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The End of the Alphabet
Ambrose Zephyr and his wife Zappora Ashkenazi (“Zipper”) have achieved a happy and balanced life together. She is the yin to his yang. He is the only man she has loved without adjustment. The two live contentedly in a narrow London terrace full of books.
That contentment is thrown into turmoil on or about Ambrose’s fiftieth birthday, when they receive the news that he has c...more
That contentment is thrown into turmoil on or about Ambrose’s fiftieth birthday, when they receive the news that he has c...more
Hardcover, 152 pages
Published
January 23rd 2007
by Doubleday Canada
(first published 2007)
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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5 likes · like · see review
view 1 comment
Sep 20, 2012
Alan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Alan by:
bonny; notgettingenough
Shelves:
novels,
read-in-2012
picked this up from the library today
wasn't keen. Thought about giving it two stars because it's far too whimsical for me. For example half way through the bloke - who's dying - can suddenly see across seas (eg Engalnd from France, even the USA from Cornwall) and into the past (when visiting the pyramids sees ancient egyptians at work on them). It's not believable but maybe it's not supposed to be. However that ruins the impact of his dying. Straight after I started reading Kyle Minor's book of...more
wasn't keen. Thought about giving it two stars because it's far too whimsical for me. For example half way through the bloke - who's dying - can suddenly see across seas (eg Engalnd from France, even the USA from Cornwall) and into the past (when visiting the pyramids sees ancient egyptians at work on them). It's not believable but maybe it's not supposed to be. However that ruins the impact of his dying. Straight after I started reading Kyle Minor's book of...more
Death? Yes, yes, death hovers near us all. And it is sad that it makes us sad. But I know a story.
Such is the life of Ambrose Zephyr. At 50 years of age, Ambrose is diagnosed with a fatal but unidentifiable illness -- an illness that, within 30 day's time, will leave him dead. Yes, the doctor offered, writes Richardson, unfair would be a very good word about now. Zephyr's soon and imminent death, however, makes up only one element to this story.
Meet Zappora Ashkenazi, more commonly known as Zipp...more
I must admit that I particularly love books like this one. It’s so lovingly odd – almost like the author was told about these things called books and he then decided he’d try writing one. Don’t take that statement as insulting though. The End of the Alphabet is kind of refreshingly without pretention or strict structure. It reads like someone sat down and wrote something. Just because. Which is often the best kind of writing.
Ambrose Zephyr has only thirty days to live, and he has decided to spen...more
Ambrose Zephyr has only thirty days to live, and he has decided to spen...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
1 like · like · see review
Afternoon Play: The End of the Alphabet 08-12-2008
Penny Leicester's adaptation of CS Richardson's novella. When Ambrose finds out that he has just one month to live, he and Zipper, his loving wife, embark on a round-the-world journey, alphabetically, from Amsterdam to Zanzibar.
From The Telegraph
Juliet Stevenson and David Haig star, Adam Godley narrates this delicate and moving drama. It's about a loving marriage. The husband discovers, on or about his 50th birthday, he has a month to live. He's...more
Penny Leicester's adaptation of CS Richardson's novella. When Ambrose finds out that he has just one month to live, he and Zipper, his loving wife, embark on a round-the-world journey, alphabetically, from Amsterdam to Zanzibar.
From The Telegraph
Juliet Stevenson and David Haig star, Adam Godley narrates this delicate and moving drama. It's about a loving marriage. The husband discovers, on or about his 50th birthday, he has a month to live. He's...more
Aug 31, 2012
Janice
marked it as to-read
Ambrose Zephyr is a contented man. He shares a book-laden Victorian house with his loving wife, Zipper. He owns two suits, one of which he was married in. He is a courageous eater, save brussels sprouts. His knowledge of wine is vague and best defined as Napa, good; Australian, better; French, better still. Kir royale is his drink of occasion. For an Englishman he makes a poor cup of tea. He believes women are quantifiably wiser than men, and would never give Zipper the slightest reason to mistr...more
Jul 30, 2012
notgettingenough
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adventure,
modern-lit
If you wish to fill a couple of hours of your life with a nicely written weepie, this is for you. Is it a novella? It is 140 small pages, large margins, double-spaced text. I've certainly read lots of 'short stories' this length.
