Sarah MianoRecensioni

Sarah Emily Miano must be obsessed with scrapbooks. Like her first novel, [b:Encyclopaedia Of Snow|73953|Encyclopaedia of Snow|Sarah Emily Miano|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356456607s/73953.jpg|71550], Miano uses the notion of fragments - to better effect - in her second novel, "Van Rijn".

A young publisher meets the ageing Rembrandt Van Rijn, and attempts to penetrate his inner circle. The novel wanders between timeframes, gradually uncovering the inner workings of our middle-class narrator, the varied people of his milieu, and, ultimately, the enigmatic artist himself. Parts of the novel are in relatively straightforward narrative; others are scattered diary entries from Rembrandt's unique mind; still others are excerpts from poems or thoughts of those on the fringes of the story.

Miano has expertly breathed life into her characters, to the point where the parables they tell and phrases they use struck me as straight from the history books, even as I began to realise that they were - for the most part - made up entirely. All of the characters are fascinating, but it is Rembrandt himself - tortured by age and loss, yet clinging on to his lustful, jovial youth, and always inspired by further aesthetic ambitions - who is most fully realised. As we view him from within and without, the icon becomes a man, yet remains suitably ambiguous nonetheless.

"Van Rijn" is an odd novel, stylistically unusual, and often academic in its discussion of the creation of art. Yet it works, because Miano conjures up an entire era, immersing us into the world of Rembrandt's Amsterdam, with the often tortured, yet always beautiful thoughts of the protagonists. Enchanting.

For the most part, I'm going to repost my Amazon.com review because, well, I'm lazy. But I felt I would add a few comments first:

When I read this book back in 2004, I can safely say it was my favourite novel. Now, although this is no longer true, I need to stress that is not this book's fault. If anything, it is to Ms. Miano's credit in that her vision (combined, I guess, with that inevitable middle-class university awakening experience) opened me up to a world of literary complexity. "Encyclopaedia of Snow" still holds - and always will hold - a place in my heart and on my favourite books list. I just don't want people to think me hyperbolic in calling everything "my favourite".

I've corresponded with Ms. Miano, and I can say she is an amusing and delightful person, and I hope she continues to write in the future. I'm about to start reading her second novel, "Van Rijn", and look forward to it immensely.

(From Amazon:) Her "Encyclopaedia of Snow" is an incredibly complex, thematically rich work which pulls together dozens of stories, poems and vignettes that are in some way related to snow. At first glance, the stories - and the accompanying notes and epilogues - seem to have little in common, but as one reads and rereads them - each imbued with Miano's exquisite poetic style - all sorts of links and connections are discovered.

The stories range from a young girls' crushing experiences with anorexia, to an ancient Chinese maiden who waits to die to be with her lover; stories from Russia, Japan, the USA, and the ends of the Earth. Miano herself suggests links at the end of each "encyclopaedia entry" but the fun is also in being enveloped in the story and finding ones' own links. Her characters are rich and ranging from mythological figures to characters from literature (Joyce's "The Dead" recieves a re-working), to characters from Miano's own mind, and those from classic films (the "It's A Wonderful Life" piece is a particularly nice surprise).

I never get tired of this book, and its inherent beauty. Recommended to all but particularly those who like beautiful literature, and for those who have an affinity for snow.

Great concept of having a series of texts set out in the form of an encyclopedia. Some stories grabbed me more than others.½

This book didn't work for me, I found it it endlessly rambling, unfocused and confusing.

Rembrandt, zijn privéleven en de wereld om hem heen in het Amsterdam van de zeventiende eeuw, gezien door de ogen van Pieter Blaeu, zoon van de kaartenmaker.

"Tell me," you said, "why you have been like a pool of frozen water since we came here . . ." I didn't reply, or move an inch, not even when the wind sent a new drift of snow over me. "Tell me," you said. "Otherwise how can I reach you?" After a moment you looked me in the eye, briefly, and I wanted to speak to you but my thoughts and feelings were trapped in a triad of cold, silence and height.

A man's love-letter to a woman, written in the form of an encyclopaedia about snow. The entries include stories, scientific article, myths and an Inuit's description of how to make kamiks (waterproof fur boots) from caribou skin.

I picked this book up on a whim because I liked the cover, and I'm glad I did.½

Weird, touching, unusual, intense. the book is indeed organised by alphabet with short articles on different aspects of snow. Sometimes these articles are short quotes, longer stories, an exchange of letters or poetry. Some of them are connected, some don't make a lot of sense but they are all interesting enough to keep me reading, despite my lack of discipline when it comes to collections of short stories. Maybe it's because the bits are somehow connected.

Awful - plus any writer who confuses ‘lie’ and ‘lay’ doesn’t deserve to be published.

This is a most creative interpretation of the life and work of Rembrandt, the Van Rijn of the title. The author is only in her early thirties but the scope of her research, her imaginative use of the information, is breathtaking. Slow read, but worth the effort.

Wonderful, a treasure of a book................

The price tag is usually indicative of the market appeal that any given book will command: generally, the more highly priced, the smaller and more specialised the reader base. Adequately written and interesting though Van Rijn may be, given the above criteria, I suspect it has priced itself below its target market. Even for non art lovers or historians, this novel is an enticing journey into the past, well observed and researched, and providing a tour of the alternative artistic life of the 17th century.½

I've loved winter and especially snow for as long as I can remember. And unconsciously I've waited for a book like this my whole life. It was one of those lucky purchases, I only bought it because of the title and the cover.
The whole book is a mosaic of poetic and philosophical stories, myths and scientific tidbits. A mosaic, just like life with and in the snow is to me. Snow in all its forms, be it on a sunny day in the mountains or during a harsh blizzard.
The thread that holds all the stories together is the snow and after a while one story sticks out as it is repeated in many different forms. Told from different perspectives and recounted at different points in time. It's a desperate and hopeless love story, yet it fills you with warmth. It also always circles around the same topic of ice, coldness and snow.
I simply love this book and I'm sure I'll discover more things the next time I read it.