The Final Solution Lib/E: A Story of Detection

Review

Both simple and startling sad...Chabon has created a minor masterpiece.-- "Hartford Courant"

The writing here is taut and polished, and Chabon's characters and depictions of English country life are spot on...[A] haunting novella.-- "Publishers Weekly"

The writing is everything that Chabon's fans expect-gorgeous, muscular, mildly melancholic.-- "Baltimore Sun"

To be admired for the feeling in its sentences...One of the best-written American novels published this fall.-- "New York Sun"


Product Description

Retired to the English countryside, an eighty-nine-year-old man, rumored to be a once-famous detective, is more concerned with his beekeeping than with his fellow man. Into his life wanders Linus Steinman, nine years old and mute, who has escaped from Nazi Germany with his sole companion: an African gray parrot.
What is the meaning of the mysterious strings of German numbers the bird spews out-a top-secret SS code? The keys to a series of Swiss bank accounts? Or do they hold a significance both more prosaic and far more sinister?
Though the solution may be beyond even the reach of the once-famous sleuth, the true story of the boy and his parrot is subtly revealed in a wrenching resolution.

About the Author

Michael Chabon is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books, collections of short stories and essays, and a young-adult novel. Titles include Wonder Boys, which was made into a critically acclaimed film; The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize; and The Yiddish Policemen's Union, among others.

Michael York is a successful screen and stage actor. Among his screen credits are Romeo and Juliet, Cabaret, The Three Musketeers, Logan's Run, and Austin Powers. Stage appearances include Britain's National Theatre and Broadway. His television work has garnered Emmy nominations and his audio recordings Grammy nominations, as well as five AudioFile Earphones Awards. He has been awarded Britain's OBE, France's Arts et Lettres, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

From AudioFile

While Chabon's novel of suspense is relatively short and Michael York delivers a stellar performance, it's a challenge to the listener. The work does not translate well to audio. Chabon is a master of complexity, both in the stories he crafts and the style in which he writes. Although these distinctions work well in print, in audio the listener does not have the luxury of being able to turn back pages frequently to re-read complicated sentences. The result is an anomaly. Michael York could not be better, and his style and tone fit well into a mystery based in the English countryside. But York's strengths simply cannot overcome Chabon's complicated plot and narrative style, which are best enjoyed in print. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine