Allmen and the Dragonflies by Martin Suter, 187 pagesJohann Friedrich von Allmen's father was a savvy businessman, amassing such a fortune by the time, that Johann Friedrich would never have to work a day in his life. Unfortunately, Johann Friedrich von Allmen's father didn't account for his son's extravagant spending. When the story opens, Allmen (as he prefers to be called) is now living in the gardening shed of the Zurich villa he had to sell to finance his lifestyle (which still includes season tickets to the opera and four-star restaurants every night), stealing vases and small artifacts to sell in order to pay off his creditors. He is just beginning to panic when a chance encounter with a glamorous woman brings him in proximity to five rare dragonfly bowls created by French artist Emile Galle. But taking the bowls sets Allmen on a dangerous path that he only hopes will pay off for him.
I enjoyed this book, which was told through short chapters that seemed to perfectly accent Allmen's lackadaisical attitude. I loved the characterization of Allmen and his rarely-paid Guatemalan servant Carlos, as well as the lengths Allmen went to to avoid revealing his empty bank account. This one was a lot of fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment