The Traveling Death and Resurrection Show

by Ariel Gore

Book Overview

Orphaned at age four and raised by her black-clad, rosary-mumbling, preoccupied grandmother, Frankka discovered the ability to perform the stigmata as a way to attract her grandmother's attention. Now... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060854286
• ISBN13: 9780060854287
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

"Embrace the mystery!"

Take a rollicking roadtrip with a troupe of religious misfits, spinning along the fine line between insanity and saint-ity. A captivating story spiced with renegade-Catholic wisdom for living your own mythology.

Thanks, Ariel

Another fabulous piece of writing from Ms. Gore. The way in which she weaves words always leaves me wishing it would never end. I especially loved the passages about the saints - something I have always been interested in. Read it on a cold, rainy night... you'll want to turn off the phone, lock the bedroom door and put the dishes and laundry off indefinitely.

Satire

This novel by Ariel Gore is an interesting satire of Catholic religion and of American society. The author is able to sprinkle metaphors, religious or otherwise, with the greatest of ease. She writes with clarity, even when she changes tenses, which is appropriate for how the narrative flows. As another reviewer noted, she might go far; she is indeed a fresh voice in the genre of American literature. Although the novel is short, it is philisophical and insightful without being pompous. I look forward to new work by her in the future. One drawback, however, is her characterization. Frankly, the only interesting character, in my opinion, is the protagonist, who is the only character that has a purpose in life. Maybe the other characters haven't yet seen the light, and that is the point. Perhaps this is also because of the novel's length, but maybe it's because the other characters have little to recommend themselves besides acting like the vagabond malcontents that they are.

American Romantic Realism

Her character's were strong and emblematic of the brokenness people experience in American society. You could say that each character experiences their own death and resurrections, the book focusing on that of young Frankka. Characters are healed by their own self acceptance and ability to stare themselves in the face and recognize who they see. Ariel Gore's book The Traveling Death and Resurrection Show was a great mix of fact and fiction, and who knows where one ends and the other begins in life anyway!

A wonderful surprise from an author with great promise

After reading her memoir, "Atlas of the Human Heart," I decided why not try her first novel. Her storyline is unique, a traveling religious, spiritual side show, with her protagonist the stigmata star. Interspersed are sketches of the protagonist's favorite Christian Saints, whose lives and writings influence the life of story's main character. This author is a fresh, new voice in the literary world, and I believe she will go far. Although this novel is just 219 pages, it seems just the write length. All loose ends are tied neatly together, and the ending is touching.