Millroy the Magician

by Paul Theroux

Book Overview

Fourteen-year-old Jilly Farina was enthralled with Millroy the Magician at the Barnstable County Fair. After all, he once turned a girl from the audience into a glass of milk and drank her, But when Jilly stepped into the wickerwork coffin during a performance, she had no idea he would transform her dreary life into something truly magical, and a touch bizarre. For Millroy was no ordinary magician. He could smell the future, and Jilly was going to...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679402470
• ISBN13: 9780679402473
• Release Date: February 1994
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 437 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

I think Millroy is more than a Magician...

I actually loved this book to the very core...the apple core. I read it and grew hungry for better things. I read it when it was first published and still think back on it. I felt like Millroy may be on to something and still do. I changed my diet after reading this... and haven't eaten a fastfood hamburger since.

A modern miracle

Milroy is a prophet for our times - hilarious, earnest, quirky and sincere. As he preaches the Gospel of Bibical eating, he invents a new way of life - one that is destined to change the world. Of course, it soon becomes apparent that this tale follows the Christ story (in explicit detail) - from the ragtag group of followers, to the shunning masses (who STILL don't get the real message), to those who only care about the miracles to the raising of the dead and, at last, sacrifice and resurrection and a new life in his teachings.On one level, there is the story of the mystery man - the one everyone knows - who becomes the great Teacher with the all of the attending attention. He is the moral teacher, the one who breaks the rules and must decide how far to go. Like Christ, he is aware of his own impending doom and sees that his message will only be greater after his death. This is the book that most authors wish they could write but never do.

Fantastic!

Paul Theroux is one of the finest writers alive and the only one of his books I prefer to Milroy the Magician is My Secret History. Milroy the Magician is brilliantly written and deeply imaginative. If you are thinking of reading this book, treat yourself to a wonderful experience, get a copy now.

A charming tale of nutrition, Christ, pedophilia and love.

Paul Theroux is a writer whose sentences are, to steal from protagonist Millroy, tangibilised. It would seem to be impossible to read him without a stream of images flowing through your mind: bloody eyes, detachable tongues, finger cutlets, Ezekiel bread and closely shaven heads. This novel is a showcase of a writing that invokes as much as it provokes, and it does both exceptionally well. In addition to the brilliant use of image, olfactory and texture to construct a disjointed yet vividly real world, this book provides a thoughtful read that remains playful."How can people who eat such good food be so evil?"That, I think, sums up centuries of debate over religion, the will of God and humanity itself. It's also a delightful sentence completely in tune with everything that had preceded it.This is not a rollercoaster ride, but it is certainly shipborne voyage. At times it is rocky and at times it is soothing, and ultimately you can't help but be thrilled with where it ends up.

Brilliantly composed, imaginative, relevant storytelling

Millroy alternates between illusion and outright miracle, and young impressionable Jilly is captivated. The two share a mysterious bond, and little of the rest of the world makes any sense to either of them, but it will to you by the time you reach the conclusion of this brilliant and entertaining novel. Cultism, mass marketing, the power of television, family values and modern day dietary habits are just a few of the issues that you will confront with Millroy and Jilly along your journey together. This novel is funny, sometimes lyrical, often amazing, and always thought provoking. Be warned! I have not eaten meat since finishing this book. No one can resist Millroys' magic.<BR