The Rise & Fall of Great Powers - Hardcover

"Ingenious . . . Rachman zigzags from [1988] to 1999-2000 to 2011, as he tells the story of a woman who bears witness to decades of rapid cultural, political and technological changes. . . . [He] needs only a few well-drawn characters to fill a large canvas and an impressive swath of history. . . . A set of Venn diagrams of how the book's characters overlap would reveal many secrets about its story. . . . The richness of this book is more apparent once the reading is over. . . . For all its serious points, this book is never too busy for hilarity."--Janet Maslin, "The New York Times"
"I found it impossible not to fall in love with shape-shifting Tooly. As an adult, she sports an ironical sense of humor and an attraction to dusty old books. As a child, her straight-faced mirth and wordplay are break-your-heart irresistible. . . . "The Rise & Fall of Great Powers" eventually lays out the whole trajectory of Tooly's life and shines light on the dark mysteries of her scrambled childhood. . . . Now beyond resentment or blame, she just wants a usable past and someone worthy of her tender heart. Rachman is certainly such a person, and in these pages, you may discover that you are, too."--Ron Charles, "The Washington Post"
"
""Tom Rachman creates this whole world of complicated, flawed and endearing characters who keep you wanting more."--NPR
"Marvelously written . . . highly recommended for its prose and for presenting us with the strangely endearing, surprisingly good-natured, unabashedly weird character named Matilda 'Tooly' Zylberberg."--"St. Louis Post-Dispatch"
" "
"[An] engaging and inventive coming-of-age novel."--"San Francisco Chronicle"
"A bookshop-lover's book, and beautiful prose-lover's book, and read-it-all-in-one-weekend book."--"The New Republic"
" "
"A superb follow-up to 2010's "The Imperfectionists ." . . ambitious and engaging . . . The book is a lovely mystery without a corpse, less a whodunit than a who-is-she?"--"The Seattle Times"
" "
"Living on the edge has its pitfalls--and charms--in British author Tom Rachman's cracking new novel. . . . We are treated to Rachman's rich gift not only for bringing his book's personae completely to life but for doing so with great wit and a penchant for Dickensian names. . . . But if the novel starts with the feel of "Oliver Twist" . . . it morphs into a sort of "Great Expectations"--and we buy every wonderful word of it."--"The Buffalo News"
"If you're in the market for an accomplished and satisfying novel, one that will take hold of you immediately from page one and set you down gently at the end feeling uplifted and rewarded, you could just stop reading at the end of this paragraph and wander over to your favourite bookstore and buy a copy of Tom Rachman's exquisite new book, "The Rise & Fall of Great Powers." . . . This is what fiction is all about. It is impossible to overstate its power and elegance."--"The Globe and Mail"
"For a novel that takes place on three different continents over a period of thirty years, Tom Rachman's "The Rise & Fall of Great Powers" is a surprisingly small story. That's probably what makes it so good: Even with all the flights of fancy and exotic locales, the characters in it are beautifully human, even if half of them are con artists with Dickensian names. After his much acclaimed 2010 debut, "The Imperfectionists, " Rachman uses this follow-up to prove he's a writer to watch. [Grade: ] A"--"The A.V. Club"
" "
"Rachman clearly has Dickens in mind as inspiration for this sprawling tale of an orphan cast out onto the world and belatedly investigating the mystery of her origins. . . . Its pleasures are almost architectural. . . . You may come to admire, as I did, the precision of its observations, as well as its intricate form and the way stray plot pieces eventually snap into place."--Maureen Corrigan, NPR
"A satisfying jigsaw . . . Bring on the third masterpiece."--"The Sydney Morning Herald"
"This book is mesmerising: a thorough work-out for the head and heart that targets cognitive muscles you never knew you had. Thanks, though, to Rachman's lightness of touch and quite considerable streaks of silliness, it feels much more like dancing than exercise."--"The Times "(UK)
"Some novels are such good company that you don't want them to end; Tom Rachman knows this, and has pulled off the feat of writing one. . . . Rachman has written a hugely likeable, even loveable book about the people we meet and how they shape us."--"The Telegraph "(UK)
"Ingeniously orchestrated."--"Vanity Fair"
" "
"The observations raised in this novel emerge from the very specific tale of one woman and her extremely unusual circumstances, but what they all point to is a kind of reckoning with the most fundamental questions of human existence: who we are, and why. . . . While Rachman's novel offers no easy answers--indeed, how could it?--it provides a worthwhile investigation into our insatiable need for self-knowledge, a desire that is profoundly and inescapably part of what it means to be human."--"Chicago Tribune"
" "
"[A] dizzying tale . . . "The Rise & Fall of Great Powers" is an intricate, sprawling and almost Dickensian novel about a girl abducted in childhood who goes searching for answers in adulthood. . . . Reporter-turned-novelist Rachman is an astute observer of human nature."--"USA Today"
"Tom Rachman's second novel is a great jigsaw-puzzle of a book, spanning a quarter of a century and with its pieces scattered all over the world. . . . It's in something of that spirit that, as the book moves towards its end, the strange gravities that hold its constellation of characters together start to make sense--upsetting both Tooly's and the reader's expectations in a satisfying and rather poignant way."--"The Guardian "(UK)
"Rachman's comedic powers drive the story, with grace and wit lavished on plentiful asides about the value of books. . . . [He] can compose sentences, paragraphs and whole pages with near perfect pitch and rhythm."--Minneapolis "Star Tribune"
" "
"Tom Rachman scores again . . . [Tooly] is plucky and admirable and so fully drawn that you watch with horror as she makes terrible and cruel choices through her young adulthood. . . . We watch with admiration as Tooly's heart opens up and she does her best to correct and amend for her past behaviors. . . . This is a satisfying adult novel with a hopeful ending."--"The Oregonian"
"Tremendously readable, with characters who often spark and jump off the page, and a central puzzle that grips you until the end."--"The Huffington Post"
"When a Tom Rachman novel lands in the bookstores, I stop living and breathing to devour it. It's hard to think of anyone who has a better grasp on the world we live in (and I mean, like, the entire planet) and can write about it with such entertainment and panache."--Gary Shteyngart, author of "Little Failure"
"The haunting tale of a young woman reassessing her turbulent past . . . brilliantly structured, beautifully written."--"Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)
"Rachman's kaleidoscopic second novel demonstrates that one's family is very often made up of the people you find and who find you along the way."--"Booklist"
"A suspenseful novel that whisks readers around the world . . . [a journey] worth taking."--"Publishers Weekly"
" "
"A tale about the mystery of the self, the power of books, and how truth and fiction can inextricably intermingle . . . captivating."--"Library Journal"

