya nggak nyambung. ternyata justru latarnya itu yang bikin ceritanya ajaib! aku jadi tau sifat berbagai agama seperti kristen, protestan, yahudi, islam, dll, serta kehidupan di daera...more
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Ivan
Ivan rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
06/01/08

Read in May, 2008
recommended to Ivan by: Peny
Following through the diary of a man, who are always in doubts. Doubts to himself, his surrounding, and the nature, Balthasar's Odyssesy may somehow be caught in the boring reading, but Amin Malouf can prevent that from happening through his delicate writing skills, the use of words, and 'tasty' descriptions.

But, the ending is quite 'irresponsible' for me; many questions remain unanswered. Though readers will think that Malouf leave us to answer them ourselves, the answers won't be there. Th...more
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Vera
Vera rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
05/20/08

bookshelves: not-finished
Read in October, 2007
Sebenarnya menarik, mengenai pencarian sebuah buku yang dipercaya oleh kalangan terbatas menceritakan mengenai "nama Tuhan yang keseratus", alias lanjutannya "Asmaul Husna". Buku itu antara mitos dan realita, membuat para pemburunya harus berkelana ke berbagai negara dengan membawa beban moral masing-masing.

Walau dari awal sempat bosan gara-gara gaya ceritanya naratif banget, eh, ternyata, saya memang hanya bisa bertahan separuh buku, lalu baca loncat-loncat sampai belaka...more
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Nessim
Nessim rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
12/10/07

bookshelves: currently-reading
Read in November, 2007
i've read and thoroughly enjoyed quite a few of amin maalouf's books so this one is no surprise. if you liked leo the african you'll probably like this one. i suppose i'll add a review when i've actually finished it (i'm a bit more than halfway now).

be warned. i don't read that much these days :( even less since i had the daft idea of subscribing to the economist. how do these people manage to write so damned much every week!?
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devie
devie rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
11/21/07

Read in April, 2007
seperti a father affair, aku belum selesai baca buku ini. terlalu bertele tele menurutku. tapi belakangana ini (dah hampir 2/3 bagian buku) ceritanya jadi makin seru. bukunya "nama tuhan yang keseratus" dah ketemu, dah berada ditangan. jadi penasaran juga pengen tahu isi buku "nama tuhan yang keseratus" itu. semoga ndak kayak "prison break" yang batal mulu kaburnya. ;))

(full review in progress)
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Roberta
Roberta rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
04/24/08

Read in April, 2008
I liked the author's style of journal writing. I'd really have to do some research, but some of his terminology seemed too modern for the times in which he was supposed to be writing.

Even though the story was interesting, it took me a long time to finish this book. 1666, the Year of the Beast, seemed to go on forever.

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Apostrophena
Apostrophena added it
07/28/07

from this book, a journal seem a get away... it makes you honourable and repectful on the outside, while your journal knows everything in the inside your self, and for once in your life you could be an honest person, on your journal... no one need to find out the truth if they never read your journal... you are you!
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Zahrah
Zahrah rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/15/07

recommends it for: anyone
Amin does it again: he takes you on a whirlwind tour of the emigrant protaganist who is searching for the divine text that will save mankind; no mean feat! In the midst of this are questions of identity, home and love. For anyone who has a heart.
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Tuhu Nugraha
Tuhu Nugraha added it
07/01/07

bookshelves: fiksi
Read in December, 2006
Hmm buku yang sangat menarik untuk melihat konflik Timur Barat, dan sejarah masa lampau. Jadi ingat waktu belajar HI dulu. Berbagai detil peristiwa sejarah dirangkai dengan sangat indah. Kita bener-bener bisa membayangkan kehidupan di masa itu.
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Pradanti
Pradanti marked it as to-read
02/14/08

bookshelves: to-read
Belom beres2 aja baca buku ini, mungkin karena format penulisannya agak membosankan. Serasa pembaca belom merasa namatin 1 bab karena tiap bab bersambung terus, ga ada jeda. Mudah2an nanti kalo udah dapat feelingnya, buku ini kebaca juga
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Sue
Sue rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
09/04/07

Read in August, 2007
Epistolary. Historical. Psychological. Anti--eschatological . . . or, maybe, eschatological? Dunno. At any rate, a travelogue of the soul, and a good read about the power of books.
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Diah
Diah rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/02/07

Read in October, 2007
Cover bukunya menarik, sehingga tertarik untuk membeli dan membacanya. Ternyata setelah dibaca, isinya lebih bagus lagi
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Kelly
Kelly rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
12/11/07

Read in November, 2007
I enjoyed this book very much! History, love story, a quick read, very satisfying.
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Ardzuna
Ardzuna rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/24/07

bookshelves: worlds
Read in January, 2007
recommends it for: Epic story lovers
This book teach you how to deal with your past love and live a thousand years...
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Casey
Casey rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
05/09/07

bookshelves: adults
I just didn't care about any of the characters.
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siskastrawberry
siskastrawberry rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
09/16/07

bookshelves: currently-reading
Read in September, 2007
belom ngeh.. belom slese gitu...
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Ingvild Oda
Ingvild Oda rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/09/07

Read in December, 2006
 

Irwan
Irwan rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/11/07

bookshelves: finished
 

Lulu
Lulu rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
02/10/08

 

New2n
New2n rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/07/07

bookshelves: novels
 


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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.51 (106 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.49 (91 ratings)
number of reviews: 17






other editions

Balthasar's Odyssey (Paperback)
Странствие Бальдасара (Классическая и современная проза)
Balthasar's Odyssey : A Novel (Hardcover)