The Chimes

Name: The Chimes
Brand: Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand
SKU: 9781444794502
Price: 27.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Anna Smaill

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3.37

( 3,073 ratings, 641 reviews)

Summary

The Chimes by Anna Smaill is set in a dystopian world where music controls memory and societal order. In a world devoid of written language and traditional memory, the protagonist, Simon, embarks on a quest piecing together the truth about his past. This lyrical narrative explores themes of identity, loss, and the power of music in shaping memory and reality.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$27⁹⁹

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The Chimes

$27⁹⁹

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?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy immersive and lyrical tales set in a unique dystopian world where music and memory intertwine. It's perfect for those who appreciate poetic prose and a thought-provoking journey through a society in which collective memory defines reality.

The Chimes

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2015 MAN BOOKER PRIZE. A stunning debut composed of memory, music, love and freedom, The Chimes pulls you into a world that will captivate, enthral and inspire.

Description

Longlisted for the 2015 Man Booker Prize

A Bookseller Best Debut of 2015

One to Watch 2015 Huffington Post

An Amazon Rising Star

A boy stands on the roadside on his way to London, alone in the rain.

No memories, beyond what he can hold in his hands at any given moment.

No directions, as written words have long since been forbidden.

No parents - just a melody that tugs at him, a thread to follow. A song that says if he can just get to the capital, he may find some answers about what happened to them.

The world around Simon sings, each movement a pulse of rhythm, each object weaving its own melody, music ringing in every drop of air.

Welcome to the world of The Chimes. Here, life is orchestrated by a vast musical instrument that renders people unable to form new memories. The past is a mystery, each new day feels the same as the last, and before is blasphemy.

But slowly, inexplicably, Simon is beginning to remember. He emerges from sleep each morning with a pricking feeling, and senses there is something he urgently has to do. In the city, Simon meets Lucien, who has a gift for hearing, some secrets of his own, and a theory about the danger lurking in Simon's past.

A stunning debut composed of memory, music, love, and freedom, The Chimes pulls you into a world that will captivate, enthrall, and inspire.

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?

Anna Smaill's The Chimes is celebrated for its inventive, beautifully written prose and absorbing storyline. Reviewers praise its unique blend of tension akin to a gripping thriller, elevated by lyrical language that vividly creates a believable world. The novel is noted for its exploration of memory, especially relevant in today's context of Alzheimer's. Smaill's background as a musician and poet imbues the narrative with musical and imaginative qualities, creating an atmospheric and intensely imagined dystopian England.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781444794502

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 January 2016

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Sceptre

Audience: General / adult, Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 220g

Pages: 304

Collections

Anna Smaill Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction

About the Author

Anna Smaill was born in Auckland in 1979. A classically trained violinist, she holds an MA in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters (Wellington), an MA in English Literature from the University of Auckland and a PhD in contemporary American poetry from University College London. She is the author of one book of poetry (The Violinist in Spring, VUP 2005) and her poems have been published and anthologised in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She has lived and worked in both Tokyo and London, and now lives in New Zealand with her husband, novelist Carl Shuker, and their daughter.