false<![CDATA[The End of the Alphabet]]>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174449110m/402456.jpg4024565Ambrose 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 contracted a mysterious illness that will most certainly lead to his death within the month. In panicked delirium, from beneath their bed Ambrose withdraws an oxblood suitcase containing the ephemera of his long-suppressed life’s ambition: to travel the world in a pilgrimage through the alphabet, from Amsterdam to Zanzibar.
Scuttling the responsibilities of their respectably successful careers, the two set off on an urgent voyage through real and imagined geographies of place, of history, of art, and of love.
Zipper is continually frustrated by Ambrose’s reticence, but loves him beyond all measure. And Ambrose well appreciates his miraculous good fortune in having Zipper by his side, drawing out the best in him. Zipper does not completely understand Ambrose’s compulsion to pursue his childhood dream, but her commitment to him is absolute and so she, too, is compelled to make this journey.
In Amsterdam, they revisit past debates on beauty and art. In Berlin, they weigh the burdens of history. In the glow of the Chartres windows, they explore the stations of life. In Deauville, they fondly recall their youthful love. At “E,” Ambrose adjusts his long-drafted itinerary, crossing out Elba and replacing it with the Eiffel Tower of Zipper’s beloved Paris, the city of their first predestined encounter. While resting in Florence beside the youthfully vital David, they meet a chivalrous old man who shares his insight into enduring romance. It is in Giza that Ambrose begins to falter as he climbs a pyramid, and they miss Haifa thanks to a sandstorm. In Istanbul, they realize that Ambrose can go no further and they must return to their London terrace.
But their voyage is not over. The two continue their odyssey, no longer via plane and rail, but now through the power of shared desire and love. The wise words of a hallucinatory camel in Ambrose’s fevered dream ring out to them with equanimity: “Why, you ask? There is no why, Master Zephyr. Life goes on. Death goes on. Love goes on. It is all as simple as that.”
In the tradition of romantic legend and fable, The End of the Alphabet is a lovingly rendered, richly nuanced treatise on the nature of true and enduring love. The story of Ambrose and Zappora is a precious gift, one that illuminates a pathway to the return of balance and joy after unthinkable loss.12540662312007The End of the Alphabettotal:588|5:96|4:188|3:199|2:82|1:23|588201689722155falsetrueThu May 29 08:55:05 -0700 2008Mon Jun 30 22:17:29 -0700 2008 This this a short novel - in size and pages - that can be read ...more...]]>
51falsetrueTue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008Sat Jan 12 18:38:40 -0800 2008Sat Jan 12 18:45:53 -0800 2008
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31falsetrueWed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007Mon Aug 13 09:59:51 -0700 2007Thu Oct 09 18:54:02 -0700 2008
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30falsefalseTue Feb 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009Tue Feb 03 07:08:04 -0800 2009Tue Feb 03 08:25:34 -0800 2009
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.
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30falsefalseMon Nov 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009Mon Nov 09 21:54:32 -0800 2009Mon Nov 09 21:55:16 -0800 2009
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412falsefalseSat May 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009Sun May 24 18:34:49 -0700 2009Sun May 24 18:48:49 -0700 2009 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 ...more...]]>
20falsefalseWed Nov 26 00:00:00 -0800 2008Tue Nov 25 12:27:15 -0800 2008Wed Nov 26 04:03:44 -0800 20082
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21falsefalseSat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007Mon Oct 15 07:43:27 -0700 2007Mon Oct 15 08:04:02 -0700 2007
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41falsefalseMon Jun 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008Sat Jan 19 07:02:44 -0800 2008Mon Jun 23 08:29:23 -0700 2008
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50falsefalseSun Jul 19 16:01:46 -0700 2009Wed Jul 29 17:55:58 -0700 2009 It was. I read it in one brief sitting. It is a first-rate, tender, genuine story...more...]]>
00falsefalseWed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007Wed May 13 13:16:54 -0700 2009Wed May 13 13:17:22 -0700 2009
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51falsefalseSat Nov 17 00:00:00 -0800 2007Mon Nov 19 06:37:55 -0800 2007Mon Nov 19 06:41:57 -0800 2007 I only wish that it was a little longer, but, then aga...more...]]>
41falsefalseMon Sep 29 21:39:49 -0700 2008Mon Sep 29 21:42:41 -0700 2008
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51falsefalseMon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007Tue Sep 04 11:04:42 -0700 2007Tue Oct 30 03:23:26 -0700 2007 Needs to be read quickly, ...more...]]>
00falsefalseThu Feb 05 09:50:50 -0800 2009Thu Feb 05 09:50:50 -0800 2009
A Canadian book designer, C. S. Richardson delights in the alphabet, and his infatuation with everything A-to-Z shines throughout this elegant debut novel. In clear, understated prose, Richardson has written a poignant love story, a travelogue, a tribute to the good life, and a rousing call to cheri...more...]]>
51falsefalseWed Apr 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008Tue Apr 15 06:35:48 -0700 2008Fri Apr 18 13:48:59 -0700 2008
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41falsefalseSat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007Tue Sep 04 20:55:55 -0700 2007Thu Jul 30 19:01:42 -0700 2009
The prose is well done...just enough of each emotion (laughter, sorrow, anger, joy) to keep you turning the pages without feeling manipulated.
This book helps me to remember just what I'm waiting for.]]>
40falsefalseSun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009Mon Feb 23 11:52:06 -0800 2009Sun Mar 01 16:07:02 -0800 2009
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30falsefalseSun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009Thu Mar 26 15:41:49 -0700 2009Wed Apr 01 11:10:21 -0700 2009 Short and bittersweet. I stumbled across this book on accident in the local library, and after reading the jacket, thought it seemed like a good story. Overall it was, but I didn't enjoy it quite like I thought I would. The writing...more...]]>
40falsefalseWed Nov 04 20:40:04 -0800 2009Fri Nov 06 20:23:40 -0800 2009
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