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Special Topics in Calamity Physics

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About this listen

 Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a mesmerizing debut, uncannily uniting the trials of a postmodern upbringing with a murder mystery, heralds the arrival of a vibrant new voice in literary fiction. It has received rave reviews around the world and was shortlisted for the 2007 Quills Awards.

As teenager Blue van Meer tells her story we are hurled into a dizzying world of murder and butterflies, womanizing and wandering, American McCulture, The Western Canon, political radicalism and juvenile crushisms. Structured around a syllabus for a Great Works of Literature class, Blue's wickedly funny yet poignant tale reveals how the imagination finds meaning in the most bewildering times, the ways people of all ages strive for connection, and how the darkest of secrets can set us free.

©2007 Marisha Pessl (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd. Amateur Sleuths Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Murder Detective Exciting

Critic reviews

"Made me stay up all night reading. I loved this book." (Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife)
"This is undoubtedly one of the most impressive debut novels I have ever read...It is, perhaps, Pessl's level of precision, coupled, of course, with her ability to create a plot that stops you doing anything apart from read it, that makes her such an exciting writer." ( Independent on Sunday)
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I bought this one after enjoying her second book (which is better) and I was not disappointed. The writing is witty and though most of the story is not particularly original I liked how the plot developed. The references to other books although initially entertaining over time wear thin and some anecdotes that do not move the story forward should have been edited. The narrator was excellent and the last 15 minutes of the book made me increase my rating from 3 stars. Get this one and her second book too.

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