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Mar 10, 2009

Kelly rated it:

Equal parts Romantic (in the Byron on a windswept moor sense), Impressionist and Surrealist, Griffin and Sabine is a memorable experience. I finished this in the wee small hours of the morning, and immediately drifted off to sleep. I highly recommend that all readers choose the same time to move through this piece. I can't imagine a better time to have wrapped myself up in this charming, intriguing, simple yet incredibly layered piece of art.

There are many things that can be analyze More...

4 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jun 06, 2010

Abe rated it:

I've been acquainted with this fascinating trilogy for years, but never bothered to give it a perusal in its entirety until recently. Its allure is founded upon the exquisiteness of the design, the zen-like coyness of the plot and the slight sense of taboo involved in sifting through someone else's private correspondence. I think that author/illustrator Bantock is, in that regard, one of the leading purveyors of a formula that has proven quite successful in various pop cultural media over the pa More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Karen rated it:

I know there are people who love this book but I finished it thinking that I needed my money back. In my opinion there was so much more that could have been done but it just lacked something.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 14, 2008

Monk rated it:

I've read this and all the other books for this series. It's a unique read. Have you ever accidentally received someone else's mail and wondered what it might contain? Or come across a diary and been tempted to read what secrets it held?

This book is a voyeuristic view of a relationship between two people - or is it?

Opening the book you realize soon enough that you have stumbled upon someone's mail - and you can't help but read it. Each consecutive page brings more and mo More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 09, 2008

Yulia rated it:

A visually stunning book for anyone who cares about the art of books or has a soft-spot for snail mail. I look back on this with nostalgia, not necessarily because the story was profound, but because I'm in awe that I was ever able to read it (literally, as my eyes would never let me do so today). I have to wonder, is there a large-print version available? An audio recording? What would a Braille version of this be like?

I'm reminded of the haunting Twilight Zone episode (mentio More...

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Aug 16, 2008

Dave rated it:

Griffin and Sabine is a very non-traditional book. An experiment in artificial "found" literature, the book follows the correspondence of two random people separated by miles and culture who are tied together by an inexplicable link. This book is a window into that connection and their discovery of one another.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book is it's presentation. While it is a printed book, as much of the "correspondence" is maintained. The letter More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 03, 2008

Joyce rated it:

I love interactive books and this one is number one on my FABULOUS list. The entire series is brilliant, but this first book simply lifts you into a new realm of possibilities and ideas. Reading someone elses mail is a cultural taboo, and Bantock forces you to confront your fears about it - you have to actually open envelopes and decipher handwriting to read the book. I was uneasy at first (which made me laugh.. it's FICTION) then I was totally hooked. His artwork is mind boggling and the st More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 01, 2009

Keeda rated it:

not the traditional kind of book, yet very intriguing. Griffin Moss is missing!!

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 10, 2009

Laura rated it:

To categorize this as an epistolary book does not do justice to the artistry of this book. It's told in letters, yes, some of which are beautifully calligraphed and some of which are inexpertly typed. But then there are the gorgeous postcards! You could just stare at this book for ages.
Also, this may seem like a trite comparison, but... The Jolly Postman. It, along with Jolly Christmas Postman, was an amazing reading experience for me as a kid. Who doesn't love getting mail? So rea More...

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Jan 12, 2012

Jennifer rated it:

I have the 3 books of this series... I'd never heard of them until I received them as a gift. LOVE! (She always gives the best gifts.) Now I see that the story picked up years later with 3 more books. Now I need to get my hands on all of them, re-read these, and read the new ones. You could easily fly through 3 books within a couple of hours or less. But that would be a waste. These books were made to be savored. With every letter you read, you feel like you've come to the end of an epis More...

1 comment like

Dec 11, 2011

Amber rated it:

I'd originally read this wonderful book about 10 years ago and was impressed with it then. It had been in the back of my mind all this time and came to the forefront when I was reading through Book Lust for reading suggestions. I requested it and all it's sequels from the library. I picked them up yesterday and am glad to sink back into it.

