Parrot and Olivier in America
2009 novel by Peter Carey
978-1-926428-14-7
Parrot and Olivier in America is a novel by Australian writer Peter Carey. It was on the shortlist of six books for the 2010 Man Booker Prize.[1] It was also a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award.[2]
The book, according to its publisher, is "an improvisation on the life of Alexis de Tocqueville", and focuses on Tocqueville's trips to the United States.[3] The novel mimics this life with the fictional character, Olivier de Garmont, to the life of Tocqueville, to help the reader explore Tocqueville's life.[3] The titular "Parrot" is Garmont's secretary, which New York Times reviewer Thomas Mallon describes as "Dickensian" character, and a guardian of Garmont as they explore the American environment.[3]
While Carey was developing the novel, an excerpt was published in 2009 in Granta as "Parrot".[4]
Plot summary
As the novel opens, Olivier recalls his childhood. Born to members of the French aristocracy, Olivier grows up a strange, unhealthy, and eternally curious boy. Meanwhile, Parrot grows up in working-class England, where his father works for a printer, and Parrot spends his days taking care of Watkins, an elderly engraver and counterfeiter.
Critical reception
New York Times reviewer Thomas Mallon did not think the novel as a whole was very successful, though the style followed the quality of Carey's other work. He described the novel as "replete with expressed feeling, if too wittily contrived for actual passion" and as well written, with each sentence "matchlessly robust".[3]
References
- ^ "News | the Man Booker Prizes". Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^ "Images From The 2010 National Book Awards Medal Ceremony And Finalists Reading". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d Mallon, Thomas (18 April 2010). "Review: Tocqueville: The Novel". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ Carey, Peter (Autumn 2009). "Parrot". Granta (108): 245–284.
Further reading
- Le Guin, Ursula K. (30 January 2010). "Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey | Book review". the Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- Schaub, Michael (11 May 2010). "The Prince And The 'Parrot' Go To America". NPR.org. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- Charles, Ron (28 April 2010). "Book World: Ron Charles reviews 'Parrot & Olivier in America,' by Peter Carey". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- Preston, John (25 January 2010). "Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey: review". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
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Works by Peter Carey
- Bliss (1981)
- Illywhacker (1985)
- Oscar and Lucinda (1988)
- The Tax Inspector (1991)
- The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith (1994)
- Jack Maggs (1997)
- True History of the Kelly Gang (2000)
- My Life as a Fake (2003)
- Theft: A Love Story (2006)
- His Illegal Self (2008)
- Parrot and Olivier in America (2010)
- The Chemistry of Tears (2012)
- Amnesia (2014)
- A Long Way From Home (2017)
- The Fat Man in History (1974)
- War Crimes (1979)
- The Fat Man in History and Other Stories (1980)
- Exotic Pleasures (1990)
- Collected Stories (1994)
- The Big Bazoohley (1995)
- A Letter to Our Son (1994)
- 30 Days in Sydney (2001)
- Letter from New York (2001)
- Wrong about Japan (2004)
- Bliss (1985)
- Until the End of the World (1991)
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