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Ben MarcusBen Marcus's books The Age of Wire and String and Notable American Women were considered "experimental" fiction because of his unconventional use of... Continue »
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A Far Country

by Daniel Mason

A Far Country Cover

ISBN13: 9780375414664
ISBN10: 0375414665
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

From the best-selling author of The Piano Tuner, a stunning new novel about a young girl's journey through a vast, unnamed country in search of her brother.

Raised in a remote village on the edge of a sugarcane plantation, fourteen-year-old Isabel was born with the gift and curse of "seeing farther." When drought and war grip the backlands, her brother Isaias joins a great exodus to a teeming city in the south. Soon Isabel must follow, forsaking the only home she's ever known, her sole consolation the thought of being with her brother again. But when she arrives, she discovers that Isaias has disappeared. Weeks and then months pass, until one day, armed only with her unshakable hope, she descends into the chaos of the city to find him.

Told with astonishing empathy, and strikingly visual, the story of Isabel's quest — her dignity and determination, her deeply spiritual world — is a universal tale about the bonds of family and a sister's love for her brother, about journeys and longing, survival and true heroism.

A tour de force of great emotional and narrative power.

Review:

"[An] intriguing parable...fascinating...disturbingly enigmatic....Mason keeps the reader off guard and guessing, and...there's a terrific payoff — a riveting climactic scene." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"Mason invests his story with all the power of a fable, one that gives Isabel's personal bravery its due while also relaying the timelessness of human suffering." Booklist

Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of The Piano Tuner comes a haunting new story, set in an unnamed country, about a young girl's journey in search of her brother. Told with extraordinary empathy, the story becomes a universal tale about the bonds of family.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
Gregorio Roth, March 5, 2010 (view all comments by Gregorio Roth)
Nietzsche wrote, "In our sleep and in our dreams we pass through the whole thought of early humanity. I mean in the same way that man reasons in his dreams, he reasoned when in the waking state many thousands of years… the dreams carries us back into earlier states of human culture, and affords us a means of understanding it better."(Friedrich Nietzsche, Human all too Human Vol I.13)

The main character Isabel goes to the Modern City in search of her brother Isaias. Isabel brings with her the trappings of shamanistic culture and Santeria traditions. Her abilities are not matched well for the Urban Space she has decided to journey to.

The reader sees the differences between people's negative capabilities and their visible capabilities. A Far Country serves as a good study on the battle between past self and future self. The reader also comes away with a better understanding of what Joseph Campbell meant when he said; there is a power form ceremony.

The mythic space of A Far Country written by Daniel Mason is perfect for reflection. The book is a journey juxtaposed in a study of contrasts. The reflection takes us to look at the effects of others, especially the effect we have on the people we often overlook.

Where is the setting? Mason does not make this clear. He wants us to look at all points sitting in between; the places of overlooked people who are often displaced by "Modern Progress."

A great read and it encouraged me to check out his book The Piano Tuner.
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Laurie Blum, April 13, 2008 (view all comments by Laurie Blum)
Although I did not enjoy Daniel Mason's "A Far Country" as much as "The Piano Turner," I can recommend this unique novel set in an unamed part of South America.
I cheered main character Isabel in her adventurous haunting search for her beloved older brother, Isaias. The book is written in beautiful prose & is quite a different story of family bonding.
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dancerxfashion, March 2, 2008 (view all comments by dancerxfashion)
I had to read this book for a U.S History book report and i just recently finished last week, I enjoyed this book and it really challenged my vocabulary and my imagination. I would most definatley recommend this book to anyone.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780375414664
Author:
Mason, Daniel
Publisher:
Knopf
Author:
Mason, Daniel
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Brothers and sisters
Subject:
Teenage girls
Subject:
General Fiction
Copyright:
2007
Publication Date:
20070306
Binding:
Hardback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
288
Dimensions:
8.68x5.84x1.11 in. 1.08 lbs.
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Related Aisles

A Far Country Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$3.95 In Stock
Product details 288 pages Alfred A. Knopf - English 9780375414664 Reviews:
"Review" by , "[An] intriguing parable...fascinating...disturbingly enigmatic....Mason keeps the reader off guard and guessing, and...there's a terrific payoff — a riveting climactic scene."
"Review" by , "Mason invests his story with all the power of a fable, one that gives Isabel's personal bravery its due while also relaying the timelessness of human suffering."
"Synopsis" by , From the bestselling author of The Piano Tuner comes a haunting new story, set in an unnamed country, about a young girl's journey in search of her brother. Told with extraordinary empathy, the story becomes a universal tale about the bonds of family.
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