Gardening Sale!
 
 

Special Offers see all

Enter to WIN!

Weekly drawing for $100 credit. Subscribe to our Specials newsletter for a chance to win.
Privacy Policy

More at Powell's

Recently Viewed clear list

Interviews | May 16, 2013

Jill Owens: IMG Claire Messud: The Powells.com Interview

1 comment By Jill Owens

Claire MessudClaire Messud's new novel, The Woman Upstairs, is fiercely intelligent and urgently intimate, written with precision, humor, and an incredible... Continue »
  1. $18.17 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    The Woman Upstairs

    Claire Messud 9780307596901
spacer
Ships free on qualified orders.
$4.50
List price: $16.00
Used Trade Paper
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
2 Local Warehouse Science Fiction and Fantasy- A to Z

Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next Novels)

by

Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next Novels) Cover

ISBN13: 9780142004036
ISBN10: 0142004030
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 2 left in stock at $4.50!

 

Review-A-Day

"Admittedly, this is pretty silly stuff, but somehow just what the doctor ordered now, in a world under the shadow of war, at the tail end of a long, cold winter. (There's publishing genius in bringing out Fforde's books in late February)....I'm not sure whether I've glimpsed it or not, but something tells me the core of Lost in a Good Book resembles whipped cream ? as sweet and light as the promise of spring." Laura Miller, Salon.com (read the entire Salon review)

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

If Thursday thought she could avoid the spotlight after her heroic escapades in the pages of Jane Eyre, she was sorely mistaken. The unforgettable literary detective whom Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times calls "part Bridget Jones, part Nancy Drew and part Dirty Harry" had another think coming. The love of her life has been eradicated by Goliath, everyone's favorite corrupt multinational. To rescue him Thursday must retrieve a supposedly vanquished enemy from the pages of "The Raven." But Poe is off-limits to even the most seasoned literary interloper. Enter a professional: the man-hating Miss Havisham from Dickens's Great Expectations. As her new apprentice, Thursday keeps her motives secret as she learns the ropes of Jurisfiction, where she moonlights as a Prose Resource Operative inside books. As if jumping into the likes of Kafka, Austen, and Beatrix Potter's Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies weren't enough, Thursday finds herself the target of a series of potentially lethal coincidences, the authenticator of a newly discovered play by the Bard himself, and the only one who can prevent an unidentifiable pink sludge from engulfing all life on Earth.

The inventive, exuberant, and totally original literary fun that began with The Eyre Affair continues with Fforde's magnificent new adventure, the second installment in what is sure to become a classic series of literary fantasy.

Review:

"A lively, pun-packed sequel....Fans of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels should check out Fforde's engagingly skewed comic utopia. As one of his characters predicts: the likely result will be 'paroxysms of litjoy.'" Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"Time flies — and leaps and zigzags — while reading this wickedly funny and clever fantasy. Would-be wordsmiths and mystery fans will find the surreal genre-buster irresistible." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"Reading this novel is like being at a fabulous party of phenomenally funny and wickedly profound guests." Jane Halsall, School Library Journal

Synopsis:

Literary detective heroine Thursday Next returns in this follow-up to the acclaimed The Eyre Affair. To rescue the love of her life, Thursday must retrieve a supposedly vanquished enemy from the pages of Poe's "The Raven." Soon, Thursday finds herself the target of a series of potentially lethal coincidences.

Synopsis:

The smashing seventh book in the New York Timesand#150;bestselling Thursday Next series

With more than one million books in print worldwide, Jasper Ffordeand#8217;s beloved series charms a growing number of readers with each new adventure. In The Woman Who Died a Lot, Thursday Next faces her trickiest assignment yet.

When her former SpecOps division is reinstated, Thursday assumes sheand#8217;s the obvious choice to lead the Literary Detectives. Instead, sheand#8217;s put in charge of the Swindon All-You-Can-Eat-at-Fatsoand#8217;s Drink Not Included Library. But where Thursday goes, trouble follows. As the new Chief Librarian faces one-hundred-percent budget cuts and the ever-evil Jack Schitt, the Next children face their own career hiccupsand#151;and possible nonexistence.

