Damage
by Josephine Hart
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
Where's the love? Add this book to your favorite list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 334)
excellent book jeremy irons was in the movie but the book is always better...
"damage" was a gift from a lover
she thought it was interesting and provactive....
i read it in about an hour "coked" out of my mind in high school i used to do do "cocaine" and speed read books...tecnical manuals..stay up for days and do art well after the actual effects had worn off....
main premise the one jeriann maggio wanted me to get from the book ...
"da...more
"damage" was a gift from a lover
she thought it was interesting and provactive....
i read it in about an hour "coked" out of my mind in high school i used to do do "cocaine" and speed read books...tecnical manuals..stay up for days and do art well after the actual effects had worn off....
main premise the one jeriann maggio wanted me to get from the book ...
"da...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 1996
"quick read, a book given to me while i was in the university infirmary with the flu and needed to get out of a bad relationship"
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in January, 1992
Read this junior year of hs, found it enjoyable and scandalous... wonder what Id think now.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
I disliked this book immensely, although it is an interesting profile of adultery. Hart is excellent at showing the rationalization and justification for sin. The book also deals with "damage" done to people...childhood abuses, neglect, etc...and its lifelong effects.
From the book: The new and strange shape I was assuming was hardening each day. The facile liar, the violent lover, the betrayer, would allow no return journey. My path was clear. I knew I was on a head-long rush to destruction. But I was certain I could control and plan each step of the way--with a mixture of restrained joy and cold deception that I began to find intoxicating. I felt not a shred of pity for anyone. That was the essence of my power....more
From the book: The new and strange shape I was assuming was hardening each day. The facile liar, the violent lover, the betrayer, would allow no return journey. My path was clear. I knew I was on a head-long rush to destruction. But I was certain I could control and plan each step of the way--with a mixture of restrained joy and cold deception that I began to find intoxicating. I felt not a shred of pity for anyone. That was the essence of my power....more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
a beautifully written book of an emotional tour de farce. Emotionally damaged people can seriously damage other's lives/
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure why I enjoy Hart's work so much. She certainly has moments of brilliance, particularly about the dark side of the human psyche--although her plots are melodramatic and her metaphors quite cloying...still, I think there is some genius here to appreciate amidst the mess. I certainly groaned occasionally when I read some sentences (okay, a lot of her sentences) but I also ended up quoting memorable bits in my journal. Excessive, but somehow worth it...
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
An engrossing, punch-you-in-the-navel, sultry novel about forbidden love in upper-class UK, by Irish writer Josephine Hart. Very economical, sparse style, you kind of hold your breath throughout. If you want more, check out the movie with Juliette Binoche and her flawless complexion, and Jeremy Irons as a doomed middle-aged lover...Enough said!
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 1999
I thought this was a great book, very dark and you got caught up in the fog of the demons leading these folks around. The movie was an awful translation....but only because I don't think you can capture all the despair but compulsion of committing such awful acts under the guise of love/passion. I really enjoyed this book.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 1993
Sometimes, you just don't know why you've got to have that somebody and go raving mad and blow up your world in the process...this book could explain the reason(s) why to your bewildered friends and relatives. Saw the movie first and then read the book. Amazing book.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 1990
This book has a dark sexiness to it that I thoroughly enjoyed. The plot centers around the obsession a man has for his son's fiance. The line, "damaged people are dangerous b/c they know they can survive", sort of prefaces the whole story. A good read for the beach.
Like this review?
yes
2 comments
Read in March, 2008
Very well written; engaging and compelling. While not as scintillating or nightmarish as branded, it is nevertheless a powerful cautionary tale. Being somewhat short, almost a novelette, it is a perfect read for the weekend or a long plane ride.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in August, 2008
I did'nt like this book at all - even though it was a small book, I found myself wondering why I was still reading it. I found it to be extremely strange and could'nt get past all the typo's. Would'nt really recommend anyone reading it.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 1998
recommends it for:
anyone who wants a quick read with a lasting impact
Skinny little book full of darkness and self-absorption leading to a horrifying, evil outcome. Even while I was reading it and realizing where the story is going, I couldn't believe these "loved ones" continued to do what they did.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2000
pulp worth reading! it should be trashy but it comes off thoughtfully eloquent. i read it after seeing the film, which is a great flick starring jeremy irons, juliette binoche, and miranda richardson.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 1999
recommends it for:
friends with enemies
josephine hart is pitch perfect evil. i love this books. i read this in seattle while hating everything. there is also a movie with jeremy irons, which is more creepy than evil.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
A man "fully realized" with the perfect family and career finds his undoing. The novel reads like a long poem. And I mean that in a good way.
Great writer!
Great writer!
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 1996
Favorite quote from the book: "Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive."
Don't rent the movie....read the book. Much, MUCH,better.
Don't rent the movie....read the book. Much, MUCH,better.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in August, 2008
Wow, what a powerful book. Thought about it for days. I wonder if people really have relationships like that in real life. Anyone????
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
This is perhaps the worst book ever written! None of the characters are likeable, the plot is predictable and the ending is no surprise at all.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Dark. Poetic. About the complete destruction that can occur if one chooses to follow the heart through obsession.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.81 (264 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.79 (258 ratings) number of reviews: 46
popular shelves
other editions
quote
"Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive."
more quotes »
