Night's Lies

By Gesualdo Bufalino

Book Overview

In an island fortress prison, four political prisoners, sentenced to death for plotting against the Bourbon monarchy, spend their last night before they go to the guillotine. As they see the scaffold... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0002711222
• ISBN13: 9780002711227
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Harvill Pr
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.5" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Lies of the Night

Excellent service, prompt delivery, excellent conditon as described, packaged well. Would use again.

Fantastic and Fascinating

Bufalino writes gorgeous prose and I think that's the first thing anyone who reads this book will notice. In fact, the language seemed a little too beautiful for the cruel subject matter and the lives of some of the characters.Although this book has a political theme (four prisoners are sentenced to death for plotting against the Bourbon monarchy), this really isn't a political book in any sense of the word. Instead, it's a study of deception, of truth, of what is real and what is only imagined. It's a study of cunning storytelling that will keep any intelligent reader engrossed until the very last page. Bufalino is certainly playing a game with the reader, but he does play fair.The four prisoners decide to pass the last night of their lives with each telling a tale that is significant in his life. While each has a tale to tell, how much of his tale is truth and how much is deception? And who, in the end, will discern the truth from the lie?The answer is right in front of us, almost from page one, something that makes Night's Lies all the more intriguing.Night's Lies is a short book, a novella really, that can easily be read in one sitting, surely in one evening. It is, however, despite its brevity, a book that packs a punch. Well worth the time and highly recommended.

A mystical night

I just finished the book and I strongly recommend it. Although very hard to read and full of historical references, the plot is very thick and keeps your attention high throughout the journey. If you liked the Decameron you'll love this book, if you like historical fiction this is the book for you, if you want to know more about Sicily's history don't hesitate to pick the book in your hands. Best to read with a glass of Brandy on a coffee table, out on a porch overlooking the ocean, during a warm starry summer night. E-mail me for suggestion on similar books. Enjoy it Simone

Masterful storytelling

After Umberto Eco's classic "The Name of the Rose," this book wins hands down. Flawless structure, suspense and a deft handling of politics are some of the joys in this accomplished piece. It is both classic and post modern, with stories within stories and at the same time a beginning, middle and end that adds up to a thoroughly entertaining book. If you like Borges, this would be the novel he always wanted to write when he kept complaining novels had to many wasted words: None to be found here.

More than enthralling, more than breath-taking!

Italy, the middle of 19th Century. Four political prisoners are spending their last night in a badly-lit dungeon; they have been imprisoned in the most inaccessible fortress of the Kingdom of Neaples. These four men are going to die, because they have all been sentenced to death for their terrorist activities. Each of them in turn tells his story. One of them is the chief of the secret (and mysterious) patriotic organisation they belong to. One of them is a liar. To find out who the liar is you can only read the novel. And then re-read it again, becuse in this novel things aren't exactly what they seem. A small masterpiece, mixing a hypnotic style with a breath-taking plot. And know that once you've started reading it you cannot stop; plan your reading carefully!