n   “Estoy buscando un sitio tranquilo para morir. Alguien me recomendó Brooklyn…”n

Con esta atractiva frase empieza una algo insípida novela ambientada en un Brooklyn a medio camino entre una gran ciudad y un pueblecito donde toda la gente se saluda por la calle. Pero, como todo el que conoce a Auster sabe, el hombre propone y el azar dispone.

n  "Todo destino es arbitrario, toda decisión está regida por el azar. Ya puedes ir derecho, zigzaguear, llegar lo más rápido posible, pero en el fondo no tienes ni voz ni voto en el asunto. Eres un juguete de los dioses y no tienes voluntad propia." n

Y esta vez dispone a gusto de casi todos.

n   “El mundo ha ido de tragedia en tragedia, de horror en horror, pero los seres humanos seguimos existiendo, enamorándonos y hallando alegría en la vida. Me pareció que éste era un momento para recordarlo." n

Esto decía Auster en sus entrevistas de presentación de la novela, algo que ya dejó dicho en su texto:

n   “Quiero hablar de felicidad y bienestar, de esos raros e inesperados momentos en que enmudece la voz interior y uno se siente en paz con el mundo.” n

Y efectivamente, de esto trata la novela, de cómo el azar maneja nuestras vidas y de no ceder al desaliento, de no perder nunca la esperanza de que surja algo que cambie por completo nuestra vida y nos traslade a un mundo diferente y mejor. Para ello Auster encadena una serie de historias de final feliz sobre las que lo más que puedo decir en su favor es que me han entretenido.

Quizás sea mucho más difícil escribir una obra notable cuando lo que se cuenta es una historia amable sobre gente simpática que mantiene unos principios similares a los nuestros y que al final consiguen un estado de tranquila felicidad, pero el caso es que esta novela de Auster me ha parecido una sinsustancia. Y ya siento decirlo pues estaba en un momento de redescubrimiento del autor y comprendo perfectamente su necesidad de escribir una novela de este tipo tras el suceso más trágico de la reciente historia de su país, pero poco he podido disfrutar de una novela que me ha parecido simple y predecible. Aun así, aceptando la tesis de Guelbenzu de que la novela es un cuento de hadas y así hay que enfrentarse a ella, mantengo las tres estrellas que tan generosamente le otorgué en su día.

Purtroppo per me è stata una delusione. Fortunatamente la scrittura scorrevole e fluida mi ha permesso di concludere la lettura, perché probabilmente, se non fosse stato Auster a scrivere questo libro, l’esito non sarebbe stato lo stesso. Mi è sembrato un po’ un’accozzaglia personaggi, ognuno con la sua storia, a volte solo accennata, altre più approfondita, senza però un filo conduttore vero e proprio. A livello emotivo non mi ha comunicato nulla, e complessivamente non ci ho tratto nessun messaggio che non fosse banale in modo disarmante. Davvero un gran peccato.

Una lectura muy agradable. Es el primer libro de Auster que leo en mi vida.
Es una historia cotidiana que, página a página, se va complicando cada vez más. A Auster se le va un poco la mano con los personajes y con la trama porqué todo resulta demasiado forzado. Todos los personajes que intervenen llevan una vida dura, complicada hasta el extremo y esto le resta veracidad. Entiendo que es necesario para la novela y que, a pesar de todo, bueno... cumple con el objetivo y con creces.

Lo mejor: el personaje principal de Nathan Glass. Sin duda. Un casi sesentón cínico y de una gran agudeza. Se hace querer.

A very pleasant read. It's the first Auster book I've ever read.

It is a daily story that, page by page, becomes more and more complicated. Auster goes a bit too far with the characters and the plot because everything is too forced. All the characters involved lead a hard, complicated life to the extreme and this detracts from its truthfulness.
I understand that it is necessary for the novel and that, despite everything, well... It achieves the goal more.

The best: Nathan Glass's main character. No doubt. A cynical sixty year old man of great wit. He makes himself loved.

Paul Auster tells the story of Brooklyn, the Park Slope neighborhood, as it is beginning the transition to gentrification. Nathan Glass is 60-soemthing and newly divorced. He moves to Brooklyn from some distant suburb. He runs into his nephew Tom who has ended up in the same neighborhood and they are both aimless and misfits. This is a novel about male angst but in a funny way. I liked the men in this book, except for two of the husbands who cheated and/or were abusive. Nathan helps others and end up helping himself. He helps his nephew find love, and fixes his own relationships, creating new beginnings for himself and several of his extended family. A book that's not too serious and not too funny but just right.

Nathan Glass, Fifty-nine, retired and divorced who is not normally prone to bouts of self-pity, declares his desire to seek 'a silent end to my sad and ridiculous life'; the same Nathan Glass who is writing a book dedicated to his life's collection of 'verbal flubs, physical mishaps, failed ideas and social gaffs. Auster's postmodern idea's are built around a host of such recurrent themes, identity and feeling lost in the world, Auster's prose here is nothing new, but that's a good thing. Sharp, simple and compelling. I warmed to Nathan immediately, urbane and funny, but also insecure and generous. He has moved from the suburbs to Brooklyn and claims he doesn't wish to last the year, whilst also trying to write a book, He grows to love its vitality and endless possibilities, and for chance connections. He doesn't really want to die, probably just bored. But a re-acquaintance with his nephew Tom, would lead to a friendship he least expected, he and Nathan share long conversations about the nature of things. Tom's nine-year-old niece Lucy turns up out of the blue, refusing to speak. Suddenly these three bridge a gap from their past lives and help each other with the possibility of reclaiming hope. Tom and Nathan take her on a car trip and fatefully escape a crash; the bookshop owner dies, leaving it to Tom; Nathan rescues Aurora (Lucy's mother) from a lunatic husband; Nathan, Tom and Aurora get girlfriends. This could only be Auster, it's oddly compelling pretty much all the way through, Because he is simply such a gifted storyteller, whether things are slightly bizarre is irrelevant, he draws you into a world you don't want to leave, with characters to warm the soul. The Brooklyn Follies was a pleasure to read, but it does carry a sense of literary coasting. It is strong on set-pieces ans conversation, but as the story gathers pace, the thread between these fragments starts to fray. There is nothing wrong with being anxious about humankind's ignorance and impotence, but Auster can be too eager to shoehorn in reminders about the randomness of fate, and the effects this has on everyday people. A solid Auster novel, not in my view him at his peak, but it's warm humour within the pages was a joy to behold.

