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A Constellation of Vital Phenomena: A Novel - Anthony Marra
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena: A Novel
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4.41 330
Stegner Fellow, Iowa MFA, and winner of The Atlantic's Student Writing Contest, Anthony Marra has written a brilliant debut novel that brings to life an abandoned hospital where a tough-minded doctor decides to harbor a hunted young girl, with powerful consequences.   In the final days of... show more
Stegner Fellow, Iowa MFA, and winner of The Atlantic's Student Writing Contest, Anthony Marra has written a brilliant debut novel that brings to life an abandoned hospital where a tough-minded doctor decides to harbor a hunted young girl, with powerful consequences.   In the final days of December 2004, in a small rural village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa hides in the woods when her father is abducted by Russian forces. Fearing for her life, she flees with their neighbor Akhmed--a failed physician--to the bombed-out hospital, where Sonja, the one remaining doctor, treats a steady stream of wounded rebels and refugees and mourns her missing sister. Over the course of five dramatic days, Akhmed and Sonja reach back into their pasts to unravel the intricate mystery of coincidence, betrayal, and forgiveness that unexpectedly binds them and decides their fate.   With The English Patient's dramatic sweep and The Tiger's Wife's expert sense of place, Marra gives us a searing debut about the transcendent power of love in wartime, and how it can cause us to become greater than we ever thought possible.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN: 9780770436407 (0770436404)
ASIN: 0770436404
Publisher: Hogarth
Pages no: 400
Edition language: English
Bookstores:
Community Reviews
The Boat Was My Friend
The Boat Was My Friend rated it
3.0 History Always Favours The Winners
The morning after the Feds burned down her house and took her father, Havaa woke from dreams of sea anemones. The moment after I read the opening line of A Constellation Of Vital Phenomena I sensed this was the beginning of a beautiful journey.I was neither exactly right nor dead wrong.For one thing...
Overdue
Overdue rated it
5.0 "You will survive .
This novel deserves at least 6 or 7 stars out of 5. I can't stop thinking about the horrors of Chechnya, a country that I probably would have a hard time finding on a map. The characters, all built of their country's strife are also in some way torn apart by it. This new author, Anthony Marra, creat...
Gayla
Gayla rated it
4.5 A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
I admired this book more than I loved it. Anthony Marra writes beautifully (although some passages seem a shade overdone) and many sections are very moving. Marra is also a great observer of details. In particular, I liked these moments from early in the book: And now, in the morning, as he tight...
Strange Affinity
Strange Affinity rated it
5.0 A Constellation of Vital Phenomena: A Novel
Upon finishing this book I felt overwhelming sadness and immense joy and let myself have a good long cry over both. I loved this book!
VeganCleopatra
VeganCleopatra rated it
1.0 A Constellation of Vital Phenomena: A Novel
Yet again I am left baffled by the glowing reviews and the hype. This book proved tedious, convoluted and an insomniac's dream.There was no plot, at least not a discernible one for the majority of the book. There are tedious, long-winded entries of characters that end up giving little to the overall...
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