Firmin is the runt of a litter of rats born in the basement of Pembroke Books, a ramshackle old bookstore run by the equally shambolic owner Norman Shine. Forced to compete for food, Firmin ends up chewing on the books that surround him. Thanks to his unusual diet, he acquires the miraculous ability to read. He subsequently develops an insatiable hunger for literature and a very unratlike sense of the world and his place in it. He is a debonair soul trapped in a rat's body' But a literary rat is a lonely rat and, spurned by ...
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Firmin is the runt of a litter of rats born in the basement of Pembroke Books, a ramshackle old bookstore run by the equally shambolic owner Norman Shine. Forced to compete for food, Firmin ends up chewing on the books that surround him. Thanks to his unusual diet, he acquires the miraculous ability to read. He subsequently develops an insatiable hunger for literature and a very unratlike sense of the world and his place in it. He is a debonair soul trapped in a rat's body' But a literary rat is a lonely rat and, spurned by his own kind, he thinks he recognises a kindred soul in Norman. Firmin seeks solace in the Lovelies of the local burlesque cinema and in his own imagination. But the days of the bookshop and of the close community around it are numbered. The area has been marked out for urban regeneration and soon the faded glory of the bookshop, the low-life bars, loan agencies and pawn shops will face the bulldozers. Brilliantly original and richly allegorical, Firmin is brimming with charm and wistful longing for a world that treasures its seedy theatres, one-of-a-kind characters, and cluttered bookshops.
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Add this copy of Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Coffee House Press.
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Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife to cart. $1.77, fair condition, Sold by Gulf Coast Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Memphis, TN, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Coffee House Press.
Add this copy of Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife to cart. $1.77, good condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Coffee House Press.
Add this copy of Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife to cart. $1.78, good condition, Sold by Once Upon A Time Books rated 1.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tontitown, AR, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Coffee House Press.
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This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear. This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear.
Add this copy of Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife to cart. $3.05, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Coffee House Press.
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Add this copy of Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife to cart. $4.46, good condition, Sold by BooksRun rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Philadelphia, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Coffee House Press.
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Sam Savage has an imagination that draws you into his story. I was skeptical about seeing life through the eyes of a rat, but it works, and works well. (I only bought it and read it because of a friend's recommendation.) So you suspend your disbelief (in the words of Jane Smiley) and live the story with your friend Firmin (Firmino, in my friend's Italian translation). I was sorry when it ended - I wanted it to go on. The end is sad, and a little disappointing. Savage's wisdom in creating the story fails him at the conclusion. But I found it a very enjoyable and memorable experience none the less.
