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The Muse Asylum David Czuchlewski 9780142000601 Books

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The Muse Asylum David Czuchlewski 9780142000601 Books

What is it about reclusive authors that inspire literary-minded people to such heights of obsession that they lose all sense of the impossible? Do they imagine that the JD Salingers and Richard Brautigans of the world have broken free from all the mundane demands of reality, existing on a plane far above the mere human, pondering the truth from the Olympic heights of genius? Might they know the truth about everything that we are? Or are they just frightened? Perhaps they're frauds, as fallible as the Wizard of Oz struggling behind his curtain. Perhaps they're not who they say they are at all. Maybe they're alien space creatures in disguise, come to open the way to celestial invasion. The possibilities are endless.
Daniel Czuchlewski has written a first novel that explores these mysteries with a unique combination of urbane style and clever playfulness. Three of his main characters, Jake Burnett, Andrew Wallace, and Lara Knowles, are Princeton-polished children of the privilegentsia, filled with innocent notions of truth and beauty, striving for a toe-hold in the real world while casting wistful glances back at the illusory one of their youth. The fourth is an author whose writings have drawn each of them into a world they have an increasingly hard time escaping.
Horace Jacob Little is a literary pied piper, a genius, whose absence from the physical world has created a black hole which sucks in those who live for the tantalizing insights in his books and short stories. During college, Czuchlewski's three protagonists introduce each other to the lore of Horace Jacob Little. His ideas about identity, and humanity, speak to each of their lives in a unique way, but Andrew becomes convinced that Horace Jacob Little is his personal muse and nemesis. His life revolves more and more around the premise that Horace Jacob Little knows who he is, and can't tolerate his existence in the same world.
The story revolves around Andrew's questionable sanity, Jake's journalistic probe into the reality of Horace Jacob Little, and the love the two young men share for the heroine, Lara Knowles. The plot is filled with the cleverest twists and turns, and the characters evolve, ever so subtly, from Whit Stillman clones into multi-faceted, thoughtful young people, empty vessels who become richer, and stronger, after being filled with the sometimes bitter exlir of experience.
There is a fifth main character in the book, too--the Muse Asylum itself, inspired no doubt from the McClean Institute in Pennsylvania. The Muse Asylum, a sanitarium for artists, is a repository of gentleness and humanity, a place where genius finds refuge and snuggles up comfortably with insanity, where no judgements are allowed. But is it really? As Andrew Wallace's struggle with his arch-enemy Horace Jacob Little unfolds amid the gracious interiors of the old mansion in upstate New York, the truth seems to have lots of colorful facets.
This is a superb first novel, a tight story graced with a rare stylistic elegance, filled with many more questions than answers. One suspects that Czuchlewski is no stranger to obsession, or at least compulsion--on the book jacket it mentions that he's attending med school in New York even as he works on his second novel. Maybe the second novel will delve into the mysteries and secrets in the life of a prodigy.


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The Muse Asylum David Czuchlewski 9780142000601 Books Reviews

Every year, I make it a point to read a few first novels. I think it is important to support our literary future. Usually, the first novels I read are good but not particularly special. Here is an exception--David Czuchlewski has written a truly wonderful novel, first novel or no.
In this novel, Czuchlewski tells the story of the search for a very reclusive writer named Horace Jacob Little. The search is carried on by a two young men--Jake Burnett, a young writer for a newspaper, and Andrew Wallace, who is certain Horace Jacob Little is out to get him. This lands the brilliant, though unstable, Wallace in the "muse asylum" of the title. The link between these two young men is Lara, the girl with whom they are both in love.
Needless to say, I don't want to give away any of the twists and turns of this novel. Let me just say that the writing here is wonderful. The characters are clearly drawn and, in Andrew, I found one of the most realistic depictions of madness in recent years. The plot is clever and Czuchlewski sustains the tension throughout the book. I am usually very good at predicting how novels will end but this one surprised me to the last pages. I was especially glad that Czuchlewski opted for what I would call a "realistic" ending when I was fully prepared to accept the bizarre to the point of the supernatural. Instead, I believed that everything I read could happen.
Even though it's not a particularly long book (and I dislike this trend towards superficial haste in modern novels), it is a deep and solid whole. It is a quick read but better than the typical thriller. I must admit, I'm already looking forward to novel number two.
A truly under appreciated work. I highly recommend this complex, intricately woven narrative that brilliantly animates multidimensional characters. The plot is truly layered--you will be blown away as the climax unfolds.
David Czuchlewski has opened a promising career with an excellent first novel. The saying "easy reading is hard writing" comes to mind with the Muse Asylum, for it reads so well and so smoothly that Mr. Czuchlewski's work deserves high praise. It is a story told from the point of view of two different charactors - often they retell the same stories with eerie disagreement. The plot bends and twists, but keeps the reader along for the ride and ends with a very clever finish.
Bravo Mr. Czuchlewski. Good luck on your next novel!
Bettter than the reviews. This enticing novel moves right along and dares you leave it, even for dinner. Tightly plotted. Quickly paced. With just enough juxtaposition of past and present and literary savy and enquiry into the nature of sanity and art to be more than a little interesting. It is far, far better than most offerings and undoubtedly the characters and the twists and turns will provide me with pleasant mental munchies for some time. The little summaries and synopsis don't do justice to the novel's machinations. Write on Mr. Czuchlewshi, whoever and wherever you are. We will be waiting to see if you can do it again.
After reading all the glowing reviews, I decided to give "The Muse Asylum" a try. I was expecting a well-written, insightful novel with a startling ending.
Well, two out of three ain't bad. This is well written, and the characters are quirky, deep and fascinating. But I found the "clever" ending to be trite, and the big reveal to be predictable and uninspired.
That said, it's not a bad book, and I *would* recommend it. But don't go into it expecting anything really astounding. Anyone who's read more than 20 books in her lifetime ought to be able to predict the twists before they come. So don't expect miracles, and you should find this to be a very worthwhile read.
What is it about reclusive authors that inspire literary-minded people to such heights of obsession that they lose all sense of the impossible? Do they imagine that the JD Salingers and Richard Brautigans of the world have broken free from all the mundane demands of reality, existing on a plane far above the mere human, pondering the truth from the Olympic heights of genius? Might they know the truth about everything that we are? Or are they just frightened? Perhaps they're frauds, as fallible as the Wizard of Oz struggling behind his curtain. Perhaps they're not who they say they are at all. Maybe they're alien space creatures in disguise, come to open the way to celestial invasion. The possibilities are endless.
Daniel Czuchlewski has written a first novel that explores these mysteries with a unique combination of urbane style and clever playfulness. Three of his main characters, Jake Burnett, Andrew Wallace, and Lara Knowles, are Princeton-polished children of the privilegentsia, filled with innocent notions of truth and beauty, striving for a toe-hold in the real world while casting wistful glances back at the illusory one of their youth. The fourth is an author whose writings have drawn each of them into a world they have an increasingly hard time escaping.
Horace Jacob Little is a literary pied piper, a genius, whose absence from the physical world has created a black hole which sucks in those who live for the tantalizing insights in his books and short stories. During college, Czuchlewski's three protagonists introduce each other to the lore of Horace Jacob Little. His ideas about identity, and humanity, speak to each of their lives in a unique way, but Andrew becomes convinced that Horace Jacob Little is his personal muse and nemesis. His life revolves more and more around the premise that Horace Jacob Little knows who he is, and can't tolerate his existence in the same world.
The story revolves around Andrew's questionable sanity, Jake's journalistic probe into the reality of Horace Jacob Little, and the love the two young men share for the heroine, Lara Knowles. The plot is filled with the cleverest twists and turns, and the characters evolve, ever so subtly, from Whit Stillman clones into multi-faceted, thoughtful young people, empty vessels who become richer, and stronger, after being filled with the sometimes bitter exlir of experience.
There is a fifth main character in the book, too--the Muse Asylum itself, inspired no doubt from the McClean Institute in Pennsylvania. The Muse Asylum, a sanitarium for artists, is a repository of gentleness and humanity, a place where genius finds refuge and snuggles up comfortably with insanity, where no judgements are allowed. But is it really? As Andrew Wallace's struggle with his arch-enemy Horace Jacob Little unfolds amid the gracious interiors of the old mansion in upstate New York, the truth seems to have lots of colorful facets.
This is a superb first novel, a tight story graced with a rare stylistic elegance, filled with many more questions than answers. One suspects that Czuchlewski is no stranger to obsession, or at least compulsion--on the book jacket it mentions that he's attending med school in New York even as he works on his second novel. Maybe the second novel will delve into the mysteries and secrets in the life of a prodigy.