Comments on: The 351 Books of Irma Arcuri

By: Floyd

Floyd — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:34:56 +0000

Well, I have to tell you, I read a hell of a lot of books. And for my money, The 351 Books has been the book of the year in 2008. It is has not been a good year for literary fiction–I have found the Roth and the Auster compelling reads. But, I keep coming back to Irma. . .How I was transported by obsession. . .I was running, I was in Spain, I was wanting to reread Cervantes! We all read books for a lot of reasons. And yes, as a member of my highly literate IMPAC Dublin committee pointed out to me, I liked the sex. But, it was my desire to go running again, to be alive enough to even HAVE that passion for anything–that’s where Bajo took me–running, to love the feel, texture, and smell of books (ah, all just a sexual metaphor, eh?), and to walk the streets of a city without the din of cars. . to pursue the thought of another person. . .

By: Ann

Ann — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:20:53 +0000

Rita, I also really loved this book. The author doesn’t offer any pat answers, but I felt that he did solve the intriguing puzzles he set up and that I did know what happened to Irma and where she was (and, most important, why!). You’re right that you have to think about things a bit, but that’s a virtue in my book (pardon the dreaful pun), especially for discussing the book with other people. Sort of Milan Kundera with a much warmer heart, or John Fowles without the social frost. I confess that I love reading about Spain no matter what, and I’m a book geek. The reviewer is right: books are really sexy in this book!

By: Rita

Rita — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:40:49 +0000

I loved it all the way through. There are lots of charged descriptions like the one noted. He solved the mysteries in unique ways. You have to think about the solutions, but they are there. It’s really about books.

By: Leah

Leah — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:08:40 +0000

It’s disappointing that he couldn’t pull off such an interesting premise. It sounded like it could be a great gift book for readers. It’s always frustrating when books don’t live up to their promise.

By: Adriana Moore

Adriana Moore — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:49:07 +0000

I dislike the plot of the story