Gilgamesh: A Novel

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Editorial Reviews

Gilgamesh is a rich, spare, and evocative novel of encounters and escapes, of friendship and love, of loss and acceptance, a debut that marks the emergence of a world-class talent. It is 1937. The modern world, they say, is waiting to erupt. On a tiny farm in far southwestern Australia, seventeen-year-old Edith lives with her mother and sister, Frances. One afternoon two men, her English cousin Leopold and his Armenian friend Aram, arrive -- taking the long way home from an archaeological dig in Iraq. Edith is captivated by the tales they tell of strange peoples, magical journeys, and a world far beyond the narrow horizon of her small town of Nunderup. One such story is the epic of Gilgamesh, the ancient Mesopotamian king who adventured throughout the world with his friend the wild man Enkidu, in search of the secret of eternal life. Two years later, in 1939, Edith and her young son, Jim, set off on a journey of their own, to Soviet Armenia, where they are trapped by the outbreak of war. A novel of stunning accomplishment, Gilgamesh examines what happens when we strike out into the world, and how, like the wandering king, we find our way home.


Related Reviews

Gilgamesh: A Novel

By A Customer @ 2003-04-26

This book is hard to put down. Joan London presents characters of disparate cultural and geographic backgrounds with such warmth that you feel you know them as intimately as a roommate. She is no less able in presenting different parts of the world where the novel takes place. Her characters are Australian, British, Armenian, and Russian. They are Soldiers, Farmers, housewives, Sailors, teachers, lonely girls, and lonely boys. What they seem to share is that they all are real humans and as such they all have lost something. Some have lost a dream, others limbs, and others loves. It is a story of love and the struggle to develop a palate to enjoy sweetness in a life that is short on sugar.
Ms. London's love for Australia is dangerously contagious. She presents the Australian backcountry and its people in such a way that you can't help but want to go there. The Australian government should drop all their travel brochures, the fancy color pictures, and video clips and just send copies of this book to travel agents all over the world. Anyone reading this book will fall in love with Australia and its people

World Inside A World

Lee Armstrong @ 2003-08-11

A singer named Rhett Miller wrote a song whose lyric is, "There is a world inside the world that you see." This kind of Zen-like perspective is one that fits this most interesting story where the external world changes from rural Australia to London to Armenia to Iraq and back again as the story progresses, but whose inner world is filled with characters each trying to find their place within that world. The main character, Edith, starts the story as a teenage girl whose father has died and whose mother, Ada, is somewhat of a lost person, a romantic living amid an immensely practical world of the small village of Nunderup. Her cousin Leopold who visits also seems restless, perhaps seeking adventure or simply trying to see enough of the world to find his place. With him is his driver and companion Aram who flashes on the scene briefly, an orphan from the atrocities in Armenia, also rootless, not particularly belonging to anyone or anywhere. Upon finding herself with the social stigma of an unmarried pregnant girl in 1937 Australia, Edith gives birth to Jim and decides to keep her baby and find the father Aram who she believes will marry her when he learns of their child. With this, the novel becomes quite the epic adventure, crossing the sea, encountering a cook who seems to have too fond a liking for children, staying with her aunt in London before setting out for Armenia. There we meet a whole range of characters including Hagop who befriends her and Tati the visionary Armenian poet while a world of external political intrigue amidst war swirls around Edith and young Jim while the internal world compass seems solidly fixed on finding a home. Eventually, Edith learns of Aram's death and flees to Iran to be reunited ever so briefly with Leopold who takes them to a safe haven in Iraq, the very orphanage from which Aram came. By now, Jim's internal world is quickly developing as he also seems out of place, waking when he should be sleeping, not quite fitting in. Events take them back to Australia where Jim continues to be more of an odd duck, not quite feeling at home in his own country. Joan London's prose grabs you while the story's worldwide scope lets you travel through the book, all the while seeing the world inside the world within each of the characters. "Gilgamesh" is an excellent accomplishment! Enjoy!

An Understated and Engaging Novel --- Emotional and Honest

Bookreporter.com @ 2003-05-29

Joan London's GILGAMESH is an understated and engaging novel of physical and emotional adventure, and the unknowable and invisible bonds that unite some people in life. It is 1937, and seventeen-year-old Edith has lived her whole life on the wild Australian coast on a bit of land her father has tried to tame for years. After her father's death, the land grows harder and harder to maintain; she, along with her mother and sister, soon slip into complacency and solitude.

The arrival of her cousin Leopold and his intriguing Armenian friend Aram brings Edith back to life. The two young men, having just returned from an archeological dig in Iraq, challenge her to think about the world beyond southwestern Australia. They fascinate her with tales of the places they've traveled and the worlds they have seen. With Aram, Edith shares a special attraction and, after he and Leopold leave, she finds out that she is pregnant with his child. With new confidence, Edith decides to keep the baby and, after her son Jim is born, the two set off on a journey to find Aram.

Her love and longing for Aram, a man she hardly knows in any conventional sense, take Edith and her son from their isolated home to Soviet-ruled Armenia and then to the Middle East before returning to Australia. This journey brings her closer to Leopold and makes her more aware of her own needs and desires. It instills in Jim a sense of Armenian identity, as well as a wanderlust similar to that of Leopold and his father.

