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Ideas of Heaven

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( 765 ratings, 132 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Ideas of Heaven by Joan Silber, the story intricately weaves together the lives of characters across different times and places, exploring their desires and quests for fulfilment. The narrative delves into themes of love, longing, and spiritual aspiration, all while connecting disparate threads to form a compelling tapestry of human experience. Through richly detailed vignettes, each character navigates the complexities of relationships and the pursuit of meaning.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're captivated by interconnected tales that span different cultures and time periods, exploring the intricate nature of human relationships. Joan Silber's masterful storytelling weaves together varied characters whose lives intersect in surprising ways, offering profound insights into love, ambition, and the search for meaning. If you appreciate rich, evocative writing that blends emotional depth with a global perspective, this might be the book for you.

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Ideas of Heaven

Set in France, Italy, New York and China, in the past and present, this National Book Award-shortlisted title examines notions of the divine.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

Set in modern-day America and France, Renaissance Italy, and Boxer Rebellion China, these stories embrace whole lifetimes, much in the manner of Alice Munro and William Trevor. Joan Silber skilfully and subtly ties one story to the next, as a minor element in one becomes a major element in the next, until the last is tied convincingly to the first. Intense in subject yet restrained in tone, they are about longingsβ€”often held for yearsβ€”and the ways in which sex and religion can become parallel forms of dedication and comfort.

From a wannabe dancer in contemporary New York City to missionaries in China, Ideas of Heaven showcases Joan Silber's extraordinary deftness as she illuminates love, faith, and sex with great originality and profundity.

'Joan Silber renders the thirsts and devotions of six lives with clarifying exactitude. The sometimes gentle, sometimes raw connections between these people will move you, and the ardour with which they yearn for their respective heavens will break your heart.' - Anthony Doerr

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Ideas of Heaven by Joan Silber is highly praised for its intricate portrayal of human connections and longing. The collection features interlinked stories that develop through character depth and unexpected narrative turns. Critics admire its ability to evoke emotions with precise and vivid storytelling, highlighting themes of devotion and transcendence. Overall, the book is celebrated for its narrative craft and emotional resonance.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781838956639

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 September 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Atlantic Books

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 223g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Joan Silber is the author of nine books of fiction, most recently Secrets of Happiness. Improvement was the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award and was listed as one of the year's best books by the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Newsday, the Seattle Times and Kirkus Reviews. She lives in New York. Find out more at joansilber.net.

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