Rich in ideas and culture, but ultimately disappointing, 13 May 2008
The Discovery of Heaven is packed with felicitous turns of phrase, insights, and cultural allusions. However, I felt that the ending was philosophically and emotionally disappointing. Far from being life-affirming, it appeared to be life-denying, questioning the validity and the very reality of anything that is impermanent. The intimations of existential despair in what were occasional what's-the-point-if-we-just-die thoughts of Quinten, end up with pride of place. Given the broadly agnostic tone throughout (and of the main characters), I'm not sure this miserable conclusion is what the author set out to do - perhaps it was difficult to finish. I had expected the chosen one to rebel in the end, and that the ending might affirm the human characters' lives and friendships over the inhuman characters' fantastic machinations, in all their human transience and imperfection, but no: we are fireflies in the dark, pointless and unreal because we won't always be here.

The Discovery of Heaven, 22 Oct 2007
Two angels are conversing. Apparently, Francis Bacon - the 16th century scientist credited with establishing, among other things, the scientific methodology known as the 'Baconian Method' - made a pact with the devil, which caused humanity to lose their way with God, instead embracing the more vapid realm of technological progress; gadgets, as it were. God is convinced that the covenant between heaven and earth is broken and has charged the angels with retrieving the original stone tablets that contain the Ten Commandments as handed down by God to Moses on the summit of Mount Sinai. To do this, a perfect human must be created - the angels intervene with twentieth century history to ensure that this occurs.

A complicated setup, to be sure. Happily, for at least the first half of the novel, the heavy theological implications of The Discovery of Heaven do not weigh the novel down. Rather, we are invited into the intelligence, artistic and creative world that is the friendship of Onno Quist and Max Delius.

They were conceived on the same day, but are completely different. Onno is hugely intelligent, but suffers from a mind that is too rarefied for the concrete harshness of the world. A savant when it comes to languages, Onno made his name in the world of linguistics by translating Etruscan. 'It was because I made Etruscan comprehensible. The greatest minds in the world had failed - even Professor Massimo Pellegrini in Rome was too stupid - so I thought I may as well do it.' For now, he studies obscure topics and lives comfortable on the interest from his father's inheritance.

Max Delius lost his parents at a very young age during World War II. His mother was a Jew; she met a predictably sad end in a concentration camp. His father was a Dutch officer in the German army, it was his hand that indirectly caused the death of his wife. As a result of this, Max lives his life convinced that at any time, the people that he holds close could leave him. He is an astronomer, spending his free time seducing a string of random women who mean nothing at all.

But when they meet by chance when Onno is hitching a ride home to Amsterdam (a meeting assisted by the unseen hand of an angel), something immediately clicks. From this random encounter comes a friendship that is strong beyond anything they have experienced before. 'Max had never met anyone like Onno, Onno had never met anyone like Max - as a self-proclaimed pair of twins, they did not cease to delight in each other.'

Once this relationship has solidified, a third party enters. Of course, she is a woman, but the novel does not take a predictable turn in having a rivalry for Ada Brons' hand dominate the story. No, she begins as Max's girlfriend and ends as Onno's wife, but the way in which this is handled never for a moment suggests a clash of will, a fight for love. Max is happy that Ada is with the one man in the world he loves without reservation, Onno is gently surprised that he could ever be married at all. Later, in Cuba, under ambiguous circumstances, Ada becomes pregnant - but to Max, or to Onno? It is not clear to them, though the angels make it clear for us.

After decades of work, the angels have maneuvered everything and everyone into place. Max, Onno and Ada were all required to be born to properly create the child who could return the tablets to Heaven, and this has now been accomplished. The first half of the novel is concerned not with this theological problem but with the sweet, endearing friendship between Max and Onno and, to a lesser extent, the bond they share with Ada.

Mulisch is adept at creating a believable adult-male friendship. Max and Onno are both very intelligent, able to bounce ideas and theories of one another on subjects ranging from Kafka to translation and everything in between. A discussion on the noticeable warmth left behind when someone has been sitting on a chair is particularly clever, and funny in its simple truth. While the two men generally discuss matters of history, philosophy, and the spectrum of ideas, there is never a sense that Mulisch is hitting us over the head with his cleverness. Rather, we can believe that we are listening to two intelligent men talking about whatever it is that intelligent people discuss. Unlike, say, a Pynchon or an Eco, conversations do not exist to flaunt the erudition of the author, but rather the character of the characters.

Midway through the novel, pre-arranged tragedy strikes. A very pregnant Ada is involved in a car accident, she falls into a coma from which the likelihood of recovery is slim. But her child is alive and, through the intricacies of modern medicine, is delivered healthy and safe at seven months, by cesarean. Thanks to a complicated narrative device, Max becomes the caretaker of the child, Quentin.

The novel shifts quite dramatically in tone. While Onno embroils himself within the intricacies of Dutch politics, Max raises Quinten, the child which embodies the hopes of the angels, and of God. From a intellectually rambling novel of friendship and adventure, comes a more sedate, measured story of a child's growth and education.

What do we learn of Quinten? He grows up in an old castle, populated with vaguely eccentric characters, each of which is capable of - and willing to - teach him snippets of information which will come to play a large part in his destiny. From one man he learns of Judaism, from another, architecture. He is a curious, sensitive, quiet boy; his stunning good looks inspire trust and warmth in others.

The Discovery of Heaven slows down dramatically as Quinten grows from a baby to a young adult of seventeen. Oddly, large parts of his childhood are glossed over, yet the sensation of a slow novel remains. This is neither to Mulisch's credit or detriment - the novel simply changes pace, a fact which is immediately noticeable from the end of the second part and the beginning of the third.

There is never any doubt that Quinten will achieve his goal - indeed, we are almost led to believe by the angels that the large majority of twentieth century history occurred so that Quinten could be born. This is not meant to be a thriller, though the pages turn with rapidity, due to Mulisch's skill with words and penchant for interesting asides and digressions.

Perhaps the greatest pleasure in The Discovery of Heaven comes from the consistently thought-provoking text. While the last two hundred pages are dominated with theological (both Catholic and Jewish) problems and ideas, there is enough non-theological meat to satisfy any curious reader. Max's interest in astronomy serves as a jumping point for all manner of mini-essays, and Onno's autodidactism is a treat in itself. Any event, any situation, any conversation, gives Mulisch a chance to allow his characters to shine with their insight and intelligence. The narrator, nominally Mulisch himself, is certainly not shy of following whichever intellectual path takes his fancy, though these are nowhere near as involved or involving as the problems the characters themselves raise and discuss.

The Discovery of Heaven is astonishingly ambitious. It tackles a great many themes, and handles all of them with intelligence and candour. Mulisch treats his readers with dignity by explaining every difficult concept in such a way that we feel neither insulted by our lack of knowledge, or that we are in over our heads as character's spout obscure factoids and ideas. While the novel may be too difficult or too long for some, it is unhesitatingly recommended for all others who crave the sort of writing that inspires, that questions, that encourages thought.

An philosophical exploration and epic journey!, 23 Aug 2006
This is a great novel and, for me, everything that a novel should be; characters that develop within an immense plot, an epic journey and an exploration of philosophy, pyschology and theology, all together a fantasical reading experience!



Best book ever, 07 Apr 2006
This is probably the best book I have ever read. I had always been rather hesitant to start this book because of its size and the prospect of it being a very complex book as Mulish can be a very enjoyable but sometimes very complex writer. When I discovered they had brought out a special edition in honour of Mulish's Birthday I decided to take the plunge and found very rapidly that this book is the most fantastic read ever. It is so much better than the Da Vinci Code ( I really do not understand why this is a bestseller as it is rubish), which would probably fall into the same 'quest' category. It is more along the lines of Kostova's the Historian and much more literary in nature. It is all what novels should be a great story and it succeed to pulls you in and transports you to all of the places Add, Max, Ono and Quinten visit. Absolutely fantastic!
(This review is of the original Dutch version)

Splendid magic-realistic dutch novel, 15 Jan 2002
As other customers already mentioned, I agree that this novel reminds me to the works of Umberto Eco. The style of this writing used to be named "magic-realistic" when we were "doing our high-school".
Before this novel was published, I liked to read Harry Mulisch, but this is the best one I've ever had in my hands of this writer. Several times I bought the book as a present for family or friends.
It's not a surprise that recently a (Dutch) movie has been released of this novel, and that Harry Mulisch (from the Netherlands) received a couple of years ago a distinctive price for Literature from our (Belgian) king.

Rich in ideas and culture, but ultimately disappointing, 13 May 2008
The Discovery of Heaven is packed with felicitous turns of phrase, insights, and cultural allusions. However, I felt that the ending was philosophically and emotionally disappointing. Far from being life-affirming, it appeared to be life-denying, questioning the validity and the very reality of anything that is impermanent. The intimations of existential despair in what were occasional what's-the-point-if-we-just-die thoughts of Quinten, end up with pride of place. Given the broadly agnostic tone throughout (and of the main characters), I'm not sure this miserable conclusion is what the author set out to do - perhaps it was difficult to finish. I had expected the chosen one to rebel in the end, and that the ending might affirm the human characters' lives and friendships over the inhuman characters' fantastic machinations, in all their human transience and imperfection, but no: we are fireflies in the dark, pointless and unreal because we won't always be here.

