The Blazing World

A Novel

De: Siri Hustvedt

Narrado por: Patricia Rodriguez, Eric Meyers

Named one of the New York Times Book Review’s 100 Notable Books of the Year ** Publishers Weekly’s Best Fiction Books of 2014 ** NPR Best Books of 2014 ** Kirkus Reviews Best Literary Fiction Books of 2014 ** Washington Post Top 50 Fiction Books of 2014 ** Boston Globe’s Best Fiction of 2014 ** The Telegraph’s Best Fiction to Read 2014 ** St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Best Books of 2014 ** The Independent Fiction Books of the Year 2014 ** One of Buzzfeed’s Best Books Written by Women in 2014 ** San Francisco Chronicle’s Best of 2014 ** A Nancy Pearl Pick ** PopMatters.com’s Best of 2014 Fiction

Winner of the 2014 LA Times Book Prize for Fiction

Finalist for the 2014 Kirkus Prize

Hailed by The Washington Post as “Siri Hustvedt’s best novel yet, an electrifying work,” The Blazing World is a masterful novel about perception, prejudice, desire, and one woman’s struggle to be seen.

In a new novel called “searingly fresh... A Nabokovian cat’s cradle” on the cover of The New York Times Book Review, the internationally bestselling author tells the provocative story of artist Harriet Burden, who, after years of having her work ignored, ignites an explosive scandal in New York’s art world when she recruits three young men to present her creations as their own. Yet when the shows succeed and Burden steps forward for her triumphant reveal, she is betrayed by the third man, Rune. Many critics side with him, and Burden and Rune find themselves in a charged and dangerous game, one that ends in his bizarre death.

An intricately conceived, diabolical puzzle presented as a collection of texts, including Harriet’s journals, assembled after her death, this “glorious mashup of storytelling and scholarship” (San Francisco Chronicle) unfolds from multiple perspectives as Harriet’s critics, fans, family, and others offer their own conflicting opinions of where the truth lies. Writing in Slate, Katie Roiphe declared it “a spectacularly good read...feminism in the tradition of Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex or Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own: richly complex, densely psychological, dazzlingly nuanced.”

“Astonishing, harrowing, and utterly, completely engrossing” (NPR), Hustvedt’s new novel is “Blazing indeed:...with agonizing compassion for all of wounded humanity”(Kirkus Reviews, starred review). It is a masterpiece that will be remembered for years to come.

An surprising, amazing and inspiring book

If you could sum up The Blazing World in three words, what would they be?

A story that went right under the skin, intricately crafted, psychologically compelling

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Blazing World?

The ending of the book was deeply moving, it is still with me

Have you listened to any of Patricia Rodriguez and Eric Meyers ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't think I have heard these two performers before, they were both masterful at setting down the various characters in a believable manner, allowing the listener to experience these different internal worlds in a very authentic manner

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I don't think the subtleties of the character's inner worlds would be translatable into a movie, so please don't!

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this compelling and challenging novel with its complicated female hero who is struggling with the times she lives in as woman and artist, and the discrepancies of her inner and outer life. I especially appreciate that the darker aspects of the main characters are not hidden and that we as listeners/readers are pulled into these sometimes almost unbearable struggles. Something I sometimes was reluctant to do, but which the novel compelled me to, moving me often to existential ponderings.

Narration is hurting my heart

Any additional comments?

Will return with a full review when I'm done, but for now: the mispronunciations are KILLING me! I understand that the names Bakhtin and Benjamin (with the German j) are perhaps obscure. But "soldered" should be easy!

I recommend this great read!

But you definitely need to have a strong interest in art. I enjoyed the plot twists and the complex and engaging characters and the strength and perseverance demonstrated by the main character, Harry (Harriet). Siri Hustvedt is a wonderful writer.

not for everyone, but definitely interesting

there were times i hated this book, and times i loved this book, and then times i hated it again. and that is why i'm giving it 5 stars.

i have a very soft spot in my heart for books that invoke in me extreme emotions. this book did that. enter -- soft spot.

but seriously. i think that Harriet "Harry" Burden was fantastic. the chapters narrated by her were just the pinnacle of perfection. this novel is a moving and interesting portrait of an extremely unique and obscure artist. the rest of the cast of characters narrating the other portions, some boring and annoying, some riveting and empathetic, made this a well rounded story.

it's definitely not the type of novel for everyone, but it was for me.

Divine Insanity

One of the most engaging books I've read in many years. Not since I read Faulkner's 'Sound and the Fury' have I so lost myself in the flow of a tale.

Narrated brilliant.

Pure joy to read and interesting ideas

I find it hard to say what I liked best in his book, since it has so many layers, voices and themes. I enjoyed the gradual uncovering of the events, like a crime story. I also liked the use of the many different voices. The different persons are characterized by what they tell and how they tell it. The different voices are written with different feeling, for exampel some with love, some with irony and some with a combination. The book covers many interesting thoughts, one main issue is the problem women have to get credit for their art and intellect. But there are also many other themes that was interesting: The workings of the art world in New York, motherhood, aging, dying, how it feels like to be a tall woman and many more. Finally: It's a long time since I had such a good read!

Difficult read

very disconnected and hard to follow
No real storyline that ties everything together
confusing plot

Original, imaginative, beautiful

A remarkable book which contains multitudes. Beautifully written. Narrator was a bit much at times and a bit slow in the middle but overall worth every moment.

Much to think about.

Extremely well written-beautiful. Interesting ideas and characters. I like the academic style. The story is revealed through several voices and I did not find all of the narration appealing, but it did fit the characters.

Narrator Problem

Would you try another book from Siri Hustvedt and/or Patricia Rodriguez and Eric Meyers ?

I wasn't able to listen to this book because of the narrator. Listen to the audio sample before you buy!