It does consider a dilemma I've often wondered about. There are those quick deaths - one moment you are vacuuming or cooking dinner, next moment finito la musica. Death displaces life and you scarcely even have time to register it. There are the long ones, where you know...more
It does consider a dilemma I've often wondered about. There are those quick deaths - one moment you are vacuuming or cooking dinner, next moment finito la musica. Death displaces life and you scarcely even have time to register it. There are the long ones, where you know...more
8 likes · like · see review
I will admit that I can be somewhat sentimental when it comes to movies or music, but that is almost never the case with books. I appreciate good writing, and can marvel at an author’s imagination and use of creative images or descriptions, but I rarely feel a lump in my throat, or feel that strange, wonderful sensation of smiling while tears form in my eyes.
This book is the rare exception. It is a jewel of a book – small, short (only 119 pages), and with a clarity and directness that reveal de...more
This book is the rare exception. It is a jewel of a book – small, short (only 119 pages), and with a clarity and directness that reveal de...more
This first novel by book designer CS Richardson is really little more than a novella. But it is a gem. Simple and direct in the telling, The End of the Alphabet is an adult fable with a bittersweet ending.
Ambrose Zephyr, the creative mind behind a London advertising agency, learns that he has an illness of "inexplicable origin," and, as a result, little more than a month to live – "give or take a day." He is married to Zappora Ashkenazi, though childless, and still very much in love. In short,...more
Ambrose Zephyr, the creative mind behind a London advertising agency, learns that he has an illness of "inexplicable origin," and, as a result, little more than a month to live – "give or take a day." He is married to Zappora Ashkenazi, though childless, and still very much in love. In short,...more
If you had a month to live, what would you do? How about going to see all the important places in your life from A to Z? A sweet little book about love and the passing of time. (copied review) Ambrose Zephyr and his wife Zappora Ashkenazi (“Zipper”) have achieved a happy and balanced life together. She is the yin to his yang. He is the only man she has loved without adjustment. The two live contentedly in a narrow London terrace full of books. That contentment is thrown into turmoil on or about...more
The End of the Alphabet is what I would call a huggable book.
Ambrose Zephyr is a fifty year old, happily married Londoner. But then he is diagnosed with an unidentified terminal illness and given only a month to live.
Ambrose that he must to seize the day. And so, accompanied by his wife Zappora Ashkenazi (also known as Zipper) he sets off on a journey round the world, visiting each city on his list in alphabetical order.
Each stop evokes different memories, different emotions for Ambrose and Zipp...more
Ambrose Zephyr is a fifty year old, happily married Londoner. But then he is diagnosed with an unidentified terminal illness and given only a month to live.
Ambrose that he must to seize the day. And so, accompanied by his wife Zappora Ashkenazi (also known as Zipper) he sets off on a journey round the world, visiting each city on his list in alphabetical order.
Each stop evokes different memories, different emotions for Ambrose and Zipp...more
Im not going to lie this book is a tear jerker. It is not your typical romance story. And if your looking for a happily ever after this is not the book for you.
This short 60 page book is more like a short story or poem. It's the story of two people and when time is running out how the concept of time becomes the most valuable. It is also about how what people like or love as children can inspire what they want to achieve when they have limited time left. And when it comes to the end of the alpha...more
This short 60 page book is more like a short story or poem. It's the story of two people and when time is running out how the concept of time becomes the most valuable. It is also about how what people like or love as children can inspire what they want to achieve when they have limited time left. And when it comes to the end of the alpha...more
This is the short tale, (just 117 pages), of Ambrose Zephyr, a man who has a great love for the alphabet. Upon learning of his imminent death, Ambrose plans a trip comprised of places from A to Z that he has long desired to see. While following Ambrose and his wife, Zipper, on their final journey, the reader is granted a glance into their past serene life. The book is too brief to become connected with these two main characters, however this glimpse into their history proves that their love is u...more
Winner 2008 Commonwealth Writer Prize for Best First Novel
I have read this book twice, each time in less than two hours; at 20K words this is probably more properly a novella, not a novel. But it’s a gem of a little book: C S Richardson’s tale is a tender and poignant portrayal of a couple very much in love, and how they differ in their reaction to inevitable loss.
