The House on Moon Lake

By Francesca Duranti

Book Overview

A prize-winning international bestseller, this gripping story by Francesca Duranti follows Fabrizio, an impoverished but aristocratic translator, on his obsessive quest to find a lost German novel -- The House on Moon Lake -- after he reads a reference to it in the book of a renowned literary critic. Fabrizio's quest and its solution transform his life as he searches for the reality behind the events in the book and its author.As Fabrizio is drawn into making up a story which slowly -- and intolerably -- becomes fact, he watches as his own creation begins to overpower him. By the time Fabrizio realizes the ramifications of the myth he has crafted, the love story of the original dissolves into a horror story of the present.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1883285208
• ISBN13: 9781883285203
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: Delphinium
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

The translator and the woman he invents

Fabrizio translates German books into Italian. One day he finds an unknown book by a little known Austrian writer. This is his chance now to create something original with his translation. Like any good translator, he gets involved with the thought process of the original author. But Fabrizio also gets involved with the life of the Austrian, who died in 1913. Frustration becomes resignation as he becomes the Austrian and thus slowly destroys himself.Elegant and worthwhile reading.

Almost Perfect

Duranti is a wonderful writer. There were passages so beautifully written that I had to put the book down and go for a walk. The story itself has wonderful potential, but it never really goes anywhere. Worse, once it gets where it does go, you are forced to realize that the characters are not really very deeply drawn. They are Kafka-like in that they seem more symbolic than real. They have no internal logic which makes some behavior reasonable and other behavior odd. I really have no idea why it ended as it did.I am sure though, that people who like symbolically-driven stories will enjoy this. I will buy other books by Francesca Duranti because she is an amazing writer and because I think that maybe I just missed something crucial within the story which would have made it gel.