In fairy tales, the third wish is the last one left when the first wish was foolish, and the second wish was used to undo the first wish. Now the remaining wish must be used wisely and well--with the help of co-conspirators. The main thread of Third Wish --like Ariadne’s string guiding Theseus into the labyrinth with the Minotaur--begins at a table on a terrace on the Greek Island of Crete, winds its way into the center and back out to the same table, passing through Greece, Japan, France, England, and Seattle. Its main characters are Alice, Max-Pol, Aleko, Wonko, Zenkichi, Polydora, Alice-Alice, and Dog. Woven into the fabric of the novel are cultural history, art, philosophy, archeology, poetry, theater and music. The mode of the novel is contained in the words Slowly, Surprise, and Witness. More than anything else, Third Wish is a long love story--not in the usual sense--but the story of people who love life and will go to great lengths to find a flourishing Way onward. Listen to the Music of Third Wish Click on each track title listed below to listen to the MP3. 1. Cuckoo Not Song 2. Alex's March 3. The Jumwillies' Fight Song 4. Alice and Alex 5. Vasliev Ouranie 6. The Really Really Green Waltz 7. Wonko's Waltz 8. White Rabbit Suit 10. Waltzing The Bull 11. The Saddest Waltz 12. Waltz Of Strangers 13. Eros & Psyche 14. Three Wishes 15. Night Train To Barcelona 16. Jumwillies 17. The Queen of Queen Anne Hill 18. Sweet Sunday Morning 19. Left_Right Surprise A Cappella 20. Left_Right Surprise 21. Walk On Amazon Vine Voices on Third Wish by Robert Fulghum We asked customer reviewers participating in Amazon Vine to answer four questions about Robert Fulghum's Third Wish after reading an advance copy. We've included excerpts of reviewers' responses below to give readers an opportunity to learn more about the book (and get excited to read it themselves) before it releases in February 2009. How would you describe Third Wish to a friend? " Third Wish is like an erudite travelogue, filled with vivid descriptions of real places and things that an educated tourist would love to see, and well-traveled tourists will recognize." " Third Wish is, above all, a journey. A journey of history, friendship, laughter, love, peace, sadness, and finally, understanding and acceptance." "An odd and thought-provoking book that penetrates into the minds and lives of the characters in the book with simplicity and yet complexity." " Third Wish may be classifiable as a novel, but it really isn't just a story. It is perhaps better to characterize it as a quest, or an expedition. The subject is humanity, human identity, and relationships. It isn't a psychological study, but is certainly a look at life. The characters meander through a series of events in a stream that permits easy excursions that form eddies and gentle whirlpools without disrupting their course." It's a fictional, and metafictional, exploration of how one learns and understands one's life through interactions with others. It's about trust, and loss." "This is an epic, sweeping story about several unique and unforgettable characters which is told in the past, the present, as fiction, fable, history, mythology, geography, culture, intrigue and romance. It is not an easy or a quick read. You don't and won't want to simply skim through paragraphs or descriptions because you really might miss something." " Third Wish is a novel about falling in love, not with someone else, but with life itself. It's a story that takes place in various locations, with each location offering a distinctive backdrop to the narrative that adds to the emotional impact of the story. Although infused with philosophical concepts of impermanence and the nature of change, it's not preachy." "I'd say it's a different kind of human story, not about love so much as what it means to be human, a story of three friends haunted by mystery. The reader becomes ravenous for the author to explain things, which he obliges, but slowly. Along the way are lessons in history, philosophy and religion, on art and Japanese tattoo that enrich the characters without slowing the story. It's a book of surprises." " Third Wish is an epic story about a group of unusual characters who meet by accident, or hand of fate, and find strength in each other's company. The first part is a story within a story, with other smaller stories along the way." Would you recommend Third Wish to a friend? "I would definitely recommend this book to a friend!" "I would recommend this book to my friends if they were of the intellectual type that would enjoy seeing into the minds and hearts of people and places." "I have friends who really like to read slowly, to lose themselves, to think and ponder. Those friends would love it. I also think it might be a perfect book club book for a group who maybe wants to take a summer break, and read a longer book during that break." "I think it would