At about age fifty, Ambrose Zephyr is informed quite matter-of-factly, that he has thirty days “give or take” to live. His doctor sp...more
I have read this book twice, each time in less than two hours; at 20K words this is probably more properly a novella, not a novel. But it’s a gem of a little book: C S Richardson’s tale is a tender and poignant portrayal of a couple very much in love, and how they differ in their reaction to inevitable loss.
At about age fifty, Ambrose Zephyr is informed quite matter-of-factly, that he has thirty days “give or take” to live. His doctor sp...more
12 likes · like · see review
I came across this book while browsing the library shelves. I was looking for a book by a Canadian author, and the staff at the library facilitates the search by putting a red maple leaf on the books binding. And that's what made me pick up The End of the Alphabet. I quickly read the blurb and noticing how small the book was it went straight into my basket.
I wasn't expecting to be blown away by the book. I thought that the premise of the book was interesting but I didn't think I was going to dev...more
I wasn't expecting to be blown away by the book. I thought that the premise of the book was interesting but I didn't think I was going to dev...more
"'An abrupt death sentence given to a 50-year-old London ad exec forces an uneasy deliverance in Richardson's smartly setup, poignant tale. Given less than a month to live, Ambrose Zephyr, alphabet-obsessed since childhood, decides to spend out his last days traveling around the globe from A to Z. Ambrose and his wife, Zappora Ashkenazi (the couple is childless), begin in Amsterdam, viewing art by Velzquez and Rembrandt that has been significant to them in their loving marriage, and now looks wh...more
So the other day I was over at a friend's house for dinner. We'd just eaten and were lazing around on the couch. I totally felt like just sitting there and reading a romance novel or something. So we got up and waddled to the car (it was a very filling dinner) and went over to the library. I didn't find a romance novel I wanted to read, but I did find this. I picked it at random off the shelf, never having heard of it before (I love those books, don't you? Feels like finding buried treasure).
Th...more
Th...more
I found this to be a sweet, quirky love story. Ambrose Zephyr is given 1 month, more or less, to live due to a mysterious terminal illness. He chooses, and attempts, to spend his remaining days traveling to destinations beginning with the letter A and ending his travels with the letter Z. Hence, the "End of the Alphabet" means the end of his life. Along the way, with the support and love of his wife Zipper, (Zappora Ashkenazi), Ambrose accepts his fate and is able to leave this world in peace.
R...more
R...more
More of a short story than a full-on novel, The End of the Alphabet is a brief whirlwind tour of the world set immediately after a man named Ambrose Zephyr is informed by his doctor he has about a month to live.
He and his wife Zappora Ashkenazi try to map his remaining days to places based on letters in the alphabet: A for Amsterdam, B for Brussels, etc. Along the way they're each overwhelmed by frustration, memory, fear, love, and confusion about their newly discovered twist of fate. Although v...more
He and his wife Zappora Ashkenazi try to map his remaining days to places based on letters in the alphabet: A for Amsterdam, B for Brussels, etc. Along the way they're each overwhelmed by frustration, memory, fear, love, and confusion about their newly discovered twist of fate. Although v...more
Richardson’s first novel is a slim 139 page contemplation on how one would spend the remaining days of a relatively uneventful life. Ambrose Zephyr is diagnosed with an unnamed incurable disease on his 50th birthday. After the initial shock wears off he embarks on a whirlwind trip with his wife, Zipper. (Don’t even ask about the ridiculous names.) He decides to visit one place for each letter of the alphabet. A is for Amsterdam and so on.
