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Simple Prayers
This mesmerising narrative iridescent with the colours of medieval Italy, is steeped in both authentic details and magical realism. It creates a long ago place that has chilling familiarity.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
4 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Michael Golding
5 books28 followersMICHAEL GOLDING was born in Philadelphia and educated at Duke, Oxford, and the University of California at Irvine. He began his career as an actor, appearing in numerous Off-Broadway shows. His first novel, SIMPLE PRAYERS, was published in 1994 and has been translated into nine foreign languages. BENJAMIN’S GIFT, his second novel, was published in 1999. His translation of Alessandro Baricco’s stage play NOVECENTO opened the 2002 Edinburgh Festival and his screenplay adaptation of the best-selling novel SILK was a Featured Selection at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival. His third novel, A POET OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD, was published by Picador in 2015. It was nominated for the Lambda Literary Award and was the recipient of the Ferro-Grumley Award. His new novel, QUICK BRIGHT THINGS, was published in April of 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 29, 2016
Малка книга, но голяма находка. Една от онези книги, които няма да намериш, ако някой не ти я бутне в ръцете (издадена на български през 1994 година, страхотен превод!). Една от онези книги, които са написани с много жар, много разбиране, много символика. Плътни образи, наситени истории, от онези, които те карат да си задаваш много въпроси. От онези въпроси, чийто отговор не е еднозначен. От онези въпроси, които докато откриваш и си задаваш, значи все още има човещина в тебе.
Книга за един малък остров и живота на неговите обитатели. Пъстър, странен, мъдър, страшен, тъжен и даже магически. Изпълнен с приятелство, любов, омраза, печал, бездушие, но и с прошка и разбиране.
Можем ли да простим, може ли да си простим и имаме ли втори шанс? Какви странни същества сме хората. До какво ни водят промяната, какво ни носи търпението?
И накрая смъртта, която слага наистина край, след който остават неизказаните неща, ненамереният смисъл, но и все пак малко надежда за спасение.
Един мъж, едно момиче, едно бебе и едно прасе загърбиха цялата история, оставиха мъртвите в гробовете и един въпрос: Как може на толкова малко място да се разиграе цялата комедия и трагедия на живота ни. И малко закъсняла любов.
Книга за един малък остров и живота на неговите обитатели. Пъстър, странен, мъдър, страшен, тъжен и даже магически. Изпълнен с приятелство, любов, омраза, печал, бездушие, но и с прошка и разбиране.
Можем ли да простим, може ли да си простим и имаме ли втори шанс? Какви странни същества сме хората. До какво ни водят промяната, какво ни носи търпението?
И накрая смъртта, която слага наистина край, след който остават неизказаните неща, ненамереният смисъл, но и все пак малко надежда за спасение.
Един мъж, едно момиче, едно бебе и едно прасе загърбиха цялата история, оставиха мъртвите в гробовете и един въпрос: Как може на толкова малко място да се разиграе цялата комедия и трагедия на живота ни. И малко закъсняла любов.
July 21, 2011
Loved this! Simple Prayers is a good example of the novel as an art form. Michael Golding creates a world where colors are said to be so brilliant that they "woke the rabbits". The prose resounded with this sort of simple brilliance throughout the book. Several times during its reading, phrases would stop me in my tracks, prompting multiple re-reads in order to savor the beauty/magic. The story is set in 14th century Italy during a very difficult time (to put it mildly) which leads to a rather dark conclusion. The beauty of the language and the craft with which the novel is constructed more than make up for this, though. Thanks, Kattie!!!
February 21, 2023
This is a very unusual book.
It is almost impossible to summarize or put into a genre of fiction. It is definitely very literary and obviously historical.
It reminded me a bit of the novel A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, except that was set in the far future. Simple Prayers is set in the way past. It also reminded me of the novel Stork Mountain by Miroslav Penkov. Though I actually did not finish Stork Mountain and it was set in modern day Bulgaria.