The Discovery of Heaven, 22 Oct 2007
Two angels are conversing. Apparently, Francis Bacon - the 16th century scientist credited with establishing, among other things, the scientific methodology known as the 'Baconian Method' - made a pact with the devil, which caused humanity to lose their way with God, instead embracing the more vapid realm of technological progress; gadgets, as it were. God is convinced that the covenant between heaven and earth is broken and has charged the angels with retrieving the original stone tablets that contain the Ten Commandments as handed down by God to Moses on the summit of Mount Sinai. To do this, a perfect human must be created - the angels intervene with twentieth century history to ensure that this occurs.

A complicated setup, to be sure. Happily, for at least the first half of the novel, the heavy theological implications of The Discovery of Heaven do not weigh the novel down. Rather, we are invited into the intelligence, artistic and creative world that is the friendship of Onno Quist and Max Delius.

They were conceived on the same day, but are completely different. Onno is hugely intelligent, but suffers from a mind that is too rarefied for the concrete harshness of the world. A savant when it comes to languages, Onno made his name in the world of linguistics by translating Etruscan. 'It was because I made Etruscan comprehensible. The greatest minds in the world had failed - even Professor Massimo Pellegrini in Rome was too stupid - so I thought I may as well do it.' For now, he studies obscure topics and lives comfortable on the interest from his father's inheritance.

Max Delius lost his parents at a very young age during World War II. His mother was a Jew; she met a predictably sad end in a concentration camp. His father was a Dutch officer in the German army, it was his hand that indirectly caused the death of his wife. As a result of this, Max lives his life convinced that at any time, the people that he holds close could leave him. He is an astronomer, spending his free time seducing a string of random women who mean nothing at all.

But when they meet by chance when Onno is hitching a ride home to Amsterdam (a meeting assisted by the unseen hand of an angel), something immediately clicks. From this random encounter comes a friendship that is strong beyond anything they have experienced before. 'Max had never met anyone like Onno, Onno had never met anyone like Max - as a self-proclaimed pair of twins, they did not cease to delight in each other.'

Once this relationship has solidified, a third party enters. Of course, she is a woman, but the novel does not take a predictable turn in having a rivalry for Ada Brons' hand dominate the story. No, she begins as Max's girlfriend and ends as Onno's wife, but the way in which this is handled never for a moment suggests a clash of will, a fight for love. Max is happy that Ada is with the one man in the world he loves without reservation, Onno is gently surprised that he could ever be married at all. Later, in Cuba, under ambiguous circumstances, Ada becomes pregnant - but to Max, or to Onno? It is not clear to them, though the angels make it clear for us.

After decades of work, the angels have maneuvered everything and everyone into place. Max, Onno and Ada were all required to be born to properly create the child who could return the tablets to Heaven, and this has now been accomplished. The first half of the novel is concerned not with this theological problem but with the sweet, endearing friendship between Max and Onno and, to a lesser extent, the bond they share with Ada.

Mulisch is adept at creating a believable adult-male friendship. Max and Onno are both very intelligent, able to bounce ideas and theories of one another on subjects ranging from Kafka to translation and everything in between. A discussion on the noticeable warmth left behind when someone has been sitting on a chair is particularly clever, and funny in its simple truth. While the two men generally discuss matters of history, philosophy, and the spectrum of ideas, there is never a sense that Mulisch is hitting us over the head with his cleverness. Rather, we can believe that we are listening to two intelligent men talking about whatever it is that intelligent people discuss. Unlike, say, a Pynchon or an Eco, conversations do not exist to flaunt the erudition of the author, but rather the character of the characters.

Midway through the novel, pre-arranged tragedy strikes. A very pregnant Ada is involved in a car accident, she falls into a coma from which the likelihood of recovery is slim. But her child is alive and, through the intricacies of modern medicine, is delivered healthy and safe at seven months, by cesarean. Thanks to a complicated narrative device, Max becomes the caretaker of the child, Quentin.

The novel shifts quite dramatically in tone. While Onno embroils himself within the intricacies of Dutch politics, Max raises Quinten, the child which embodies the hopes of the angels, and of God. From a intellectually rambling novel of friendship and adventure, comes a more sedate, measured story of a child's growth and education.

What do we learn of Quinten? He grows up in an old castle, populated with vaguely eccentric characters, each of which is capable of - and willing to - teach him snippets of information which will come to play a large part in his destiny. From one man he learns of Judaism, from another, architecture. He is a curious, sensitive, quiet boy; his stunning good looks inspire trust and warmth in others.

The Discovery of Heaven slows down dramatically as Quinten grows from a baby to a young adult of seventeen. Oddly, large parts of his childhood are glossed over, yet the sensation of a slow novel remains. This is neither to Mulisch's credit or detriment - the novel simply changes pace, a fact which is immediately noticeable from the end of the second part and the beginning of the third.

There is never any doubt that Quinten will achieve his goal - indeed, we are almost led to believe by the angels that the large majority of twentieth century history occurred so that Quinten could be born. This is not meant to be a thriller, though the pages turn with rapidity, due to Mulisch's skill with words and penchant for interesting asides and digressions.

Perhaps the greatest pleasure in The Discovery of Heaven comes from the consistently thought-provoking text. While the last two hundred pages are dominated with theological (both Catholic and Jewish) problems and ideas, there is enough non-theological meat to satisfy any curious reader. Max's interest in astronomy serves as a jumping point for all manner of mini-essays, and Onno's autodidactism is a treat in itself. Any event, any situation, any conversation, gives Mulisch a chance to allow his characters to shine with their insight and intelligence. The narrator, nominally Mulisch himself, is certainly not shy of following whichever intellectual path takes his fancy, though these are nowhere near as involved or involving as the problems the characters themselves raise and discuss.

The Discovery of Heaven is astonishingly ambitious. It tackles a great many themes, and handles all of them with intelligence and candour. Mulisch treats his readers with dignity by explaining every difficult concept in such a way that we feel neither insulted by our lack of knowledge, or that we are in over our heads as character's spout obscure factoids and ideas. While the novel may be too difficult or too long for some, it is unhesitatingly recommended for all others who crave the sort of writing that inspires, that questions, that encourages thought.

An philosophical exploration and epic journey!, 23 Aug 2006
This is a great novel and, for me, everything that a novel should be; characters that develop within an immense plot, an epic journey and an exploration of philosophy, pyschology and theology, all together a fantasical reading experience!



Best book ever, 07 Apr 2006
This is probably the best book I have ever read. I had always been rather hesitant to start this book because of its size and the prospect of it being a very complex book as Mulish can be a very enjoyable but sometimes very complex writer. When I discovered they had brought out a special edition in honour of Mulish's Birthday I decided to take the plunge and found very rapidly that this book is the most fantastic read ever. It is so much better than the Da Vinci Code ( I really do not understand why this is a bestseller as it is rubish), which would probably fall into the same 'quest' category. It is more along the lines of Kostova's the Historian and much more literary in nature. It is all what novels should be a great story and it succeed to pulls you in and transports you to all of the places Add, Max, Ono and Quinten visit. Absolutely fantastic!
(This review is of the original Dutch version)

Splendid magic-realistic dutch novel, 15 Jan 2002
As other customers already mentioned, I agree that this novel reminds me to the works of Umberto Eco. The style of this writing used to be named "magic-realistic" when we were "doing our high-school".
Before this novel was published, I liked to read Harry Mulisch, but this is the best one I've ever had in my hands of this writer. Several times I bought the book as a present for family or friends.
It's not a surprise that recently a (Dutch) movie has been released of this novel, and that Harry Mulisch (from the Netherlands) received a couple of years ago a distinctive price for Literature from our (Belgian) king.

The tragi-comic little man of business, 23 Jun 2008
Set in the early 1930s, Cheese is the story of Frans Laarmans' sudden foray into the cheese import business courtesy of a enigmatic, wealthy mentor Mr van Schoonbeke. Simply written as Laarmans' account, it is a moving fable of the perils of idolising the wealth and status of others.

Laarmans, a shipping clerk, takes up the sudden opportunity following the death of his mother, to import Edam cheese to Belgium and the Grand Duchy. However, as a shipping clerk, he has absolutely no experience of business, no help and plenty of people (family and new wealthy friends) observing his progress. He doesn't even like cheese and the comic potential is all too evident, but at times Laarmans' naivity and inexperience is so toe-curlingly painful that it's hard to keep reading.

Both funny and moving, Cheese is a little book with a lot to say about status and that old lesson of the bird in the hand being worth two in the bush.

A Work of Genius, 02 Oct 2007
If you have any interest in either cheese or the comic form, buy and read this unknown (in English anyway) work of genius. Hilarious and poignant.

It's kind of like Three Men in a Boat, but not as good., 15 Mar 2002
This is a really sweet novel following a bored shipping clerk who leaves his job to try his luck in cheese sales.

It's mildly amusing, but never funny. Quite sad, but never tragic. Engaging, but not gripping. The best part of the book is the authors explanation of how to write tragedy which is a beautiful little insight into writing style.

If you liked Diary of a Nobody or Three Men in a Boat, you'll probably like this. Just not as much.

Rich in ideas and culture, but ultimately disappointing, 13 May 2008
The Discovery of Heaven is packed with felicitous turns of phrase, insights, and cultural allusions. However, I felt that the ending was philosophically and emotionally disappointing. Far from being life-affirming, it appeared to be life-denying, questioning the validity and the very reality of anything that is impermanent. The intimations of existential despair in what were occasional what's-the-point-if-we-just-die thoughts of Quinten, end up with pride of place. Given the broadly agnostic tone throughout (and of the main characters), I'm not sure this miserable conclusion is what the author set out to do - perhaps it was difficult to finish. I had expected the chosen one to rebel in the end, and that the ending might affirm the human characters' lives and friendships over the inhuman characters' fantastic machinations, in all their human transience and imperfection, but no: we are fireflies in the dark, pointless and unreal because we won't always be here.