My book club was divided down the middle on this one. Some...more
My book club was divided down the middle on this one. Some...more
I read a review of this book and thought it would be a sweet book, but it really wasn't that good. The storyline is that Ambrose Zephyr, who has always been obsessed with the alphabet, finds out that he has terminal cancer. So, he decides to take his wife on all the trips from A to Z they thought they would have time to take in their retirement. If it was a little longer and more detailed it would have been much better!
If I were going to teach fiction in the future, I would use this book as a main source for the class. This is exactly the type of thing young writers (and seasoned ones) need when they're working on character development. A lot happens in the story, the two characters travel Europe, but that's not at all the focus. The characterization is just brilliant, Zipper and her husband are lovable and human and real.
The twist at the end, spoiler alert, was well done and not cheesy. Zipper writing what h...more
The twist at the end, spoiler alert, was well done and not cheesy. Zipper writing what h...more
This book was written in a really unique way. It kinda tricked you into realizing what was going on (hard to explain - you'll have to read it) It was a real short read but really made me appreciate my relationship with Tim. It makes you realize that we are only given a short amount of time to spend with those that we love and that making every moment count is really what matters in the end.
I don't know where to begin to review this book. I was a little disappointed in the story, mainly because I was expecting something different I think. The way the author writes sometimes can be confusing as some conversations only come from one side and you glean what the other is saying based on the responses. I think I was also comparing it to what I would do if I or my husband was given only a month to live.
Zipper troubled me at first with how she was behaving with the news of her husband's...more
Zipper troubled me at first with how she was behaving with the news of her husband's...more
I was at the store looking for the book that I am reading right now, and this was tucked into the new release shelf. I looked at it and in that moment I knew, this novella was going to be something special.
It was. I read it in one brief sitting. It is a first-rate, tender, genuine story. I would say it is a love story, but it's not really; it's a piece of a love story-- the end piece. There are other strands woven through here and there to help the reader understand the infrastructure of the re...more
It was. I read it in one brief sitting. It is a first-rate, tender, genuine story. I would say it is a love story, but it's not really; it's a piece of a love story-- the end piece. There are other strands woven through here and there to help the reader understand the infrastructure of the re...more
This slight book packs a big emotional punch. The story of Ambrose Zephyr and his wife Zipper Ashkanazi, a loving couple that perfectly complement each other. Just as Ambrose is turning 50, he is told by his doctor that he has only one month to live. This news sends the couple off on a whirlwind tour of the places Ambrose has most loved or most wanted to visit, from A to Z, as they try to deal with the revelation that their remaining time together is all too short. Richardson's spare, unsentimen...more
This was such a sweet, sad story, but it was also wonderful. The story is written in such a unique way - where you get to understand both characters and see both sides of the story, but also you are still outside and still looking in.
I only wish that it was a little longer, but, then again, if the story was longer, it might have taken away from the charm of the tale.
I only wish that it was a little longer, but, then again, if the story was longer, it might have taken away from the charm of the tale.
I found the characters of Ambrose and Zipper very interesting - but I wanted to know more! But, I must say, that in a relatively few words, the author does create fascinating visual images. I think this is a book that needs to be read twice! First time you want to know what happens - the second time you can slow down and apreciate the language.
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CS Richardson’s first novel, The End of the Alphabet, was an international bestseller published in thirteen countries and ten languages. Winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (Canada & the Caribbean), it was named on four Best of the Year lists and was adapted for radio drama by BBC Radio 4.
Richardson is also an accomplished and award-winning book designer. He lives and works...more
More about C.S. Richardson...
Richardson is also an accomplished and award-winning book designer. He lives and works...more
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“A man can see a hundred women, lust for a thousand more, but it is one scent that will open his eyes and turn him to love.”
—
58 people liked it
“When his father asked why A wasn't apple or B wasn't bird or C wasn't cat, young Ambrose explained that things didn't always have to be the way you'd expect. Everybody does apples and birds and cats, he said, and it's boring to do what everybody else does.”
—
3 people liked it
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