Each chapter is set in one of the ten years the book covers and the alternating stories require the reader's attention. I started off lost in a coulee reading A Constellation of Vital Phenomena with seven of my Traveling Sisters and some of us really got lost in this story. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena does not feel pedantic or didactic, though, informative as it is. Dwight Garner - New York Times Discuss the betrayals that drive the storyline. Leaving three sisters and myself in a cou. Is Natasha’s beauty an asset or a liability? We all know, as William Tecumseh Sherman once noted, that “War is Hell!” Later, Jean-Paul Sartre concluded that “Hell is other people.” It therefore stands to reason that war is other people. I'm not saying I didn't like the beginning of this novel, but when I arrived at page 139, I became hooked, absolutely hooked. I have a few small quibbles, the first being the over reliance on coincidence after coincidence. A story of the transcendent power of love in wartime, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a work of sweeping breadth, profound compassion, and lasting significance. The end of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena isn’t neatly tied up. In this haunting masterwork, award-winning author Anthony Marra transports us to a snow-covered village in Chechnya. Start by marking “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Good thing for me that it's about others because what Marra described in this book sounded awful. By Madison Smartt Bell June 7, 2013 Anthony Marra’s extraordinary first novel, “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena,” opens with a disappearance typical of postmodern warfare, cobbled to … All rights reserved. Nonetheless, "A Constellation of Vital Phenomena" proves that if anything, it's … Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The novel brings to life the cruel absurdities of war with moments of light and humanity. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker may be best known for her roles on HBO’s Sex and the City and Divorce as well as for being a fashion... A brilliant debut novel that brings to life an abandoned hospital where a tough-minded doctor decides to harbor a hunted young girl, with powerful consequences. What does A Constellation of Vital Phenomena ultimately say about anguish and joy? a constellation of vital phenomena by Anthony Marra ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2013 A decade of war in Chechnya informs this multivalent, heartfelt debut, filled with broken families, lost limbs and valiant efforts to find scraps of hope and dignity. Oh, what a joy to read a fully-realized, beautifully written, totally engrossing novel. Welcome back. I knew little of Chechnya, and Marra does a masterful job of supplying enough information without weighing down the narrative. AConstellationof"Vital"Phenomena" " President’s"Address" LaSierraUniversity"Academic"Convocation" September"26,"2013" " He#has#shown#you,#O#mortal,#whatis#good.# Author: Anthony Marra. As well as being the most cleverly structured novel I’ve read all year A Constellation of Vital Phenomenon also features some of the most memorable characters. In his review for the Washington Post, Ron Charles describes the novel as “a flash in the heavens that makes you look up and believe in miracles.” Discuss the book’s closing lines in that context. Refresh and try again. 1. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is his first novel. I have just seen that people post to Goodreaders the request for recommendations of similar books. Over the course of five extraordinary days, their worlds will unravel in unimaginable ways, culminating in a breathtaking, ultimately affirming turn of fate. The story takes place in worn torn Chechny and flashes back over the characters lives during 5 precious days. The Chechnya of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a world of haunted objects, whose very specific little stories give a sense, far more eloquently than any tranche of exposition, of its tragic place in world affairs. Which of the novel’s cultural details surprised you the most? 5. Lives bind and fray in chaos, and regular people – each in their own way – try to transcend their circumstances by saving others. 8. The story takes place in worn torn Chechny and flashes back over the characters lives during 5 precious days. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena won the John Leonard prize for a first book from the National Book Critics Circle. Marra uses an invented town in the novel and at times you feel he’s also using an invented country. The lyricism of the long sentence is what captivated me at the time, but it also encapsulates much of what else is also wonderful about this book, e.g., the omniscient voice that many times gives us a glimpse of the future and the author's handling of time, in general. You can now purchase books directly from Penguin Random House on RIF. Get weekly book recommendations delivered right to your inbox and find out What We’re Reading. Before reading A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, how much did you know about Chechnya? A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is ambitious and intellectually restless. The novel brings to life the cruel absurdities of war with moments of light and humanity. After reading the blurb, I knew this is going to be a sad story but what I didn’t know was that it was going to be this disappointing. How did your image of Akhmed shift throughout the chapters? 