Prisoner in a Red-Rose Chain

by Jeffrey Moore

Book Overview

It's by no means clear just how much control Jeremy Davenant has over his own destiny. He believes that the blueprint of his future exists on a page torn out of a book chosen randomly twenty-two years ago, in a literary game of blindman's buff orchestrated by his scoundrel uncle Gerard. The Page is from an encyclopedia, and is supposed to chart out his life, which may or may not explain why the Zulu tyrant Shaka, the Indian love epic Shakuntala, and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399148647
• ISBN13: 9780399148644
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
• Length: 385 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

great book

I find that the book is not too long...this is not a story about a man obsessed with a girl, who uses and throws him away, but about human interaction and perceptions and how someone sees what they want, and can justify it based on events that happened way in their past...its about jeremy's person, which is why we see uncle gerard, and milena, and her sister...we are invited into jeremy's life, and at this point, he is loving milena, and trying to win her. jeremy is not a hero, he's not perfect. but he is (as in, is alive, is as a person). sometimes a story does not have to have a happy ending, with a clearly defined hero. jeremy is more real. it's as though you had to peek into someone's life a it was, and it just happened to be jeremy walking by. that doesn't make him perfect, but that doesn't mean it can't be interesting and entertaining either. I think it's a fantastic book.and sure, there are bits that can be improved, but that's true about everything! overall, an excellent book.my favourite thing about this book is that, while you know jeremy is a born loser, you watch him in these situatiuons and you actually cringe and feel bad for him...and then you see him do something and feel like, what a jerk! you can alternate your sympathy between milena and jeremy. thats why i think they are more realistic as characters.

Stay whit me,you unguessable darklover

This is sentimental comedy whit more than a dark edge:Hornby's High Fidelity meets Scorsese's After hours,so to speak. Many scenes are immersed in an onirical atmosphere, and the realism whit wich the decaying bohemien neighborhood is descripted makes them even so bizarre. The story, per se, is very linear: Jeremy's obsession for the mysterious Milena, fascinating Dark Lady,and their rather discontinuous relationship. But that's only the canvas for a narrative witty, intelligent,full of intriguing satirical notations,while the story unravels the mystery of Milena's identity. Very nice the invention of the eccentric "uncle" Gerald and his whimsical bibliomancy. This is a book to enjoy,subtly disquieting and funny at the same time. And finally,let me say it:kudos to a thirtysomething-in-love novel whit a protagonist who doesn't wallow in self-pity for three quarters of the book!

classy comedy

I really enjoyed Prisoner in a Red-Rose Chain. I laughed out loud, snickered up my sleeve, and guffawed many a time throughout the read. I kept posting comments about it at my book group's message boards. Now, quite a number of them want to read it also.The book is very well-written. The author has an intriguing way with words - even making up his own which exactly fit the topic. He also has a good literary background that shows throughout.The humor and twists make the story a real joyous adventure to read! I hope he has another book up his sleeve for the near future!!

Exquisite!

I just finished "Prisoner in a Red-Rose Chain" by Jeffrey Moore and have to tell you that I was totally and fully engrossed, enthralled, enamoured and entangled. Fasinating tale, told by a new master.It's the story of a young man searching for and living out his destiny as it corresponds to the randomly selected page of a book (an encyclopedia) in his uncle's library. But is it real or only imaginary that the two coincide so often? Are the signs truly signs? Starting in Montreal but traveling the globe, Jeremy Davenant, a professor of Shakespeare using fraudulant credentials, falls in love and then obsession with the beautiful, exotic, elusive, street-smart and perhaps somewhat insane, Milena. He explores the correlations of his romance to "the page" which includes Shaka, Shakespeare and his works, Shakhyorsk (a city in the USSR), shaking palsy and Shakuntala (Hindu myth). Jeremy is convinced that these "signs" are evidence that he and Milena are fated as soul mates. But there are ominous "signs" as well. Murder and mayhem seem to be a part of the destiny.On top of having an incredible and finely wrought tale to tell, Moore is a gifted writer. I laughed out loud many times. From satire to slapstick yet never losing sympathy for the characters I truly enjoyed every word looking forward to the next. I think that this may be the best book I've read all year.

QSPELL Jury Review

"This novel is as sensual, squalid, playful and mysterious as Montreal, the city in which it is set. You wake up after reading this novel with your hair and rumpled clothing reeking of cigarette smoke, and your temples pounding with a hangover. You may not remember everything that happened, but you know you had a good time."