Man Walks Into a Room

I wish I had read this book before "The History of Love." The premise for the story is interesting enough, but for some reason it didn't draw me in like "History" did... I think had I picked this up first, I would have found it far more enjoyable. Krauss' writing style is almost lyrical to me -- it flows really well, the dialog isn't canned. I can't wait to read more from her. I actually prefer her to her husband (which is how I discovered "The History of Love.")

I really enjoyed this book, as I don't read fiction as often as I read nonfiction, and it was well written. Good exploration of loneliness, interesting twist pulling the opening section into the main plot, and easy flow of the storyline from beginning to end.When I make time to read fiction, this is the kind of book I'm happy to get my hands on. Looking forward to reading the author's second novel soon.

I did not finish “Man Walks Into The Room”, yet I had prveiously enjoyed two of Krauss other novels, “The History of Love” and “Great House”. In “Man Walks Into A Room”, a man loses all memory of his life between age 14 and when he is found wandering. At first he has no emotional connection to his current life, including to his wife with whom he had been in a loving marriage. As the novel is narrated entirely from the man’s point of view, it is difficult to connect at this beginning despite Krauss’ wit and her interesting point of view: the man has no wish to regain his lost memory. Gradually the man makes emotional connections, but then the novel has a turn which turned me off completely – it focuses on memory from a philosophical view, using a “mad scientist” and his futuristic experiment as a vehicle.As background to this novel, I would point out a well known experiment recounted by the eminent neuroscientist V. S. Ramachandran (cf. “Phantoms in the Brain”) concerning a man who could form no new longer term memories. In this experiment the man interacted with graduate students on a frequent (daily?) basis. Despite never remembering them, his emotional reactions to them depended on how pleasant his past interactions had been. Variables such as gender and comeliness of the students were controlled for. The point is that cognitive memory is not the only memory you have, and all forms of memory are not achieved through the same process, nor subject to the same lesions, etc. There are similar experiments with certain kinds of blindness where the blind person can in fact obtain visual images and later act on them without being consciously able to see.

I feel like anything I would say about this book would be a disservice to Nicole Krauss because I really can't adequately describe how wonderful this book is. Sentences to swoon over, a story original and captivating, quirky, humorous, touching. This book is a gift and I thank Ms. Krauss for offering it to us.

Nicole Krauss' usual beautiful writing draws you into the lives of her characters. It was a pleasure to spend time with them, and I didn't want our acquaintance to end! Humanistic, scientific, and moral questions asked.

This was a painful quest. From a personal point of view almost intolerable. Painful. Perhaps I'm not introspective enough. It makes me so very sad. Without any answers

I've read other work by Nicole Krauss, and I'm a huge fan her work, but this book fell flat for me. It is a book that while reading felt like a great writer was in there, working diligently to come out, but hadn't yet discovered their complete voice or how to develop a solid story. Man Walks Into a Room is a quick read. The characters don't develop in a way that makes you feel attached to them or expect things from them. The epilogue left me unsettled, I'm not sure if it made the book worse or not, but it certainly didn't help it... Ultimately, for me, this one felt like a trial run, or the first efforts of figuring out character and story. It's not a book I'll return to again and again, nor is it a book I'll recommend.

That's a book that drives you to several "what if?" Questions.Guides you from grieving to hope.Keeps you sad and wondering.

Nicole Krauss demonstrates her immense talent straight away in this debut novel. Taking an ambitious idea, a man losing all of his memories since the age of 12 and then using this as a way to explore the narratives we create about ourselves, the innate loneliness we all share, intimacy and the sacred space of consciousness. Truly beautifully written, this is a worthwhile read for both those who have read and loved other works by the author or if this is your first foray into her world.

Good read; arrived earlier than expected and as described

One of the best books I have read. I have everything from Nicole Krauss too.Its so well written and I read it in one go! Highly recommended!

As described and delivery excellent. Thank you.

I loved it!