All of London's characters seem lonely. They come together under often dramatic or dangerous circumstances and then share the ordinary details and events of their lives. Despite the subtext of espionage, war and world affairs, this is a quiet novel as shy as Edith but still as bold. London's subdued tone belays the strong emotions of the characters, the urgency of Edith's need to find Aram and the drama of the story. The loneliness of the characters manifests in passionate relationships and these relationships compose much of the novel.

Edith's restlessness drives the plot, but the friendship and adventures of Aram and Leopold underscore the action. Their relationship parallels that of the mythical Gilgamesh and Enkidu. But by the end of the novel, Edith, Leopold and Jim are all like Gilgamesh, living life as best they can in the absence of Aram, their Enkidu. When he grows up, Jack becomes a figure like Edith, journeying far, with the assistance of Leopold, to search out the legacy of Aram.

The pace of GILGAMESH is slow, sometimes drowsy, but the novel is well written, a uniquely told yet classically understood take on the themes of friendship, longing and journeying. While no knowledge of the myth of Gilgamesh is required to understand, appreciate or enjoy the novel, it would certainly enhance the reading. Spinning from a myth of universal themes, London has created a novel just as evocative and universal.

Like Gilgamesh, Edith must leave home, test herself, love and lose much in order to learn her true strength and worth. Like Gilgamesh, she comes home weary and wise. And the reader, invested in the brutally real lives of Edith and Jim, gains much from this emotional and honest tale.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Rich offering of a brilliant writer

Peggy Vincent "autho @ 2003-07-16

An evocative novel of loss, love, and compassion, Gilgamesh is set in Australia in 1937, just prior to WWII. When Aram a world traveler arrives with Edith's cousin, teenaged Edith's eyes are opened to a bigger world outside the small woman-dominated farm on which she lives, and her life is changed. Two yrs later, she and her young son (fathered by Aram) find themselves stuck behind enemy lines in their journey to find him. The journey from Australia to Armenia, and thru the Middle East before finally returning `home' mirrors the Gilgamesh metaphor of the wandering king and explores the concept of Home. Stunning writing and insight into character makes this debut fiction a real keeper.

A thoughful really well written novel

Philip S. Brody @ 2005-02-28

A rather original and well written novel. In addition it kept my attention to the very end. One can complain about unlikely plot elements that move the story along -but it has a reality to it not found in many novels. It's the only book by the author in Amazon. I would look forward to additional works by her.

Lyrical and Engaging

By A Customer @ 2003-06-24

Gilgamesh is a lyrical and engaging book, and especially impressive considering it is the author's first novel. The loneliness of the characters is very aptly described, and it helps you to admire what must be the vast beauty of Australia. I found the characters to be flawed and believable, and I am looking forward to the author's next novel.

Just Ok for Me

Daniel Holland @ 2009-02-26

I thought subject matter and locales were interesting, but the writing was a little too spare and one-dimensional for me. I'd call it a dark book and it reminds me of going back and reading an early Cormac McCarthy book, like London's impressive but still hasn't reached her full stride. I have a feeling that Joan London is going to be writing some great books in her lifetime.

A melancholy but beautiful tale.

e. verrillo @ 2009-11-04

This is a story about the wanderings of the soul. Referring back to the ancient epic of Gilgamesh, Joan London describes the journeys of Edith Clark, a young Australian woman, who sets out across the world to find her lover just prior to WWII. Edith's search takes her, and her baby, from the wilds of Australia to London (where she resides with her exotic Russian aunt, Irina) and finally on to Armenia, where she attempts to locate her son's father on the eve of war. The tale is captivating. Edith's experiences crossing Europe aboard the exotic Orient Express are rich and compelling, especially her encounter with the mysterious Mr. Five Percent (who, in real life, was Calouste Gulbekian, the wealthiest man in the world). And, when Edith finally reaches her destination, London's account of the Russian occupation of Armenia had me turning the pages well into the night.

London's writing is fluid and lyrical, and filled with atmosphere. The characters are portrayed with a starkness and lack of sentimentality that makes them both unique and believable. However, the lack of sentiment, while in keeping with the general themes of the book--loneliness, estrangement, loss--also made it difficult to get close to the characters. In the last section of the book, London seemed to lose track of both her characters and her story. As the plot wandered away, London finally resorted to a deus ex machina in an effort to return it home. In spite of these flaws, Gilgamesh is well worth reading, not just once but several times, simply for the elegant ease with which London spins her tale.

Superb

Elizabeth Hendry @ 2003-07-06

Gilgamesh is an excellent, excellent novel, well-written and interesting. The story, while not exotic or outlandish, still has a crisp, new, fresh feel to it. The novel concerns, mainly, Edith, a young Australian woman who is 17 in the late 30s. Her British cousin Leopold and his Armenian friend Aram, visit Edith's family farm for an extended stay. Aram and Leopold's travel stories spark Edith's imagination and after they leave, she decides, for various reasons, to follow them and seek them out in their home lands. Despite the war raging on around her, Edith manages to leave Australia and makes it to Armenia. Edith's life is interesting, her story, engaging. Ms. London writes extremely well and has given us a superb, engaging and compelling novel. Enjoy.