The Discovery of Heaven, 22 Oct 2007
Two angels are conversing. Apparently, Francis Bacon - the 16th century scientist credited with establishing, among other things, the scientific methodology known as the 'Baconian Method' - made a pact with the devil, which caused humanity to lose their way with God, instead embracing the more vapid realm of technological progress; gadgets, as it were. God is convinced that the covenant between heaven and earth is broken and has charged the angels with retrieving the original stone tablets that contain the Ten Commandments as handed down by God to Moses on the summit of Mount Sinai. To do this, a perfect human must be created - the angels intervene with twentieth century history to ensure that this occurs.

A complicated setup, to be sure. Happily, for at least the first half of the novel, the heavy theological implications of The Discovery of Heaven do not weigh the novel down. Rather, we are invited into the intelligence, artistic and creative world that is the friendship of Onno Quist and Max Delius.

They were conceived on the same day, but are completely different. Onno is hugely intelligent, but suffers from a mind that is too rarefied for the concrete harshness of the world. A savant when it comes to languages, Onno made his name in the world of linguistics by translating Etruscan. 'It was because I made Etruscan comprehensible. The greatest minds in the world had failed - even Professor Massimo Pellegrini in Rome was too stupid - so I thought I may as well do it.' For now, he studies obscure topics and lives comfortable on the interest from his father's inheritance.

Max Delius lost his parents at a very young age during World War II. His mother was a Jew; she met a predictably sad end in a concentration camp. His father was a Dutch officer in the German army, it was his hand that indirectly caused the death of his wife. As a result of this, Max lives his life convinced that at any time, the people that he holds close could leave him. He is an astronomer, spending his free time seducing a string of random women who mean nothing at all.

But when they meet by chance when Onno is hitching a ride home to Amsterdam (a meeting assisted by the unseen hand of an angel), something immediately clicks. From this random encounter comes a friendship that is strong beyond anything they have experienced before. 'Max had never met anyone like Onno, Onno had never met anyone like Max - as a self-proclaimed pair of twins, they did not cease to delight in each other.'

Once this relationship has solidified, a third party enters. Of course, she is a woman, but the novel does not take a predictable turn in having a rivalry for Ada Brons' hand dominate the story. No, she begins as Max's girlfriend and ends as Onno's wife, but the way in which this is handled never for a moment suggests a clash of will, a fight for love. Max is happy that Ada is with the one man in the world he loves without reservation, Onno is gently surprised that he could ever be married at all. Later, in Cuba, under ambiguous circumstances, Ada becomes pregnant - but to Max, or to Onno? It is not clear to them, though the angels make it clear for us.

After decades of work, the angels have maneuvered everything and everyone into place. Max, Onno and Ada were all required to be born to properly create the child who could return the tablets to Heaven, and this has now been accomplished. The first half of the novel is concerned not with this theological problem but with the sweet, endearing friendship between Max and Onno and, to a lesser extent, the bond they share with Ada.

Mulisch is adept at creating a believable adult-male friendship. Max and Onno are both very intelligent, able to bounce ideas and theories of one another on subjects ranging from Kafka to translation and everything in between. A discussion on the noticeable warmth left behind when someone has been sitting on a chair is particularly clever, and funny in its simple truth. While the two men generally discuss matters of history, philosophy, and the spectrum of ideas, there is never a sense that Mulisch is hitting us over the head with his cleverness. Rather, we can believe that we are listening to two intelligent men talking about whatever it is that intelligent people discuss. Unlike, say, a Pynchon or an Eco, conversations do not exist to flaunt the erudition of the author, but rather the character of the characters.

Midway through the novel, pre-arranged tragedy strikes. A very pregnant Ada is involved in a car accident, she falls into a coma from which the likelihood of recovery is slim. But her child is alive and, through the intricacies of modern medicine, is delivered healthy and safe at seven months, by cesarean. Thanks to a complicated narrative device, Max becomes the caretaker of the child, Quentin.

The novel shifts quite dramatically in tone. While Onno embroils himself within the intricacies of Dutch politics, Max raises Quinten, the child which embodies the hopes of the angels, and of God. From a intellectually rambling novel of friendship and adventure, comes a more sedate, measured story of a child's growth and education.

What do we learn of Quinten? He grows up in an old castle, populated with vaguely eccentric characters, each of which is capable of - and willing to - teach him snippets of information which will come to play a large part in his destiny. From one man he learns of Judaism, from another, architecture. He is a curious, sensitive, quiet boy; his stunning good looks inspire trust and warmth in others.

The Discovery of Heaven slows down dramatically as Quinten grows from a baby to a young adult of seventeen. Oddly, large parts of his childhood are glossed over, yet the sensation of a slow novel remains. This is neither to Mulisch's credit or detriment - the novel simply changes pace, a fact which is immediately noticeable from the end of the second part and the beginning of the third.

There is never any doubt that Quinten will achieve his goal - indeed, we are almost led to believe by the angels that the large majority of twentieth century history occurred so that Quinten could be born. This is not meant to be a thriller, though the pages turn with rapidity, due to Mulisch's skill with words and penchant for interesting asides and digressions.

Perhaps the greatest pleasure in The Discovery of Heaven comes from the consistently thought-provoking text. While the last two hundred pages are dominated with theological (both Catholic and Jewish) problems and ideas, there is enough non-theological meat to satisfy any curious reader. Max's interest in astronomy serves as a jumping point for all manner of mini-essays, and Onno's autodidactism is a treat in itself. Any event, any situation, any conversation, gives Mulisch a chance to allow his characters to shine with their insight and intelligence. The narrator, nominally Mulisch himself, is certainly not shy of following whichever intellectual path takes his fancy, though these are nowhere near as involved or involving as the problems the characters themselves raise and discuss.

The Discovery of Heaven is astonishingly ambitious. It tackles a great many themes, and handles all of them with intelligence and candour. Mulisch treats his readers with dignity by explaining every difficult concept in such a way that we feel neither insulted by our lack of knowledge, or that we are in over our heads as character's spout obscure factoids and ideas. While the novel may be too difficult or too long for some, it is unhesitatingly recommended for all others who crave the sort of writing that inspires, that questions, that encourages thought.

An philosophical exploration and epic journey!, 23 Aug 2006
This is a great novel and, for me, everything that a novel should be; characters that develop within an immense plot, an epic journey and an exploration of philosophy, pyschology and theology, all together a fantasical reading experience!



Best book ever, 07 Apr 2006
This is probably the best book I have ever read. I had always been rather hesitant to start this book because of its size and the prospect of it being a very complex book as Mulish can be a very enjoyable but sometimes very complex writer. When I discovered they had brought out a special edition in honour of Mulish's Birthday I decided to take the plunge and found very rapidly that this book is the most fantastic read ever. It is so much better than the Da Vinci Code ( I really do not understand why this is a bestseller as it is rubish), which would probably fall into the same 'quest' category. It is more along the lines of Kostova's the Historian and much more literary in nature. It is all what novels should be a great story and it succeed to pulls you in and transports you to all of the places Add, Max, Ono and Quinten visit. Absolutely fantastic!
(This review is of the original Dutch version)

Splendid magic-realistic dutch novel, 15 Jan 2002
As other customers already mentioned, I agree that this novel reminds me to the works of Umberto Eco. The style of this writing used to be named "magic-realistic" when we were "doing our high-school".
Before this novel was published, I liked to read Harry Mulisch, but this is the best one I've ever had in my hands of this writer. Several times I bought the book as a present for family or friends.
It's not a surprise that recently a (Dutch) movie has been released of this novel, and that Harry Mulisch (from the Netherlands) received a couple of years ago a distinctive price for Literature from our (Belgian) king.

The tragi-comic little man of business, 23 Jun 2008
Set in the early 1930s, Cheese is the story of Frans Laarmans' sudden foray into the cheese import business courtesy of a enigmatic, wealthy mentor Mr van Schoonbeke. Simply written as Laarmans' account, it is a moving fable of the perils of idolising the wealth and status of others.

Laarmans, a shipping clerk, takes up the sudden opportunity following the death of his mother, to import Edam cheese to Belgium and the Grand Duchy. However, as a shipping clerk, he has absolutely no experience of business, no help and plenty of people (family and new wealthy friends) observing his progress. He doesn't even like cheese and the comic potential is all too evident, but at times Laarmans' naivity and inexperience is so toe-curlingly painful that it's hard to keep reading.

Both funny and moving, Cheese is a little book with a lot to say about status and that old lesson of the bird in the hand being worth two in the bush.

A Work of Genius, 02 Oct 2007
If you have any interest in either cheese or the comic form, buy and read this unknown (in English anyway) work of genius. Hilarious and poignant.

It's kind of like Three Men in a Boat, but not as good., 15 Mar 2002
This is a really sweet novel following a bored shipping clerk who leaves his job to try his luck in cheese sales.

It's mildly amusing, but never funny. Quite sad, but never tragic. Engaging, but not gripping. The best part of the book is the authors explanation of how to write tragedy which is a beautiful little insight into writing style.

If you liked Diary of a Nobody or Three Men in a Boat, you'll probably like this. Just not as much.

