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Travels in the Scriptorium
Travels in the Scriptorium: A Novel | Paul Auster
9 posts | 14 read | 3 to read
A man pieces together clues to his pastand the identity of his captorsin this fantastic, labyrinthine novel An old man awakens, disoriented, in an unfamiliar chamber. With no memory of who he is or how he has arrived there, he pores over the relics on the desk, examining the circumstances of his confinement and searching his own hazy mind for clues. Determining that he is locked in, the manidentified only as Mr. Blankbegins reading a manuscript he finds on the desk, the story of another prisoner, set in an alternate world the man doesn't recognize. Nevertheless, the pages seem to have been left for him, along with a haunting set of photographs. As the day passes, various characters call on the man in his cellvaguely familiar people, some who seem to resent him for crimes he can't rememberand each brings frustrating hints of his identity and his past. All the while an overhead camera clicks and clicks, recording his movements, and a microphone records every sound in the room. Someone is watching. Both chilling and poignant, Travels in the Scriptorium is vintage Auster: mysterious texts, fluid identities, a hidden past, and, somewhere, an obscure tormentor. And yet, as we discover during one day in the life of Mr. Blank, his world is not so different from our own.
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steph_phanie
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Mehso-so

Since this was my first Paul Auster, I don't know how it compares to his others. I wish there was something between Pick and So-So because I was intrigued by it, but I wouldn't tell anyone to go out of their way to read it. I figured out who Mr. Blank was at what seemed like a pretty early point in the novel, but still appreciated how #Auster wrapped it up.

Should I read another by #PaulAuster?

Billypar I've read many of Auster's, and for me, I think Travels is one of my least favorites. I would recommend The Book of Illusions, Mr. Vertigo, or Leviathan. NY Trilogy is his most famous and is better than Travels, but also has an experimental streak to it. 4y
steph_phanie Thanks for the recommendations, @Billypar! I will check one of those out. 4y
4 likes2 comments
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Karizma
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One day at the office, books mysteriously arrived on our shelves without covers. I recognized a title of a book I own and realized my personal library had just expanded! Picked this one up today to read on break and I'm hooked. My TBR list continues to grow...

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TrulyBookish
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Pickpick

Awesome. Now ... the follow up? I might leave it to you guys? #voteonmynextread

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TrulyBookish
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An old man sits in a room, with a single door and window, a bed, a desk and a chair. Each day he wakes with no memory, unsure of whether or not he is locked in the room.

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Tamarity
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Found this and a few more Auster books I didn't know existed in an amazing second hand bookstore in Vancouver.

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DeborahSmall
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So my target was 52, 1 a week. In 2015 I went for 100 but with family sickness and my father in law passing it was a difficult year so I was more realistic last year but think I'll go for 100 this year as I'm planning on a few graphic novels. I wish I could do audio!!

Reviewsbylola Great job! 7y
Megabooks Awesome! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🥂 7y
DebinHawaii Great job! 🎉📚👍 7y
Marchpane Terrific year!! 👏👏👏 I struggle with audio too. 7y
Lindy Well done! 7y
88 likes5 comments
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DeborahSmall
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Pickpick

Hard to review this without giving spoilers straight away. A great book if you're an Auster fan. Definitely wouldn't be one of his to read first. Great writing, doesn't get much better for me. Only read if you've read a good chunk of his earlier books. #readathon 📚❤️👍🏼

WOCreads Happy reading! You got this!✊📚 Rah rah readathon!🎉🙌 7y
35 likes1 comment
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DeborahSmall
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Think I'm going for this as book 3. I've had so many interruptions today when reading it's been very slow. Have enjoyed the last few hours and hope coffee and Coke (cola) are enough to keep me awake as well as my insomnia! #readathon 👍🏼📚❤️

DebinHawaii You can do it! 👍😀📚 7y
38 likes1 stack add1 comment
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DeborahSmall
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I've already done #textonlycovers, then I remembered this and it's one of my favourites 😉👍🏼📚

5 likes1 stack add