Ava

by Carole Maso

Book Overview

Ava Klein, thirty-nine, lover of life, world traveler, professor of comparative literature, is dying. From her hospital bed on this, her last day on earth, she makes one final ecstatic voyage. People, places, offhand memories, and imaginary things drift in and out of Ava's consciousness and weave their way through the narrative. The voices of her three former husbands emerge: Francesco, a filmmaker from Rome; Anatole, lost in the air over France;...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1564780740
• ISBN13: 9781564780744
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.2"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Deeply and mysteriously resonant

At first, this novel seems incomprehensible and pointless, nothing more than a collection of random phrases and information, but after a while the phrases find echoes, the information finds order, and the ultimate effect is haunting and devastating. (Indeed, I soon found myself incapable of reading more than 20 pages or so at a time because it was emotionally overwhelming, though I've yet to figure out the exact source of this power.)Maso has said elsewhere that this book is, in some ways, related to Virginia Woolf's "The Waves", and I would agree, though in many ways I think Maso's is a more compelling and perhaps even richer book than Woolf's. "Ava" bears a certain relationship to "Mrs. Dalloway" and "To the Lighthouse" as well, for Maso, like Woolf, has subsumed her narrative within the perspective of her protagonist. The story lies between the lines.This book can't be read impatiently, nor can it be skimmed or speed-read or soundbyted, for its effect relies upon accumulation: the accumulation of ideas, events, and even the sound of the words. It requires an active reader, one willing to put forth effort of both thought and feeling. The effort is rewarded a thousandfold.

Unlike anything else!

AVA has been one of those books that I return to on a regular basis. Each time I pick it up, I remember the first time I moved through it, sometimes crying, often laughing , but most often marvelling at its beauty. Ava Klein walks us through the fragmented recollections of her life -- things she tasted, lovers she's known, places she's visited and people who have left an impact on her. Maso writes in snippets of thought,her text reminding me of the way the human mind works (our thoughts rarely take a linear path, most often they're kind of all over, spinning around). I urge you to pick up this book and just flow through it, enjoying, if nothing else, the beauty and immediacy of the words. AVA is brilliant and wonderful; it is a work you will come back to often just so you can remember what a gift it is.

Do yourself the favor of buying this

This is perhaps one of my very favorite books. It is simply a gift to the literary world. Maso uses language like silk and the text shines. The "spaces" in consciousness create a stronger reaction than any amount of description and tight prose. Her words, thoughts, and narration is haunting and stirs the deepest parts of a readers understanding and consciousness. I feel I know Ava better than any other character in any other text. This is a gem. I completely agree with the former reviewer's comparison to fine wine. A great read.

Unlike anything else...

All you have to do to see how different this novel is from others you have read is open it up and look at the prose. It's written in short poetic lines, separate little pieces. As I began reading, I wondered if I was missing out because I didn't understand everything... Then I gave in and just continued on--much to my delight. The story of Ava unravels itself subtly and carefully, like unrolling a newly discovered scroll written on dangerously fragile parchment. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Do yourself a favor and buy it. Sit somewhere peaceful and let yourself be carried away.

Reading Ava is like drinking fine wine

Three years ago while working in a bookstore I noticed a hardcover novel by an author I had never encountered. Picking up the book I was intrigued by a simple white cover with a black and white photograph. I opened the cover to see lines of what seemed to be poetry running down every page, like one long stream of consciousness poem. I decided to read Ava at first because I enjoy poetry, but second because the plot seemed interesting. It is simply put, the thoughts and memories of a dying woman whose life experiences have given her a wealth of sensual and deep images that draw the reader into her life. What I discovered while reading this book was that reading could be like sipping a rare and special vintage of the finest wine. As I got deeper into the book I discovered lines from poets I thought only I loved, and I discovered a woman facing her death with a quiet dignity and gratitude for life's beauty and pain. At the end of each section of the book (it is not broken down into chapters, but time segments; morning, noon,etc.) I had to stop and absorb all the images brought to mind. I felt drunk in a pleasant way; i.e. no hangover. After I had finished the book, I found myself flipping through it's pages, looking for one line or another, trying to recapture the image I couldn't forget. It never failed to recur with the rereading of a particular phrase, or number of phrases, and even today three years later it is a book I pick up once in a while to sip at. I loan books out to friends regularly and usually don't worry about their return, but Ava is one book that I tell people about, but never even offer to loan out. I just can't take the risk that this special gift might disappear from my world. In the last year I have read another Maso title and found her writing style had the same inebriating effect even though the format was the more traditional prose of most novels. I will always remember Ava as being my personal introduction to the world of a talented and unique author whose books will all be treasured in my library for many years to come.