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Firmin

Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife

By Sam Savage

(69)

| Paperback | 9781566891813

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Book Description

"I had always imagined that my life story...would have a great first line: something like Nabokov's 'Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins;' or if I could not do lyric, then something sweeping like Tolstoy's 'All happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.'.Continue

"I had always imagined that my life story...would have a great first line: something like Nabokov's 'Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins;' or if I could not do lyric, then something sweeping like Tolstoy's 'All happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.'... When it comes to openers, though, the best in my view has to be the first line of Ford Madox Ford's The Good Soldier: 'This is the saddest story I have ever heard.'"

So begins the remarkable tale of Firmin the rat. Born in a bookstore in a blighted 1960's Boston neighborhood, Firmin miraculously learns how to read by digesting his nest of books. Alienated from his family and unable to communicate with the humans he loves, Firmin quickly realizes that a literate rat is a lonely rat.

Following a harrowing misunderstanding with his hero, the bookseller, Firmin begins to risk the dangers of Scollay Square, finding solace in the Lovelies of the burlesque cinema. Finally adopted by a down-on-his-luck science fiction writer, the tide begins to turn, but soon they both face homelessness when the wrecking ball of urban renewal arrives.

In a series of misadventures, Firmin is ultimately led deep into his own imaginative soul-a place where Ginger Rogers can hold him tight and tattered books, storied neighborhoods, and down-and-out rats can find people who adore them.

A native of South Carolina, Sam Savage now lives in Madison, Wisconsin. This is his first novel.

Critics

  • Animal magic

    Firmin by Sam Savage 184pp, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £10.99 The Wolf by Joseph Smith 154pp, Jonathan Cape, £10 Talking animals are common in children's literature, but not many adult novels feature such narrators as Firmin and The Wolf: a well-read rat ... (read full critics)

    guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

  • Firman: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife

    Though potentially a literary spin on Ratatouille, this is a melancholy and quirky debut novel. The titular hero is a rat born in a Boston bookshop. Unfed by his mother, Firmin starts eating his bed of shredded pages of Finnegans Wake and miraculousl ... (read full critics)

    guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

6 Reviews

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  • 1 person find this helpful

    Reading Firmin

    Although it is a slight book, Firmin is certainly an enjoyable book for readers. Because Firmin is a rat who literally devours literature (and learns to read in the process), many old favorites are covered with humor, intelligence and wit.

    I primarily found myself liking Firmin because it made ... (continue)

    Although it is a slight book, Firmin is certainly an enjoyable book for readers. Because Firmin is a rat who literally devours literature (and learns to read in the process), many old favorites are covered with humor, intelligence and wit.

    I primarily found myself liking Firmin because it made me mindful of Watership Down - but with a rat instead of rabbits. Firmin the rat is a tragic figure in that he is highly intelligent with no way of conveying that fact. His life is in turns funny and tragic depending on the day. Words are everything, and he almost feeds on them more than the actual stuff that would actually sustain a rat in real life.

    The book is brief at only 148 pages, and is an easy, quick and rewarding read. For a first novel, it's definitely a winner though I do wish there was a little more to it.

    Is this helpful?

    moogle said on Apr 10, 2007 | Add your feedback

  • Poignant and allegorical. It's beautiful, and sad. Firmin offers a unique perspective on the world. It's not often you'll find something as original as this, definitely worth a read.

    Is this helpful?

    MrsFidelius said on Dec 2, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

  • Struggled through the first 2 chapters. Boring and pompous, why the hype?

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    vava' said on Nov 26, 2009 | Add your feedback

  • *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

    I expected something more! <br />The idea of a - first literally, than metaphorically - "book-bulimic" rat fascinated me. The problem is this is the only original idea in the whole novel: once Firmin's passion for books has been introduced (the first 50 or 60 pages are remarkable), the narrati ... (continue)

    I expected something more! <br />The idea of a - first literally, than metaphorically - "book-bulimic" rat fascinated me. The problem is this is the only original idea in the whole novel: once Firmin's passion for books has been introduced (the first 50 or 60 pages are remarkable), the narration stagnates losing all appeal. What remains is the autobiography of a depressed, day-dreamer rat with a soft spot for hardcore movies... not that much, actually!

    Is this helpful?

    Chibena said on May 10, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

  • Meet Firmin, the talking rat - though all the talking actually happens inside his head, as in reality he can only manage a few squeeks. And though he can't express them to anyone but himself, his head is filled with words, stories and dreams.
    He has learned the power of words when, as the runt ... (continue)

    Meet Firmin, the talking rat - though all the talking actually happens inside his head, as in reality he can only manage a few squeeks. And though he can't express them to anyone but himself, his head is filled with words, stories and dreams.
    He has learned the power of words when, as the runt of his litter, he started chewing the pages of the books in the bookshop his mother found refuge in. Slowly he realizes that he can understand what words say and instead of chewing, he begins to read the books, developing an oversized immagination.
    A bittersweet, melanchonic fable for adults about loneliness, longing and belonging, the dark side of humanity and how reading can enreach your life.

    Is this helpful?

    Miki said on Apr 11, 2009 | Add your feedback

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