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Interviews | January 24, 2012

Jill Owens: IMG Ben Marcus: The Powells.com Interview

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Ben MarcusBen Marcus's books The Age of Wire and String and Notable American Women were considered "experimental" fiction because of his unconventional use of... Continue »
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    The Flame Alphabet

    Ben Marcus 9780307379375
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Original Bliss

by A L Kennedy

Original Bliss Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A brilliant American debut from one of Scotland's most acclaimed writers, named by Granta as one of the "Twenty Best Young British Novelists."

Emotionally numb, crippled with insomnia, and caught in a frightening, abusive marriage, Helen Brindle believes that God has recently left her. She spends her days performing banal domestic chores in front of a blaring television. On the BBC one day she watches a self-help guru expound on, among other things, the "rules" of masturbation and the importance of "interior lives." Edward G. Gluck, she discovers has developed a program that guides lost souls toward contentment. Helen seeks him out, hoping to find an answer. Instead she discovers Gluck's own sadomasochistic obsession, and his profound shame and disgust. And what they both encounter, painfully, is the love each fears and both yearn to embrace.

Review:

"A writer rich in the humanity and warmth that seems at a premium in these bleak times." Salman Rushdie

Review:

"Beautiful, rare, and touching: Kennedy handles extremely volatile material with the greatest care....A small gem." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"Kennedy is a world class writer." The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"A darkly comic tale....[that] is hilariously funny about sexual obsession and brilliantly perceptive about the dynamics of human relationships." The Baltimore Sun

Review:

"From its opening paragraph, the writer's quirky, tender voice makes you listen up....It is like no other book....Kennedy deserves to be compared to no one but her own fiercely talented self." New Yorker

Review:

"The Scots regard [Kennedy] as a national treasure....Kennedy's telling [of Mrs. Brindle's story] — a balance brokered among character and narrative and voice — makes Original Bliss the kind of Full Monty experience that will leave readers hungering for more." New York Times Book Review
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About the Author

A. L. Kennedy's next book, So I am Glad, will be published by Knopf in January 2000. She lives in Glasgow, Scotland.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780375702785
Author:
Kennedy, A. L.
Publisher:
Vintage Books USA
Author:
Kennedy, A. L.
Location:
New York
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Self-actualization (psychology)
Subject:
Abused wives
Subject:
Middle aged women
Subject:
Husband and wife
Subject:
Self-actualization
Subject:
Trust in god
Subject:
Sexual desire disorders
Subject:
Sex addicts.
Subject:
Stuttgart
Subject:
Glasglow
Subject:
Psychological fiction
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Series:
Vintage Contemporaries
Series Volume:
105-773
Publication Date:
20000131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
224
Dimensions:
8.00x5.29x.64 in. .55 lbs.
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Related Aisles

Original Bliss Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$5.95 In Stock
Product details 224 pages Vintage Books USA - English 9780375702785 Reviews:
"Review" by , "A writer rich in the humanity and warmth that seems at a premium in these bleak times."
"Review" by , "Beautiful, rare, and touching: Kennedy handles extremely volatile material with the greatest care....A small gem."
"Review" by , "Kennedy is a world class writer."
"Review" by , "A darkly comic tale....[that] is hilariously funny about sexual obsession and brilliantly perceptive about the dynamics of human relationships."
"Review" by , "From its opening paragraph, the writer's quirky, tender voice makes you listen up....It is like no other book....Kennedy deserves to be compared to no one but her own fiercely talented self."
"Review" by , "The Scots regard [Kennedy] as a national treasure....Kennedy's telling [of Mrs. Brindle's story] — a balance brokered among character and narrative and voice — makes Original Bliss the kind of Full Monty experience that will leave readers hungering for more."
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