Product Description

'My father died eleven years ago. I was only four then. I never thought I'd hear from him again, but now we're writing a book together' To Georg Roed, his father is no more than a shadow, a distant memory. But then one day his grandmother discovers some pages stuffed into the lining of an old red pushchair. The pages are a letter to Georg, written just before his father died, and a story, 'The Orange Girl'. But 'The Orange Girl' is no ordinary story - it is a riddle from the past and centres around an incident in his father's youth. One day he boarded a tram and was captivated by a beautiful girl standing in the aisle, clutching a huge paper bag of luscious-looking oranges. Suddenly the tram gave a jolt and he stumbled forward, sending the oranges flying in all directions. The girl simply hopped off the tram leaving Georg's father with arms full of oranges. Now, from beyond the grave, he is asking his son to help him finally solve the puzzle of her identity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26328 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-07
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

VOGUE
'it should be read by all.'

Review
'it should be read by all.' (VOGUE )

'A modern fairytale.' (HEAT )

'A whimsical, thought-provoking story, with more than one surprise in store.' (THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE )

THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE
'A whimsical, thought-provoking story, with more than one surprise in store.'

Customer Reviews

Heartbreaking
An amazing love story told in a totally original style. Here a father writes a letter to his son because he knows he is soon going to die. His son receives and reads the letter when he is 15 and as he reads it, he adds his own tale.
This book really made me think about the beauty of true love, about life, death and the mysteries of the universe. Whether, if we had the choice, would we choose to be born at all, knowing that one day we would have to leave everyone and everything that we love. A terrific thought provoking book.

Orange Girl
I've just finished reading The Orange Girl and feel impressed enough to write this review (my first ever!). It was given to me as a present on Christmas day and although I have read most of Jostein Gaarder's book's I didn't know this one existed until I unwrapped it. This also happened eight or so years ago when I was given the Solitare Mystery as a Christmas present.

If you haven't read one of this author's books, I implore you to do so. The stories and characters stay with you for days, weeks, years even after the final page is finished. If you are already a fan, then I am preaching to the converted already.

I only recently finished The Ringmaster's Daughter and wasn't keen on picking up another book unless it could transport me into the story, as only the best of Gaarder stories can. I tried a couple of novels but ended up leaving them unread, so was very happy that I could spend a few days over the Christmas break in a Gaarder-created story.

I won't dwell on the plot details of this book as other more experinced writers have probably touched on this already. I will however blow the trumpet for the author and say that any reader who enjoys being totally lost within a novel should read this novel and others by the author to see what the converted are on about. The worlds he creates are like the worlds we inhabit but with the all the humdrum and monotomy removed, leaving just the magic and wonder remaining

I've heard the word fairytale used many times and that's what the author's best works are. All the enchantent from those fairytales of old, but not stories of forests and fairies, etc. but contemporary ones in a world that appears just like this one. The author seems to be saying that the magic is here and eveywhere you just need to look for it. It's in the vastness and in the detail.

So if you want to be enchanted by a modern fairytale, by a thoughtful yet entertaining writer look no furter than Jostein Gaarder and press the "buy now" button.

A Fab Fairy Tale - a real tear jerker
This is just another fantastic book from the author of "Sophie's World". This book grabbed my attention from the beginning; I had to read the last 100 pages in one go. If you're a parent of a young child beware - this is a tear jerker but well worth it. A modern day fairy tale - a message from the grave to a young boy who did not remember his father. Beautifully written and cleverly gripping.