This was one lousy book. Now I've never read this guy before but this book had all the ingredients of good story.Here:
The narrator starts off miserable- which is great.
He's neurotic - which is also great.
His family is dysfunctional- which is marvelous.
His ex wife hates him.Wonderful.
He hates her.
Wonderful again.
And here he is in Brooklyn- Perfect. We're cooking.
So what went wrong?
Everything.
The book just sunk from there.
In fact if it hadn't been for those ingredients I would've stopped reading after the first 3 pages.As it was I was fascinated as to why this was such a lousy book.
And boy- was it lousy..
I think the problem was the narrator was a deadly bore, the characters were useless and the plot was about as believable as a 3 dollar bill.
One of the reviews here said that the author was writing for his editors- in other words- FOR THE MONEY.
There ain't nothing wrong with that. Some of my best friends...
It's just that maybe he should've added some life to the mix-
something believable.
As it was this book was just so bland, and glib and waste of time.
Kind of like trying to swim in a vat of pea soup. Thick,thick and no taste at all.
Dull, self important, and one more time- just plain dull.
Don't read it.
JM

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv1XNbrH4Bv/

"Mai sottovalutare il potere dei libri"

Mi è piciuto molto, ma non mi ha "risucchiato".

Primo libro di Auster letto e credo che non sarà l'ultimo.
Molto simpatico il narratore, zio Nat... mi pareva di avere un amico in casa che mi raccontava le vicende della sua strampalata famiglia.

Bellissima la comparsa in scena di Lucy, bimba novenne con una mamma un po' troppo particolare.

"I bimbi consolano di tutto... tranne che di averli"

Ha sido una relectura ya que lo leí hace muchos años. La primera vez me gustó mucho pero ahora puedo decir que me ha encantado. Sus derivas, las conversaciones entre tío y sobrino, me ha encantado.
Muy recomendable. Seguiré releyendo a este autor.

"Desidero parlare della felicità e del benessere, di quei momenti rari e inaspettati in cui la voce dentro la tua testa tace e ti senti tutt'uno con il mondo."

Le piccole e le grandi follie di ogni giorno
Nathan fa ritorno a Brooklyn,dopo molti anni, cercando un posto tranquillo in cui morire
e invece...
lì ,inaspettatamente,troverà un buon posto in cui ricominciare a vivere.
Tanti accadimenti si susseguiranno,velocemente,a trasformare la solitaria e stanca esistenza
di "zio Nat"
Innanzitutto l'incontro inatteso con suo nipote Tom,che si trova a lavorare proprio nella libreria del quartiere, poi quello con l'eccentrico e sagace Harry (il loro ritrovato legame di stima ed affetto ha effetti positivi per entrambi)e poi l'improvviso e misterioso arrivo della piccola e taciturna Lucy,figlia della sorella di Tom- Rory- che non si sa bene che fine abbia fatto.
(la ribelle e un po'squinternata Rory, ex-pornostar,ex cantante blues,ex-drogata e cristiana rinata )
Infine il viaggio, tutti insieme verso nord,su una Oldsmobile Cutlass verde lime,la deviazione (emenomale!) ,l'astuto sabotaggio con la coca-cola , la conoscenza di un'energica maestra,dalle idee molto chiare,Honey [etc etc.. NO Spoiler!]

E così,a poco a poco,c'è una riscoperta dell'amore per la vita ,attraverso le piccole e grandi follie di ogni giorno

ps:ben caratterizzati anche i personaggi minori,come la procace cameriera Marina,con un energumeno per marito,
Rufus ,l'esile ragazzo giamaicano commesso in libreria e di sera drag-queen,o la BPM,bellissima e perfetta madre,la dolce creatrice di gioielli
pps:molto suggestiva la Storia della bambola di Kafka

3/4 stelline

Sattumuksia Brooklynissä oli mielestäni yllättävän viihteellinen Austerin romaaniksi. Kirjassa kerrotaan parista vuodesta kuusikymppisen Nathanin elämässä, siitä, kuinka hänen on tarkoitus erakoitua Brooklyniin mutta päätyykin keskelle mitä moninaisempaa laajennettua perhettä.

Auster kirjoittaa tässä kirjassa irvingmäisen kepeästi, ja tarinassa on mielestäni sellaisia sadunomaisia käänteitä, joita en olisi Austerilta odottanut. Ehkä kyseessä on kirja siitä, kuinka vanheneva ihminen (mies) havaitsee, että jokaisesta jäljellä olevasta hetkestä, jonka on elossa, kannatta nauttia?

Pienestä todellisuuspakokritiikistä huolimatta Sattumuksia Brooklynissä on miellyttävää luettavaa, ja siksi neljä tähteä. Ehkä se onkin vanhenneen viisautta, ettei ironian tarvitse olla niin viiltävää eikä mielipiteiden niin ehdottomia, vaan voi keskittyä siihen mikä on hyvää ja kaunista. Elämä on.