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Title: The Last Voyage of Sigismund Skrik
Author: Karsten Flohr, John Brownjohn - translator
Narrator: Jeff Cummings
Format: Unabridged
Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
Language: English
Release date: 09-30-15
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Genres: Fiction, Historical
Publisher's Summary:
Widely known as "master hairdresser of the seven seas," Sigismund Skrik is famous both as an artist of the scissors and comb, and as the soul of discretion. Not only will he give clients new, life-changing looks - he also gets to know all their secrets.
But the days of transatlantic sailing are numbered. It's 1879, and Europeans immigrating to the United States are starting to prefer the huge new steamships that make the crossing ten times as fast. As those glory days come to an end, Sigismund embarks on his final voyage from Hamburg in the old clipper Liberty, welcoming the latest batch of emigrants with his usual open-minded calm. He doesn't know them yet, but he will. As each one passes through his cabin salon, the stories they tell reveal the drama, pathos, and humor of a thousand lives that, for a brief, wave-tossed spell, come together on their way to the promised land.
Members Reviews:
Wish There Were Sketches of Those Conical, Comical Hair Styles
A trio of monkeys, dying cuttings from a vineyard, a circus strong woman, anarchy-minded pugilists, a concert pianist, an author promoting the theory that Native Americans are the Lost Tribe of Israel. How can those, and many more, be woven into one brief novel? The author makes it look easy.
Sigismund Skrik is the epitome of an unreliable narrator and listening to him tell tales is fun.
Skrik is an exceptionally talented hair dresser. Just ask him and he will tell you. As his fingers masterfully massage their scalps, relaxed customers pour out their deepest secrets and worries.
Employed by a sailing ship taking European immigrants to America in 1859, Skrik relates the tales of his customers, interspersed with his own history. When problems arise on board, Skrik cleverly devises resolutions or at least lends a sympathetic ear.
I enjoyed being along on the unusual voyage--until the end, which was rather anti-climactic. The passengers disembark on foot or on the back of a camel to embrace their new lives in America. Skrik should have bowed out at that point,but we follow him as he enters a more prosaic life and, many pages later, sort of fades away. He deserved a more fitting and dramatic departure.
Charming and fantastical
I wasn't sure what to expect - quite honestly I've gotten behind in my reading and I couldn't remember why I purchased this book - so it was a lovely surprise to tumble into the enchanting and oddly bizarre world of Sigismund Skrik. This is a collection of stories strung together by the device of having a ship's hairdresser at the center of it all. Sometimes he listens, sometimes he recollects, and sometimes he is the hero of the story - but at all times you are enthralled and can't wait to hear how each story ends. I found the entire thing a delight and was sad to have it end.
and hilariously funny. A master hairdresser who comes by it naturally ...
Totally different, extremely interesting, and hilariously funny. A master hairdresser who comes by it naturally and enhances his skills by gathering long blades of grasses and styles them for display. A variety of interesting characters, to boot.
Poor writing.
Not very interesting. contrived scenarios. Poor writing.
The barber who changed the world.
It was a surprise for me. Never read anything quite like it. Enjoyable and out of left field.
Just a number of unrelated stories about unusual people and what they got up to.
Light and fluffy.