An excellent Dutch novel, beautifully written., 28 Feb 2002
A dutch boy discovers a passion for rowing on the river alongside which he grew up, in 1930's Holland. As he and another boy are recognised for their talent as a coxless pair, and trained by a mysterious German coach, they set their sights on the Olympic Games due to be held in 1940. Like the river upon which the boys pursue their dreams, the book has many darker undercurrents. It is written almost as a memory of golden days gone by, now swept away by a war-torn Europe. The boys' passion for rowing comes from a passion for the river itself and the freedom it offers them. The river is central throughout the story. The arrival of war is a personal tragedy. This story is much more than a tale of sporting achievement. It mingles such themes as friendship, social isolation, class, coming of age and the despair of war with an inspiring story of two young men, bonded by friendship as well as by teamwork, who find brief but true freedom on the water.

Rich in ideas and culture, but ultimately disappointing, 13 May 2008
The Discovery of Heaven is packed with felicitous turns of phrase, insights, and cultural allusions. However, I felt that the ending was philosophically and emotionally disappointing. Far from being life-affirming, it appeared to be life-denying, questioning the validity and the very reality of anything that is impermanent. The intimations of existential despair in what were occasional what's-the-point-if-we-just-die thoughts of Quinten, end up with pride of place. Given the broadly agnostic tone throughout (and of the main characters), I'm not sure this miserable conclusion is what the author set out to do - perhaps it was difficult to finish. I had expected the chosen one to rebel in the end, and that the ending might affirm the human characters' lives and friendships over the inhuman characters' fantastic machinations, in all their human transience and imperfection, but no: we are fireflies in the dark, pointless and unreal because we won't always be here.

The Discovery of Heaven, 22 Oct 2007
Two angels are conversing. Apparently, Francis Bacon - the 16th century scientist credited with establishing, among other things, the scientific methodology known as the 'Baconian Method' - made a pact with the devil, which caused humanity to lose their way with God, instead embracing the more vapid realm of technological progress; gadgets, as it were. God is convinced that the covenant between heaven and earth is broken and has charged the angels with retrieving the original stone tablets that contain the Ten Commandments as handed down by God to Moses on the summit of Mount Sinai. To do this, a perfect human must be created - the angels intervene with twentieth century history to ensure that this occurs.

A complicated setup, to be sure. Happily, for at least the first half of the novel, the heavy theological implications of The Discovery of Heaven do not weigh the novel down. Rather, we are invited into the intelligence, artistic and creative world that is the friendship of Onno Quist and Max Delius.

They were conceived on the same day, but are completely different. Onno is hugely intelligent, but suffers from a mind that is too rarefied for the concrete harshness of the world. A savant when it comes to languages, Onno made his name in the world of linguistics by translating Etruscan. 'It was because I made Etruscan comprehensible. The greatest minds in the world had failed - even Professor Massimo Pellegrini in Rome was too stupid - so I thought I may as well do it.' For now, he studies obscure topics and lives comfortable on the interest from his father's inheritance.

Max Delius lost his parents at a very young age during World War II. His mother was a Jew; she met a predictably sad end in a concentration camp. His father was a Dutch officer in the German army, it was his hand that indirectly caused the death of his wife. As a result of this, Max lives his life convinced that at any time, the people that he holds close could leave him. He is an astronomer, spending his free time seducing a string of random women who mean nothing at all.

But when they meet by chance when Onno is hitching a ride home to Amsterdam (a meeting assisted by the unseen hand of an angel), something immediately clicks. From this random encounter comes a friendship that is strong beyond anything they have experienced before. 'Max had never met anyone like Onno, Onno had never met anyone like Max - as a self-proclaimed pair of twins, they did not cease to delight in each other.'

Once this relationship has solidified, a third party enters. Of course, she is a woman, but the novel does not take a predictable turn in having a rivalry for Ada Brons' hand dominate the story. No, she begins as Max's girlfriend and ends as Onno's wife, but the way in which this is handled never for a moment suggests a clash of will, a fight for love. Max is happy that Ada is with the one man in the world he loves without reservation, Onno is gently surprised that he could ever be married at all. Later, in Cuba, under ambiguous circumstances, Ada becomes pregnant - but to Max, or to Onno? It is not clear to them, though the angels make it clear for us.

After decades of work, the angels have maneuvered everything and everyone into place. Max, Onno and Ada were all required to be born to properly create the child who could return the tablets to Heaven, and this has now been accomplished. The first half of the novel is concerned not with this theological problem but with the sweet, endearing friendship between Max and Onno and, to a lesser extent, the bond they share with Ada.

Mulisch is adept at creating a believable adult-male friendship. Max and Onno are both very intelligent, able to bounce ideas and theories of one another on subjects ranging from Kafka to translation and everything in between. A discussion on the noticeable warmth left behind when someone has been sitting on a chair is particularly clever, and funny in its simple truth. While the two men generally discuss matters of history, philosophy, and the spectrum of ideas, there is never a sense that Mulisch is hitting us over the head with his cleverness. Rather, we can believe that we are listening to two intelligent men talking about whatever it is that intelligent people discuss. Unlike, say, a Pynchon or an Eco, conversations do not exist to flaunt the erudition of the author, but rather the character of the characters.

Midway through the novel, pre-arranged tragedy strikes. A very pregnant Ada is involved in a car accident, she falls into a coma from which the likelihood of recovery is slim. But her child is alive and, through the intricacies of modern medicine, is delivered healthy and safe at seven months, by cesarean. Thanks to a complicated narrative device, Max becomes the caretaker of the child, Quentin.

The novel shifts quite dramatically in tone. While Onno embroils himself within the intricacies of Dutch politics, Max raises Quinten, the child which embodies the hopes of the angels, and of God. From a intellectually rambling novel of friendship and adventure, comes a more sedate, measured story of a child's growth and education.

What do we learn of Quinten? He grows up in an old castle, populated with vaguely eccentric characters, each of which is capable of - and willing to - teach him snippets of information which will come to play a large part in his destiny. From one man he learns of Judaism, from another, architecture. He is a curious, sensitive, quiet boy; his stunning good looks inspire trust and warmth in others.

The Discovery of Heaven slows down dramatically as Quinten grows from a baby to a young adult of seventeen. Oddly, large parts of his childhood are glossed over, yet the sensation of a slow novel remains. This is neither to Mulisch's credit or detriment - the novel simply changes pace, a fact which is immediately noticeable from the end of the second part and the beginning of the third.

There is never any doubt that Quinten will achieve his goal - indeed, we are almost led to believe by the angels that the large majority of twentieth century history occurred so that Quinten could be born. This is not meant to be a thriller, though the pages turn with rapidity, due to Mulisch's skill with words and penchant for interesting asides and digressions.

Perhaps the greatest pleasure in The Discovery of Heaven comes from the consistently thought-provoking text. While the last two hundred pages are dominated with theological (both Catholic and Jewish) problems and ideas, there is enough non-theological meat to satisfy any curious reader. Max's interest in astronomy serves as a jumping point for all manner of mini-essays, and Onno's autodidactism is a treat in itself. Any event, any situation, any conversation, gives Mulisch a chance to allow his characters to shine with their insight and intelligence. The narrator, nominally Mulisch himself, is certainly not shy of following whichever intellectual path takes his fancy, though these are nowhere near as involved or involving as the problems the characters themselves raise and discuss.

The Discovery of Heaven is astonishingly ambitious. It tackles a great many themes, and handles all of them with intelligence and candour. Mulisch treats his readers with dignity by explaining every difficult concept in such a way that we feel neither insulted by our lack of knowledge, or that we are in over our heads as character's spout obscure factoids and ideas. While the novel may be too difficult or too long for some, it is unhesitatingly recommended for all others who crave the sort of writing that inspires, that questions, that encourages thought.

An philosophical exploration and epic journey!, 23 Aug 2006
This is a great novel and, for me, everything that a novel should be; characters that develop within an immense plot, an epic journey and an exploration of philosophy, pyschology and theology, all together a fantasical reading experience!



Best book ever, 07 Apr 2006
This is probably the best book I have ever read. I had always been rather hesitant to start this book because of its size and the prospect of it being a very complex book as Mulish can be a very enjoyable but sometimes very complex writer. When I discovered they had brought out a special edition in honour of Mulish's Birthday I decided to take the plunge and found very rapidly that this book is the most fantastic read ever. It is so much better than the Da Vinci Code ( I really do not understand why this is a bestseller as it is rubish), which would probably fall into the same 'quest' category. It is more along the lines of Kostova's the Historian and much more literary in nature. It is all what novels should be a great story and it succeed to pulls you in and transports you to all of the places Add, Max, Ono and Quinten visit. Absolutely fantastic!
(This review is of the original Dutch version)

Splendid magic-realistic dutch novel, 15 Jan 2002
As other customers already mentioned, I agree that this novel reminds me to the works of Umberto Eco. The style of this writing used to be named "magic-realistic" when we were "doing our high-school".
Before this novel was published, I liked to read Harry Mulisch, but this is the best one I've ever had in my hands of this writer. Several times I bought the book as a present for family or friends.
It's not a surprise that recently a (Dutch) movie has been released of this novel, and that Harry Mulisch (from the Netherlands) received a couple of years ago a distinctive price for Literature from our (Belgian) king.

The tragi-comic little man of business, 23 Jun 2008
Set in the early 1930s, Cheese is the story of Frans Laarmans' sudden foray into the cheese import business courtesy of a enigmatic, wealthy mentor Mr van Schoonbeke. Simply written as Laarmans' account, it is a moving fable of the perils of idolising the wealth and status of others.

