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29th out of 39 books
—
3 voters
A Season in Purgatory
They were the family with everything. Money. Influence. Glamour. Power. The power to halt a police investigation in its tracks. The power to spin a story, concoct a lie, and believe it was the truth. The power to murder without guilt, without shame, and without ever paying the price. America's royalty, they called the Bradleys. But an outsider refuses to play his part. And...more
Mass Market Paperback, 464 pages
Published
November 28th 1998
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1993)
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Heard this book is a fiction story based on the 1975 Martha Moxley murder in Greenwich. That story always fascinated and scared me because I was a teen during that time and realized it could of happened to someone I knew!
The book got off to a slow start, but then the character development and intertwining of the years and lives became very interesting and fascinating. Dunne portrayed the character relationships very well. You wanted to love the Bradleys for their money, power and outwardly perfe...more
The book got off to a slow start, but then the character development and intertwining of the years and lives became very interesting and fascinating. Dunne portrayed the character relationships very well. You wanted to love the Bradleys for their money, power and outwardly perfe...more
This is quite a good book in Dominick Dunne's style of taking a true crime and changing the names and a few of the facts so that you still know who it is based on. A Season in Purgatory is based on Kennedy nephew's Michael Skakel's murder of Martha Moxley in the wealthy town of Greenwich, Connecticutt in 1975. The story is told from the point of view of the killers boarding school buddy who was visiting that weekend. The story is about how power and privilege can prolong justice. Years after thi...more
"You're different," said Constant.
"Oh, I hope so," replied Harrison.
"This is a tough guy...I don't mean tough, like in the boxing ring...I mean a tougher kind of tough, like integrity tough."
"If I had it to do over again, would I do what I did? I would like to say, "Oh, yes, yes, yes," but, in truth, I wonder."
"Purgatory is a place for contemplation of what is ahead, for atonement for what is behind, for purification, for expiation. It is a preparation for the sight of God."
"...truth will always...more
This book grabbed me from the beginning and sucked me into the Bradley's world. I loved the way that Dunne developed each of the characters so that you could see how and why each was unable to stand up to Gerald's tyranny or Grace's religious manipulation. I really wanted to like the Bradley family but they all were dispicable in their own way. The exception was Agnes who was shuttered away in an institution and never discussed by the famiy until Constant needed her for his defense. Everyone in...more
Good exploration of just what 'purgatory' is, might be, especially among the so called privileged upper classes.
This book also reveals what happens when your place of purgatory is right here and now in this lifetime, when you don't take a stand, don't stand up for decency, justice or fairness in your own life. When the wife doesn't confront her husband's rotten behaviors - cheating his partners, cheating on her...she ends up with a rotten scoundrel of a son...
If the women don't develop, grow,...more
This book also reveals what happens when your place of purgatory is right here and now in this lifetime, when you don't take a stand, don't stand up for decency, justice or fairness in your own life. When the wife doesn't confront her husband's rotten behaviors - cheating his partners, cheating on her...she ends up with a rotten scoundrel of a son...
If the women don't develop, grow,...more
Reading this book got me in the mood for Revenge when it comes back on tv in a few days. It has that Hamptons, Grayson feel about it where the rich get away with everything, and the strong patriarch keeps a firm hand on all that happens and who the children turn out to be.
It lagged a little in the middle where it became extremely dull reading, the struggle between doing whats right and whats convenient was a little on the slow side, and Constant became a little two dimensional. I rarely felt th...more
It lagged a little in the middle where it became extremely dull reading, the struggle between doing whats right and whats convenient was a little on the slow side, and Constant became a little two dimensional. I rarely felt th...more
This book takes a good look at how the wealthy and powerful can get into trouble and come out unscathed. It also shows how some people have their futures mapped out for them with trust funds and high ambitions. One of the most fascinating aspects of this book is how people with enough money and enough charisma can worm their way out of any situation, whether it's something as simple as a parking ticket or a as complex and drastic as a murder. This book is not only great fiction, but it is also a...more
I read this book a long time ago, but have followed the real-life Skakel murder it was based upon. I'm a faithful reader of Dunne's Vanity Fair dispatches and found the book to be a faithful representation of what allegedly happened in this upscale place. Using money and power the family in the book, and in real life, covered it up and Dunne identities well with the murdered girl's family since his own daughter was killed and her attacker received a slap on the wrist. Well-written, great charact...more
Jul 13, 2012
Connie
added it
First book of Dominick....this was wonderful.....I so...recommend reading all of his....
If you're not familar with who Dominick is...he was a reporter for Vanity Fair for many years...most of his books...are inspired by actual cases riped out of the current events...the OJ Simpson case, His own daughter was murdered...many others....All of his books are a must...in my opinion...He always added a twist as he told the story in his version....Enjoy!
If you're not familar with who Dominick is...he was a reporter for Vanity Fair for many years...most of his books...are inspired by actual cases riped out of the current events...the OJ Simpson case, His own daughter was murdered...many others....All of his books are a must...in my opinion...He always added a twist as he told the story in his version....Enjoy!
Fast read. Interesting and intriguing, however by the end it became a bit repetitive.
Book is about a very rich and large Catholic family on the East Coast in the 1970s. The patriarch of the family wanted his 8 children to infiltrate politics and rise to greatness. However, one of them is a murderer. The book describes the great lengths all family members go through to cover for their criminal family member.
