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2nd out of 13 books
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Firmin
by
Sam Savage
In the basement of a Boston bookstore, Firmin is born in a shredded copy Finnegans Wake, nurtured on a diet of Zane Grey, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and Jane Eyre (which tastes a lot like lettuce). While his twelve siblings gnaw these books obliviously, for Firmin the words, thoughts, deeds, and hopes—all the literature he consumes—soon consume him. Emboldened by reading, in...more
Paperback, 176 pages
Published
August 24th 2011
by Delta
(first published 2006)
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Again, I must be a voice of dissent here. I loved this novella. It is written from the perspective of a rat who was born in a bookstore to an alcoholic-mother in a litter of other rat-like rats. Firmin is of course different from his brothers and sisters: he possesses a yearning for knowledge and a loneliness that he obliquely recognizes as the loneliness of the human condition--particularly among those humans whose lives he vicariously observes. This makes him a liminal figure at home neith...more
so i bought this years ago and hadnt read it. and then the new, even cuter edition came out so i had to get it again, but actually read it this time because i am a sucker for cool book design. and im glad, because its not a cute book, despite its illustrations and little ratbite. its more sad than cute, and it is definitely not for kids. and i am a grown up!! (she says, eating all the candy from the basket daddy sent for easter...)
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Profunda decepción. Después de todo lo bueno leído sobre esta novela, de saber que Seix Barral ha apostado fuerte por ella al comprar los derechos mundiales, lo único que puedo decir es que me ha aburrido profundamente. Todos los que hemos leído convulsivamente a lo largo de vida estamos predispuestos a sentirnos identificados con esta rata devoradora, en el sentido literal primero y en el sentido lector después, de libros. Lo peor que me ha pasado a mí durante la lectura es que también me he se...more
Ich hatte die Gelegenheit, dieses Buch vorab zu lesen.
„Gut essbar gleich gut lesbar“ FIRMIN - EIN RATTENLEBEN aktualisiert
Das ist die Devise von Firmin, einer Ratte.
Er kommt als 13. eines Rattenwurfs in einer Bostoner Buchhandlung zur Welt.
Firmin ist anders als seine Geschwister. Er bekommt nie genug Muttermilch und so wendet er sich den Büchern als Nahrungsquelle zu. So nimmt die Entwicklung zur Leseratte ihren Lauf.
Die Welt der ...more
„Gut essbar gleich gut lesbar“ FIRMIN - EIN RATTENLEBEN aktualisiert
Das ist die Devise von Firmin, einer Ratte.
Er kommt als 13. eines Rattenwurfs in einer Bostoner Buchhandlung zur Welt.
Firmin ist anders als seine Geschwister. Er bekommt nie genug Muttermilch und so wendet er sich den Büchern als Nahrungsquelle zu. So nimmt die Entwicklung zur Leseratte ihren Lauf.
Die Welt der ...more
Firmin is a story of a rat who lives in a bookstore, eats books (words) and understands the text of the stories he reads. When the bookstore is torn down to make way for urban renewal he goes in search of a new home.
Firmin is, at it's core, an outsider story about someone who never really fits into the world in which he finds himself.
I have a theory about helping people find books. I think all of us are ultimately searching for our story recreated and retold in many diff...more
Firmin is, at it's core, an outsider story about someone who never really fits into the world in which he finds himself.
I have a theory about helping people find books. I think all of us are ultimately searching for our story recreated and retold in many diff...more
It's not an all-time classic, but it has something.
I liked the pictures of the little mousy-looking rats at the bottom of the pages -- the little dears.
I also liked the bite out of the top of the book, which reflects the way Firmin, the first-person narRATor, devours books, both literally and metaphorically.
Where it doesn't quite (sorry) bite is in the character of the narrator, which is not sufficiently distinctive. I like the situation; I like the idea; ...more
I liked the pictures of the little mousy-looking rats at the bottom of the pages -- the little dears.
I also liked the bite out of the top of the book, which reflects the way Firmin, the first-person narRATor, devours books, both literally and metaphorically.
Where it doesn't quite (sorry) bite is in the character of the narrator, which is not sufficiently distinctive. I like the situation; I like the idea; ...more
This amazing book, written by first-time novelist Sam Savage, blew me away with its intelligent writing and perceptive looks into the human condition. Yes, it’s from a rat’s perspective. Don’t let that deter you from reading one of the best books of the past two years.
Firmin discovers that he lives in a bookshop basement in a run-down part of a city. He nibbles on the pages of the books, but also learns to read voraciously. He closely observes the world of the bookshop and ventures out to ...more
Firmin discovers that he lives in a bookshop basement in a run-down part of a city. He nibbles on the pages of the books, but also learns to read voraciously. He closely observes the world of the bookshop and ventures out to ...more
There is some genius behind this story, but unfortunately, it is a genius I do not fully appreciate. What started out as a desire to read a grown-up version of Ratatouille, turned into a much more contemplative Kafka Metamorphosis-esque narrative about literally being a low-life (a rodent) surrounded by humans occupying the same social status. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy parts of it. The author can comment a lot on the true nature of humans by disguising it as natural animal rat instinct ...more
Shannon
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Former Hamster Owners
Recommended to Shannon by:
??
I'm not sure what list I found this on or how it got on my request list from the library (I really should keep track of that sort of thing), but I thought it might be a nice follow-up to The Book Thief since it also deals with the impact of books on life. Unfortunately, Firmin is not of the caliber of The Book Thief.
The title character and narrator is a rat. This was my biggest barrier to enjoying the book. While the book has components that I felt I could have really connected to ...more
The title character and narrator is a rat. This was my biggest barrier to enjoying the book. While the book has components that I felt I could have really connected to ...more
Arrivederci, zip!
Firmino, ultimo di una cucciolata di tredici ratti (non topi, ratti!), raramente riesce a sgomitare abbastanza da cibarsi, dato che la madre è dotata di "soli" dodici capezzoli e quando rientra ubriaca dalle sue sortite quotidiane non si preoccupa certo della adeguata ripartizione del latte fra i suoi cuccioli.
Costretto a sfamarsi in altro modo, Firmino si rivolge ai libri, di cui c'è grande abbondanza, vista la vicinanza ad un deposito di libri. Il...more
Firmino, ultimo di una cucciolata di tredici ratti (non topi, ratti!), raramente riesce a sgomitare abbastanza da cibarsi, dato che la madre è dotata di "soli" dodici capezzoli e quando rientra ubriaca dalle sue sortite quotidiane non si preoccupa certo della adeguata ripartizione del latte fra i suoi cuccioli.
Costretto a sfamarsi in altro modo, Firmino si rivolge ai libri, di cui c'è grande abbondanza, vista la vicinanza ad un deposito di libri. Il...more
Firmin was written by a failed novelist, way past his prime and the story of the success of this novel reads like a Hollywood fairy tale. The author was in his late fifties when he gave up on a career as a novelist but came back to write this allegorical story of a literary rat (literally). The book became a sensation in, of all places, Italy, and word of the bookish rat soon travelled across the globe. Firmin became an international bestseller and the quiet Yale-educated Doctor of Philosophy be...more
Otro best-seller raro como el mes anterior, también "muy alegre". Al igual que al anterior le doy 3 estrellas, y mucho es. Supongo que me pasó igual con ambos libros, esperaba mucho de ellos ya que había leído muy buenas críticas y recomendaciones y luego me supieron a poco. No sé, a lo mejor es que no he sabido ver lo buen libro que es. Creo que la cuestión es que como lector empedernido de ciencia ficción, estas fábulas modernas no me impresionan mucho y una vez que pierdes la capacidad de so
...more
A disarming tale given to us via the intellectual musings of a literary rat living in a soon-to-be demolished area of Boston. Firmin is the runt of the litter, and because he is least able to feed himself properly, he is reduced to eating the pages of books. This gives him intelligence, and an ability to read. He ends up considering himself more of a human than a rat, but there is no way he can communicate this: to humans, he is simply vermin. It is interesting that, as a rat, he apparently ...more
Firmin mi-a placut. Mult de tot.
E, aparent, conceput ca un roman simplu, si inca de la primele randuri, pare a te tine in transa, pentru ca povestea personajului principal e realmente captivanta. Firmin nu e un individ ca oricare altul, e un sobolan [imaginat, insa, de mine, ca un soricel, deoarece am refuzat vehement sa mi-l schitez in minte ca fiind gri inchis /negricios, cu o coada de o lungime dezgustatoare, cu niste falci neiertatoare, si cu niste ochi rosii, alaturi de o privire ...more
This book really surprised me. When I saw it at Powell's Books, I knew right away I was the target audience. See that white chunk on the right side of the cover? It's a literal chunk taken out of the book. As though I rat had nibbled it. On the back, it said it was a book about Firmin, a rat who begins by consuming literature, but soon finds it consumes him. It's about a rat who loves books. Perfect for me. So I bought it, guessing it would be a fun, cute summer read, with little substan...more
When I bought this book it was titled something like A Rat's Tale but Firmin is the name of the rat so I guess the title changed to name of the narrator of the book who is a Rat named Fermin. I just got it Vermin, Fermin. It does have a funny side but it is also funny sad. I say who when referring to Fermin because this rat learns to read by living in a bookshop in a poor rundown section of NYC. Fermin also becomes quite the philosopher of life. This is a sad story about a world and a few peopl...more
Firmin kommt als 13. Rattenjunges in einer Buchhandlung zur Welt, im Vergleich zu seinen Geschwistern körperlich eher zurückgeblieben und wenig durchsetzungsstark. Statt sich mit ihnen ums Fressen zu streiten, frisst er sich im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes durch die Bücher um ihn herum. Und stellt zu seiner eigenen Verwunderung eines Tages fest, dass er lesen kann. Um sich die geistige Nahrung zu erhalten, hält er sich beim Fressen nunmehr an die Ränder und Einbände - und verschlingt zusätzlich den...more
A long time back, maybe a couple of years ago, I had come across this book on the Internet, and since it seemed a promising one, I had added it to my Amazon.com wish list, as is my habit. Lately, I saw it in the local bookstore, remembered that it had been on my wish list for a long time, and decided to give it a chance. And, boy, am I glad that I did ! It is such a lovely, lovely piece of work.
Firmin is the name of a rat who was born in a second-hand bookshop in a seedy and sleazy ar...more
Firmin is the name of a rat who was born in a second-hand bookshop in a seedy and sleazy ar...more
Firmin é uma história encantadora.
O patinho feio da família, é como se pode descrever a personagem. É o 13.º filho de uma ratazana gorda e com hábitos alcoólicos. Como a mãe só tem 12 tetas, Firmin fica sempre para o fim das refeições, mamando apenas os restos do leite que os seus irmãos, bem mais robustos, deixaram. Mas até aí, Fírmin vê uma vantagem - apesar de ter de se contentar com restos que apenas enganam a fome que sente, já não mama leite com teor alcoólico.
Para se a...more
O patinho feio da família, é como se pode descrever a personagem. É o 13.º filho de uma ratazana gorda e com hábitos alcoólicos. Como a mãe só tem 12 tetas, Firmin fica sempre para o fim das refeições, mamando apenas os restos do leite que os seus irmãos, bem mais robustos, deixaram. Mas até aí, Fírmin vê uma vantagem - apesar de ter de se contentar com restos que apenas enganam a fome que sente, já não mama leite com teor alcoólico.
Para se a...more
Beautiful, tragic, and wildly creative. Firmin is a rat who is born on a shredded copy of Finnigan's Wake in the basement of a bookshop, and consequently falls in love with literature. Stuck in a sea of rats too simpleminded to understand his intellectual depths and humans he cannot communicate with, he struggles to find happiness.
This book made me laugh, cry, and think. But mostly, it spoke to my soul. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever found solace within the pages of ...more
This book made me laugh, cry, and think. But mostly, it spoke to my soul. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever found solace within the pages of ...more
A História de Firmin, o nosso rato, começa assim:
"Sempre imaginei que a história da minha vida, se e quando a escrevesse, teria uma primeira frase grandiosa; uma coisa grandiosa como "Lolita, luz da minha vida, fogo da minha virilidade", de Nabokov; ou, caso eu não tivesse queda para o lírico, então uma coisa epopeica como "Todas as famílias felizes são iguais, mas as famílias infelizes são cada uma à sua maneira", de Tolstoi. São palavras que as pessoas não ...more
"Sempre imaginei que a história da minha vida, se e quando a escrevesse, teria uma primeira frase grandiosa; uma coisa grandiosa como "Lolita, luz da minha vida, fogo da minha virilidade", de Nabokov; ou, caso eu não tivesse queda para o lírico, então uma coisa epopeica como "Todas as famílias felizes são iguais, mas as famílias infelizes são cada uma à sua maneira", de Tolstoi. São palavras que as pessoas não ...more
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Poor Firmin, he never seems to catch a break. The thirteenth child to a mother with only 12 tits, Firmin from a young age has had to rely on his head more the average rat and supplements his meager share of food with shredded and masticated pages of Finnegan's Wake.
Born in the basement of a bookstore he soon expands his literary appetite to other fare and somehow absorbs the ability to read.
A tragic outsider figure, to none moreso than himself, Firmin is caught up in a worl...more
Born in the basement of a bookstore he soon expands his literary appetite to other fare and somehow absorbs the ability to read.