The common thread I read in those books is what sets this novel apart: the theme. A theme which is a question: What is an act of God and what is the natural consequence of mankind? Like the spiritual novels I mentioned above the author leaves the reader guessing between the two, suggesting he too does not know. This is uncomfortable, because most spiritual people are all about articulating truth. It is also uncomfortable because if we are to believe what George Orwell said about authors; “all writers write out of ego…a belief that he sees the world or an aspect about the world with certain clarity, and feels the need to share it”, than the author is just as unsettled by God as we are.
More than mystic and terrifying acts of the divine, Simple Prayers is a very human book. It examines, through a host of characters all living in a tiny medieval Italian Island, human passion.
Passion for God as piety, sexual passion as lust, and passion for food as well, in gluttony and in simple enjoyment.
The reader sees the interconnection of piety and lust, and how ideally both point to love.
We see superstition and supernatural.
Most of all, we see tortured minds.
Some readers will relate to this, some will not.
If you are not a tortured person you probably will not enjoy this book. You are also fortunate.
Trying to understand God, doing what one thinks must be good and noble,to then see it all crumble like sand in your hand, with no real explanation, haunts the main character, Piero.
God is not depicted as sadistic or irrelevant, as is so common in modern fiction, but as a mystery.
Honestly, I was finding little to enjoy towards the end because of disappointing events with main characters. The closing chapter redeemed it for me: Beautiful writing tying story elements together and the repeated theme of this: we pick up the pieces, rely on simple prayers, not clear answers, and keep looking for life.
It is almost impossible to summarize or put into a genre of fiction. It is definitely very literary and obviously historical.
It reminded me a bit of the novel A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, except that was set in the far future. Simple Prayers is set in the way past. It also reminded me of the novel Stork Mountain by Miroslav Penkov. Though I actually did not finish Stork Mountain and it was set in modern day Bulgaria.
The common thread I read in those books is what sets this novel apart: the theme. A theme which is a question: What is an act of God and what is the natural consequence of mankind? Like the spiritual novels I mentioned above the author leaves the reader guessing between the two, suggesting he too does not know. This is uncomfortable, because most spiritual people are all about articulating truth. It is also uncomfortable because if we are to believe what George Orwell said about authors; “all writers write out of ego…a belief that he sees the world or an aspect about the world with certain clarity, and feels the need to share it”, than the author is just as unsettled by God as we are.
More than mystic and terrifying acts of the divine, Simple Prayers is a very human book. It examines, through a host of characters all living in a tiny medieval Italian Island, human passion.
Passion for God as piety, sexual passion as lust, and passion for food as well, in gluttony and in simple enjoyment.
The reader sees the interconnection of piety and lust, and how ideally both point to love.
We see superstition and supernatural.
Most of all, we see tortured minds.
Some readers will relate to this, some will not.
If you are not a tortured person you probably will not enjoy this book. You are also fortunate.
Trying to understand God, doing what one thinks must be good and noble,to then see it all crumble like sand in your hand, with no real explanation, haunts the main character, Piero.
God is not depicted as sadistic or irrelevant, as is so common in modern fiction, but as a mystery.
Honestly, I was finding little to enjoy towards the end because of disappointing events with main characters. The closing chapter redeemed it for me: Beautiful writing tying story elements together and the repeated theme of this: we pick up the pieces, rely on simple prayers, not clear answers, and keep looking for life.
June 11, 2017
Всъщност познавам тази книга повече от 15 години. Открих я в един кашон срещу 50 стотинки. Издадена е през 1994 година от ИК Орфия, превод – Райна Йоцова. Типична за магическия реализъм, написана с жив и красив език. Изпълнена със смърт, любов, омраза, прошка и надежда. Някакви си 222 страници, но ги препрочитам веднъж на 6 месеца. И ще продължа да я препрочитам. И тайно се надявам някой от издателите да я забележи и да я преиздаде, защото това съкровище го заслужава.
February 5, 2022
I had this book for years before I read it. Oh, I am so glad I did. It was beautiful. Beautiful words, beautiful descriptions, and a beautiful heart at the center of it.
February 21, 2017
I enjoyed this story set in the fourteenth century on a small Italian island where daily life can be a struggle of the human condition yet mysterious and mystical events occur there. Quite beautiful.
