From Powells.com
Staff Pick
How I love to get lost in a big, complex, and exceptionally well-written novel. In A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin, the reader is embedded in the life of Milo Andret and his parents, wife, and children — particularly his son, Hans.
It is the story in part of genetics — how genius and alcoholism is passed down from one generation to another. And how love and family can break the generational cycle of despair and self-destruction. Recommended By Nan S., Powells.com
Goodness, this is a great book. An epic tale told with the precision of a short story, A Doubter's Almanac traces the life of Milo Andret, a brilliant mathematician and a difficult man. I loved being in Milo's world and was sad when the book ended. Plus, it was cool seeing what it's like to be good at math. Recommended By Britt A., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
In this mesmerizing novel, Ethan Canin, the New York Times bestselling author of America America and The Palace Thief, explores the nature of genius, rivalry, ambition, and love among multiple generations of a gifted family.
Milo
Andret is born with an unusual mind. A lonely child growing up in the
woods of northern Michigan in the 1950s, he gives little thought to his
own talent. But with his acceptance at U.C. Berkeley he realizes the
extent, and the risks, of his singular gifts. California in the
seventies is a seduction, opening Milo’s eyes to the allure of both
ambition and indulgence. The research he begins there will make him a
legend; the woman he meets there — and the rival he meets alongside
her — will haunt him for the rest of his life. For Milo’s brilliance is
entwined with a dark need that soon grows to threaten his work, his
family, even his existence.
Spanning seven decades as it moves from California to Princeton to the Midwest to New York, A Doubter’s Almanac
tells the story of a family as it explores the way ambition lives
alongside destructiveness, obsession alongside torment, love alongside
grief. It is a story of how the flame of genius both lights and scorches
every generation it touches. Graced by stunning prose and brilliant
storytelling, A Doubter’s Almanac is a surprising, suspenseful,
and deeply moving novel, a major work by a writer who has been hailed as
“the most mature and accomplished novelist of his generation.”
Review
“Epic . . . thoroughly absorbing . . . a nuanced, heartbreaking portrait
of a tortured mathematician . . . Canin, in translucent prose,
elucidates the way a mathematician sees the world and humanity’s own
insignificance within it. A harrowing, poignant read about the blessing
and curse of genius.” Booklist (starred review)
Review
“[Written] with stunning assurance and elegant, resonant prose . . .
fascinating in its character portrayal and psychological insights . . .
It is [Canin’s] superb storytelling that makes this novel a tremendous
literary achievement.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“A masterful writer at his transcendent best.” BBC
About the Author
Ethan Canin is the author of seven books, including the story collections Emperor of the Air and The Palace Thief and the novels For Kings and Planets, Carry Me Across the Water, and America America. He is on the faculty of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and divides his time between Iowa and northern Michigan.
Ethan Canin on PowellsBooks.Blog
To me, this book is more about ambition than about genius. "Ambition" is not exactly the right word. It's about ambition, but it's also about obsession, and obsession and genius are probably linked. I would say they're certainly linked, and they may be two different words for the same thing in a certain way...
Read More»
Ethan Canin on PowellsBooks.Blog
What I hear about pro basketball scouts is that they always draft raw athleticism over any single athletic achievement. So that's what I'm going to do: I'm going to pick the best athletes out of the couple of dozen 20th-century writers who, at one time or another, have been my beacons...
Read More»