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Synopsis
Book by Dann, Jack
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Review
Civil War fiction of the 1990s, following the lead of filmmaker Ken Burns and historian Shelby Foote, tends to explore hagiographic themes, espousing platitudes about political self-determination, national reconciliation, and the liberation of those in bondage. Jack Dann's The Silent is a wildly eccentric exception to this rule that reads like a prequel to R.E.M.'s Fables of the Reconstruction. The novel's narrator, Mundy McDowell, is a 14-year-old witness to the fighting in the second year of what his neighbors would call "the War of the Rebellion." After sneaking away to watch the boys in gray fall in battle, Mundy returns in time to see his house burned and his mother raped and murdered by bloodthirsty Yankees. From this point on, he refrains from speaking to the strange visitors--including soldiers and the spirits of dead slaves--who start inhabiting the environs around his home.
Although written in the coarse first-person style associated with Huckleberry Finn, The Silent has a structure and imagery that can accommodate the psychological realism of Gunter Grass and Jerzy Kosinski. (In fact, Dann cites Kosinski's The Painted Bird as one of his inspirations.) If you enjoy Civil War novels but are tired of sermonizing, The Silent may be the treat you are looking for. --John M. Anderson
From the Publisher
Praise for The Silent:
"A ferocious portrait of the Civil War's human toll....There is no doubt that Dann captures, in a way few other novelists have, the sheer bloody chaos of battle."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Dann's breathtaking ambition joins hands with the deep confidence of a writer working at the top of his form."
--Peter Straub
"This is narrative storytelling at its best--so highly charged emotionally as to constitute a kind of poetry from hell."
--Library Journal
Praise for Jack Dann's The Memory Cathedral:
"Impeccably researched...a fine historical work about Leonardo da Vinci, as well as a science fiction story of epic proportions."
--The Washington Post
"A grand accomplishment, a novel rich in ideas and characterization."
--San Francisco Chronicle
"Reading The Memory Cathedral...is like stepping into a time machine and experiencing all the beauty and horror, intellectual excitement and romantic wonder of the Renaissance."
--Telluride Times-Journal
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Jack Dann ? The Silent
Seller: Book Express (NZ), Shannon, New Zealand
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Paperback. Condition: Fair. 360 pages. creased & faded spine, wear. Seller Inventory # 1112be
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The Silent
Published by
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd, 2000
ISBN 10: 0732267420
ISBN 13: 9780732267421
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Seller: Book Grocer, Tullamarine, VIC, Australia
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Paperback. Jack Dann, HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd. \'9291I was almost thirteen when the bluebelly Yankee bastards invaded the Valley. I saw a lot that day hey killed Poppa right off, and then they dragged Mother into the front yard before they killed her too. I figure that was the day I first got the knack of being invisible.\'9291 From the critically acclaimed author of the Memory Cathedral comes a most powerful, haunting and unforgettable novel of the Civil War. Provocative, poetic, and disturbing, the Silent introduces us to a young narrator whose voice rivals any in literature in bringing poignantly to life the surreal horrors of battle and its spiritual cost to human survival. \'9291A ferocious portrait ann captures he sheer bloody chaos of battle in the civil war vivid and disturbing read.\'9291 Kirkus Reviews. Paperback. Seller Inventory # 9780732267421-SECONDHAND
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The Silent (Paperback)
Published by
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd, Pymble, NSW, 2000
ISBN 10: 0732267420
ISBN 13: 9780732267421
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Seller: AussieBookSeller, Truganina, VIC, Australia
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. \'9291I was almost thirteen when the bluebelly Yankee bastards invaded the Valley. I saw a lot that day hey killed Poppa right off, and then they dragged Mother into the front yard before they killed her too. I figure that was the day I first got the knack of being invisible.\'9291 From the critically acclaimed author of the Memory Cathedral comes a most powerful, haunting and unforgettable novel of the Civil War. Provocative, poetic, and disturbing, the Silent introduces us to a young narrator whose voice rivals any in literature in bringing poignantly to life the surreal horrors of battle and its spiritual cost to human survival. \'9291A ferocious portrait ann captures he sheer bloody chaos of battle in the civil war vivid and disturbing read.\'9291 Kirkus Reviews Edmund "Mundy" McDowell is barely 14 years old when the Civil War invades the Shenandoah Valley. He watches in shocked horror as a gang of Union and Confederate deserters loot and burn his home and then murder his parents. This novel attempts to bring to life the surreal horrors of battle. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780732267421
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The Silent by Jack Dann
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by HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd, 2000
ISBN 10: 0732267420
ISBN 13: 9780732267421
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Seller: Oak Books, Ouyen, VIC, Australia
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Book, Paperback. Condition: Used. The Silent. These are USED books. Please only purchase if you are happy with that. Images & Editions We use stock images and database descriptions based on the ISBN. The image shown may NOT be the actual book cover you will receive. Covers, editions, printings, and publishers may differ. If you need a specific cover, edition, or printing, please contact us before purchasing. What ?Used? Means Because these books are pre-owned: Colouring books may be coloured in Textbooks may have answers filled in, highlighting, notes, or underlining Workbooks may have writing inside Access codes, download codes, CDs, DVDs, or online content are usually missing or already used Books that originally came with toys, inserts, maps, cards, or bonus items will usually NOT include them Pages may be folded, marked, or show normal signs of use If you are buying a book for anything other than reading (e.g. colouring, study use, collecting, gifts, specific covers, bonus items, or digital access), used books may not be suitable. Condition All books are listed as Used ? Good Books are clean and readable but not new Some books may have: Writing, highlighting, or markings Folded pages or minor wear A small warehouse or inventory sticker on the spine Original retailer stickers (we do not remove them) Our Process We purchase books by the pallet and scan thousands at a time. For this reason, we cannot photograph or individually inspect every book. Acknowledgement By purchasing, you acknowledge that: You understand the book is used You accept the condition and limitations described above Stock images and descriptions may not exactly match the item received Thank you for supporting Oak Books and helping give books a second life. Seller Inventory # FP297_JY3
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