
The Fermata
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Narrated by:
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Peter Ganim
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By:
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Nicholson Baker
The Fermata is the most risky of Nicholson Baker's emotional histories. His narrator, Arno Strine, is a 35-year-old office temp who is writing his autobiography. "It's harder than I thought!" he admits. His "Fold-powers" are easier; he can stop the world and use it as his own pleasure ground. Arno uses this gift not for evil or material gain (he would feel guilty about stealing), though he does undress a good number of women and momentarily place them in compromising positions - always, in his view, with respect and love. Anyone who can stop time and refer in self-delight to his "chronanisms" can't be all bad!
Like Baker's other books, The Fermata gains little from synopsis. The pleasure is literally in the text. What's memorable is less the sex and the sex toys (including the "Monasticon," in the shape of a monk holding a vibrating manuscript) than Arno's wistful recollections of intimacy: the noise, for instance, of his ex-girlfriend's nail clipper, "which I listened to in bed as some listen to real birdsong."
©1995 Nicholson Baker (P)2011 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
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The erotic potential of the time-stop ability is front and center, and while its nearest real-life correlates might be voyeurism or molesting someone who is unconscious, the fact that this is not only fantasy but also completely impossible in real life may give the reader leave to explore that aspect. The protagonist understands there are questions of morality but prefers not to face them square on. If nobody – including the object of his manipulations – ever knows anything happened, then there is no victim. He is a jerk (and not just for those reasons), but a novel about a jerk can still be worthwhile.
What sinks this book is the protagonist's own chapter-length attempts to write erotica (or describe a fantasy or an actual encounter). So tedious. He admits to us that he's not a very good writer (and even that is too generous), but the author must have disagreed with his character's own self-assessment, because these awful stories must take up at least half the book. It's especially bad in an audio book where you can't skim through the dreck.
Yes, it's that bad
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I know an action novel wasn't the author's intention, but the fold powers would surely have come to the attention of the government, Arno wasn't nearly as careful as he thought he was. All-in-all, a funny and weird book, a little heavily drenched in sex, though.
Taken on it's own, an enjoyable romp
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What disappointed you about The Fermata?
The story is weak and slow. I was hoping for a more imaginative book with better character development.I'm not offended it is just bad writing.
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Please change audio actor
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I regret this book as my first experience with Nicholson Baker. His talent is obvious in that he does give some laugh out loud moments and as mentioned above, the premise is amusing. Baker skips over the difficulties of dealing with the idea of suspending time and that's just cheating in my book. He gets close to something interesting when he writes about what might happen if our "hero" stops time while driving on the freeway. Will his car stop? If so, what happens when he re-starts time for the rest of us? He fails to address this. Then the story again drops to the level of pornography. It's dull.
Can't blame the narrator. The book is well read.
Martin Amis handles adult situations far more maturely.
Not sure I'll try another Nicholson Baker book. Surely can't recommend this one.
Basically Just Pornography
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The author did seem to take into consideration the possible physics and motions of the universe.
Worth listening to once in my opinion, but not for all audiences, If you're looking for something different this might be for you,
A what if you could story that is unique.....
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Stay away
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The best book in my life
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Freeze time & Refund
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A thought: Perhaps, if the letters' writer had been previously published, his publisher would hawk these rejected tales as a novel.
I'm not offended. This book is just plain awful.
Penthouse Letters - Rejected
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