The Hearing Trumpet

by Leonora Carrington

A long overdue printing of the story of 92 year old Marian Leatherby, who, upon being given a gift of a hearing trumpet, discovers her family's intentions of committing her to an institution. This is no ordinary institution however, the buildings are shaped like birthday cakes and the gateway to the underworld is open. The occult twin to Alice, this is a classic of fantastic literature.

• ISBN10: 1878972197
• ISBN13: 9781878972194
• Publish Date: 2 February 2004
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 9 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Exact Change,U.S.
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 204
• Language: English

Reviews

[brdsk]

Beautiful, bold, strange, and touching. This book was a splendid ride and did not disappoint.

I fell in love with Leonora Carrington from the first short story I read. After reading this novel I know I will hunt down and consume every word she has ever written. I will channel my inner Jane from Horrid by Katrina Leno and eat the stories of Mz Carrington until I become one myself.

The elderly hero is an engaging lead. I felt emotional and sympathetic and appreciated her consistent voice guiding me through the changing landscape of her days.

This novel really takes you for a ride. You enter the pages thinking you know where it leads, and slowly it shifts and you find yourself in a place of strangeness so complete you want to go back and retrace your steps. But there is no return.

This is a marvellous exploration of a human mind and of places beyond mind and sanity. I would call this existential surrealism, but that would be too simple for it. This is artistry beyond conventional rules.

If this is your first time dipping your reading toes into surrealism, you may benefit from trying one of the authors' short stories first. If you are brave enough, clear up some time and try to read it in one go for a truly powerful experience.