Durante il viaggio a Bruxelles mi sono “regalato” la lettura del secondo (in ordine di scrittura) libro di quel genio mai troppo lodato che è Christopher Moore, “Coyote Blue”, tradotto con “Il ritorno del Dio Coyote” (opinabile, ma quanto meno fedele al contenuto del romanzo).Avendo a disposizione entrambe le versioni ho optato, per pigrizia, per leggere l’adattamento: un piccolo errore di cui parlerò alla fine.Che dire del romanzo?Senza dubbio in crescita rispetto a “Practical Demonkeeping”, ha certamente diversi aspetti ancora grezzi che chi ha letto i romanzi più recenti potrebbe non gradire, ma che non fanno affatto perdere il piacere nella lettura.Se dovessi accostarlo ad altri romanzi letti il paragone immediato che mi viene in mente è con “I ragazzi di Anansi” di Neil Gaiman: le similitudini tra il “fratello” di Ciccio Charlie (e Anansi) nel romanzo di Gaiman e Vecchio Coyote in questo romanzo sono evidenti, a partire dalla capacità di questi personaggi di trascinare le vite di chi incontrano in sentieri certo non previsti e spesso neanche voluti o desiderabili.Dicevo che in questo caso il dio di “riferimento” è Vecchio Coyote, dio indiano “minore”, gran playboy (per usare un eufemismo) e grandissimo truffatore, parente di… no, questo non posso anticiparvelo, ma sappiate che ha legami “nobili” Fatto sta che Coyote entra nella vita di Sam, un giovane indiano venditore di assicurazioni in fuga da un passato scomodo che, all’improvviso, si trova travolto da eventi che non riesce (e non vorrebbe) spiegare: il vecchio dio lo aiuterà oppure lo farà affondare definitivamente?Un libro divertente, veloce, pungente, un Moore da gustare e che consiglio sinceramente, magari prima del (lo so, sono ripetitivo) meraviglioso Biff e, possibilmente, in inglese: la versione italiana è fuori catalogo da parecchio e presenta un difetto molto più grave rispetto alle solite traduzioni opinabili che mi capita di evidenziare.Durante il volo di ritorno, curioso di vedere a che espressioni originali corrispondessero alcune frasi in italiano, sono andato a fare un confronto “a campione” tra i due libri… scoprendo che determinati paragrafi o frasi sono stati totalmente saltati. E non stiamo parlando di frasi assorbite da parte del testo, come si potrebbe pensare, ma di veri e propri tagli indiscriminati e inspiegabili.Uno per tutti? La frase finale del romanzo! In Coyote Blue il capitolo finale (epilogo escluso) si conclude con una frase che, nell’edizione italiana, è semplicemente sparita.Una scelta (non penso sia un errore) che trovo inaccettabile e che spero, nel caso di futura ristampa del romanzo da parte del nuovo editore di Moore (vero, signori della Elliott che ogni tanto mi leggete?), non venga in alcun caso replicata.
This is definitely my least favorite novel by Christopher Moore to date, though it probably has less to do with the writing than the general story plot. I don't tend to be overly interested in Westerns or stories about cowboys and Indians.Sam Hunter would seem to have everything a successful guy of the 90's would want: looks, money, an awesome condo, a great job, etc. The only thing that he is missing is a lovely lady on his arm. Well, thanks to his secret Native American past, that is about to change. That is when Coyote, a trickster god with shape-changing abilities, comes back into his life specifically to help in that area. Unfortunately, his trickster nature makes that a lot more of an adventure than would be for the best. In fact, Coyote causes Sam more harm than good.Sam is lucky enough to meet Calliope Kincaid, a girl with an Eastern philosophy and tough set of life experiences. It definitely seems like Fate has played a role as Sam quickly finds himself in love with both Calliope and her little baby. Things seem on the verge of having everything come together, when the baby's biodad and his biker gang decide to kidnap the little guy. This leads to a romp in Las Vegas (including the introduction to Moore's recurring character Minty Fresh) and a return to the Crow reservation where Sam got his start. There is no question the characters are interesting, and there is no shortage of Moore's usual wacky sense of humor. The book definitely feels like a response to the 80s/90s yuppy culture by playing off of Native American culture and mythology. I did feel that the plot did run a little thin, though. It was still good enough to not stop me from wanting to read more of more of Moore's books!
What do You think about Coyote Blue (2004)?
This book was SO entertaining! The best word I could think of to describe it was "irreverent". There were many funny parts to this book -- but the quirky little things got me the most -- Sam trying to rhyme "Gabriella", Yiffer's son being named "J. Nigel Yiffworth, Esquire", and the clothing choice Sam makes to go visit the Indian artifacts collector.I also enjoyed the "indian legend" stories woven throughout the book. They were pretty funny. The story about the Great Spirit giving names out to the animals cracked me up, especially this paragraph: When the sun went down Coyote looked all over for a good espresso bar, but even in those days they were full of pretentious pseudointellectual animal people who sat around in open-toed moccasins and whined about how unfair the world was, which it wasn't. "I don't have the stomach for that," said Coyote. "I think I'll just score some magic wake-up powder and stay wired that way."I don't think I've ever read anything like this, and I'm thrilled to have been introduced to this author.
—Antof9
I have to admit that despite my love for A Dirty Job, I’m not a big fan of Moore’s earlier works. Not only are some characters reused (which I don’t really have a problem with — nothing wrong with recurring characters!), he uses some of the same stereotypes in every book, it seems. There’s always a mostly-high surfer dude. There’s always a cantankerous (and probably homely) old lady. And of course, the earnest (if sometimes misguided) main character. I think what really rubbed me wrong in this book was Coyote himself. I know he is supposed to be a "trickster" spirit, but I found him more mean-spirited than anything. Especially when he steals Sam’s car, sells it, and gambles away his bank account. I think you’re supposed to find his naiveté endearing, but I didn’t. I’ll keep reading (or rather, listening) to Moore’s books, but mostly because they’re what my husband wants to hear.
—Jaime
Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore was his second novel, published in 1994. Moore tells the tale of Sam Hunter, ne Samson Hunts Alone, a Crow Indian who runs away from the reservation and begins a new life in Santa Barbara as a successful insurance salesman. His life takes an unexpected turn when his spirit helper, the Crow trickster god Coyote pays him a visit.This is written with Moore’s inexhaustible command of entertaining and amusing similes and metaphors, I laughed out loud several times. What is missing is Moore’s indelible sense of timing and pacing, maybe in 1994 he had yet to fully develop that talent. But it is still good and a Moore fan will want to read. I could not help compare this book to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods because of the themes and some almost identical elements. Written seven years later, Gaiman’s work is more polished and more epic, but a fan of American Gods may like this one as well. Like the old saying about pizza and sex: when its good its great, and when its bad its still pretty good, this is not one of Moore’s best, but it is still pretty good.
—Lyn