This book will be a quick read, and you'll spend as much time looking at the artwork as you will reading it. The book is a series of postcards a More...

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Apr 14, 2011

Book Concierge rated it:

I read this slim little novella when it first came out (and have a first edition). I was completely captivated and was thrilled that the feeling remains the same on my second reading.

Griffin Moss is an artist living in London. He produces a series of postcards that are beautifully illustrated with his artwork. One day he receives a cryptic postcard from Sabine Strohem, a woman living in the South Pacific island nation of Sicmon Islands. She asks him to send a particular postcard, an More...

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Oct 10, 2010

Skyring rated it:

I received a sparkling surprise the other day. A package from Discoverylover! Inside, two books. Right. I need more books. My bookshelves groan under the double-banked load and Mount Toberead towers over my bedside table.

Two very odd books, actually. Fairly slender, they purported to be reproductions of an ongoing correspondence between Griffin, a London artist, and Sabine, a stamp designer on a remote Pacific island nation.

Griffin and Sabine are linked in a very strange and More...

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Sep 18, 2010

Aban (Aby) rated it:

In one go, I read all three of the books in this series by Nick Bantock: "Griffin and Sabine" (Book 1), "Sabine's Notebook" (Book 2), and "The Golden Mean" (Book 3). (It doesn't take long.) The books comprise a fictional correspondence between two artists: Griffin (who lives in London, England) and Sabine (who lives in the Sicmon Islands somewhere in the Pacific Ocean). The story falls into the mystery / fantasy genre. One day, Griffin receives a post card from a yo More...

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Jan 25, 2010

Dominic rated it:

In today's age, we rarely write letters anymore. Emails, texts, tweets and status lines seem to be the way we communicate these days. And while one part of me is fascinated by how technology is bringing people together, the other part can't help but notice the loss of intimacy in the way we communicate. In some ways we are farther apart than we've ever been.

I met my wife at the dawn of the Internet; neither of us had email addresses at the time. Just a few more years later, and o More...

3 comments like

Jul 04, 2009

Justine rated it:

What a lovely little book. This was a birthday present from a dear friend (Hullo Jacques!) which very appropriately arrived in the mail. I love mail. and books. so books in the mail is about as good as it gets for me. (Food in the mail is an easy close second).

Giffin and Sabine is a cross between a graphic and epistolary novel. We are taken through the extraordinary correspondence (via beautifully designed postcards) of two strangers, one (Sabine) who has been able to see the work o More...

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Feb 22, 2010

Kristilyn rated it:

A few years ago I picked up Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Coorespondence because my sister-in-law had gotten it for her birthday. I was so intrigued by the layout of the book that I had to give it a try.

I am so torn with this book. As I was reading it, my husband turned to me and said, "That's a book you're reading?" as I was pulling out letters from their envelopes. Written in a very non-traditional way, the book consists of letters of correspondence between Griffin More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 30, 2011

Sharon rated it:

This has to be the height of unique in a book, and I have two more of the trilogy to read. I waited until I collected all three to begin. Good thing! The end of the first book is a cliff-hanger, and I can't wait to read the others. The text and story are charming, mysterious, ponderable, and peppered with totally unique drawings and art. The art draws attention to itself just by its unusual nature.

Griffin is a postcard artist -- a very unusual one -- in London. Sabine is an art More...

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Sep 16, 2010

Nancy rated it:

Reading the Guernsey book composed entirely of letters motivated me to dig out Nick Bantocks’ books and reread them. I first read this one back in 1993. I was introduced to Bantock’s unique style of combining art and letters to tell a story back in the early 90s when I met him at our local independent book store. In this, his first book, Sabine tracks down Griffin because of her interest in his artistic postcards which she telepathically watches him create. As they correspond, a love affair by l More...

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Jan 02, 2009

Jan rated it:

"Griffin: It's good to get in touch with you at last. Could I have one of your fish postcards? I think you were right -- the wine glass has more impact than the cup. --Sabine

But Griffin had never met a woman named Sabine. How did she know him? How did she know his artwork? Who is she? Thus begins the strange and intriguing correspondence of Griffin and Sabine. And since each letter must be pulled from its own envelope, the reader has the delightful, forbidden sensation of readin More...

