Marisha Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics is an unforgettable debut novel that combines the storytelling gifts of Donna Tartt and the suspense of Alfred Hitchcock: a darkly hilarious coming-of-age tale and a richly plotted suspense story, told with dazzling intelligence and wit. 'I wrote this account one year after I'd found Hannah Dead. I thought I'd managed to erase all traces of that night within myself. But I was wrong. Every night when I tried to sleep, I'd close my eyes and see her again, exactly as I found ...
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Marisha Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics is an unforgettable debut novel that combines the storytelling gifts of Donna Tartt and the suspense of Alfred Hitchcock: a darkly hilarious coming-of-age tale and a richly plotted suspense story, told with dazzling intelligence and wit. 'I wrote this account one year after I'd found Hannah Dead. I thought I'd managed to erase all traces of that night within myself. But I was wrong. Every night when I tried to sleep, I'd close my eyes and see her again, exactly as I found her, hanging from a pine tree by an orange electrical cord, her neck twisted like a tulip stem, her eyes seeing nothing. Or else that was the problem. They'd seen everything.' Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a mesmerizing debut. As teenager Blue van Meer tells her story we are hurled into a dizzying world of murder and butterflies, womanizing and wandering, American McCulture, The Western Canon, political radicalism and juvenile crushisms. Structured around a syllabus for a Great Works of Literature class (with hand-drawn Visual Aids), Blue's wickedly funny yet poignant tale reveals how the imagination finds meaning in the most bewildering times, the ways people of all ages strive for connection, and how the darkest of secrets can set us free. 'Beneath the foam of this exuberant debut is a dark, strong drink' Jonathan Franzen, author of, The Corrections 'Any [Donna] Tartt fan disappointed that her second novel had little in common with her debut should rush out and buy this book immediately... It's a brilliant debut, guaranteed to join the ranks of The Secret History and The Virgin Suicides as one of those rare books to become a cult hit and instant classic' Sunday Telegraph 'One of the most impressive debut novels I have ever read ... It stops you doing anything apart from reading it ' Independent on Sunday 'Special Topics in Calamity Physics made me stay up all night reading; in the morning it seemed like one of those parties where everyone is too cool for you but you desperately want to know them anyway . . . I loved this book' Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife Marisha Pessl was born in 1977 and lives in New York. This is her first novel.
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Add this copy of Special Topics in Calamity Physics to cart. $6.97, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Australia.
Add this copy of Special Topics in Calamity Physics to cart. $6.97, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Australia.
Add this copy of Special Topics in Calamity Physics to cart. $6.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Australia.
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Add this copy of Special Topics in Calamity Physics to cart. $38.85, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Australia.
This novel, organized linearly (for the most part), but with homage to several other literary works, is simple genius. On the surface, it's a story about an unusual adolescence. In the next layer, it's a wonderful mystery. The deepest layer, however, is left for the astute reader to absorb, and I am still doing so!
faithanns
Dec 9, 2008
Not my fav
Well, I must say that in the beginning, I enjoyed the writer's style.....a lot of details and kinda funny. But, after pages and pages of it, I started to get frustrated. I wanted to know more hard facts, more plot info, etc. In the end, the book was not all that bad, but not my favorite. The ending was more interesting than I thought it could be though.
LizT
Jan 16, 2008
A disappointment
The ridiculous referencing of way too many things was the best thing about this book. Once arriving in their chosen town for the year, the book quickly degenerated into a bad "The Secret History" clone. Which I proceeded to trudge through for approximately 360 pages to get to: The murder plot, which was interesting until it turned into a painfully contrived and ridiculous conspiracy theory. (Though I did like one of the murder methods.) This book promised much and, for the most part, failed to deliver. And my word, the woman needs an effective editor.
KimberlyL
Oct 26, 2007
Page turning and witty...yet strangely forgettable
Interesting and well written...but ultimately unsatisfying. I tore through this book in 24 hours and found there were moments of absolute brilliance. I read other reviews and found that some readers were annoyed by author Pessl's endless references to entirely made up texts but I simply found that to be part of the story's charm and the author's incredible creativity. There were really so many compelling components to this book that I wanted to recommend it and have...yet the characters are largely forgettable and I was left feeling empty at the end of the book. I've never had such a mixed reaction. But read it for yourself and find out! You may have a completely different take on it.
genevalove
Apr 4, 2007
Smart and suspenseful fiction
The narrator of this book, Blue Van Meer, is the teenage daughter of an itinerant political science professor--they never live in the same place for more than a few months. Her rootless existence and incredibly eclectic reading habits have given her a unique perspective on the world, and a ready comparison or analysis for almost any situation. When she finds herself taken under the wing of a mysterioso Intro to Film teacher named Hannah Schneider, however, Blue's life takes a number of unexpected turns, and she may have to solve a murder before heading for Harvard. Don't expect a neat resolution, but be prepared for a final exam.