Laarmans, a shipping clerk, takes up the sudden opportunity following the death of his mother, to import Edam cheese to Belgium and the Grand Duchy. However, as a shipping clerk, he has absolutely no experience of business, no help and plenty of people (family and new wealthy friends) observing his progress. He doesn't even like cheese and the comic potential is all too evident, but at times Laarmans' naivity and inexperience is so toe-curlingly painful that it's hard to keep reading.

Both funny and moving, Cheese is a little book with a lot to say about status and that old lesson of the bird in the hand being worth two in the bush.

A Work of Genius, 02 Oct 2007
If you have any interest in either cheese or the comic form, buy and read this unknown (in English anyway) work of genius. Hilarious and poignant.

It's kind of like Three Men in a Boat, but not as good., 15 Mar 2002
This is a really sweet novel following a bored shipping clerk who leaves his job to try his luck in cheese sales.

It's mildly amusing, but never funny. Quite sad, but never tragic. Engaging, but not gripping. The best part of the book is the authors explanation of how to write tragedy which is a beautiful little insight into writing style.

If you liked Diary of a Nobody or Three Men in a Boat, you'll probably like this. Just not as much.

An excellent Dutch novel, beautifully written., 28 Feb 2002
A dutch boy discovers a passion for rowing on the river alongside which he grew up, in 1930's Holland. As he and another boy are recognised for their talent as a coxless pair, and trained by a mysterious German coach, they set their sights on the Olympic Games due to be held in 1940. Like the river upon which the boys pursue their dreams, the book has many darker undercurrents. It is written almost as a memory of golden days gone by, now swept away by a war-torn Europe. The boys' passion for rowing comes from a passion for the river itself and the freedom it offers them. The river is central throughout the story. The arrival of war is a personal tragedy. This story is much more than a tale of sporting achievement. It mingles such themes as friendship, social isolation, class, coming of age and the despair of war with an inspiring story of two young men, bonded by friendship as well as by teamwork, who find brief but true freedom on the water.

This book delivers the goods, 31 Jul 2007
Paul Vincent really delivers in this book. It has good pace, good cliffhangers, and is original in both setting and style.

What sort of book is it? A romance? Yes. But no, it's a thriller.

The truth is, it is both, and it combines both these styles effectively, to produce a superior novel. Do yourself a favour and buy it. He beats mainstream thriller writers hands down.



Unusual (in a good way), 09 Feb 2004
The style of the book is that the narrator chats to us, and it is a very rewarding style because when the screw is turned and the thriller gets more and more, er, thrilling, we put ourselves in his shoes and my nails are now bitten down to the quick. It seems very likely that if Mr Vincent keeps writing books this good and this laid-back he will become a household name.
An American friend colleague of mine tipped me off about the book because it was Book of the Month in an American magazine and it is rare for a thriller to get that kind of praise. Odd then, that the author is British and seemingly the yanks have heard of him but we haven't. A rare book indeed.

Quite simply Paul Vincent's best book yet!, 12 Nov 2003
I think current fans of Paul Vincent will perhaps find this new novel less off-beat than his previous work, but still very enjoyable. However there will be many new fans who will appreciate the likeable characters, strong story line, and the interesting historical references.

Tops, 10 Nov 2003
When reading this, I started wondering why there aren't more books like this. Fast paced, eloquent, intriguing, amusing. I really like all the details about the Basque Country, but at the end of the day it is the sheer energy of the book that made it so great. A psychological thriller where you really worried about this pleasant little man who had married a bit of a handful and whose life became plunged into a sort of mad thriller where the police were after him for a murder he didn't do, and he was getting death threats from someone unknown, and we can't fathom out why. The author makes it look easy, but if it was easy there would be more books this good, and there aren't are there.

A ROLLER COASTER YOU CAN'T GET OFF, 07 Nov 2003
I'm easily bored by books so I feel I should write a review about this one. It's not just gripping and thrilling, it's interesting as well.

Sal is a shy man who is moving back to his roots in Northern Spain. Little things start to go wrong and we begin to suspect that his new wife is some sort of psycho. We really like her and hope we're wrong; she's fun and is bringing him out of his shell, but his life gets more and more scary and it all spins totally out of control before we know it. I'm trying hard not to give the plot away because it is all so much fun - fun as in funny - but also fun because it is dauntingly gripping. It is also interesting about how much we should follow our roots and worry about the past or how much we should just live life for the moment.

Oh and it has a heart stopping section towards the end.

If there is a better new thriller out there then, please, let me know. I will be very surprised if I find this review surrounded by reviews where people were less happy.

Rich in ideas and culture, but ultimately disappointing, 13 May 2008
The Discovery of Heaven is packed with felicitous turns of phrase, insights, and cultural allusions. However, I felt that the ending was philosophically and emotionally disappointing. Far from being life-affirming, it appeared to be life-denying, questioning the validity and the very reality of anything that is impermanent. The intimations of existential despair in what were occasional what's-the-point-if-we-just-die thoughts of Quinten, end up with pride of place. Given the broadly agnostic tone throughout (and of the main characters), I'm not sure this miserable conclusion is what the author set out to do - perhaps it was difficult to finish. I had expected the chosen one to rebel in the end, and that the ending might affirm the human characters' lives and friendships over the inhuman characters' fantastic machinations, in all their human transience and imperfection, but no: we are fireflies in the dark, pointless and unreal because we won't always be here.

The Discovery of Heaven, 22 Oct 2007
Two angels are conversing. Apparently, Francis Bacon - the 16th century scientist credited with establishing, among other things, the scientific methodology known as the 'Baconian Method' - made a pact with the devil, which caused humanity to lose their way with God, instead embracing the more vapid realm of technological progress; gadgets, as it were. God is convinced that the covenant between heaven and earth is broken and has charged the angels with retrieving the original stone tablets that contain the Ten Commandments as handed down by God to Moses on the summit of Mount Sinai. To do this, a perfect human must be created - the angels intervene with twentieth century history to ensure that this occurs.

A complicated setup, to be sure. Happily, for at least the first half of the novel, the heavy theological implications of The Discovery of Heaven do not weigh the novel down. Rather, we are invited into the intelligence, artistic and creative world that is the friendship of Onno Quist and Max Delius.

They were conceived on the same day, but are completely different. Onno is hugely intelligent, but suffers from a mind that is too rarefied for the concrete harshness of the world. A savant when it comes to languages, Onno made his name in the world of linguistics by translating Etruscan. 'It was because I made Etruscan comprehensible. The greatest minds in the world had failed - even Professor Massimo Pellegrini in Rome was too stupid - so I thought I may as well do it.' For now, he studies obscure topics and lives comfortable on the interest from his father's inheritance.

Max Delius lost his parents at a very young age during World War II. His mother was a Jew; she met a predictably sad end in a concentration camp. His father was a Dutch officer in the German army, it was his hand that indirectly caused the death of his wife. As a result of this, Max lives his life convinced that at any time, the people that he holds close could leave him. He is an astronomer, spending his free time seducing a string of random women who mean nothing at all.

But when they meet by chance when Onno is hitching a ride home to Amsterdam (a meeting assisted by the unseen hand of an angel), something immediately clicks. From this random encounter comes a friendship that is strong beyond anything they have experienced before. 'Max had never met anyone like Onno, Onno had never met anyone like Max - as a self-proclaimed pair of twins, they did not cease to delight in each other.'

Once this relationship has solidified, a third party enters. Of course, she is a woman, but the novel does not take a predictable turn in having a rivalry for Ada Brons' hand dominate the story. No, she begins as Max's girlfriend and ends as Onno's wife, but the way in which this is handled never for a moment suggests a clash of will, a fight for love. Max is happy that Ada is with the one man in the world he loves without reservation, Onno is gently surprised that he could ever be married at all. Later, in Cuba, under ambiguous circumstances, Ada becomes pregnant - but to Max, or to Onno? It is not clear to them, though the angels make it clear for us.

After decades of work, the angels have maneuvered everything and everyone into place. Max, Onno and Ada were all required to be born to properly create the child who could return the tablets to Heaven, and this has now been accomplished. The first half of the novel is concerned not with this theological problem but with the sweet, endearing friendship between Max and Onno and, to a lesser extent, the bond they share with Ada.

Mulisch is adept at creating a believable adult-male friendship. Max and Onno are both very intelligent, able to bounce ideas and theories of one another on subjects ranging from Kafka to translation and everything in between. A discussion on the noticeable warmth left behind when someone has been sitting on a chair is particularly clever, and funny in its simple truth. While the two men generally discuss matters of history, philosophy, and the spectrum of ideas, there is never a sense that Mulisch is hitting us over the head with his cleverness. Rather, we can believe that we are listening to two intelligent men talking about whatever it is that intelligent people discuss. Unlike, say, a Pynchon or an Eco, conversations do not exist to flaunt the erudition of the author, but rather the character of the characters.

Midway through the novel, pre-arranged tragedy strikes. A very pregnant Ada is involved in a car accident, she falls into a coma from which the likelihood of recovery is slim. But her child is alive and, through the intricacies of modern medicine, is delivered healthy and safe at seven months, by cesarean. Thanks to a complicated narrative device, Max becomes the caretaker of the child, Quentin.

The novel shifts quite dramatically in tone. While Onno embroils himself within the intricacies of Dutch politics, Max raises Quinten, the child which embodies the hopes of the angels, and of God. From a intellectually rambling novel of friendship and adventure, comes a more sedate, measured story of a child's growth and education.

What do we learn of Quinten? He grows up in an old castle, populated with vaguely eccentric characters, each of which is capable of - and willing to - teach him snippets of information which will come to play a large part in his destiny. From one man he learns of Judaism, from another, architecture. He is a curious, sensitive, quiet boy; his stunning good looks inspire trust and warmth in others.

The Discovery of Heaven slows down dramatically as Quinten grows from a baby to a young adult of seventeen. Oddly, large parts of his childhood are glossed over, yet the sensation of a slow novel remains. This is neither to Mulisch's credit or detriment - the novel simply changes pace, a fact which is immediately noticeable from the end of the second part and the beginning of the third.

There is never any doubt that Quinten will achieve his goal - indeed, we are almost led to believe by the angels that the large majority of twentieth century history occurred so that Quinten could be born. This is not meant to be a thriller, though the pages turn with rapidity, due to Mulisch's skill with words and penchant for interesting asides and digressions.

Perhaps the greatest pleasure in The Discovery of Heaven comes from the consistently thought-provoking text. While the last two hundred pages are dominated with theological (both Catholic and Jewish) problems and ideas, there is enough non-theological meat to satisfy any curious reader. Max's interest in astronomy serves as a jumping point for all manner of mini-essays, and Onno's autodidactism is a treat in itself. Any event, any situation, any conversation, gives Mulisch a chance to allow his characters to shine with their insight and intelligence. The narrator, nominally Mulisch himself, is certainly not shy of following whichever intellectual path takes his fancy, though these are nowhere near as involved or involving as the problems the characters themselves raise and discuss.

The Discovery of Heaven is astonishingly ambitious. It tackles a great many themes, and handles all of them with intelligence and candour. Mulisch treats his readers with dignity by explaining every difficult concept in such a way that we feel neither insulted by our lack of knowledge, or that we are in over our heads as character's spout obscure factoids and ideas. While the novel may be too difficult or too long for some, it is unhesitatingly recommended for all others who crave the sort of writing that inspires, that questions, that encourages thought.

An philosophical exploration and epic journey!, 23 Aug 2006
This is a great novel and, for me, everything that a novel should be; characters that develop within an immense plot, an epic journey and an exploration of philosophy, pyschology and theology, all together a fantasical reading experience!



Best book ever, 07 Apr 2006
This is probably the best book I have ever read. I had always been rather hesitant to start this book because of its size and the prospect of it being a very complex book as Mulish can be a very enjoyable but sometimes very complex writer. When I discovered they had brought out a special edition in honour of Mulish's Birthday I decided to take the plunge and found very rapidly that this book is the most fantastic read ever. It is so much better than the Da Vinci Code ( I really do not understand why this is a bestseller as it is rubish), which would probably fall into the same 'quest' category. It is more along the lines of Kostova's the Historian and much more literary in nature. It is all what novels should be a great story and it succeed to pulls you in and transports you to all of the places Add, Max, Ono and Quinten visit. Absolutely fantastic!
(This review is of the original Dutch version)

Splendid magic-realistic dutch novel, 15 Jan 2002
As other customers already mentioned, I agree that this novel reminds me to the works of Umberto Eco. The style of this writing used to be named "magic-realistic" when we were "doing our high-school".
Before this novel was published, I liked to read Harry Mulisch, but this is the best one I've ever had in my hands of this writer. Several times I bought the book as a present for family or friends.
It's not a surprise that recently a (Dutch) movie has been released of this novel, and that Harry Mulisch (from the Netherlands) received a couple of years ago a distinctive price for Literature from our (Belgian) king.

The tragi-comic little man of business, 23 Jun 2008
Set in the early 1930s, Cheese is the story of Frans Laarmans' sudden foray into the cheese import business courtesy of a enigmatic, wealthy mentor Mr van Schoonbeke. Simply written as Laarmans' account, it is a moving fable of the perils of idolising the wealth and status of others.

Laarmans, a shipping clerk, takes up the sudden opportunity following the death of his mother, to import Edam cheese to Belgium and the Grand Duchy. However, as a shipping clerk, he has absolutely no experience of business, no help and plenty of people (family and new wealthy friends) observing his progress. He doesn't even like cheese and the comic potential is all too evident, but at times Laarmans' naivity and inexperience is so toe-curlingly painful that it's hard to keep reading.

Both funny and moving, Cheese is a little book with a lot to say about status and that old lesson of the bird in the hand being worth two in the bush.

A Work of Genius, 02 Oct 2007
If you have any interest in either cheese or the comic form, buy and read this unknown (in English anyway) work of genius. Hilarious and poignant.

It's kind of like Three Men in a Boat, but not as good., 15 Mar 2002
This is a really sweet novel following a bored shipping clerk who leaves his job to try his luck in cheese sales.

It's mildly amusing, but never funny. Quite sad, but never tragic. Engaging, but not gripping. The best part of the book is the authors explanation of how to write tragedy which is a beautiful little insight into writing style.

If you liked Diary of a Nobody or Three Men in a Boat, you'll probably like this. Just not as much.

An excellent Dutch novel, beautifully written., 28 Feb 2002
A dutch boy discovers a passion for rowing on the river alongside which he grew up, in 1930's Holland. As he and another boy are recognised for their talent as a coxless pair, and trained by a mysterious German coach, they set their sights on the Olympic Games due to be held in 1940. Like the river upon which the boys pursue their dreams, the book has many darker undercurrents. It is written almost as a memory of golden days gone by, now swept away by a war-torn Europe. The boys' passion for rowing comes from a passion for the river itself and the freedom it offers them. The river is central throughout the story. The arrival of war is a personal tragedy. This story is much more than a tale of sporting achievement. It mingles such themes as friendship, social isolation, class, coming of age and the despair of war with an inspiring story of two young men, bonded by friendship as well as by teamwork, who find brief but true freedom on the water.

This book delivers the goods, 31 Jul 2007
Paul Vincent really delivers in this book. It has good pace, good cliffhangers, and is original in both setting and style.

What sort of book is it? A romance? Yes. But no, it's a thriller.

The truth is, it is both, and it combines both these styles effectively, to produce a superior novel. Do yourself a favour and buy it. He beats mainstream thriller writers hands down.



Unusual (in a good way), 09 Feb 2004
The style of the book is that the narrator chats to us, and it is a very rewarding style because when the screw is turned and the thriller gets more and more, er, thrilling, we put ourselves in his shoes and my nails are now bitten down to the quick. It seems very likely that if Mr Vincent keeps writing books this good and this laid-back he will become a household name.
An American friend colleague of mine tipped me off about the book because it was Book of the Month in an American magazine and it is rare for a thriller to get that kind of praise. Odd then, that the author is British and seemingly the yanks have heard of him but we haven't. A rare book indeed.

Quite simply Paul Vincent's best book yet!, 12 Nov 2003
I think current fans of Paul Vincent will perhaps find this new novel less off-beat than his previous work, but still very enjoyable. However there will be many new fans who will appreciate the likeable characters, strong story line, and the interesting historical references.

Tops, 10 Nov 2003
When reading this, I started wondering why there aren't more books like this. Fast paced, eloquent, intriguing, amusing. I really like all the details about the Basque Country, but at the end of the day it is the sheer energy of the book that made it so great. A psychological thriller where you really worried about this pleasant little man who had married a bit of a handful and whose life became plunged into a sort of mad thriller where the police were after him for a murder he didn't do, and he was getting death threats from someone unknown, and we can't fathom out why. The author makes it look easy, but if it was easy there would be more books this good, and there aren't are there.

A ROLLER COASTER YOU CAN'T GET OFF, 07 Nov 2003
I'm easily bored by books so I feel I should write a review about this one. It's not just gripping and thrilling, it's interesting as well.

Sal is a shy man who is moving back to his roots in Northern Spain. Little things start to go wrong and we begin to suspect that his new wife is some sort of psycho. We really like her and hope we're wrong; she's fun and is bringing him out of his shell, but his life gets more and more scary and it all spins totally out of control before we know it. I'm trying hard not to give the plot away because it is all so much fun - fun as in funny - but also fun because it is dauntingly gripping. It is also interesting about how much we should follow our roots and worry about the past or how much we should just live life for the moment.

Oh and it has a heart stopping section towards the end.

If there is a better new thriller out there then, please, let me know. I will be very surprised if I find this review surrounded by reviews where people were less happy.

Rich in ideas and culture, but ultimately disappointing, 13 May 2008
The Discovery of Heaven is packed with felicitous turns of phrase, insights, and cultural allusions. However, I felt that the ending was philosophically and emotionally disappointing. Far from being life-affirming, it appeared to be life-denying, questioning the validity and the very reality of anything that is impermanent. The intimations of existential despair in what were occasional what's-the-point-if-we-just-die thoughts of Quinten, end up with pride of place. Given the broadly agnostic tone throughout (and of the main characters), I'm not sure this miserable conclusion is what the author set out to do - perhaps it was difficult to finish. I had expected the chosen one to rebel in the end, and that the ending might affirm the human characters' lives and friendships over the inhuman characters' fantastic machinations, in all their human transience and imperfection, but no: we are fireflies in the dark, pointless and unreal because we won't always be here.

The Discovery of Heaven, 22 Oct 2007
Two angels are conversing. Apparently, Francis Bacon - the 16th century scientist credited with establishing, among other things, the scientific methodology known as the 'Baconian Method' - made a pact with the devil, which caused humanity to lose their way with God, instead embracing the more vapid realm of technological progress; gadgets, as it were. God is convinced that the covenant between heaven and earth is broken and has charged the angels with retrieving the original stone tablets that contain the Ten Commandments as handed down by God to Moses on the summit of Mount Sinai. To do this, a perfect human must be created - the angels intervene with twentieth century history to ensure that this occurs.

A complicated setup, to be sure. Happily, for at least the first half of the novel, the heavy theological implications of The Discovery of Heaven do not weigh the novel down. Rather, we are invited into the intelligence, artistic and creative world that is the friendship of Onno Quist and Max Delius.

They were conceived on the same day, but are completely different. Onno is hugely intelligent, but suffers from a mind that is too rarefied for the concrete harshness of the world. A savant when it comes to languages, Onno made his name in the world of linguistics by translating Etruscan. 'It was because I made Etruscan comprehensible. The greatest minds in the world had failed - even Professor Massimo Pellegrini in Rome was too stupid - so I thought I may as well do it.' For now, he studies obscure topics and lives comfortable on the interest from his father's inheritance.

Max Delius lost his parents at a very young age during World War II. His mother was a Jew; she met a predictably sad end in a concentration camp. His father was a Dutch officer in the German army, it was his hand that indirectly caused the death of his wife. As a result of this, Max lives his life convinced that at any time, the people that he holds close could leave him. He is an astronomer, spending his free time seducing a string of random women who mean nothing at all.

But when they meet by chance when Onno is hitching a ride home to Amsterdam (a meeting assisted by the unseen hand of an angel), something immediately clicks. From this random encounter comes a friendship that is strong beyond anything they have experienced before. 'Max had never met anyone like Onno, Onno had never met anyone like Max - as a self-proclaimed pair of twins, they did not cease to delight in each other.'

Once this relationship has solidified, a third party enters. Of course, she is a woman, but the novel does not take a predictable turn in having a rivalry for Ada Brons' hand dominate the story. No, she begins as Max's girlfriend and ends as Onno's wife, but the way in which this is handled never for a moment suggests a clash of will, a fight for love. Max is happy that Ada is with the one man in the world he loves without reservation, Onno is gently surprised that he could ever be married at all. Later, in Cuba, under ambiguous circumstances, Ada becomes pregnant - but to Max, or to Onno? It is not clear to them, though the angels make it clear for us.

After decades of work, the angels have maneuvered everything and everyone into place. Max, Onno and Ada were all required to be born to properly create the child who could return the tablets to Heaven, and this has now been accomplished. The first half of the novel is concerned not with this theological problem but with the sweet, endearing friendship between Max and Onno and, to a lesser extent, the bond they share with Ada.

Mulisch is adept at creating a believable adult-male friendship. Max and Onno are both very intelligent, able to bounce ideas and theories of one another on subjects ranging from Kafka to translation and everything in between. A discussion on the noticeable warmth left behind when someone has been sitting on a chair is particularly clever, and funny in its simple truth. While the two men generally discuss matters of history, philosophy, and the spectrum of ideas, there is never a sense that Mulisch is hitting us over the head with his cleverness. Rather, we can believe that we are listening to two intelligent men talking about whatever it is that intelligent people discuss. Unlike, say, a Pynchon or an Eco, conversations do not exist to flaunt the erudition of the author, but rather the character of the characters.

Midway through the novel, pre-arranged tragedy strikes. A very pregnant Ada is involved in a car accident, she falls into a coma from which the likelihood of recovery is slim. But her child is alive and, through the intricacies of modern medicine, is delivered healthy and safe at seven months, by cesarean. Thanks to a complicated narrative device, Max becomes the caretaker of the child, Quentin.

The novel shifts quite dramatically in tone. While Onno embroils himself within the intricacies of Dutch politics, Max raises Quinten, the child which embodies the hopes of the angels, and of God. From a intellectually rambling novel of friendship and adventure, comes a more sedate, measured story of a child's growth and education.

What do we learn of Quinten? He grows up in an old castle, populated with vaguely eccentric characters, each of which is capable of - and willing to - teach him snippets of information which will come to play a large part in his destiny. From one man he learns of Judaism, from another, architecture. He is a curious, sensitive, quiet boy; his stunning good looks inspire trust and warmth in others.

The Discovery of Heaven slows down dramatically as Quinten grows from a baby to a young adult of seventeen. Oddly, large parts of his childhood are glossed over, yet the sensation of a slow novel remains. This is neither to Mulisch's credit or detriment - the novel simply changes pace, a fact which is immediately noticeable from the end of the second part and the beginning of the third.

There is never any doubt that Quinten will achieve his goal - indeed, we are almost led to believe by the angels that the large majority of twentieth century history occurred so that Quinten could be born. This is not meant to be a thriller, though the pages turn with rapidity, due to Mulisch's skill with words and penchant for interesting asides and digressions.

Perhaps the greatest pleasure in The Discovery of Heaven comes from the consistently thought-provoking text. While the last two hundred pages are dominated with theological (both Catholic and Jewish) problems and ideas, there is enough non-theological meat to satisfy any curious reader. Max's interest in astronomy serves as a jumping point for all manner of mini-essays, and Onno's autodidactism is a treat in itself. Any event, any situation, any conversation, gives Mulisch a chance to allow his characters to shine with their insight and intelligence. The narrator, nominally Mulisch himself, is certainly not shy of following whichever intellectual path takes his fancy, though these are nowhere near as involved or involving as the problems the characters themselves raise and discuss.

The Discovery of Heaven is astonishingly ambitious. It tackles a great many themes, and handles all of them with intelligence and candour. Mulisch treats his readers with dignity by explaining every difficult concept in such a way that we feel neither insulted by our lack of knowledge, or that we are in over our heads as character's spout obscure factoids and ideas. While the novel may be too difficult or too long for some, it is unhesitatingly recommended for all others who crave the sort of writing that inspires, that questions, that encourages thought.

An philosophical exploration and epic journey!, 23 Aug 2006
This is a great novel and, for me, everything that a novel should be; characters that develop within an immense plot, an epic journey and an exploration of philosophy, pyschology and theology, all together a fantasical reading experience!



Best book ever, 07 Apr 2006
This is probably the best book I have ever read. I had always been rather hesitant to start this book because of its size and the prospect of it being a very complex book as Mulish can be a very enjoyable but sometimes very complex writer. When I discovered they had brought out a special edition in honour of Mulish's Birthday I decided to take the plunge and found very rapidly that this book is the most fantastic read ever. It is so much better than the Da Vinci Code ( I really do not understand why this is a bestseller as it is rubish), which would probably fall into the same 'quest' category. It is more along the lines of Kostova's the Historian and much more literary in nature. It is all what novels should be a great story and it succeed to pulls you in and transports you to all of the places Add, Max, Ono and Quinten visit. Absolutely fantastic!
(This review is of the original Dutch version)

Splendid magic-realistic dutch novel, 15 Jan 2002
As other customers already mentioned, I agree that this novel reminds me to the works of Umberto Eco. The style of this writing used to be named "magic-realistic" when we were "doing our high-school".
Before this novel was published, I liked to read Harry Mulisch, but this is the best one I've ever had in my hands of this writer. Several times I bought the book as a present for family or friends.
It's not a surprise that recently a (Dutch) movie has been released of this novel, and that Harry Mulisch (from the Netherlands) received a couple of years ago a distinctive price for Literature from our (Belgian) king.

Rich in ideas and culture, but ultimately disappointing, 13 May 2008
The Discovery of Heaven is packed with felicitous turns of phrase, insights, and cultural allusions. However, I felt that the ending was philosophically and emotionally disappointing. Far from being life-affirming, it appeared to be life-denying, questioning the validity and the very reality of anything that is impermanent. The intimations of existential despair in what were occasional what's-the-point-if-we-just-die thoughts of Quinten, end up with pride of place. Given the broadly agnostic tone throughout (and of the main characters), I'm not sure this miserable conclusion is what the author set out to do - perhaps it was difficult to finish. I had expected the chosen one to rebel in the end, and that the ending might affirm the human characters' lives and friendships over the inhuman characters' fantastic machinations, in all their human transience and imperfection, but no: we are fireflies in the dark, pointless and unreal because we won't always be here.

The Discovery of Heaven, 22 Oct 2007
Two angels are conversing. Apparently, Francis Bacon - the 16th century scientist credited with establishing, among other things, the scientific methodology known as the 'Baconian Method' - made a pact with the devil, which caused humanity to lose their way with God, instead embracing the more vapid realm of technological progress; gadgets, as it were. God is convinced that the covenant between heaven and earth is broken and has charged the angels with retrieving the original stone tablets that contain the Ten Commandments as handed down by God to Moses on the summit of Mount Sinai. To do this, a perfect human must be created - the angels intervene with twentieth century history to ensure that this occurs.

A complicated setup, to be sure. Happily, for at least the first half of the novel, the heavy theological implications of The Discovery of Heaven do not weigh the novel down. Rather, we are invited into the intelligence, artistic and creative world that is the friendship of Onno Quist and Max Delius.

They were conceived on the same day, but are completely different. Onno is hugely intelligent, but suffers from a mind that is too rarefied for the concrete harshness of the world. A savant when it comes to languages, Onno made his name in the world of linguistics by translating Etruscan. 'It was because I made Etruscan comprehensible. The greatest minds in the world had failed - even Professor Massimo Pellegrini in Rome was too stupid - so I thought I may as well do it.' For now, he studies obscure topics and lives comfortable on the interest from his father's inheritance.