Synopsis:

The smashing seventh installment of the New York Timesand#150;bestselling Thursday Next series

With more than one million books in print worldwide, Jasper Ffordeand#8217;s beloved series charms a growing number of readers with each new adventure. In The Woman Who Died a Lot, Thursday Next faces her trickiest assignment yet.

When her former SpecOps division is reinstated, Thursday assumes sheand#8217;s the obvious choice to lead the Literary Detectives. Instead, sheand#8217;s put in charge of the Swindon All-You-Can-Eat-at-Fatsoand#8217;s Drink Not Included Library. But where Thursday goes, trouble follows. As the new Chief Librarian faces one-hundred-percent budget cuts and the ever-evil Jack Schitt, the Next children face their own career hiccupsand#151;and possible nonexistence.

back to top

About the Author

Jasper Fforde, author of the New York Times bestseller The Eyre Affair, traded a varied career in the film industry to write and live in Wales.
back to top

Table of Contents

Lost in a Good Book 1. The Adrian Lush Show

2. The Speical Operations Network

3. Cardenio Unbound

4. Five Coincidences, Seven Irma Cohens and One Confused Neanderthal

5. Vanishing Hitchhikers

4a. Five Coincidences, Seven Irma Cohens and One Confused Thursday Next

6. Family

7. White Horse, Uffington, Picnics, for the Use of

8. Mr. Stiggins and SO-1

9. The More Things Stay the Same

10. A Lack of Differences

11. Granny Next

12. At Home with My Memories

13. Mount Pleasant

14. The Gravitube™

15. Curiouser and Curiouser in Osaka

16. Interview with the Cat

17. Miss Havisham

18. The Trial of Fräulein N

19. Bargain Books

20. Yorrick Kaine

21. Les Artes Modernes de Swindon '85

22. Travels with My Father

23. Fun with Spike

24. Performance-Related Pay, Miles Hawke and Norland Park

25. Roll Call at Jurisfiction

26. Assignment One: Bloophole Filled in Great Expectations

27. Landen and Joffy Again

28. "The Raven"

29. Rescued

30. Cardenio Rebound

31. Dream Topping

32. The End of Life As We Know It

33. The Dawn of Life as We Know It

34. The Well of Lost Plots

back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
Alyssa Archambo, January 4, 2012 (view all comments by Alyssa Archambo)
Is it just me, or did this series take a bit of a dark turn? Not that I'm complaining. I love dark stories, I'm just surprised at the change. This isn't to say that the first book of the series, The Eyre Affair, didn't have some dark elements -- Acheron Hades is one of the most terrifying villains ever. However, Lost in a Good Book makes the problems a lot more personal for Thursday. I like that a lot. The stakes are raised, and this series is rapidly becoming more complicated, terrifying, and way more addicting.

Fforde has created a brilliant literary world for this series. It's definitely a place I'd like to visit! (Living there would just be too weird, though.) From the first book, I thought that this world was incredibly well thought out. Surprisingly, he continues to expand it in this sequel. A few more elements are added in this book, making the world more and more fantastical, and rapidly raising its "coolness" factor. I like the new characters, I still like the old characters, and I am loving how everything is progressing with Thursday.

The ending has everything I look for in books that are part of a series. Unlike The Eyre Affair, not everything is tied up neatly. One of the main problems is resolved, but there's still many problems that need to be fixed. I like this, because it will make the tie-in to other books of the series much stronger.

If you're a reader and lover of classics and you like alternate reality-type stories, this series is so your style. (And honestly, who doesn't want to see more of Miss Havisham? She rocks!) Those who don't read classics might like it as well, but you probably won't get a lot of the references or the humor.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
report this comment
meganpardue, June 9, 2008 (view all comments by meganpardue)
This fantastic sequel to the first book in the Thursday Next Series, is even harder to put down than the first! Fforde has such a unique, creative, and even strange imagination that is somehow clearly articulated in his thrilling story telling. I find myself able to venture with his protagonist, Thursday, on each adventure, moment of confusion or coincidence, and crazy encounter with classic fictional characters. This is a joyous read and the references to classic literature offer pleasant reminders of fiction I've read years earlier, which urges me to pick them up again. It is a truly delightful story and series.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(3 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
View all 2 comments
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9780142004036
Author:
Fforde, Jasper
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Location:
New York
Subject:
General
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Books and reading
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - Series
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths
Subject:
Women detectives
Subject:
Mystery fiction
Subject:
Fantasy fiction
Subject:
Time travel
Subject:
Next, Thursday
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - General
Subject:
Mystery-A to Z
Subject:
General Fiction
Copyright:
2002
Edition Description:
Paperback / softback
Series:
Thursday Next Novels
Series Volume:
108-147
Publication Date:
20040231
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
from 12
Language:
English
Illustrations:
b/w illustrations throughout
Pages:
384
Dimensions:
8.25 x 5.5 in 1 lb
Age Level:
from 18
back to top

