Not Wanted on the Voyage

by Timothy Findley

Book Overview

"Not Wanted on the Voyage" is the story of the great flood and the first time the world ended, filed with an extraordinary cast of remarkable characters. With pathos and pageantry, desperation and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670803057
• ISBN13: 9780670803057
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant writing, heart-wrenching / hopeful tale

This is fiction at its best (and not just Canadian fiction)!! It's usually hard to try to get me to read a book in which animals talk, and characters are mythical / Biblical; however, this was such a captivating read. The best books make its readers feel: and this one certainly does. Images from its pages became branded onto my mind for a long long time. Findley's strength comes in truly sympathizing with all living things. E.g. I started to get choked up as the fairies hovered around the ark, getting weaker and weaker as they see their chance for salvation diminish. This book IS mythical, but it's also very real: Findley's sense of social justice, his views against autocracy and mindless, blind followers of authority are clearly shown. This book mourns the cruelty that is humanity, but it also celebrates heroism, bravery, and loyalty.

The best of a vast number of great Canadian books

I was a naive 20 year old when I was told to read this book before I graduated by a fellow university student. Being a lover of all types of fiction, I devoured this book and have never stopped reading anything Findley puts out. However, this is his most creative and compelling novel. Maybe it's a bit like Kurt Vonnegut where the first of his novels will always be your favorite, but I just think everyone in the world should read this. It is sad and beautiful and the story of Mrs. Noyes' talking cat broke my heart. Good stuff!!

An astounding, enthralling feat of imagination and empathy

This is an incredible book. I've read most of Findley's other novels (see my review of _The Telling of Lies_ for more on the author and his other books), and none measures up to this one ... but few OTHER writers' novels do, either.God is tired, and depressed. He gets no respect any more, so he decides to do away with himself; hence, the flood. (This was back in the days of unicorns, fairies, and elves.) But before destroying everything, God tips off his devoted servant Dr. Noyes, who is, not to put too fine a point on it, a total jerk: obsessed with God's law and with doing what is right in God's eyes.The real hero of the story is Mrs. Noyes, an alcoholic who stows bottles of gin about the house and talks to animals. Part of the story is narrated by her cat, Mottyl. God's lovely fallen angel Lucifer senses that something big is up and transforms himself into a beautiful woman in order to hook up with Ham and make it onto the ark. (Another of Noah's sons tried to run away, fell in with some bandits who threw him in a pot and tried to eat him, and he was lucky to escape with his skin permanently turned blue.)Power blocs form and struggle on the ark, secrets are kept and revealed, and what seems like a quirky, amusing fantasy inexorably transforms itself into an apocalyptic horror. The language is simple and spare, but the imagery and the plot it relates is unbearably rich.There isn't one superlative I wouldn't lavish on this book. You should do your utmost to find a copy for yourself (It took my wife four months to secure a copy with the intent of trading it away at a "book gift" party she intends to throw at our house; the book made her cry.)

A compeling and thought provoking book

I read this story when I was 20, and have recommended it to my friends. It tells a tale of Noahs' Ark and his relationship with God. The story shows how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I found it an easy book to read, it provokes a lot of discussion. I believe people that are offended by it are far to thin skinned to accept a purely fictional book for what it is, fiction. A well woven tale, by a master weaver. If you enjoy this book you may also enjoy "The Flounder" by Gunter Grass. It takes a while to get into it, but is an exceptional read.

A sad and beautiful deluge

Beautifully written with colourful images and heart tugging scenes, Timothy Findley spins a twisted fairy tale about the first time the world ended in, Not Wanted on the Voyage. The story is complete with unicorns who are destined for a grotesque death, faeries who are forgotten in the rain, and intelligent talking animals who show more emotion and spirit than some of the main characters. In his catastrophic version of Noah's Ark, Findley twists the expected roles of God and Noah showing just how arbitrary powerful figures can be in their justice. And as the rain pours down in colourful splashes admist a mythical setting one cannot help but fall gently in love with figures such as Lucifer, Mottyl the blind cat, and sweet Mrs Noyes, Noah's wife. Altogether, Timothy Findley's Not Wanted on the Voyage is a wonderfully written saga that opens one's mind to the complexities of religion, patriarchal society, and the importance of myth. It combines both the world of fairy tales with the violent realities of survival in the primary world. It can be read purely for entertainment or it can be read for a little bit of enlightenment. Either way it is a brilliant and unforgettable novel.