Firmin

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

5 Reviews

• 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.

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  moogle said on Apr 10, 2007 about the Paperback edition | 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.

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  MrsFidelius said on Dec 2, 2009 | 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 about the Paperback edition | 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!

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  Chibena said on May 10, 2009 | 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.

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  Miki said on Apr 11, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (66)
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• English Books
• Others 184 Pages
• ISBN-10: 0753826518
• ISBN-13: 9780753826515
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
• Pub date: Jan 01, 2008
• Dimensions: 1135 mm x 710 mm x 129 mm Just how big is that?
• Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover and eBook
• In other languages: other languages Livres Français, Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español, Livros em Português, llibres en català, Libri Italiani

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