Other books you might like

  1. American Gods
    Used Mass Market $5.50
  2. Cloud Atlas
    Used Trade Paper $6.95
  3. Practical Demonkeeping
    Used Trade Paper $6.95
  4. Unusually Stupid Americans: A... Used Trade Paper $1.95
  5. Turning to Earth: Stories of... Used Trade Paper $10.00
  6. The Da Vinci Code
    Used Trade Paper $1.95
back to top

Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Mystery » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Fantasy » Contemporary

Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next Novels) Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$4.50 In Stock
Product details 384 pages Penguin Books - English 9780142004036 Reviews:
"Review A Day" by , "Admittedly, this is pretty silly stuff, but somehow just what the doctor ordered now, in a world under the shadow of war, at the tail end of a long, cold winter. (There's publishing genius in bringing out Fforde's books in late February)....I'm not sure whether I've glimpsed it or not, but something tells me the core of Lost in a Good Book resembles whipped cream ? as sweet and light as the promise of spring." (read the entire Salon review)
"Review" by , "A lively, pun-packed sequel....Fans of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels should check out Fforde's engagingly skewed comic utopia. As one of his characters predicts: the likely result will be 'paroxysms of litjoy.'"
"Review" by , "Time flies — and leaps and zigzags — while reading this wickedly funny and clever fantasy. Would-be wordsmiths and mystery fans will find the surreal genre-buster irresistible."
"Review" by , "Reading this novel is like being at a fabulous party of phenomenally funny and wickedly profound guests."
"Synopsis" by , Literary detective heroine Thursday Next returns in this follow-up to the acclaimed The Eyre Affair. To rescue the love of her life, Thursday must retrieve a supposedly vanquished enemy from the pages of Poe's "The Raven." Soon, Thursday finds herself the target of a series of potentially lethal coincidences.
"Synopsis" by ,
The smashing seventh book in the New York Timesand#150;bestselling Thursday Next series

With more than one million books in print worldwide, Jasper Ffordeand#8217;s beloved series charms a growing number of readers with each new adventure. In The Woman Who Died a Lot, Thursday Next faces her trickiest assignment yet.

When her former SpecOps division is reinstated, Thursday assumes sheand#8217;s the obvious choice to lead the Literary Detectives. Instead, sheand#8217;s put in charge of the Swindon All-You-Can-Eat-at-Fatsoand#8217;s Drink Not Included Library. But where Thursday goes, trouble follows. As the new Chief Librarian faces one-hundred-percent budget cuts and the ever-evil Jack Schitt, the Next children face their own career hiccupsand#151;and possible nonexistence.
"Synopsis" by ,
The smashing seventh installment of the New York Timesand#150;bestselling Thursday Next series

With more than one million books in print worldwide, Jasper Ffordeand#8217;s beloved series charms a growing number of readers with each new adventure. In The Woman Who Died a Lot, Thursday Next faces her trickiest assignment yet.

When her former SpecOps division is reinstated, Thursday assumes sheand#8217;s the obvious choice to lead the Literary Detectives. Instead, sheand#8217;s put in charge of the Swindon All-You-Can-Eat-at-Fatsoand#8217;s Drink Not Included Library. But where Thursday goes, trouble follows. As the new Chief Librarian faces one-hundred-percent budget cuts and the ever-evil Jack Schitt, the Next children face their own career hiccupsand#151;and possible nonexistence.
spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...




Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.