"From the Hardcover edition."

Ingenious . . . [Tom] Rachman needs only a few well-drawn characters to fill a large canvas and an impressive swath of history. Janet Maslin, The New York Times
A superb follow-up to 2010 s The Imperfectionists . . . ambitious and engaging. The Seattle Times
Engaging and inventive . . . full of wonderfully quirky, deeply flawed, but lovable characters . . . On the spectrum of interesting literary childhoods, Tooly Zylberberg the protagonist of Tom Rachman s second novel would rank somewhere in the vicinity of Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist. San Francisco Chronicle
I found it impossible not to fall in love with shape-shifting Tooly. As an adult, she sports an ironical sense of humor and an attraction to dusty old books. As a child, her straight-faced mirth and wordplay are break-your-heart irresistible. Ron Charles, The Washington Post
[A] read-it-all-in-one-weekend book. The New Republic
A compelling page-turner . . . intricate, sprawling, and almost Dickensian. USA Today
Rachman s comedic powers drive the story, with grace and wit. . . . [He] can compose sentences, paragraphs and whole pages with near perfect pitch and rhythm. Minneapolis Star Tribune
A smart, rollicking novel. O: The Oprah Magazine

Tom Rachman creates this whole world of complicated, flawed and endearing characters who keep you wanting more. NPR
Marvelously written . . . highly recommended for its prose and for presenting us with the strangely endearing, surprisingly good-natured, unabashedly weird character named Matilda Tooly Zylberberg. St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Living on the edge has its pitfalls and charms in British author Tom Rachman s cracking new novel. . . . We are treated to Rachman s rich gift not only for bringing his book s personae completely to life but for doing so with great wit and a penchant for Dickensian names. . . . But if the novel starts with the feel of Oliver Twist . . . it morphs into a sort of Great Expectations and we buy every wonderful word of it. The Buffalo News
If you re in the market for an accomplished and satisfying novel, one that will take hold of you immediately from page one and set you down gently at the end feeling uplifted and rewarded, you could just stop reading at the end of this paragraph and wander over to your favourite bookstore and buy a copy of Tom Rachman s exquisite new book, The Rise & Fall of Great Powers. . . . This is what fiction is all about. It is impossible to overstate its power and elegance. The Globe and Mail
For a novel that takes place on three different continents over a period of thirty years, Tom Rachman s The Rise & Fall of Great Powers is a surprisingly small story. That s probably what makes it so good: Even with all the flights of fancy and exotic locales, the characters in it are beautifully human, even if half of them are con artists with Dickensian names. After his much acclaimed 2010 debut, The Imperfectionists, Rachman uses this follow-up to prove he s a writer to watch. [Grade: ] A The A.V. Club

Rachman clearly has Dickens in mind as inspiration for this sprawling tale of an orphan cast out onto the world and belatedly investigating the mystery of her origins. . . . Its pleasures are almost architectural. . . . You may come to admire, as I did, the precision of its observations, as well as its intricate form and the way stray plot pieces eventually snap into place. Maureen Corrigan, NPR

A satisfying jigsaw . . . Bring on the third masterpiece. The Sydney Morning Herald
This book is mesmerising: a thorough work-out for the head and heart that targets cognitive muscles you never knew you had. Thanks, though, to Rachman s lightness of touch and quite considerable streaks of silliness, it feels much more like dancing than exercise. The Times (UK)
Some novels are such good company that you don t want them to end; Tom Rachman knows this, and has pulled off the feat of writing one. . . . Rachman has written a hugely likeable, even loveable book about the people we meet and how they shape us. The Telegraph (UK)
Ingeniously orchestrated. Vanity Fair

The observations raised in this novel emerge from the very specific tale of one woman and her extremely unusual circumstances, but what they all point to is a kind of reckoning with the most fundamental questions of human existence: who we are, and why. . . . While Rachman's novel offers no easy answers indeed, how could it? it provides a worthwhile investigation into our insatiable need for self-knowledge, a desire that is profoundly and inescapably part of what it means to be human. Chicago Tribune
Tom Rachman s second novel is a great jigsaw-puzzle of a book, spanning a quarter of a century and with its pieces scattered all over the world. . . . It s in something of that spirit that, as the book moves towards its end, the strange gravities that hold its constellation of characters together start to make sense upsetting both Tooly s and the reader s expectations in a satisfying and rather poignant way. The Guardian (UK)

Tom Rachman scores again . . . [Tooly] is plucky and admirable and so fully drawn that you watch with horror as she makes terrible and cruel choices through her young adulthood. . . . We watch with admiration as Tooly s heart opens up and she does her best to correct and amend for her past behaviors. . . . This is a satisfying adult novel with a hopeful ending. The Oregonian
Tremendously readable, with characters who often spark and jump off the page, and a central puzzle that grips you until the end. The Huffington Post
When a Tom Rachman novel lands in the bookstores, I stop living and breathing to devour it. It s hard to think of anyone who has a better grasp on the world we live in (and I mean, like, the entire planet) and can write about it with such entertainment and panache. Gary Shteyngart, author of Little Failure
The haunting tale of a young woman reassessing her turbulent past . . . brilliantly structured, beautifully written. Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Rachman s kaleidoscopic second novel demonstrates that one s family is very often made up of the people you find and who find you along the way. Booklist
A suspenseful novel that whisks readers around the world . . . [a journey] worth taking. Publishers Weekly

A tale about the mystery of the self, the power of books, and how truth and fiction can inextricably intermingle . . . captivating. Library Journal

From the Hardcover edition."

"Ingenious . . . [Tom] Rachman needs only a few well-drawn characters to fill a large canvas and an impressive swath of history."--Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"A superb follow-up to 2010's The Imperfectionists . . . ambitious and engaging."--The Seattle Times

"Engaging and inventive . . . full of wonderfully quirky, deeply flawed, but lovable characters . . . On the spectrum of interesting literary childhoods, Tooly Zylberberg--the protagonist of Tom Rachman's second novel--would rank somewhere in the vicinity of Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist."--San Francisco Chronicle

"I found it impossible not to fall in love with shape-shifting Tooly. A...

The stunning second novel from the author of international bestseller The Imperfectionists.