The Rise & Fall of Great Powers: A Novel

This clever and cleverly constructed book is another riff on what you could call the "grifter" novel. By that I mean a novel that features the adventures of the perpetual outsider who resorts to tricks and manipulation to get through life. Mark Twain, J. D. Salinger, Jack Kerouac,have of course written at least one of these, as has Truman Capote (in "Breakfast at Tiffanys") and--most recently--Rachel Kushner ("The Flamethrowers"). And now Tom Rachman has joined the party in this enchanting novel about Tooley Zylberberg, who we meet at three different points in her life, and always at the end of an era.She's nine in 1988, at the end of the cold war; She's on the verge of adulthood as the 20th century comes to an end. And then she's an adult in 2011, in a world still recovering from recession and where the physical book is being replaced by the e-book.Each chapter is dated, as we are shifted from era to era, and while the chapters in each sequence move chronologically forward, they do so independently, so that occasionally a character we've already been introduced to in, say, the 1999 sequence appears to Tooley for the first time in 1988. But don't worry--it all makes sense in the end, and the author ties things together neatly.Tooley is unforgettable as she prevails over a cast of characters (who they actually are is revealed slowly and slyly) who try to manipulate her, and who she usually manages to manipulate instead. She seems to have absorbed (although he is never mentioned) Bob Dylan's point that "to live outside the law you must be honest." There are, throughout, two characters she can't quite prevail over (although she comes close). She is given life lessons mostly by two adult men: Venn teaches her to grift, and Humphrey, a "mad Russian" (perhaps), gives her a sort of an education.I fervently hope that in a few years, Mr. Rachman will drop in on Tooley again. She's only in her early 30s as the book ends, so her journey's got a ways to go. Anyway, for now, what is written here is great fun--the characters are well drawn, the writing sparkles, and there are some memorable lines, most of them spoken by Humphrey.Notes and asides: The New York sequences are accurate as to place and time, although as a longtime resident of the area around Morningside Heights, I cannot say I ever have seen a pig being walked there. Venn's quote about the cuckoo clock is spoken by Orson Welles in "The Third Man." This is appropriate as Venn is very much like Welles's Harry Lime..

I love this book. I am a fast reader, but I slowed my pace to savor the characters in their glory. These people are readers, and the prose is rich and literate. One can only luxuriate in Humphrey who correctly surmises that, "That movement is overrated." He is the author of the philosophy of "Slob Gravity" which renders it's followers immobile under the onslaught of hours of reading. He is the mysterious father/companion to Tooley, his favorite human. He rates his life's accomplishments as nurturing her and the great writer's of literature. Tooley is a masterpiece of a woman who regards clothing as covering and warmth. Her character development is lush, multifaceted, and deeply satisfying.The plot of this exquisite novel is that of the mystery of her life. Her early memories are of a wandering life with the deeply mysterious Paul. At the age of ten, her mother appears in Thailand only to turn her over to the charismatic Venn who shares her upbringing with Humphrey. As the novel progresses we share with her quest to discover the role of these people in forming her. As a child she gravitates to other outcasts, though she is sometimes burned because some children are outcasts for very good reasons. She mixes easily with adults. She is trained to always watch people, always observe. And of course she learns to find companions in books.This is a reader's book. It is a meringue of world views. One is liberally challenged to not wander off on a stream of Slob Gravity to pursue the authors at play on these pages. And I spent many a side trip in Wikipedia tripped up by Murphy's liberal interpretation of the lives of philosopher's. Tooley believes that books contain the reader's past, "the texture of being oneself at a particular place, a particular time." This book will certainly serve as a such piece of me.

I am happy to claim mr. rachman as one of my new favorite authors, now that he has followed his wonderful debut book, the imperfectionists, with another stunner!this new novel is an inventive and sometimes tricky tale of an unusual 'family', told by following the story of tooly - an eccentric woman with an unconventional upbringing. i must confess that i typically love any book that has a bookshop owner as a central character, and even more so when the bookshop is located in a charming overseas village! this book has that, and so much more!this book is also a tribute to book books - and has me wondering about a future where they might not actually be paper books - just electronic readers. books in this book are revered and precious!you will definitely meet some unique characters in this novel and you will not be saying - oh, of course that's what is going to happen; i saw that coming...this is a work of great imagination, and skillful storytelling!as the story travels back and forth through tooly's life, you will experience that feeling that time maybe isn't just forward-moving, but circular and forever spiraling just like Gatsby's 'and so we beat on, borne ceaselessly into the past...'there are also clever and thought provoking conversations about historical happenings in the 20th century and about the demise of civilization - as one character puts it - what people had been and what they've become....so spend some time with this rag tag group of 'grifters' off to see the world!if you are a lover of books, you will definitely enjoy the trip!

Love this book. Love all his books. Started with the Italian Teacher and have now read everything Mr R has written. Hurry up and write a new book please!

It isn't often when you find a book that keeps you guessing about the characters right to the end, but this one does.

I've just finished this book, and I believe it has permanently altered my outlook on life. This book is a fantastic read and perfect if you're feeling lost or more displaced in your life. I hope everyone else gets as much out of reading it as I have.

It was a good book with interesting characters but could've been more reader engaging as I was able to put it down and not pick it up again for quite a few months!

Sir Thomas Beecham once advised conductors to start well and end well - "the public doesn't care what's in the middle". In the case of this novel, it started well but halfway into the narrative, looked as if it was in danger of descending into some sub-Austeresque Magical Realism. It's a great tribute to Tom Rachman that he managed to avoid this pitfall and carefully steered the novel towards a successful, satisfying conclusion.Set in 1988, 1999/2000 and 2011, the narrative alternates between the three periods. I have read that some people found this frustrating, but I enjoyed putting the pieces together and felt that this structure made the story all the more compelling.I won't add a lengthy review to the many others that have been written, but simply wanted to add my voice to the "Ayes". I really enjoyed inhabiting the world of these characters didn't want the novel to end.