A literary cult hero of major proportions, James Purdy's exquisitely surreal fictionoutraged the New York literary establishment. More than breakin...
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Dec 16, 2009
Jordan
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This is a novel poised perfectly between nightmarish farce and genuine human drama. Eustace Chisholm, a failed poet, looks carefully upon the lives of his friends and their gay affairs. The shifts in tone successfully catch the reader off-guard: one minute Eustace is spouting the most high-handed rhetoric; the next, you're witnessing a horrific abortion or a cruel act of mutilation. Purdy is such a good writer.
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Mar 10, 2010
Jett
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Compelling and horrifying. At turns grim and humorous, this is a rather stunning exploration of desperation and cruelty. Set in Hyde Park during the Depression, the book follows a ragtag group of characters--Eustace, a bisexual sponger and failed poet; Amos, an angelic-looking university student turned rentboy; Daniel, a haunted and listless ex-coal miner who cannot face up to his own desires. Unable to possess what they desire, these three men torment each other psychologically and their liv
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May 14, 2009
Rick
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Fecund material. For those exploring the victim/perpetrator dynamic, I would recommend it. Fascinating look at a segment of working class Chicago lifestyles in the 1930s and 40s. Explodes into exploration of sadomasochism in a most graphic way.
From AP obit 3/14/2009: Author James Purdy, a shocking realist and surprising romantic who in underground classics such as "Cabot Wright Begins" and "Eustace Chisholm and the Works" inspired censorious outrage and lasting a More...
From AP obit 3/14/2009: Author James Purdy, a shocking realist and surprising romantic who in underground classics such as "Cabot Wright Begins" and "Eustace Chisholm and the Works" inspired censorious outrage and lasting a More...
Mar 03, 2009
Djrmel
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This Purdy novel is set in Depression era Chicago, with a narrator (the title character) in the mid stages of syphilis, although he seems happy enough to ignore that it's having any effect on him. Eustace also serves as a protagonist and sometimes he's an antagonist in the story. The rest of the characters can be summed up as their own worst enemies. I don't usually do warnings with books, but in this case, I will. This book had one of the most horrific, even if it was non-explicit, torture plot
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May 04, 2011
James
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Eustace Chisholm and the Works, a 1967 novel that became a gay classic, is an especially outspoken book among the author's controversial body of work. Purdy recalls that Eustace Chisholm and the Works, named one of the Publishing Triangle's 100 Best Lesbian and Gay Novels of the 20th Century, outraged the New York literary establishment. It was my introduction to the work of James Purdy and I found it more liberating, in the imaginative sense, than outrageous. Perhaps because I has read so much
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May 22, 2008
Eddie
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I read this a while ago, along with just about all of Purdy's other novels. I don't know why he's not better known, though I suspect he has a devoted following somewhere. I think he's an American treasure.
The copy of this I have is part of a series called Gay Modern Classics and has a homoerotic painting by Paul Cadmus on the cover. I don't think of it as a "gay novel" but the fact that it had to be so pigeon-holed to be republished says something about Purdy's reputation More...
The copy of this I have is part of a series called Gay Modern Classics and has a homoerotic painting by Paul Cadmus on the cover. I don't think of it as a "gay novel" but the fact that it had to be so pigeon-holed to be republished says something about Purdy's reputation More...
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Aug 03, 2011
Intense, powerful, disturbing. I was afraid to keep reading and afraid to stop. How is it that I never heard of this book before in my life? But if I'd known anything about it beforehand, I might never have read it.
Jun 07, 2007
Ruby
rated it:
Did I mention that I love James Purdy, his bizarre characters, their weird lives, and his whole depressed view of life in general? Well, I do - and have done for a long time.
The relationships in Purdy's books always have a twist and this book is no exception. The story revolves around Ace Chisholm and his collection of friends and acquaintances, in particular his sixteen-year-old Ancient Greek language tutor, Amos 'Rat' Ratcliffe.
Again, Purdy addresses the consequences More...
The relationships in Purdy's books always have a twist and this book is no exception. The story revolves around Ace Chisholm and his collection of friends and acquaintances, in particular his sixteen-year-old Ancient Greek language tutor, Amos 'Rat' Ratcliffe.
Again, Purdy addresses the consequences More...
Jan 06, 2010
Angela
rated it:
What an intense, exhausting little book. I've never read anything like it.
"Everything in his own life may have been a failure, but he never tired of listening to others or reading their mail."
"Everything in his own life may have been a failure, but he never tired of listening to others or reading their mail."
Apr 02, 2009
Gary
rated it:
This one started off strong, but somehow jumped completely off the deep end during the last 1/4.
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Purdy died this past weekend, so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon of people who only pay attention to an author once they pass.
And since I've had this one on my to-read stack for a while.
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Purdy died this past weekend, so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon of people who only pay attention to an author once they pass.
And since I've had this one on my to-read stack for a while.
Dec 17, 2009
Katherine
rated it:
Exquisitely written novel, but not for the faint-hearted. Seriously. Some of the graphically violent scenes in this novel will haunt you forever, as will Purdy's tragic and freakish cast of characters.
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