"Home Was Strange"

Eileen Granfors @ 2010-04-19

Joan London's "Gilgamesh" captured me with its title, for I have read portions of the epic, and doubted that anyone could have successfully updated the tale.

I think the title is only marginally related to the book--it serves as a source of inspiration and wonder but not so much as a role model for the characters (maybe tangentially).

I did, however, love the book!

The story begins on a homestead in the wilds of Australia, with a weak mother and a driven father. The two daughters, Frances and Edith, grow up with little to help them on their way except their own views of the world.

They are visited by world travelers, intriguing young men, which sparks a fire in Edith to do more with her life. Circumstances (pregnancy--this should not be a spoiler) force her from the family home and she travels to London in search of the father, but London is not her final destination. She vows to find him in Communist Armenia, a dangerous trip for a young woman.

Her time in Armenia is a time of exile and poverty and learning about the secrecy of lives, for she knows little of the language. The pressures of the oncoming Nazis compel her to flee to Syria.

Whether she will ever meet with these men again and whether she will return to Australia cured of her wandering fairy-tale approach to life is the question that keeps readers turning pages. She endures hardships and cruelties. She is buoyed by her love of her boy, Jim, and her belief that life has more to offer if you let it. What will become of moody, odd Jim, a boy with few friends and relatively little connection to any place in the world?

I found this novel to be a hugely interesting and unexpectedly unique experience.

A wonderfully crafted novel

Midwest Book Review @ 2004-04-14

Gilgamesh: A Novel (winner of the 2002 Age Book of the Year award) is a wonderfully crafted novel by Joan London which is adroitly narrated by Deidre Rubenstein in this complete and unabridged audiobook version of this award winning saga. Drawing upon ancient myths to put together a hero's story of struggle, battles, the never ending search for acceptance, and finally his return home, Gilgamesh: A Novel is a profound and memorably entertaining "theatre of the mind" experience. Flawlessly produced, Gilgamesh: A Novel is a highly recommended addition to community library audiobook collections.

COMPANIONSHIP AND QUESTS

Sesho "www.sesho.lib @ 2003-10-27

You know the relationship between wounded soldier Frank and young nurse Ada is not very promising when the narrator writes "They should really never have met." The time is right after the end of World War I and Ada longs for a place where there is no war. Frank says there is such a place. His homeland, Australia. Promising her a paradise of honey Edenic bliss, they marry and Ada and him end up in the middle of nowhere in the bush as part of a group settlement, which is promised a certain parcel of land if they clear it and build houses. As the years go by, Ada becomes more and more depressed by the rough living, realizing that she was tricked into coming but not having the strength to leave. Years later after an unhappy marriage, the dying Frank wonders what the point of it was and thinks that perhaps it will "work itself out in the following generations."

That's what this book is really about. Frank and Ada's two daughters, Edith and Frances. Growing up in the wilds they are relatively free of outside sources of information as they grow into young women, until their cousin Leopold, an archealogist, shows up with his Armenian friend, Aram. They open up a world beyond the bush and cause Edith to long for another place and Frances to retreat into fear. They soon leave, but something has changed with Edith. She is pregnant, and she will feel compelled to seek out the father of her child, no matter what the danger or the foreign country she must travel to.

Gilgamesh was a fine novel. The title comes from the fact that Leopold and Aram, two bosom buddies, much as Gilgamesh and Enkidu are in the ancient myth, tell the story to the two girls. What is a book except a quest for companionship? Everyone in this novel seems to be looking for someone to share life with, whether in the end, that is attainable, is something else again. The characters here, well, most of them, seem to be wanderlust stricken souls who cannot exactly figure out what it is they are missing. To answer this craving, they simply move. After reading this book, I felt as though I had went on a long journey. There's a real feeling of depth and soul-searching you can sense in the author. Wow, great book. I have nothing negative to say about it.

A Journey Back To Where It Started

Brett Benner @ 2004-03-11

Gilgamesh has the feel of an elongated short story. At the center is Edith,a young girl living in Australia in 1937. An extended stay from her cousin Leopold and his Armenian friend Aram brings life to Edith in unexpected ways. Their departure sets off her own longing, and it's not long before she begins a journey that will take her to Soviet Armenia and eventually back. I wish I would've had the time to devour this in one sitting. Unfortunately the imapct of the novel was lost slightly because of the time it took me to finish. Still,it's a well written and lovely story.

Prose is pedestrian

algo41 "algo41" @ 2009-08-18

Gilgamesh is an interesting novel, with a credible protagonist, and several good secondary characters. The Gilgamesh saga is nicely echoed in the lives of two of the characters. The novel also has a few faults. In particular, the prose is mostly pedestrian and that part of the plot centered on Armenia is contrived.

Didn't really grab me

Louise K. Forman @ 2004-11-20

I read this book because it was selected by my local book club. I kept reading it because I kept hoping it was going to get better, but it just never really grabbed my imagination. Yes, it was well written and I could picture a lot of the places and people, but I never got totally involved with the characters and the plot.
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