September 17, 2011
I'm not particularly fond of the fabulist genre because, in my limited experience, I think there is a lack of specific character descriptions as well as a tendency towards religiosity. That said, I enjoyed "Simple Prayers." It still clung to the Christian religion, but it at least created a small, specific world for the story to spin in. It's a pretty easy read, characteristic of the fabulist genre (only 300 very small pages), so even without the strong attraction to the novel, it's easy to move through it. I'd say that if you're at all Christian, you'll probably enjoy this book more than me, because the themes will resonate more with your beliefs than my amorphous agnostic/areligious (and apparently alliterative) beliefs. For you, I'd recommend the book. And for those of you who are stridently atheist, you'll probably enjoy the book less than I did, if at all, because there are very explicit links to God, Jesus, faith, communal sacrifice, etc.
On the whole, I found that the book was pretty well crafted though, a good balance and shift of character points of view. Sometimes the sentences leaned a little too heavy on exposition (a lot of thoughts for a multiple point of view book, especially with the small word count), but when describing the action and the world, the sentences colorfully illuminate the world.
I'm glad I read it, though I'm not sure if it'll be one of those books that "stays with me."
On the whole, I found that the book was pretty well crafted though, a good balance and shift of character points of view. Sometimes the sentences leaned a little too heavy on exposition (a lot of thoughts for a multiple point of view book, especially with the small word count), but when describing the action and the world, the sentences colorfully illuminate the world.
I'm glad I read it, though I'm not sure if it'll be one of those books that "stays with me."
April 1, 2015
I picked this up on impulse at a used book sale, and then it took me forever to dip into it. It is unlike anything I've ever read. I've read the other reviews and don't think I'd call it charming, as they did. Instead, I'd say it was thought-provoking. I think I saw each of the7 capital sins in control of a villager, and I think they struggled to connect something they were doing with what dire things were happening to their island. Others may think I'm crazy, but that's why (and not because of the title) I put it on my religious book shelf.
September 2, 2015
This story takes place on an island near 14th century Venice where life is simple and romances and relationships undergo various entanglements. There is an element of magical realism, however perhaps this is just the author's way of explaining how the people of this time thought about things. And then, underneath it all, is a monotonous foreboding of bad things about to happen. About halfway through, you start to realize that this story is an allegory for another time period in recent history and which many remember all too well.
July 26, 2008
Spring did not come to Riva di Pignoli this year. Piero thinks it is because the island has no bell tower, Spring doesn't know where to find them, they are too quiet. The tower is built, the bells are rung and more than Spring finds the island.
May 25, 2009
I just finished this book and am still absorbing it all...so much symbolism.....I highly recommend it.......a blend of magic, love and spiritualism.....one of those you will probably read several times and each time draw something new from it
February 8, 2023
A beautiful and mystical book that draws you into a tapestry of detailed colours yet leaves you with the warmth of real characters. I cannot pretend to understand all the symbolism but I am really glad I read it.
June 8, 2007
This is at once an enchanting fairy tale and a glimpse of apocolypse -- it is perfect!
August 12, 2009
A charming book about learning to channel passions constructively--"About constancy. And compassion. And the intricate threads that run between passion and piety."
January 24, 2011
If you can wade past the numerous characters with not easy to remember names this book begins to charm you.
At times bleak and at times joyous. It's a bit bi polar but well worth a read.
At times bleak and at times joyous. It's a bit bi polar but well worth a read.
April 26, 2015
This is one of my top 5 favorite novels, ever. It is a tragic romantic fantasy set on a small island off the coast of Italy, with gorgeous imagery and very memorable characters.
June 5, 2012
Charming, melancholy story.
July 12, 2012
If you recognize the time period of the novel, you'll know the inescapable fate of the characters, which only endears them to you more.
October 6, 2012
Interesting and transportive, the story is fascinating and unique. The characters were drawn beautifully, and the mix of real fear and fantastical possibilities was engaging.
February 7, 2013
One of my favorite books!! Sad, emotional, great imagery and tone, not to mention the sardonic ending. A must read!!
October 2, 2013
weird and pretty wonderful
August 30, 2014
One of my favorite books.
August 4, 2009
Very interesting book.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews