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The Third Elevator
The Third Elevator is the story of a swan, a bluebird, the curious family they form together, and the mysterious elevators in the center of their village — one that rises into the sky, one that opens into a forest, and one that descends underground. Other characters include a miner in search of something beyond the walls of his cave, a logger too gentle to chop trees, a team of kleptomaniacal dove nurses, a king with an appetite for turtles, and his queen, the swan’s first owner.
Nothing Moments is a collaborative project in art, literature, and design organized by: Steven Hull and Tami Demaree with Annie Buckley and Jon Sueda.
Story by Aimee Bender ; photographs by Marnie Weber ; design by Katie Hanburger.
Nothing Moments is a collaborative project in art, literature, and design organized by: Steven Hull and Tami Demaree with Annie Buckley and Jon Sueda.
Story by Aimee Bender ; photographs by Marnie Weber ; design by Katie Hanburger.
45 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2007
1 person is currently reading
641 people want to read
About the author
Aimee Bender
81 books2,307 followers Aimee Bender is the author of the novel An Invisible Sign of My Own and of the collections The Girl in the Flammable Skirt and Willful Creatures. Her work has been widely anthologized and has been translated into ten languages. She lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 6, 2013
Man, I knew I saved this for a reason. And the reason is not that I forgot I had it because it is so small it got lost on my shelf; no, the reason is that The Jewish Messiah disturbed me so profoundly that now I really need something incredibly inspiring and lovely and soft.
As far as I understand, this small booklet went along with an art exhibit, where people did art and then other people wrote stories about or incorporating said art.
My amazing bookfriend Josh actually called the gallery that put on the show and scored the last two copies of this for himself and me.
But this is much more important: Aimee Bender is basically my hero. It hurts how much I love her. When she tells you that a swan and a bluebird fell in love and gave birth to a blue cloud, there is no question of suspending disbelief; what you have to suspend instead is the almost unbearable urge to lick the page, to squeeze the book until all the words fall out and you can literally swallow them.
Good lord, too wonderful.
As far as I understand, this small booklet went along with an art exhibit, where people did art and then other people wrote stories about or incorporating said art.
My amazing bookfriend Josh actually called the gallery that put on the show and scored the last two copies of this for himself and me.
But this is much more important: Aimee Bender is basically my hero. It hurts how much I love her. When she tells you that a swan and a bluebird fell in love and gave birth to a blue cloud, there is no question of suspending disbelief; what you have to suspend instead is the almost unbearable urge to lick the page, to squeeze the book until all the words fall out and you can literally swallow them.
Good lord, too wonderful.
November 17, 2008
This book is so hard to get! I even contacted the publisher, who is evidently some guy out of Oakland, so that we could get some into my bookstore, and the guy told me he would send me an invoice and work with me on getting a shipment of these, and then I never heard from him again. What a pain! Especially because this is Aimee Bender at her best, and when she's at her best there's just nothing better. Set down in her magical, fairytale style prose, the story itself is hard to describe, but somewhere there's a swan in love with a bluebird and there's all sorts of strange births and three elevators that go to the sky, the depths of mines and a forest. Well, you know the rest... And then when you come to the end, there's a feeling that comes over you, the same as when you've just been tucked in and read to and it's time to go to sleep, and you're excited about it because, though you don't know what they're going to be, but you know that you're going to have some good, good dreams.
November 27, 2009
I finally got to read this thing! It's over at the Madras Press website for six bucks now, which is nice, because before I got to read this my life was like, I am a Trivial Pursuit cake with five little wedges, eternally going round and round the board, unable to get ahold of the sixth wedge. But now I have it. I win!
'Cause seriously, what am I even going to tell you about an Aimee Bender story? It's a fairy tale about miners, loggers, a swan, a runty bluebird and some other people and you get sucked all the way into it and wish it would never end. Wouldn't it be nice if Aimee Bender had a daily comic strip?
'Cause seriously, what am I even going to tell you about an Aimee Bender story? It's a fairy tale about miners, loggers, a swan, a runty bluebird and some other people and you get sucked all the way into it and wish it would never end. Wouldn't it be nice if Aimee Bender had a daily comic strip?
March 7, 2012
I love little tiny books that are awesome, so I've been trying to find a copy of The Third Elevator for a while now. Thankfully, Lit Pub Books just re-released it in a beautiful volume (and one that would fit nicely in a back pocket).
Basically, the story is a fairy tale overrun by modern sensibilities, in which the traditional fantastical elements (kings and queens and talking animals) are side by side with the everyday contemporary (mailboxes and telephone poles and games of poker). It is a work of imagination and invention, and it is completely satisfying in its deceptive simplicity. It's a reminder that the old storytellers knew something about the power of obvious symbols, and that the interest in them comes from the subtlety at their edges, not the hot glow in the middle. The folk tale, for all its straight-aheadedness, is a thing of nuance. And that is obvious in this story.
Fans of Aimee Bender and fans of folk tales and people who just like a good story told well should pick up a copy now that The Third Elevator is available again.
Basically, the story is a fairy tale overrun by modern sensibilities, in which the traditional fantastical elements (kings and queens and talking animals) are side by side with the everyday contemporary (mailboxes and telephone poles and games of poker). It is a work of imagination and invention, and it is completely satisfying in its deceptive simplicity. It's a reminder that the old storytellers knew something about the power of obvious symbols, and that the interest in them comes from the subtlety at their edges, not the hot glow in the middle. The folk tale, for all its straight-aheadedness, is a thing of nuance. And that is obvious in this story.
Fans of Aimee Bender and fans of folk tales and people who just like a good story told well should pick up a copy now that The Third Elevator is available again.
November 23, 2009
I picked up this little book at a recent reading by Aimee Bender. Brookline-based Madras Press produced this and three other small books to publish lengthier short stories as inexpensive gift-format paperbacks. A portion of the proceeds from each goes to the author's charity of choice. They have only local distribution, so those outside the Boston area should order through the press's Web site.
I enjoyed this odd fairy tale, probably more so because I enjoyed hearing the author read the first part of it in person. It's a strange and gentle story about worries and dreams and the difficulty of finding one's place in the world. If love stories about birds, tales of loggers and miners, and parables about children who are clouds hold any appeal for you, then you'll enjoy this story. Sometimes I find I like a story simply because one small bit of it resonated with me, and in this case, that part is this: "He told her his worries. She thought they were funny."
I enjoyed this odd fairy tale, probably more so because I enjoyed hearing the author read the first part of it in person. It's a strange and gentle story about worries and dreams and the difficulty of finding one's place in the world. If love stories about birds, tales of loggers and miners, and parables about children who are clouds hold any appeal for you, then you'll enjoy this story. Sometimes I find I like a story simply because one small bit of it resonated with me, and in this case, that part is this: "He told her his worries. She thought they were funny."
May 8, 2017
A hidden Aimee Bender story that fell under my nose. A melancholic fairy tale that gives the clouds a little extra bounce after.
October 17, 2025
This book was so hard to get, my friend finally found it online for me after years of us searching! I would say it’s more of a novella/short story with some interesting photos, since I read it in one sitting. Aimee Bender will always be one of my favorite authors because fairy tales and stories that don’t always make sense are my escape to this unruly life ✨
March 28, 2011
Less well known among Bender's books, is the microscopic The Third Elevator. This tiny gem comes to us with illustrations by the author. It is a fable about the choices we can make with what we are given, and the notion that there might be something else out there. The swan looks like a cloud, but has heavy moods. He loves a bluebird. Of course these lovers have amazing elemental children, whom they can't control no matter how they try. They live in a land with three elevators, which can take you into the sky, far below the ground, or keep you right here on this level. In this way, the people of the land can visit other levels of living they would not have found otherwise. Each person must make a choice with this new information, and every different choice is the right one for that person. Though these sound like imposingly important themes, this book is very gentle. It's partially the book as object that creates this sense: the cream-colored paper, the small size, the elegant font that invites one to read... now, or later. But it's also the lovely liquid language.
The Third Elevator is published by the small Madras Press, and I hope this publisher continues bringing joy to the world of words for a very long and successful time.
The Third Elevator is published by the small Madras Press, and I hope this publisher continues bringing joy to the world of words for a very long and successful time.
April 10, 2012
A completely charming eco-fable. Detailed comments (with possible spoilers) at A Just Recompense
July 3, 2013
Great little novella. Awesome fairy tale with lots of deep themes. It's also an enjoyable read for anyone looking fora light distraction. And most importantly, it's the type of story that you finish with a smile on your face.
December 30, 2009
normally i love aimee bender stories madly and thoroughly. this story i felt was, despite its magical absurdism and overall weirdness, strangely dull. especially for aimee bender.
May 19, 2011
What an odd, compelling, little book. And I mean little- it's published as its own tiny book, but it's really a short story. I liked it, and I can't tell you why.
September 14, 2010
perfect back-pocket read
September 15, 2010
One of the sweetest little stories I have read in a long time.
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January 9, 2013"Because birds listen to birds."
November 25, 2012
A beautiful book to hold. A beautiful book to to open. A beautiful book to read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews