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Knygoje pasakojama istorija panardina į svaigią Paryžiaus vasaros atmosferą ir kviečia susimąstyti: kas gali paskatinti mus įveikti savo baimes, susikaustymą bei įpročius ir, kai gyvenimas nebeteikia džiaugsmo, priversti išsukti iš įprasto kelio?
Įsivaizduokite – nepažįstamas žmogus išgelbsti jums gyvybę mainais už pasižadėjimą daryti viską, ko tik jis pareikalaus... jūsų paties labui. Priremtas prie sienos sutinkate ir atsiduriate keistoje padėtyje: regis, viskas ima slysti iš rankų... Jūsų gyvenimas – nebe jūsų valioje, tačiau daugeliu atžvilgių gerokai įdomesnis nei anksčiau! Vis dėlto pamažu apninka abejonės: ko iš tikrųjų siekia tas žmogus, kuris kišasi į jūsų gyvenimą? Kas jis toks? Ir kas tie paslaptingi jo aplinkos žmonės?
360 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
Thanks to Netgalley, Hay House, and the author of this book for the advanced copy
“The Man Who Risked It All” is a novel about Alan Greenmor. Alan’s mother came from France to America in hopes to provide a stable and productive life for him, but his time in America seems to play out in the polar opposite direction from that intention.
Before Alan was born, his mother conned an American to believe that he was the biological father of the bun in her oven. The real father bolted upon hearing the news of her pregnancy. Alan’s mother and his American “father”, once living in the US, battle like cats and dogs. His “father” is mostly very passive and Alan’s mother believes he is too apathetic for her liking, therefore she picks fights with him to rattle him out of his normally benign temperament. In one of their heated arguments, she blurts out that Alan is really not his son and out the door they go.
For the next decade or so, his mother pushes him to extreme limits in order for Alan to receive scholarships so that he can provide a better life for himself than she was ever able to. He isn’t forced to do things he doesn’t love, such as baseball, but feels that he doesn’t want to let his mother down if he doesn’t appease her requests. In turn, Alan doesn’t seem to find very much joy in his life.
That is, until he meets Audrey. Once he has graduated from college and his mother dies, Alan decides to relocate to France, where he meets the love of his life. Audrey is equivalent to a sexual goddess in Alan’s eyes and around the time that he realizes that he is in love with her, she leaves him with no explanation. Without family to turn to and no life to really keep him above water, he decides that he is going to jump from the Eiffel Tower and just end it all.
Perched on the Eiffel Tower and ready to jump, Alan hears a cough, which knocks him out of his trance. Irritated and fighting the vertigo from the height, he spots s a man. This man appears to be just watching him while smoking a cigar. Little does he know that this man is going to challenge him and talk him down from the ledge, albeit in a peculiar way. Not only will he save Alan's life, but he will change the entire direction of his lonely and monotonous existence.
This book started out very strong for me and gripped my attention from the start. His whole life’s story up until the point where he was about to jump from the Eiffel Tower. I was intrigued by this man who coughed and was curious of his motives and that of course kept me turning the pages. I teetered between 3 and 4 stars and if there were half stars then I would definitely have given it 3 and a half because it was a unique read and very insightful.
What kept me from 4 or 5 stars would have to be the middle of the book. I was hooked in the beginning and at around 70% in, it became climatic. I just wish that it had been that way throughout or at least a bit more excitement than there was. In the middle of the book, although very insightful as stated earlier, it just was slow for me and uneventful and some parts for me were a bit unbelievable even for a campy read of mostly metaphors and philosophy/psychology. There were some parts that I had a hard time wrapping my fingers around and that had a lot to do with Audrey’s part in the novel, but I overlooked that as she really didn’t play that significant of a role throughout the book, but more so in hindsight.
When a book throws me by surprise and hits me beside the head with some piece of material that I never saw coming, then I am a very satisfied reader. The ending of the book and the role of the coughing man was a real surprise to me and I commend an author who sneaks one over on me like that. Bravo, dear author!
I think this was a very interesting read and I highlighted so much in this book that I will be referencing in the future. I wanted to get it all down so that I can later go back and really ponder on some of the examples that were used. I feel that some of the philosophy in this book and the examples given were such that I could try to apply them toward my own life.
Life is a risk.
If you have not risked, you have not lived.
It’s what gives… that champagne taste.
Which sounds to me a bit awkward in translation, so in honour of Sœur Emmanuelle, here's the original in French:
« La vie est un risque.
Si tu n’as pas risqué, tu n’as pas vécu.
C’est ce qui donne… un goût de champagne. »