Thirty-Three Swoons

by Martha Cooley

- "The Archivist, Martha Cooley's first novel, was a national bestseller and a "New York Times Notable Book.- With the assurance, complexity, and depth of a work by Bulgakov, DeLillo, or Poe, Martha Cooley's extraordinary second novel is further evidence that she is one of the most gifted writers at work today.

Genres: Fiction, Novels

321 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Martha Cooley lives in Forest Hills, Queens (New York City) and Castiglione del Terziere, Italy--a tiny medieval village populated mainly by cats. A Professor of English at Adelphi University, she formerly taught in the Bennington Writing Seminars, and she leads workshops in creative writing in Tuscany. With her husband Antonio Romani, she translates fiction and poetry from Italian.

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished reading earlier today, and I have been trying to figure out what to say ever since. The story is a good one, but it feels scattered, jumping from one character to another, and revealing so slowly how they are connected that much of the time I was wondering what this or that person had to do with anything. About halfway through I thought certain I had spotted The Secret, and spent the rest of the book wondering how Camilla could not see it herself. Then towards the end I discovered I had jumped to the wrong conclusion. So sorry, Camilla! You were not as dense as I imagined you to be!

So, let's see. Basic plot outline? Well, there is Camilla's life story, mixed in with her father Jordan's, and cousin Eve's and Eve's daughter Danny's, and that of a Russian theater director/acting coach who had a tiny connection with Jordan at one point in time. And we mustn't forget Camilla's best friend Stuart, who had been a mime in college days but now ran a bookstore with his partner Carl. And Sam the ex-husband and Nick the current lover.

Okay, wait, that's more of a character list than a plot outline. But this book is just a bit weird and hard to describe. Camilla becomes upset by Eve's death, yet she thinks she is coping and being calm and collected for Danny. But Camilla begins to have dreams about her father, dreams that are trying to tell her things, to point her in certain directions that she seems to be afraid to go. Jordan had secrets: he was a very private individual, all wrapped up in his career of creating unique perfumes and his love of the theatrer. We learn a lot about his life, but what is the connection between him and that Russian? We learn just as much or more about him. Why? Just for that anonymous 'doppelganger' to have a chance to talk?

This is the second time I've read this book. But when I started reading this time, I never had that flash of 'oh, yeah, now I remember the story' the way I sometimes do on a second reading, even after many more years have passed than this time around. I remembered various scenes as I got to them (especially Camilla's secret dartboard game) but nothing about how they all fit together. Don't know whether that reflects worse on me or on the book.

[Andrea Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather strange story that flits between current day NYC and the past, both the recent past of the main characters, and the seemingly almost un-related past of a Russian theater master. It was different than a lot of the books I’ve read, but I don’t know if I can really express why - I think it was something about the ‘past narration’ done by a … spirit? someone claiming to be a doppelganger, a double who uses dreams and unconscious thoughts to urge you on in a certain path. Strange, and while you could see how it all tied in towards the end, at the beginning it all seemed kinda convoluted and I almost wanted to skip his parts of the chapters. But the book definitely sped up towards the end, and while I could see partially what was going to happen at the end, there were still a few surprises. And the book definitely made me want to find out more about the perfume industry (the main character’s father was involved in perfume-making), and the way perfume and scents were worked into the book was quite wonderful.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) This is a slightly odd story, told in a theatrical manner, narrated and somewhat directed by a spirit/doppelganger who had previously been with the Russian theater director, Vsevolod Meyerhold (an actual person). Vsevold's history is told alongside a contemporary tale of Camilla, who owns and runs a theater memorabilia store in conjunction with her ex-husband. Camilla is dealing with her cousin's daughter, Danny who is having issues over her mother's death and her lack of knowledge about her father, while Camilla herself still has issues with her own father, a perfumier, who had his family help raise Camilla after her mother's death. The doppelganger directs Camilla's dreams, helping her to figure out her past and present. What seemed to be a predictable family drama with a quirky presentation actually turned out to have more depth and interest and brought in a connection between her family and Vsevolod. At times, I wasn't sure I liked this book, but it intrigued me and kept me reading.

[Eugenia Kim]

Evocative writing about smells. Stage-ephemera store owner Camilla deals with the death of her cousin Eve and her difficult relationship with her perfumier father, Jordan, who has a past relationship with a Russian stage director before the Revolution. Camilla has dreams about her past, which are supposedly revelations brought on by the Director's doppelganger. The insertion of this spirit-narrator feel forced and self-conscious, and unnatural to the contemporary NYC setting. The plot also seems contrived and old--mistaken identity of one's father, and how Camilla's relationship w/Eve's daughter, and her decision in her relationship hangs on that balance, as if the writer thought: Let's make this a "literary" book.

[Suze · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story about a young woman’s search for her father with the support of her aunt who runs a theatre collectables shop had enough to keep me reading … conflict, surprises, growth and resolution. But the heavy-handed use of fragrance descriptions throughout (because a deceased, but very present, character was a master perfumist) left me gagging somewhat. The use of the doppelganger narrator was awkward.

[Kathie Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up because I finally was able to make myself finish it. Not much to recommend here on an extremely thin plot, except for the information about perfumery.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up on this one.

[Shannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up randomly at the library because the title caught my eye.

This was an interesting book with lots of overlapping story points and an intriguing, mysterious entity behind the scenes. There were some interesting theater references and a bit of history thrown into the family drama. I would recommend it.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the Archivist, her first novel. That one was so beautifully done. This one had the beautiful descriptive writing, but weighed down by the most contrived, ham-handed plot and characterization. In fact, when one of the characters says "don't shove a bunch of amateur psychology at me and expect me to swallow it!" I silently cheered.

Too bad, so much potential...

[Vida · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a big disappointment. I loved her other book, The Archivist, so much, that I couldn't believe how dismally mediocre this one was.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't read it again or recommend it to anyone. It was predictable in some instances but frustrating in others. I got through it but it was a miracle.

[R R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and stays with you so better than most but maybe too different.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

$.50 deal from Big Lots! A little weird - not sure I was a huge fan but it was o.k.