false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175558263m/529008.jpg 529008 10 <I>Flights of Love</I> sees Bernhard Schlink build on the success of his international bestselling debut novel, <I>The Reader</I>, with a clutch of short stories that tell of the variety of love, distilled into seven splinters of narrative. The pick of the seven, the opening "Girl with Lizard," depicts a remote male character who fixates on a painting of his father's, which he is to discover, like his father, has a familiarly unsavory past, and which he is impelled to exorcise. In the book's centerpiece, "Sugar Peas," architect and amateur painter Thomas finds that his trio of lovers avenge themselves on his profligacy after he is left wheelchair-bound by an accident. "The Other Man" presents a widower corresponding with his dead wife's unwitting lover, and finding comfort through acquaintance. Less successfully, "The Circumcision" sees the pretext of a German man and his New York Jewish girlfriend to ponder huge, chewy rhetoric on the problems of reconciling the past, almost absentmindedly concocting an improbable denouement. Schlink too often presents scenarios rather than scenes, more intent on dislocated dilemma than language. In keeping with his legal training, he discerns lines of attack more suited to a drama, or perhaps a courtroom drama, than fiction. There can be no doubting Schlink's storytelling acumen or his undertaking to tackle the complicated identity of modern Germany. What is increasingly exposed, though, are the supporting mechanisms that too frequently serve to reinforce, rather than challenge, our assumptions with their didactic contrivance. <I>--David Vincent, Amazon.co.uk</I> 1443596 2000 Flights of Love: Stories total:190|5:50|4:67|3:61|2:10|1:2| 190 723 310 29 5 0 false false Fri Jun 12 17:36:55 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 12 17:38:15 -0700 2009
Bernhard Schlink created a devoted following with the translation of his first novel THE READER. Opinion was divided among critics and readers as to whether or not this author was playing on simplistic heart-string tuggings or whether he really had somthing new to say and an...more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat May 02 20:13:13 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 11:04:26 -0700 2009 One's life, emotion, and feeling may be explained; the painting may take-on more meaning then anything else. She may offer an explanation for an unhappy or cheerful life that cannot be given by simple words and actions.

My thoughts afte...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 13 14:24:44 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 13 14:25:00 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 23:20:08 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 11:53:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 13 07:40:06 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 20:48:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Sep 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 21 21:39:29 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 21 21:41:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 12:19:24 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 12:26:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 13:00:45 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 07:34:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 22:52:27 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 22:54:37 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Dec 07 19:34:51 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 19:36:13 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Fri Aug 21 16:03:02 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 16:03:52 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 15 06:43:51 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 07:30:24 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue May 12 12:48:01 -0700 2009 Tue May 12 12:48:40 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 21 07:32:11 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 07:32:38 -0700 2009
(I hope)]]> 4 0 false false Mon Feb 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 20:10:35 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 20:10:35 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Sat May 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 17 14:18:47 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 12:00:28 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Jul 16 12:27:02 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 16 12:30:06 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 28 05:53:07 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 16:33:46 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Dec 19 00:02:24 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 13 22:21:02 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 18:41:39 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 10:37:08 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=529008