4. I loved this book! Yet again I am left baffled by the glowing reviews and the hype. 12. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Every week we host a new literary giveaway! Book Publishing. Anthony Marra’s Chechnya is every bit as bleak and brutal as the post-apocalyptic world Cormac McCarthy creates in The Road. 3. Two doctors risk everything to save the life of a hunted child in this majestic debut about love, … This book proved tedious, convoluted and an insomniac's dream. I knew little of Chechnya, and Marra does a masterful job of supplying enough information without weighing down the narrative. What accounts for the very different fates of Natasha and Sonja? This is a book that made me pause, reflect and pause again. 7. I have a few small quibbles, the first being the ove. 11. “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena” is set against the tangle of wars, occupations and insurgencies that have racked Chechnya since the early 1990s. Copyright ©1995-2021 Penguin Random House. I know that happens most often with the classics, but it certainly happens with "regular" fiction and nonfiction as well. So I, too, would like to ask if readers might recommend other work, whether by this author or others with the following elements: literary fiction (preferably historical), extraordinary prose, deeply engaging characters, of course, a good and meaningful story? Good thing for me that it's about others because what Marra described in this book sounded awful. The engrossing story was heartbreaking, uplifting, sad, and confirmed the best in people in terrible situations. It begins with the horror of a father, Dokka, taken violently away by the Feds during the middle of the night. He received an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, where he teaches as the Jones Lecturer in Fiction. In this haunting masterwork, award-winning author Anthony Marra transports us to a snow-covered village in Chechnya. The definition of a foot. She is found by Akhmed, the neighbouring doctor, who makes it his mission to ensure her safety and leads her to the one remaining hospital where he delivers her to the doctor, Sonja. For a young American writer to choose Chechnya as the subject for a first novel shows commendable ambition, and for the most part he gets away with it. What is the effect of the timeline, encompassing five days in 2004 and flashbacks from a decade earlier? We all found our comfy spot to read this and were drawn into this densely vivid heavy in-depth plot that demanded our full attention. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese fits your wonderful criteria. What does she teach Havaa about being a woman, and about the limits of being a healer? As life pulled some of the sisters away from the story they became really lost with their focus and had to leave the coulee and return back to read this at another time. "Life: a constellation of vital phenomena - organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaption." But no life is a line, and hers was an uneven orbit around a dark star, a moth … Life is valued by the governing powers as cheaply as in the Nazi concentration camps. I was inspired with Marra’s ability to portray how in the face of war’s devastation, people focus their purpose on whatever family members or shreds of community they retain, and when even that is gone, they forge a virtual family. I picked this book for my “read an award winner” challenge. The A Constellation of Vital Phenomena Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. It begins with the horror of a father, Dokka, taken violently away by the Feds during the middle of the night. Author: Anthony Marra. How are cultural identities shaped in the midst of political, military, economic, and religious power struggles? This is a story about death, grief, hope and joy. Their life-long friend and neighbour, Akhmed, has also been watching, and when he finds Havaa he knows of only Account & Lists Account & Lists Returns & Orders. There's nothing easy about torture. How does this approach echo the reality of memory and longing? Why is Sonja able to remain clear-eyed and resilient? I haven't read what GR friends have said about this book--I'm coming to it a little later than most--which made it all the more of a pleasure. This is not a light read and be prepared to be drawn in emotionally. But Marra crosses the t’s and dots the i’s and leaves the reader an emotional wreck. It was set in Chechnya in 2004 with much of the story backfilled from the prior decade of war. An extension of that point is the flash forwards with all the random characters. Nothing for insanity by grief, or insanity by loneliness, or insanity by reading reference books. Try Is his image of homeland and heritage accurate? I had high expectations of this book after seeing a few recommendations from friends here. Garnering rave reviews coast-to-coast, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is an unforgettable debut novel that deftly explores the human cost of war—and the healing power of hope. It hews to the historical record. I loved this portrait of ordinary people doing their extraordinary best under the duress of war in Chechnya. What is Khassan’s key to survival? Oh, what a joy to read a fully-realized, beautifully written, totally engrossing novel. To say this was an excellent book would be an understatement. “Life: a constellation of vital phenomena—organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation.” War and its aftermath, lives and their destruction, land and its carnage, and the people who are left behind to try to pick up the pieces of lives trying to hold on to something, anything that will prove that you are more than the carbon you leave behind. We are experiencing an error, please try again. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena won the 2014 National Book Critics Circle’s inaugural John Leonard Prize and the 2014 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in fiction, as well as the inaugural 2014 Carla Furstenberg Cohen Fiction Award. I originally learned about this book when it was. I am in awe; Anthony Marra has a rare gift with words. Murder. The passage (actually one long sentence) is about a younger brother along with his family (whom the readers never see again) at the village doctor's (a better artist than he is a doctor) to describe his 'disappeared' older brother in order for the doctor to draw his portrait. Discussion Questions: Two doctors risk everything to save the life of a hunted child in this majestic debut about love, … I couldn't point it out on a map though. but it made me think really? A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a sweeping novel that uncovers the characters' pasts and propels them into the future. Each chapter is set in one of the ten years the book covers and the alternating stories require the reader's attention. Upon starting this book I had heard of Chechnya. I look forward to more from this author. So many glowing reviews made me think that it was going to be a book that I would going to remember for a very very long time, that too in a good way. ANTHONY MARRA is the author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (2013), which won the National Book Critics Circle’s inaugural John Leonard Prize, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in fiction, the Barnes and Noble Discover Award, and appeared on over twenty year-end lists. Leaving three sisters and myself in a coulee continuing to read this story together. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena won the 2014 National Book Critics Circle’s inaugural John Leonard Prize and the 2014 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in fiction, as well as the inaugural 2014 Carla Furstenberg Cohen Fiction Award. Sonja’s neighbour has ‘bartered a jar of engine oil for sandals that bore the blackened imprints of forty different toes’. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Despite his many weaknesses, how does he become a source of strength for the loved ones in his life? Anthony Marra's first novel was A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (2013), which won an array of prizes including the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize, the Barnes and Noble Fiction Discover Award, the Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle and the Athens Prize for Literature, and appeared on more than twenty Books of the Year lists. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, by Anthony Marra Discussion Leader: Ellen Getreu In a small rural village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa watches from the woods as Russian soldiers abduct her father in the middle of the night and then set fire to her home. Why near the conclusion did I just listen to get to the end? We all found our comfy spot to read this and were drawn into this densely vivid heavy in-depth plot that demanded our full attention. Their human spirit shines through like the grass that grows in the cracks of a sidewalk. Updating this review 10/28/15. Hello, Sign in. Resistant at first, the doctor soon discovers that her new visitors may hold the key to finding her missing sister. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is such a book. KIRA WALTON has been stalking books all her life as a college English teacher, bookseller, book club consultant, author, and editor. What does it mean for Sonja and Natasha to be ethnically Russian? We’d love your help. Young and old, ethnic Russians and Chechen Muslims, the characters' lives intersect in such a way that they cannot hate each other with the intensity prescribed by their ancestors. Khassan: I started off lost in a coulee reading A Constellation of Vital Phenomena with seven of my Traveling Sisters and some of us really got lost in this story. It takes place in post-war Chechnya, but don't be alarmed if you don't know much about the Chechen conflict with Russia — the rich storytelling and the gorgeous prose will draw you in, and by the end of the book you could captivate an audience with these wartime stories. It's also a difficult book to read. This was followed by The Tsar of Love and … Why did I constantly want to do anything else but listen? I haven't read what GR friends have said about this book--I'm coming to it a little later than most--which made it all the more of a pleasure. Can suspicion and corruption ever rise to a level that makes loyalty impossible? A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a sweeping novel that uncovers the characters' pasts and propels them into the future. What can fiction reveal about history that a memoir or history book cannot? Two doctors risk everything to save the life of a hunted child in this majestic debut about love, … Thanks! But Marra crosses the t’s and dots the i’s and leaves the reader an emotional wreck. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra Published in 2013 Pages: 379 Genre: Novel, war, literature about Chechnya “On the morning after the Feds burned down her house and took her father, Havaa woke from dreams of sea anemones.” A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, by Anthony Marra, describes the tragic lives of displaced peoples… We got chopped off fingers, burned down houses, torture-induced ratting, and a whole host of other atrocities. Life: a constellation of vital phenomena. He has lived and studied in Eastern Europe, and now resides in Oakland, CA. Every now and then, a book comes along that restores my faith in the future of the novel all over again. The novel isn’t so much about the wars in Chechnya per se as how individuals relate to each other when law and order has been perverted out of all recognition and they only have their own moral compass as a guide. Or even have told you what part of the world it was in. Would you become an informant if your life depended on it? Fearing the worst, their lifelong neighbor Akhmed rescues the girl and seeks refuge at the bombed-out hospital run by Sonja, a brilliant but tough-as-nails female surgeon. Anthony Marra’s first novel, “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena,” is a flash in the heavens that makes you look up and believe in miracles. The writing was beautiful. What is Dokka’s greatest vulnerability? I give it 5 stars. 6. How does his art restore the humanity around him? I loved this book! 9. This is a book that made me pause, reflect and pause again. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena Summary & Study Guide Anthony Marra This Study Guide consists of approximately 53 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. I loved this book and did not want it to end. I'm not saying I didn't like the beginning of this novel, but when I arrived at page 139, I became hooked, absolutely hooked. As life pulled some of the sisters away from the story they became really lost with their focus and had to leave the coulee and return back to read this at another time. A National Book Awards Longlist Selection" "A "New York Times" and "Washington Post" bestseller A story of the transcendent power of love in wartime, "A Constellation of Vital Phenomena" is a work of sweeping breadth, profound compassion, and lasting significance. Anthony Marra bypasses the facts and figures and takes us directly into the lives of ordinary people trying to make a meaningful existence amid the rubble and death and ongoing violence. Russ. At Read It Forward, we have a healthy obsession with authors, stories, and the readers who love them. Accused of aiding Chechen rebels, her father has suffered the brutality of the Feds before. If you read as much as I do (or even if you don't), you're bound to come across a book that is hailed by literary critics and readers as one of the greatest things ever, but no matter how much you try and read it and are determined to love it, it just doesn't click for you. Marra’s novel was a National Book Award long list selection as well as a shortlist selection for the Flaherty-Dunnan first novel prize. 10. Two doctors risk everything to save the life of a hunted child in this majestic debut about love, … We all know, as William Tecumseh Sherman once noted, that “War is Hell!” Later, Jean-Paul Sartre concluded that “Hell is other people.” It therefore stands to reason that war is other people. How is the concept of family—from the sisters’ relationship to Akhmed’s marriage to Ula—transformed in a land of warlords? Anthony Marra's debut novel, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, takes place in war-torn Chechnya — a world of perpetual violence, fear and exploding land mines. It's humane and absurd, and rarely out of touch with the Joseph-Heller-like notion that, as Mr. Marra puts it, "stupidity was the single abiding law of the universe. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. [ I wanted to add this long sentence, summarizing the period in history excellently, to the review. The average length of a femur. On page 1322 of a medical dictionary - Life: a constellation of vital phenomena - organisation, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation. A story of the transcendent power of love in wartime, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a work of sweeping breadth, profound compassion, and lasting significance. 2. A story of the transcendent power of love in wartime, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a work of sweeping breadth, profound compassion, and lasting significance. ― Anthony Marra, quote from A Constellation of Vital Phenomena “There was a time when she had indulged in the hypothetical for hours a day, plotting the map that had led her here. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is the 2013 debut novel by American author Anthony Marra. In A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, Anthony Marra explores the emotional complexities of life in a war-plagued place, as the upheaval of conflict and death reshape the … February 4th 2014 It can feel satisfying on one level with everything fitting so neatly (who has crossed paths with whom, etc.) To see what your friends thought of this book. When is this an advantage, and when is it a disadvantage? Discuss the title (in chapter 24, Sonja stumbles across it in a Russian medical dictionary’s definition of life). This is a story about death, grief, hope and joy. Living in a state of constant trauma changes all the rules. The history of ethnic strife in Chechnya is long and confusing. ANTHONY MARRA is the winner of a Whiting Award, Pushcart Prize, and the Narrative Prize. --"Maclean's ""The simplest life cannot precisely be put down in details or marks on a page--the spirit fundamentally escapes language, if only because we can't pronounce the words. Russian politics and regional dynamics were deemphasized, though, so it was somewhat generically about any oppressed, occupied state. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Marra’s novel was a National Book Award long list selection as well as a shortlist. But inside us there is a word we cannot pronounce and that is who we are.”, “Life: a constellation of vital phenomena—organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation.”, National Book Award Nominee for Fiction (2013), New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award Nominee (2014), Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Fiction (2014), California Book Award for First Fiction (Gold) (2013), PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2014), Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Fiction (2014), National Book Critics Circle Award for John Leonard Prize (2013), The Athens Prize for Literature - Περιοδικό (δέ)κατα (2014), Andrew Carnegie Medal Nominee for Fiction (2014), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction (2013). Dismemberment. Borrow or purchase this book Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Enter to win our favorite new reads, bookish goodies, and so much more. The story, told from an omniscient point of view , begins one morning in … He saves his 8 year old daughter, Haava, by forcing her out into the black of night with her already packed. I have to say I learnt next to nothing about the Chechen wars. Ostensibly the novel is set in Chechnya though in many ways the novel depicts a generic modern war and the terrifying lawlessness that prevails in an invaded country. The focus was clearly on the human side. The writing was beautiful. He saves his 8 year old daughter, Haava, by forcing her out into the black of night with her already packed suitcase. The passage (actually one long sentence) is about a younger brother along with his family (whom the readers never see again) at the village doctor's (a better artist than he is a doctor) to describe his 'disappeared' older brother in order for the doctor to draw his portrait. She flipped through the book and found answers to questions no sane person would ever ask. “Life: a constellation of vital phenomena—organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation.” ― Anthony Marra, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena Sex slavery. Wishing I could read this again for the first time. To say this was an excellent book would be an understatement. There's nothing easy about torture. What do his daughter’s memories of him say about his hopes and fears? ANTHONY MARRA is the winner of a Whiting Award, Pushcart Prize, and the Narrative Prize. In addition, his work has been anthologized in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012. The lyricism of the long sentence is what captivated me at the time, but it also encapsulates muc. The story traces the character's lives and the moral choices they have made in their struggle to survive. by Hogarth. The engrossing story was heartbreaking, uplifting, sad, and confirmed the best in people in terrible sit. It is 2004, and an eight-year-old girl has just watched Russian soldiers abduct her father and set fire to her house in the middle of the night. This beautiful and haunting novel is one of my favorite books of 2013. See all 13 questions about A Constellation of Vital Phenomena…, A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya, The Angel of Grozny: Orphans of a Forgotten War, Allah's Mountains: The Battle for Chechnya, New Edition, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra - 4 stars, Sarah Jessica Parker’s Next Big Challenge? We got chopped off fingers, burned down houses, torture-induced ratting, and a whole host of other atrocities. This, too, can feel satisfying--yes, life will go on from all this awfulness--but I felt the heavy hand of the novelist here, a little too much. A story of the transcendent power of love in wartime, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a work of sweeping breadth, profound compassion, and lasting significance. It's also a difficult book to read. Garnering rave reviews coast-to-coast, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is an unforgettable debut novel that deftly explores the human cost of war—and the healing power of hope. I know how I felt while reading this book, but why? It was set in Chechnya in 2004 with much of the story backfilled from the prior decade of war. one time too many. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena takes what might be, for many readers, a tragic but distant muddle, and makes it real, in that paradoxical way that only fiction can. *** Granta Best of Young American Novelists 2017 ***In a snow-covered village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa watches from the woods as her father is abducted in the middle of the night by Russian soldiers. What is phenomenal about the life force and the body’s intricate capabilities? “We wear clothes, and speak, and create civilizations, and believe we are more than wolves.