Max Delius lost his parents at a very young age during World War II. His mother was a Jew; she met a predictably sad end in a concentration camp. His father was a Dutch officer in the German army, it was his hand that indirectly caused the death of his wife. As a result of this, Max lives his life convinced that at any time, the people that he holds close could leave him. He is an astronomer, spending his free time seducing a string of random women who mean nothing at all.

But when they meet by chance when Onno is hitching a ride home to Amsterdam (a meeting assisted by the unseen hand of an angel), something immediately clicks. From this random encounter comes a friendship that is strong beyond anything they have experienced before. 'Max had never met anyone like Onno, Onno had never met anyone like Max - as a self-proclaimed pair of twins, they did not cease to delight in each other.'

Once this relationship has solidified, a third party enters. Of course, she is a woman, but the novel does not take a predictable turn in having a rivalry for Ada Brons' hand dominate the story. No, she begins as Max's girlfriend and ends as Onno's wife, but the way in which this is handled never for a moment suggests a clash of will, a fight for love. Max is happy that Ada is with the one man in the world he loves without reservation, Onno is gently surprised that he could ever be married at all. Later, in Cuba, under ambiguous circumstances, Ada becomes pregnant - but to Max, or to Onno? It is not clear to them, though the angels make it clear for us.

After decades of work, the angels have maneuvered everything and everyone into place. Max, Onno and Ada were all required to be born to properly create the child who could return the tablets to Heaven, and this has now been accomplished. The first half of the novel is concerned not with this theological problem but with the sweet, endearing friendship between Max and Onno and, to a lesser extent, the bond they share with Ada.

Mulisch is adept at creating a believable adult-male friendship. Max and Onno are both very intelligent, able to bounce ideas and theories of one another on subjects ranging from Kafka to translation and everything in between. A discussion on the noticeable warmth left behind when someone has been sitting on a chair is particularly clever, and funny in its simple truth. While the two men generally discuss matters of history, philosophy, and the spectrum of ideas, there is never a sense that Mulisch is hitting us over the head with his cleverness. Rather, we can believe that we are listening to two intelligent men talking about whatever it is that intelligent people discuss. Unlike, say, a Pynchon or an Eco, conversations do not exist to flaunt the erudition of the author, but rather the character of the characters.

Midway through the novel, pre-arranged tragedy strikes. A very pregnant Ada is involved in a car accident, she falls into a coma from which the likelihood of recovery is slim. But her child is alive and, through the intricacies of modern medicine, is delivered healthy and safe at seven months, by cesarean. Thanks to a complicated narrative device, Max becomes the caretaker of the child, Quentin.

The novel shifts quite dramatically in tone. While Onno embroils himself within the intricacies of Dutch politics, Max raises Quinten, the child which embodies the hopes of the angels, and of God. From a intellectually rambling novel of friendship and adventure, comes a more sedate, measured story of a child's growth and education.

What do we learn of Quinten? He grows up in an old castle, populated with vaguely eccentric characters, each of which is capable of - and willing to - teach him snippets of information which will come to play a large part in his destiny. From one man he learns of Judaism, from another, architecture. He is a curious, sensitive, quiet boy; his stunning good looks inspire trust and warmth in others.

The Discovery of Heaven slows down dramatically as Quinten grows from a baby to a young adult of seventeen. Oddly, large parts of his childhood are glossed over, yet the sensation of a slow novel remains. This is neither to Mulisch's credit or detriment - the novel simply changes pace, a fact which is immediately noticeable from the end of the second part and the beginning of the third.

There is never any doubt that Quinten will achieve his goal - indeed, we are almost led to believe by the angels that the large majority of twentieth century history occurred so that Quinten could be born. This is not meant to be a thriller, though the pages turn with rapidity, due to Mulisch's skill with words and penchant for interesting asides and digressions.

Perhaps the greatest pleasure in The Discovery of Heaven comes from the consistently thought-provoking text. While the last two hundred pages are dominated with theological (both Catholic and Jewish) problems and ideas, there is enough non-theological meat to satisfy any curious reader. Max's interest in astronomy serves as a jumping point for all manner of mini-essays, and Onno's autodidactism is a treat in itself. Any event, any situation, any conversation, gives Mulisch a chance to allow his characters to shine with their insight and intelligence. The narrator, nominally Mulisch himself, is certainly not shy of following whichever intellectual path takes his fancy, though these are nowhere near as involved or involving as the problems the characters themselves raise and discuss.

The Discovery of Heaven is astonishingly ambitious. It tackles a great many themes, and handles all of them with intelligence and candour. Mulisch treats his readers with dignity by explaining every difficult concept in such a way that we feel neither insulted by our lack of knowledge, or that we are in over our heads as character's spout obscure factoids and ideas. While the novel may be too difficult or too long for some, it is unhesitatingly recommended for all others who crave the sort of writing that inspires, that questions, that encourages thought.

An philosophical exploration and epic journey!, 23 Aug 2006
This is a great novel and, for me, everything that a novel should be; characters that develop within an immense plot, an epic journey and an exploration of philosophy, pyschology and theology, all together a fantasical reading experience!



Best book ever, 07 Apr 2006
This is probably the best book I have ever read. I had always been rather hesitant to start this book because of its size and the prospect of it being a very complex book as Mulish can be a very enjoyable but sometimes very complex writer. When I discovered they had brought out a special edition in honour of Mulish's Birthday I decided to take the plunge and found very rapidly that this book is the most fantastic read ever. It is so much better than the Da Vinci Code ( I really do not understand why this is a bestseller as it is rubish), which would probably fall into the same 'quest' category. It is more along the lines of Kostova's the Historian and much more literary in nature. It is all what novels should be a great story and it succeed to pulls you in and transports you to all of the places Add, Max, Ono and Quinten visit. Absolutely fantastic!
(This review is of the original Dutch version)

Splendid magic-realistic dutch novel, 15 Jan 2002
As other customers already mentioned, I agree that this novel reminds me to the works of Umberto Eco. The style of this writing used to be named "magic-realistic" when we were "doing our high-school".
Before this novel was published, I liked to read Harry Mulisch, but this is the best one I've ever had in my hands of this writer. Several times I bought the book as a present for family or friends.
It's not a surprise that recently a (Dutch) movie has been released of this novel, and that Harry Mulisch (from the Netherlands) received a couple of years ago a distinctive price for Literature from our (Belgian) king.

The tragi-comic little man of business, 23 Jun 2008
Set in the early 1930s, Cheese is the story of Frans Laarmans' sudden foray into the cheese import business courtesy of a enigmatic, wealthy mentor Mr van Schoonbeke. Simply written as Laarmans' account, it is a moving fable of the perils of idolising the wealth and status of others.

Laarmans, a shipping clerk, takes up the sudden opportunity following the death of his mother, to import Edam cheese to Belgium and the Grand Duchy. However, as a shipping clerk, he has absolutely no experience of business, no help and plenty of people (family and new wealthy friends) observing his progress. He doesn't even like cheese and the comic potential is all too evident, but at times Laarmans' naivity and inexperience is so toe-curlingly painful that it's hard to keep reading.

Both funny and moving, Cheese is a little book with a lot to say about status and that old lesson of the bird in the hand being worth two in the bush.

A Work of Genius, 02 Oct 2007
If you have any interest in either cheese or the comic form, buy and read this unknown (in English anyway) work of genius. Hilarious and poignant.

It's kind of like Three Men in a Boat, but not as good., 15 Mar 2002
This is a really sweet novel following a bored shipping clerk who leaves his job to try his luck in cheese sales.

It's mildly amusing, but never funny. Quite sad, but never tragic. Engaging, but not gripping. The best part of the book is the authors explanation of how to write tragedy which is a beautiful little insight into writing style.

If you liked Diary of a Nobody or Three Men in a Boat, you'll probably like this. Just not as much.

An excellent Dutch novel, beautifully written., 28 Feb 2002
A dutch boy discovers a passion for rowing on the river alongside which he grew up, in 1930's Holland. As he and another boy are recognised for their talent as a coxless pair, and trained by a mysterious German coach, they set their sights on the Olympic Games due to be held in 1940. Like the river upon which the boys pursue their dreams, the book has many darker undercurrents. It is written almost as a memory of golden days gone by, now swept away by a war-torn Europe. The boys' passion for rowing comes from a passion for the river itself and the freedom it offers them. The river is central throughout the story. The arrival of war is a personal tragedy. This story is much more than a tale of sporting achievement. It mingles such themes as friendship, social isolation, class, coming of age and the despair of war with an inspiring story of two young men, bonded by friendship as well as by teamwork, who find brief but true freedom on the water.

This book delivers the goods, 31 Jul 2007
Paul Vincent really delivers in this book. It has good pace, good cliffhangers, and is original in both setting and style.

What sort of book is it? A romance? Yes. But no, it's a thriller.

The truth is, it is both, and it combines both these styles effectively, to produce a superior novel. Do yourself a favour and buy it. He beats mainstream thriller writers hands down.



Unusual (in a good way), 09 Feb 2004
The style of the book is that the narrator chats to us, and it is a very rewarding style because when the screw is turned and the thriller gets more and more, er, thrilling, we put ourselves in his shoes and my nails are now bitten down to the quick. It seems very likely that if Mr Vincent keeps writing books this good and this laid-back he will become a household name.
An American friend colleague of mine tipped me off about the book because it was Book of the Month in an American