A tragic outsider figure, to none moreso than himself, Firmin is caught up in a worl...more
Simpatico, malinconico e un po' amaro. Un libro scritto per divoratori libri, per tutti coloro che pensano che Dubliners abbia un "gusto" diverso da Jane Eyre, per quelli che trovano la venerazione di Firmino per la carta stampata perfettamente comprensibile e, anzi, ci si identificano un po'.</p>
Un ratto mangiatore di libri (in tutti i sensi!), un essere unico che vive questa unicità dapprima come vanto e con un po' di spocchia quasi comica, per poi farsi prendere dalla malincon
...more
This was a clear case of packaging drawing the buyer in. If I hadn't seen the "chew mark" on the right-hand margin of this book, I probably wouldn't have even noticed it on the shelf.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, in spite of the fact that the foremost thought in my head was: "I'm being drawn in by a rat. I'm being drawn in by a rat who recklessly chewed his way through literary works that most of the world revered. I am being drawn in by a rat who is bet...more
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, in spite of the fact that the foremost thought in my head was: "I'm being drawn in by a rat. I'm being drawn in by a rat who recklessly chewed his way through literary works that most of the world revered. I am being drawn in by a rat who is bet...more
Um was es geht, lässt sich einfach zusammenfassen: um Firmin, eine Ratte. Sozial und körperlich unterlegen, verliert er ständig als 13. den Kampf mit den 12 Geschwistern um die 12 Zitzen der betrunkenen Mutter, die eindeutig ihre Pflichten vernachlässigt. Dennoch ist er nach kurzer Zeit der einzige Überlebende und eindeutig ein Meister des Überlebens. Er wohnt in den Ritzen einer Buchhandlung, ernährt sich mehr geistig und so vergeht Tag um Tag, bis er einen Giftanschlag überlebt und unter Irren...more
The premise is an interesting one: a rat grows up in a bookshop, eats books and in doing so learns how to read.
It has its moments, Firmin's desire to learn sign language and his attempt to pull off a sign being one of them. And the line between his dreams and his reality are constantly blurred, but I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, or just a thing. I found his character to be a little annoying at times, and wordy to the point of pretentiousness. I mean yeah, he lear...more
It has its moments, Firmin's desire to learn sign language and his attempt to pull off a sign being one of them. And the line between his dreams and his reality are constantly blurred, but I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, or just a thing. I found his character to be a little annoying at times, and wordy to the point of pretentiousness. I mean yeah, he lear...more
Living among (and devouring) books, possessing an enormous general knowledge, sipping coffee and wine, going to cinema, eating peanut butter, living in a writer's house, listening to good music and playing piano; tell me who wouldn't like that? Firmin is everything the average man cannot be, that's why we like him. So he's funny, witty, falsely thinking that others understand him (don't we all?) but his bohemian existence ends sadly and beyond Scollay Square's demolition I can see Savage's own d...more
Ich bin mir nicht sicher, was ich von diesem Buch halten soll. Die Geschichte hat viel Potential - vom Setting im langsam aussterbenden Bostoner Viertel Scollay Square, über die (Lese-)Ratte, die ihre Liebe zur Literatur entdeckt, bis hin zu Norman dem Buchverkäufer und Jerry dem exzentrischen Autor.
Das Buch hätte eins von den "ganz Großen" sein können - um den Protagonisten zu zitieren -, doch verliert sich etwas in seinen Beschreibungen von Traumwelten und Literaturanspi...more
Das Buch hätte eins von den "ganz Großen" sein können - um den Protagonisten zu zitieren -, doch verliert sich etwas in seinen Beschreibungen von Traumwelten und Literaturanspi...more
Sam Savage’s wildly original novel, the story of a rat born on a copy of “Finnegan’s Wake” in a Boston bookstore, is a tender, beautiful gift to bibliophiles!
Unlike his siblings who feast on the pages of books in blissful ignorance, Firmin not only consumes the books surrounding him in his birthplace, but also becomes consumed by them – their thoughts, their words, and their ideas. He has the “gift of lexical hypertrophy,” but is, unfortunately, trapped by the physical limitations o...more
Unlike his siblings who feast on the pages of books in blissful ignorance, Firmin not only consumes the books surrounding him in his birthplace, but also becomes consumed by them – their thoughts, their words, and their ideas. He has the “gift of lexical hypertrophy,” but is, unfortunately, trapped by the physical limitations o...more
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Sam Savage is a native of South Carolina now living in Madison, Wisconsin. He received his bachelor and doctoral degree from Yale University where he taught briefly, and has also worked as a bicycle mechanic, carpenter, commercial fisherman, and letterpress printer.
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“I always think everything is going to last forever, but nothing ever does. In fact nothing exists longer than an instant except the thing that we hold in memory”
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“It is practically an axiom in psychiatry that precocious intellect combined with physical weakness can give rise to many unpleasant character traits - avarice, delusions of grandeur , and obsessive masturbation, to name just a few. ”
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