The Last Days of Ellis Island

The Last Days of Ellis Island
Natasha Lehrer, Gaelle Josse
RRP:
NZ$ 34.99
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NZ$ 27.99
Paperback
h203 x 127mm - 208pg
10 Dec 2020 UK
International import eta 10-19 days
9781642860719
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*Winner of the European Union Prize for Literature* New York, November 3, 1954. In a few days, the immigration inspection station on Ellis Island will close its doors forever. John Mitchell, an officer of the Bureau of Immigration, is the guardian and last resident of the island. As Mitchell looks back over forty-five years as gatekeeper to America and its promise of a better life, he recalls his brief marriage to beloved wife Liz, and is haunted by memories of a transgression involving Nella, an immigrant from Sardinia. Told in a series of poignant diary entries, this is a story of responsibility, love, fidelity, and remorse. ' Josse powerfully evokes the spirit of the ' huddled masses' who landed on America' s shores while creating a memorable portrait of a man torn between his commitment to his difficult job and the longings of his heart. Duty and desire clash in the melancholy reminiscences of a former Ellis Island immigration officer. ' - Kirkus Reviews, starred review' Gripping. . . The Last Days of Ellis Island is an absorbing novel in which beloved dreams are fast to shatter. ' - Foreword Reviews' Brilliantly constructed and beautifully told, The Last Days of Ellis Island is a timeless - and timely - exploration of compassion and regret. ' - Cynthia D' Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest' Combining real and fictional events, Gaelle Josse has written a text as visceral as it is melancholy and vibrant. ' - Livres Hebdo
"Josse powerfully evokes the spirit of the ' huddled masses' who landed on America' s shores while creating a memorable portrait of a man torn between his commitment to his difficult job and the longings of his heart. Duty and desire clash in the melancholy reminiscences of a former Ellis Island immigration officer. " --Kirkus, *Starred Review*"French novelist Josse' s melancholy English-language debut looks at the last few days in 1954 before Ellis Island was officially shuttered as a port of entry into the U. S. (. . . ) Josse' s powerful work finds the human heart within a career bureaucrat. " --Publishers Weekly"Gripping. . . The Last Days of Ellis Island is an absorbing novel in which beloved dreams are fast to shatter. " --Foreword Reviews"I devoured this gem of a novel, which manages to perfectly capture both a singular moment in time and an entire universe of hope, longing and heartbreak. Brilliantly constructed and beautifully told, The Last Days of Ellis Island is a timeless--and timely--exploration of compassion and regret. " --Cynthia D' Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest"Intimate, alluring and at times haunting, The Last Days of Ellis Island imagines the closing hours of Ellis Island' s existence as a gateway for the hopeful through the eyes of its last caretaker. Josse examines with care how life, no matter where you spend it, is a weave of wonderful moments and sad ones; moments we are insanely grateful for and moments we wish with everything within that we could take back. Eloquently and skillfully rendered. " --Susan Meissner, bestselling author of A Fall of Marigolds"The Last Days of Ellis Island is a tragic story of a man who spends forty-five years working as an immigration official on Ellis island. Josse masterfully weaves this moving story of love and loss around the larger historical context of the massive wave of immigration arriving in the U. S. in the early 1900s. Beautifully written, The Last Days of Ellis Island is compelling historical fiction with a dash of magical realism added in. " --Vincent J. Cannato, author of American Passage: The History of Ellis Island"The story is both historically and emotionally rich" --World Translations Review"Combining real and fictional events, Gaelle Josse has written a text as visceral as it is melancholy and vibrant. " --Livres Hebdo"With precise and barbed language, Gaelle Josse allows us to experience a slice of American history through the movements of a soul preyed upon by its demons. Masterly and urgent!" --Librairie Pages apres pages"Gaelle Josse visits Ellis Island and constructs an intimate, collective geography, the story of one man intertwined with those of thousands of others. She rejects exaggeration and pathos, instead embracing the joy of invention and facing the crudeness of what happened head-on. " --Transfuge"It' s always somewhat pointless to attempt categorization, especially in the impalpable and subjective domain of artistic creation. However, can' t we call The Last Days of Ellis Island the most beautiful text Gaelle Josse has ever written, one in which the alchemy of the preceding ones reaches, on a completely different subject, a kind of completion? " --La Croix"It' s hard not to become John Mitchell during the reading. Gaelle Josse writes his diary for the last nine working days on Ellis Island with a strong sense of presence and credibility. " --Arbetarbladet"A highly meaningful effort to give voice to people whose destiny has long been forgotten. " --Norran"A novel to be read by anyone who has ever thought about leaving. " --Vecernji List"A fluid and gentle story that can be read in one breath. " --Bestbooks. com"The Last Days of Ellis Island is one of those stories that quietly sneaks in and then shifts something inside us. " --Modern Times Info"A breathtakingly beautifully written, melancholy novel a real gem. " --Literair Nederland"The Last Days of Ellis Island has historical worth and humanitarian appeal. " --Tzum"A story about remorse, exile, passionate love, and a man who faces a terrible choice. " --Hebban"In the melancholy The Last Days of Ellis Island, Gaelle Josse evokes a past era through a single life story. " --VPRO Books"The Last Days of Ellis Island stands out due to its stylistic power and beautiful metaphors. " --Chicklit. nl
Gaelle Josse holds degrees in law, journalism, and clinical psychology. Formerly a poet, she published her first novel, Les heures silencieuses (The Quiet Hours), in 2011. Josse went on to win several awards, including the Alain Fournier Award in 2013 for Nos vies desaccordees (Our Out-Of-Tune Lives). After spending a few years in New Caledonia, she returned to Paris, where she now works and lives. Josse received the European Union Prize for Literature for The Last Days of Ellis Island, along with the Grand Livre du Mois Literary Prize.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781642860719
Published: 10 Dec 2020
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: World Editions
Publisher: World Editions
Format: Paperback
Height: 203mm
Width: 127mm
Pages: 208

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