By Dinah Lee Küng
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First tagged by FearlessReader
Customer tags: humorous romance, paranormal romance, philosophy, time travel, humorous fantasy, family relationships, romance, kindle, france, historical fiction, enlightenment, comedy
Review & Description
You can't keep a good man down . . . even when he's dead! When an American mother and ex-journalist is overwhelmed by her new Swiss home, a visitor pops out of nowhere offering to relieve her son's asthma, her husband's distracted absence and her problems grappling with village life. Is he the village crackpot or - as he claims - the Greatest Mind of the Eighteenth Century? This talkative character in kneebreeches and a powdered wig is the last straw. Though she begs him to disappear, he unpacks his moldy trunk and a lifetime of stories instead. Slowly "V." becomes her stalwart best friend as they laugh, bicker and he teaches her the best lesson of all: how to live life to its fullest.
A Visit From Voltaire was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2004.
"In the tradition of the best self-help novels, Voltaire teaches her how to live a happy and full life,” Nicholas Cronk, The Cambridge Guide to Voltaire, March 2009.
“A mix of the real and surreal, a combination of fact and fiction and a hint of the
American experiencing Switzerland, written in a straightforward and entertaining style is what makes Dinah Lee Küng such an interesting writer. Despite her attempts to not befriend or believe in her stubborn and intelligent visitor, Monsieur Voltaire turns into her warmest friend and mentor. A witty and humorous account of the happenings ahead makes up a book worth a read." Swiss News, Zurich 2004.
“Beneath the surface of a light-hearted comedy, Dinah Lee Küng addresses a wide range of serious questions— how much energy and passion is put into any lasting literary work, how literary friendships are never free from jealousy, and what posterity and ideals really mean.”
Sonia Soltani, London Student, April 2, 2004
Voted second “Must Read” by UK library borrowers, after the winner, Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong, and ahead of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Lovely Bones, the Bookseller of Kabul, My Sister’s Keeper and the Sharpe books of Bernard Cornwell.
World Book Day, April 2005
"I was intrigued; concerned that the narrator’s relationship with the invisible Voltaire would lead to questions about her sanity and pleased to learn more about Voltaire, an agreeable companion! An excellent choice for a reading group.”
Rebecca Gawaith, New Books Mag, London, January 2005
"...Just as imaginative is Dinah Lee Küng’s A Visit From Voltaire, wherein the reader encounters many truths about human nature as well as a great deal of interesting information about the eighteenth century and one of France’s most revered writers.”
Prof. Shirley Kossick’s “Women, Literature and Literary Prizes”
Univ. of South Africa, The Cape Librarian, September 2005
“It's described as a comic novel, but full of interesting facts about this fascinating historical figure with witty and sometimes thought-provoking observations on both sides as the characters discuss their times. There is much about friendship, too, as the 20th century host finds out about her ghostly friend’s final, ignoble fate. Definitely my book of the year.”
Irene Double, librarian for Bradford Libraries, UK, Shelf Life
"A Visit From Voltaire includes scenes by turn amusing, painful and revealing, including true stories of her years as a journalist, and extrapolations from her imagination, with the irrepressible Voltaire by the end of the book setting up his own website and trading financial futures. Dinah pulls off what is not an obviously winning concept with great skill and humour.”
Shanghai Talk, China, September 2003
"Inventive, interesting and full of eighteenth century gossip,"
The Santa Cruz Sentine, California, March 24, 2004
“With wit and wisdom, Voltaire helps her adapt to life overseas, while she hosts his modern attempts to fight superstition and prejudice with a website, L’infame.org, all with disastrously funny results.”
Max Kolbe, The Correspondent, Hong Kong April 2004
You can't keep a good man down . . . even when he's dead! When an American mother and ex-journalist is overwhelmed by her new Swiss home, a visitor pops out of nowhere offering to relieve her son's asthma, her husband's distracted absence and her problems grappling with village life. Is he the village crackpot or - as he claims - the Greatest Mind of the Eighteenth Century? This talkative character in kneebreeches and a powdered wig is the last straw. Though she begs him to disappear, he unpacks his moldy trunk and a lifetime of stories instead. Slowly "V." becomes her stalwart best friend as they laugh, bicker and he teaches her the best lesson of all: how to live life to its fullest.
A Visit From Voltaire was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2004.
"In the tradition of the best self-help novels, Voltaire teaches her how to live a happy and full life,” Nicholas Cronk, The Cambridge Guide to Voltaire, March 2009.
“A mix of the real and surreal, a combination of fact and fiction and a hint of the
American experiencing Switzerland, written in a straightforward and entertaining style is what makes Dinah Lee Küng such an interesting writer. Despite her attempts to not befriend or believe in her stubborn and intelligent visitor, Monsieur Voltaire turns into her warmest friend and mentor. A witty and humorous account of the happenings ahead makes up a book worth a read." Swiss News, Zurich 2004.
“Beneath the surface of a light-hearted comedy, Dinah Lee Küng addresses a wide range of serious questions— how much energy and passion is put into any lasting literary work, how literary friendships are never free from jealousy, and what posterity and ideals really mean.”
Sonia Soltani, London Student, April 2, 2004
Voted second “Must Read” by UK library borrowers, after the winner, Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong, and ahead of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Lovely Bones, the Bookseller of Kabul, My Sister’s Keeper and the Sharpe books of Bernard Cornwell.
World Book Day, April 2005
"I was intrigued; concerned that the narrator’s relationship with the invisible Voltaire would lead to questions about her sanity and pleased to learn more about Voltaire, an agreeable companion! An excellent choice for a reading group.”
Rebecca Gawaith, New Books Mag, London, January 2005
"...Just as imaginative is Dinah Lee Küng’s A Visit From Voltaire, wherein the reader encounters many truths about human nature as well as a great deal of interesting information about the eighteenth century and one of France’s most revered writers.”
Prof. Shirley Kossick’s “Women, Literature and Literary Prizes”
Univ. of South Africa, The Cape Librarian, September 2005
“It's described as a comic novel, but full of interesting facts about this fascinating historical figure with witty and sometimes thought-provoking observations on both sides as the characters discuss their times. There is much about friendship, too, as the 20th century host finds out about her ghostly friend’s final, ignoble fate. Definitely my book of the year.”
Irene Double, librarian for Bradford Libraries, UK, Shelf Life
"A Visit From Voltaire includes scenes by turn amusing, painful and revealing, including true stories of her years as a journalist, and extrapolations from her imagination, with the irrepressible Voltaire by the end of the book setting up his own website and trading financial futures. Dinah pulls off what is not an obviously winning concept with great skill and humour.”
Shanghai Talk, China, September 2003
"Inventive, interesting and full of eighteenth century gossip,"
The Santa Cruz Sentine, California, March 24, 2004
“With wit and wisdom, Voltaire helps her adapt to life overseas, while she hosts his modern attempts to fight superstition and prejudice with a website, L’infame.org, all with disastrously funny results.”
Max Kolbe, The Correspondent, Hong Kong April 2004
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