The Young and Prodigious TS Spivet
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:24th Apr '14
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
A captivating, loveable novel of stunning originality and poignancy about a 12-year-old genius mapmaker. Now a major motion picture from the director of 'Amelie', starring Helena Bonham Carter.
T S makes sense of his chaotic family life by drawing beautiful, meticulous maps kept in innumerable colour-coded notebooks. He is brilliant, and the Smithsonian Institution agrees, though when they award him a major scientific prize they don't suspect for a moment that he is twelve years old.
Dear Spivet Family,
I have gone for a while to do some work. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I didn't want to bother you by telling about it ahead of time. Thank you for taking care of me. You are one of the best families in the world.
Love, T.S.
T.S. makes sense of his chaotic family life by drawing beautiful, meticulous maps kept in innumerable colour-coded notebooks. He is brilliant, and the Smithsonian Institution agrees, though when they award him a major scientific prize they don't suspect for a moment that he is twelve years old.
So begins T.S.'s life-changing adventure, travelling two thousand miles across America to reach the awards dinner, the secret-society membership and the TV interviews that beckon. But is this what he wants? Do maps and lists explain the world? And why are adults so strange?
Here is a book that does the impossible: it combines Mark Twain, Thomas Pynchon, and Little Miss Sunshine. Good novels entertain; great ones come as a gift to the readers who are lucky enough to find them. This book is a treasure * Stephen King *
Larsen has made an impressive mark ... spectacularly funny * Sunday Times *
Reif Larsen's wonderful original debut, destined to please readers of all ages, is the Next Big Thing... echoes of Thomas Pynchon, Robert Coover and Nicholson Baker... a lively sophisticated narrative that looks to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn * Irish Times *
Impossible to put down. Engagingly poignant and charmingly quirky ... Larsen is an accomplished writer, but he's also a hugely gifted illustrator ... It's a genius debut. * Daily Mail *
Fantastical, funny and delightfully original * Esquire *
A wilfully original and diverting book ... you can see exactly why it caused publishers to sit up. It is charming and kooky * Observer *
Think Tom Sawyer with a passion for empirical science... one of the most original books of the year * Metro *
Reif Larsen's debut novel combines meticulous eccentricity with an amazingly broad appeal ... the book is a thing of beauty in itself... TS's voice - and scientific pencil - enchant the reader ... TS's journey - towards forgiveness, understanding, adulthood, love - is a familiar one, but the views are spectacular. * Guardian *
We believe in Spivet because Larsen gives us so much that is elegant and even pretty to look at. The book is beautifully produced with drawings and maps, yet the account of the train journey in this attractively naïve voice would be admirable even if it were not framed and accompanied by sketches * TLS *
It has the makings of a cult classic...a deliciously ambitious book, a confident blast of ideas - and a beautiful object * Time Out *
ISBN: 9780099589990
Dimensions: 190mm x 140mm x 28mm
Weight: 389g
400 pages