The Silent Gondoliers
by William Goldman
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Book Summary Information
Author: William GoldmanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-01-02
ISBN: 0345442636
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of The Silent Gondoliers
Book Review: The Magic of Princess Bride, But Short, Innocent, and Delightful
Summary: 5 Stars
The word 'farce' is not deep enough to describe the deep humor that is the whole book - the so-called author's notes and explanations why there's been such a delay since the publication of Princess Bride - and you should not miss a word of it. The Silent Gondoliers is high art of a sort known only to S. Morgenstern ... ahem ... William Goldman. The very pen name has a story hanging from it. Indeed, as described at The Jaded Consumer, the whole story itself hangs from the supposed author's supposed confusion:
[...]
That said, the story itself is more artful yet - because it is not only a belly-laugh, it's deep with the emotion and humanity evoked by S. Morgenstern - ahem ... William Goldman - in The Princess Bride.
Unlike the Princess Bride and its cast of characters who exchange vengeance, betrayal, murder, and so forth without batting an eye, The Silent Gondoliers is the tale of an innocent in pursuit of a humble ambition in the face of nature and society. It's a much more accessible source of hilarity than the enormous Princess Bride, and an excellent introduction to Goldman for those not willing to invest a lot of time in a traditional fantasy or a work that's as hefty as the Princess Bride. Having read this, a reader will surely pursue anything he can get his hands on by Goldman.
The Silent Gondoliers is not a traditional boy-gets-girl tale and lacks the swordplay of more mainstream fare with a more easily communicable hook (e.g., the Princess Bride's main struggle was one of long lost lovers to re-unite despite the machinations of an evil king and his numerous henchmen), but explaining why getting a gondolier's license is a big deal for Luigi so people understand they want to read the book seems likely to prevent the masses from knowing about the work. But you should defy the lemming horde and get a copy to read!
Summary of The Silent Gondoliers
The return of a beloved classic,from the bestselling author of The Princess Bride!
Once upon a time, the gondoliers of Venice possessed the finest voices in all the world. But, alas, few remember those days--and fewer still were ever blessed to hear such glorious singing. No one since has discovered the secret behind the sudden silence of the golden-voiced gondoliers. No one, it seems, but S. Morgenstern. Now Morgenstern recounts the sad and noble story of the ambitions, frustrations, and eventual triumph of Luigi, the gondolier with the goony smile.
Here, in this brilliantly illustrated exposition of the surprising facts behind this all-but-forgotten mystery, S. Morgenstern reveals the fascinating truths about John the Bastard, Laura Lorenzini, the centenarian Cristaldi the Pickle, Enrico Caruso, Porky XII, the Great Sorrento, the Queen of Corsica--and of course, the one and only Luigi. His tale will captivate you as much as his song!
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