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Eddie Signwriter Audiobook
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(3.03) - 63 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
This stunning and powerful novel is about a young African’s international odyssey of self-discovery. Kwasi Edward Michael Dankoh—Eddie Signwriter to his clients—is a twenty-year-old painter of murals and billboards in the city of Accra, Ghana, buffeted by forces beyond his control. Struggling with a forbidden relationship, banished from school, and held responsible for the death of a notable woman in the community, Eddie flees overland to Senegal and then, illegally, to France, determined to find a new life for himself among the immigrant communities of Paris. Following him across magnificently rendered African lands into precincts of Paris, where the city of light shows a darker aspect, Adam Schwartzman gives us a spellbinding tale of rootlessness and desire, of disgrace and redemption, of politics both personal and global, of art and of love.
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"This is an eye opening view of life as an illegal immigrant. And it also features the story of a difficult boy, his interesting life in two African countries, and what became of him. A touching story, well written. "
— Glenna (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Each twist in this ambitious, accomplished novel plays with the trickery of resolution: the evanescent often resurfaces, while the seemingly permanent vanishes without warning. Eddie Signwriter is a book of fleeting hours. Nostalgic scenes of blossoming love between Eddie and Celeste hearken to the brief, sun-spangled summers of Nabokov’s Ada, where another forbidden affair took root; they also recall Hawthorne’s dim forest in The Scarlet Letter, whose clandestine companions linger for ‘another, and another, and, after all, another moment.’”
— Los Angeles Times -
“This powerful bildungsroman, rendered with exquisite lyricism from multiple viewpoints, lightly circles about protagonist Kwasi Edward Michael Dankoh, aka Eddie Signwriter…Full of tantalizing questions that are answered in due course, this novel succeeds on many levels…Engaging characters and evocative descriptions make this novel truly unforgettable…Subtle, captivating, and beautiful, this outstanding novel is recommended for fans of multifaceted writing, as well as those interested in African life. It's Stuart O'Nan's Last Night at the Lobster meets Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun.”
— Library Journal (starred review) -
“Schwartzman’s grand theme is the tyranny of chance: the way a small act can unleash much larger consequences…Schwartzman writes superbly about the fatal misunderstandings that can occur between the generations.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A powerful bildungsroman, rendered with exquisite lyricism from multiple viewpoints….Full of tantalizing questions that are answered in due course, this novel succeeds on many levels. Superficially, it is a love story, but it is also a story of the abuse of innocence and the attendant consequences for young lives. On another level it is a mystery, solved after dark secrets are revealed. It's also a story about the perils of undocumented African workers in France. At the root, however, this work ingeniously illustrates the purpose of art, showing its function and value beyond mere decoration. As Eddie Signwriter paints, he incorporates the struggles of his life into his work. Engaging characters and evocative descriptions make this novel truly unforgettable. Subtle, captivating, and beautiful, this outstanding novel is recommended for fans of multifaceted writing, as well as those interested in African life. It's Stuart O'Nan's Last Night at the Lobster meets Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun.”
— Library Journal (starred review) -
“Schwartzman’s debut novel bears testament to his background as a poet, as lush description and bright, playful prose chronicle the travails of Kwasi Edward Michael Dankwa, aka Eddie Signwriter…This wide-ranging and gorgeously written novel has huge heart, and Kwasi’s quest for identity is as sad as it is uplifting.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Eddie…is a compelling character…Schwartzman is originally a poet and the beauty of his writing carries the reader through the story.”
— Booklist -
“Schwartzman is a poet as well as a novelist, and indeed the narrative is at its best in evoking lyrical dreamscapes from a forested African hillside to Paris seen through the eyes of a bedazzled newcomer.”
— Boston Globe
Eddie Signwriter Listener Reviews
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" Shares an unusual perspective of a Ghanaian who emigrates illegally to France--covers both the African and European experiences. The motivation for some actions are fuzzy, can't help but noting that the author is a Western development financier, but some of the expatriate experience rings true. "
— Jeffschaffer, 11/7/2013 -
" A little slow in the middle but a really lovely ending. "
— Em_Dash512, 4/21/2013 -
" The book tells a story that is interesting, I guess. The author's highly stylized writing is intriguing, but ultimately confusing. "
— Rachel, 11/17/2012 -
" what a great and beautiful first novel. you can very well imagine yourself living in the french wetback life of an afican on the move and in europe. "
— Tuck, 2/9/2012 -
" This is an eye opening view of life as an illegal immigrant. And it also features the story of a difficult boy, his interesting life in two African countries, and what became of him. A touching story, well written. "
— Glenna, 2/9/2012 -
" I loved the African and European settings, and some of the language was really beautiful. But the book is a little hard to follow. Maybe it's just me. "
— Gail, 1/26/2012 -
" I selected this book because it is a contemporary novel set in West Africa and France, two places I know and love, and it is not overtly re the "usual suspects" of issues, but about Eddie, a singular person. It didn't disappoint. "
— Joan, 10/11/2011 -
" The author writes as much like a painter as a poet (this is his first novel), but I didn't enjoy reading the book very much even though the subject was interesting. A distance kept me from fully engaging. "
— Wendy, 7/25/2011 -
" Some parts I really enjoyed, especially those set in Paris, but I struggled to get past the sexism in others. "
— Mary, 4/5/2011 -
" what a great and beautiful first novel. you can very well imagine yourself living in the french wetback life of an afican on the move and in europe. "
— Tuck, 11/8/2010 -
" I selected this book because it is a contemporary novel set in West Africa and France, two places I know and love, and it is not overtly re the "usual suspects" of issues, but about Eddie, a singular person. It didn't disappoint. <br/> <br/> "
— Joan, 10/6/2010 -
" Shares an unusual perspective of a Ghanaian who emigrates illegally to France--covers both the African and European experiences. The motivation for some actions are fuzzy, can't help but noting that the author is a Western development financier, but some of the expatriate experience rings true. "
— Jeffschaffer, 7/11/2010 -
" The author writes as much like a painter as a poet (this is his first novel), but I didn't enjoy reading the book very much even though the subject was interesting. A distance kept me from fully engaging. "
— Wendy, 6/26/2010 -
" I loved the African and European settings, and some of the language was really beautiful. But the book is a little hard to follow. Maybe it's just me. "
— Gail, 6/16/2010 -
" The book tells a story that is interesting, I guess. The author's highly stylized writing is intriguing, but ultimately confusing. "
— Rachel, 4/14/2010 -
" Incredible, inventive coming of age story. In some ways it reminded me of Little Bee - very moving. "
— Laura, 9/10/2009
About Adam Schwartzman
Adam Schwartzman was born in Johannesburg in 1973 and educated at Oxford University. He is the author of three books of poetry and the editor of an anthology of South African poetry. He and his family currently live in Istanbul.
About Kevin Kenerly
Kevin Kenerly, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, earned a BA at Olivet College. A longtime member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has acted in more than twenty seasons, playing dozens of roles.