[.ca] Silk (ISBN 1860463665)

A STORY IS LIKE THE WIND..:
I believe it is a proverb of the African bushmen, "A story is like the wind, it comes from a far-off quarter, and we feel it." Those words were invented to describe this stirring gem from Baricco. His prose feels much like a light autumn breeze, soft yet wondrously mermerizing. With ballad-like refrains and sublime descriptions of the harmonious way of Japanese life, we are drawn into an evocative portrait of what it means to be human, at our most elemental, and the effect is awesome. The hypnotic curiosity of a distant unrequited love leads the novel to its stark and tempestuos end, which lingers in your mind long after you've turned the last page in bewilderment. I have never read such an effortlessly haunting saga of compassion, obsession, intrigue. Kudos to the translator for retaining Baricco's original Italian delicacy. It takes about 2 hours to journey between the novel's shores, but I bet you'll take the voyage more than once.

My vote:
Other reviewers have said it much better than I. I only want to cast my vote and tell anyone considering the book to buy it now. It is beautiful and heartbreaking.

Hapiness is a flight of exotic birds.:
A wonderful read. It should be on every body summer's list. It's the most refreshing breeze in litterature, it's a poem, it's a love story. You will feel as light as silk after you finally put it down. And you'll know forever what hapiness looks like.

Breathtaking:
I was simply overwhelmed after having read this book, which was a very pleasant and challenging introduction into Alessandro Baricco's world. This is more than a book, it is a soft touch which tells you the beautiful story of nostalgia for a love that can never be lived. It will not take you more than one hour to read it, but it will be one hour full of peace, in which you will discover the mistery of a life, of a country, of sensual love, of an illusion. Baricco is very poetical and his simple and delicate manner of story telling, which flows like a river, is what makes the book great. The beauty comes also from the understated sensuality and passion that derives from the plot, as well as from the "silence" that this book gives off. You can feel there is no need for too many words - too much has already been told. The whole story is written with a soft pen, as if instead of ink, the writer used silk. This is perfect to create the a subtle and exotic atmosphere. In only 100 pages one can find out about Herve Joncourt and his life, his wife, his business partners, his travels to Japan, the imposibility to fight and win his love and touch his dream. I don't want to say too much about Silk, as I would like you to convince yourselves that it is just breathtaking.

Beautiffuly written - sure to be a masterpiece:
The first thing that struck me about Alessandro Baricco's novella "Silk" was its structure - the form is 100% pure - no words are unnecessary or superfluous. His style is simple and warm, and reads almost like a poem. The story, too, is simple: a silkworm farmer of modest means travels "to the end of the world" to garner silkworm eggs for the failing silk industry in his small town, and meets a young woman that he cannot get out of his mind. Baricco's form, style, and imagery are what set this story apart.