Parrot and Olivier in America
 Cover of Australian edition | |
| Author | Peter Carey |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Publisher |
Hamish Hamilton (Australia) Knopf/Doubleday (US) Faber & Faber (UK) |
Publication date |
2009 (Australia) 2010 (US & UK) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 464 pp |
| ISBN | 978-1-926428-14-7 |
| OCLC | 426034998 |
Parrot and Olivier in America is a novel by Australian writer Peter Carey. It was on the shortlist of six books for the 2010 Man Booker Prize.[1] It was also a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award.[2]
The book, according to its publisher, is "an improvisation on the life of Alexis de Tocqueville", and focuses on Tocqueville's trips to the United States.[3] The novel mimic's this life with the fictional character, Olivier de Garmont, to the life of Tocqueville, to help the reader explore Tocqueville's life.[3] The titular "Parrot" is Garmont's secretary, which New York Times reviewer Thomas Mallon describes as "Dickensian" character, and a guardian of Garmont as they explore the American environment.[3]
While Carey was developing the novel, an extract was published as: Carey, Peter (Autumn 2009). "Parrot". Granta (108): 245–284.
Critical reception
New York Time Reviewer Thomas Mallon did not think the novel as a whole was very successful, though the style followed the quality of Carey's other working describing the novel as "replete with expressed feeling, if too wittily contrived for actual passion" and describes the novel as well written with each sentence "matchlessly robust".[3]
References
- ↑ http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/stories/1451
- ↑ "Images From The 2010 National Book Awards Medal Ceremony And Finalists Reading". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 Mallon, Thomas (2010-04-18). "Review:Tocqueville: The Novel". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
Further reading
- Guin, Ursula K. Le. "Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey | Book review". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
- Schaub, Micheal (May 11, 2010). "The Prince And The 'Parrot' Go To America". NPR.org. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
- Charles, Ron (2010-04-28). "Book World: Ron Charles reviews 'Parrot & Olivier in America,' by Peter Carey". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
- Preston, John. "Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey: review". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-09.