Ecstasia

by Francesca Lia Block

Book Overview

Siblings Calliope and Rafe, along with Dionisio and Paul, are Ecstasiathe most popular band in Elysia, a city of jewels and feathers, of magic and music, where the only crime is growing old. Then... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142400378
• ISBN13: 9780142400371
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Firebird
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

You Need to Look Deeper...

Ecstasia was another Block masterpiece. Most of readers I have talked to simply tell me that theres too much going on, all fluff and no substance, I'm afriad I must whole-heartedly disagree with all of you. Certainly its hard to understand at first because the text is stuffed with metaphors and other literary devices that sometimes trick the mind. I have read this book more than three times, and it only gets better. One must read between the lines with this novel. Yes, some of the meter in the songs are off, but really, does everything have to be so exact? Has it ever been with Block? The message is not instantly clear, but this is common with Block. The reader must go through a mental journey with the characters. They need to expierence the love, the want, the fear, the pain, the challenge that the members of Ecstasia do. The characters themselves are wonderful, with their faults and strenghts, and sheer will to live outside a world of age restriction. The words are beautiful, like always. The descriptions, the poetry/songs, the emotions, the everything. Once again Block makes me wish I could weild such skill with a pen. An amazing read, wonderful in so many ways. I highly reccomend it to those willing to take on a literary challenge. If you thought it was garbage well, let me quip this "One mans trash is another mans treasure", and this novel, once given a good twice over, glistens like gold.

Not for the surface reader

Francesca Lia Block's novel Ecstasia is her most difficult to read. The story is told through visions, songs, poems, letters and third person passages. Due to the many metaphors and unique storytelling, the plot can be difficult to follow. I have chosen to interpret the deeper meaning of the book in my review rather than summarizing it, which has already been done thoroughly. Block, who lives in L.A., says Ecstasia "was born of my lifelong love of Greek mythology and of music, combined with an exploration of deeply personal issues." Many of the names in this story are of Greek origin. Under, for example, originates from underworld, the Greek word for the world below the living. A further example is Calliope, the muse of epic poetry in Greek mythology. Her name means beautiful, originating from the Greek word for beauty, kallos. Elysia, the desert and Under are described as far away, fairy-tale lands. The characters have extreme personalities that accommodate the worlds surrounding them. These worlds may seem far fetched, but I believe this novel is to be interpreted as socially critical. The people and environments Block describes are today's world. Elysia, the gorgeous city full of glitz and glamour, its inhabitants physically flawless and young, represent Hollywood and the beauty industry. "The only crime is growing old." Under, the place one grudgingly goes when one no longer fits Ecstasia aesthetically, represents the people and the things we can no longer consider valuable due to their age. The band called Ecstasia is made up of Paul, Rafe, Calliope and Dionisio. They're poster children for the modern music industry. They're young, good looking and healthy. They have lovers, go out a lot, drink and sing catchy songs about love, flowers and beauty, regardless of their actual knowledge on those topics. Their careers will not necessarily be over when they are no longer able to play instruments and write songs, but when they are no longer young and gorgeous. Today's average singer is very similar. Stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera make headlines for their looks and the parties they went to, rather than for their songs. They often lip synch during concerts, allowing them to dance easily in their explicit outfits. Their careers wouldn't be over if they weren't able to write good songs anymore or if they suffered from liver poisoning as a result of a drunken night out. Song writers and hospitals can fix that. Their careers would be over, however, if they got fat or old. Lily, Rafe's girlfriend, represents a model. She's a skinny, delicate girl who entertains people with her body. On page 45, she says, "We're supposed to be thin, like kids," during dinner, after Rafe tells her how surprised he is that she actually eats. Those are just a few example of how symbolism is important in this story. There are countless others, such as Orpheus, which symbolizes opium. I wouldn't want to bore anyone or give away

Worth the search!!!

This was possibly the most difficult book I ever tried to find. But I doubt I could have picked one more worth the trouble! As a huge Francesca Lia Block fan for years now, I've always heard of these 2 impossible to find books, Ecstasia & Primavera. Finally I located them this past December. Block has always crafted her words into beautiful modern day fairy tales of love and music but never has it created such a enchanting result as with this novel. I think part of the reason is because she completely creates a new world... one of carnivals, music, love, and youth. But there is also a scary flip side to this world. One that the 4 lead characters are struggling to accept.If you are a Block fan and have yet to read these 2 novels you should really, look into them. I think they are essential reading of the authors.

Poetic Musical Magick

Ecstasia is one of the best books I have ever read. The poetic style, the dreams, the music, it is all "up there". The emotions are so real and accessible to the reader and while the theme is filled with death the entire book is up lifting.

I could not put this book down and was sad to have it end.

I only wish I could have as much imagination as the author of this book. She has you exploring worlds ond people that we can all relate to within ourselves.Every teen age girl should read it.