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Apr 26, 2009

Purplycookie rated it:

"Griffin: It's good to get in touch with you at last. Could I have one of your fish postcards? I think you were right -- the wine glass has more impact than the cup." -- Sabine

But Griffin had never met a woman named Sabine. How did she know him? How did she know his artwork? Who is she? Thus begins the strange and intriguing correspondence of Griffin and Sabine.

We begin an intimate journey between two lovers destined to be enraptured in all that is dreamt of. T More...

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Apr 08, 2008

Lyn rated it:

Although it's been many years, I remember being very moved by this book. The interesting way it's put together helps, of course. An epistolary book that contains the actual letters is fun to read. Who isn't tempted to read other people's mail? And the characters are interesting and sweet. A great book to leave out in your living room and share with friends.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 29, 2007

Dare rated it:

These books were such a different experience. It was almost like rifling through someone's mail. I kept looking over my shoulder to see if I was going to get caught.
The story of the mysterious correspondence between Griffin and Sabine is fascinating and punctuated with the amazing artwork of Nick Bantock.
A must read for story lovers and art lovers alike.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 10, 2009

Rachel Ann rated it:

A beautifully illustrated correspondence, but I have to say that overall I was disappointed with this little book. I guessed how it would end only a few pages in and I was disappointed when my expectations were suddenly met. I was hoping that Bantock would subvert my early expectations so that the correspondence between Griffin and Sabine would be more interesting. However, Bantock doesn't take the time to do this. Instead the intimacy between the characters is rushed and Bantock's premise for t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 15, 2011

Jason rated it:

I remember when these books first hit the shelves twenty years ago. They were so popular. As with so many other popular books (I'm looking at you, Harry Potter) I had to come to them in my own sweet time. Luckily my daughter recently asked me to check out Simms Taback's Postcards from Camp from the library, and when I did so, I also checked out the three books in the original Griffin and Sabine trilogy. So what did I think? Awesome! Lovely artwork, a poetic sensibility, the mystery of the connec More...

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Jun 26, 2010

Kim rated it:

This is a unique love story told with letters, postcards and original art. Both correspondents are artists and so each new letter or postcard includes new art. The letters can actually be pulled out of envelopes and unfolded and read. It's a really neat idea and appealed to the historian in me. What if you were going through your grandparents stuff and you found the love letters they'd written to each other before they were your grandparents?

Griffin and Sabine have never met and live More...

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Oct 31, 2009

Grace rated it:

I would pore over this book for hours when I was a kid, taking each letter out of the perfect envelopes and devouring them like they were real. Ah, the allure of other people's mail. The doodles on the folded paper, the different envelopes -- I had never encountered a book remotely like this, and it felt like I was touching art. It likely was the start of my crazed stationery obsession that continues today.

Call them star-crossed lovers, call them figments of the imagination, who k More...

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Aug 06, 2011

Michelle rated it:

This is the first book in a two trilogy series. Through a series of postcards and letters we meet Griffin and the mysterious Sabine. Griffin is an artist, with a line of custom postcards. Griffin first receives a postcard from Sabine in which she comments on one of the prior versions of a card with a fish and a wineglass. The curious thing is that no-one else has seen this earlier version. The two begin a correspondence, and develop a deep closeness and a romance begins. Griffin learns that Sab More...

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Aug 18, 2008

Kartik rated it:

One of the most innovative and fascinating books - if you love to travel and think of connecting to people from far off lands, this fictional tale and art work is just incredible. Check it out! And all three books in the set are in fact really good.

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 23, 2009

Hotavio rated it:

A fascinating look into a budding relationship via postcard. Griffon, a card artist, gets a letter from a mysterious woman, who asserts that she can see his art as he is creating it. The woman, Sabine, is a half a world away. Since both are artists, they have plenty to discuss and continued correspondence transpires leading to long distance affection.
Griffin and Sabine features strange and fascinating Surrealist style artwork (and cheeky humor) which elevates curiostiy in the book.
More...

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