A lot of characters and a lot of action.
Book is about a very rich and large Catholic family on the East Coast in the 1970s. The patriarch of the family wanted his 8 children to infiltrate politics and rise to greatness. However, one of them is a murderer. The book describes the great lengths all family members go through to cover for their criminal family member.
A lot of characters and a lot of action.
Feb 05, 2010
Barbara
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Barbara by:
Tom Freeman
Shelves:
mystery,
our-book-club
Based on the Martha Moxley murder and the public images of the Kennedy clan. The characters are not very well developed and are pretty cliche. I would say they reflect two-dimensional Irish-American Roman Catholic images from someone who had bitter feelings towards the Kennedys. The story and characters ARE interesting, but since they were taken from real situations and were not creatively drawn by the author, this is simply a kudos to the authors ability as a journalist and not as an author. Th...more
Dominick Dunne is another favorite author of mine. "A Season in Purgatory" was the first book I ever read of his, and I loved his writing so much that I've read about 5 more of his books. "A Season in Purgatory" combines a murder mystery with the warped perspectives and bizarre lives of the affluent. Great read.
Books I remember reading....this was a cracker which introduced me to the New England/Kennedy/American-dream-gone-sour-with-wealth writings of Dominick Dunne. And he can write. Like a lot of first impressions though, this was a hard one to beat and I don't think I read any others of his that bettered it.
I've had this book on my shelves for years and have read Dunne in Vanity Fair. I enjoy his writing style and this novel, a thinly veiled reflection on a large, wealthy Irish-American family, was very engaging. The main character struggles with secrets he has been asked to keep by the family and his interactions with the clan over a period of years.
This is a great book that my wife said I might be interested in reading because it dealt with current events with maybe a little fiction in it with some name changes.
It is about the story of the Kennedy's and their lives from a 1st person account of someone who was close to them.
I recommend in reading. It was 450, but went by quickly.
It is about the story of the Kennedy's and their lives from a 1st person account of someone who was close to them.
I recommend in reading. It was 450, but went by quickly.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10420170
I actually read this about 8 years ago. I just registered it with bookcrossing this month.
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10420170
I actually read this about 8 years ago. I just registered it with bookcrossing this month.
This book is a spin off of the Michael Skakel/Kennedy family story. The book emphasizes the role that power and money play in this rich family. The characters are fictional but it's not hard to imagine them as part of the real Kennedy family. GREAT read. And, as an added bonus, Patrick Dempsey played a role in the made for tv movie about this book/Michael Skakel story.
A Season in Purgatory:
In 1993 Dominick Dunne's fictional novel which mirrored the Moxley case, A Season in Purgatory, hit the b...more
A Season in Purgatory:
In 1993 Dominick Dunne's fictional novel which mirrored the Moxley case, A Season in Purgatory, hit the b...more
Was surprised that I liked this, was prepared not to. Based on distant members of the Kennedy clan and focusing on the events surround Michael Skakel. Written in a way that kept one turning the pages, despite some slower passages.
Back in 1993 this story was based on the Martha Moxley killing, years before it went to trial and got a Kennedy Cousin jailed. It has sad moments, and a Family frozen in time as friend is pitted against friend in a courtroom for murder.
Very compellingly plotted, but the dialogue is wooden and the characters, outside of the protagonist, do and say pretty much exactly what you might expect. They are archetypes who would benefit from a bit more imagination.
Twenty years after the murder of a young girl by a member of a wealthy New England family, a prep school friend threatens to expose the family cover up. This is a real page turner based loosely on a true murder case.
WOW! I did not expect to be interested at all in this when I started it, it's not my normal type of book, but it totally sucked me in within a few pages and had me turning those pages with rapt attention.
A Season in Purgatory is an excellent novel. The story is so richly detailed that, at times, I forgot it was fiction. This is a novel for true crime fans. Fans of good writing will find it worthwhile, too.
This is the second time I have read this book. Interesting and different for a murder story. Epics how mentally unstable people can seem normal. This young man commits a murder and the family's wealth protects him to the ending hour after the trial. The best friend of the murdering youth finally tells as an adult because he wants to clear his conscience.
Love, Love, Love this book! I have closely followed the Martha Moxley murder and read Murder in Greenwich. Dunne puts a nice fiction twist on this story and i couldn't wait to see the ending but didn't want to finish it!
One of the first Dominick Dunne books I ever read. Loved it and went on to read several more. He is an incredible author of true crime books, and fiction based on true crime.
Based on the real life story of a girl killed by one of the Kennedy cousins. He got away with it. This book is suspenseful and pretty exciting. Full of dread. Well written.
So if I had to review this book at the end of the first part, I would have gone with five stars. In the end, I still really liked it, but it was slower - and even fairly repetitive - in the last two parts. Definitely a good read, but not something I would read over and over (my characteristic of a five star book).
Read a second time years later and still thoroughly enjoyed it. An outsider becomes a friend of a member of a Kennedy-like clan, and is drawn into their machinations.
This one is great, a true story (names changed of course) but unbelievable what this family does, expects and sometimes gets away with. This is a must read
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Dominick Dunne was an American writer and investigative journalist whose subjects frequently hinged on the ways high society interacts with the judiciary system. He was a producer in Hollywood and is also known from his frequent appearances on television.
After his studies at Williams College and service in World War II, Dunne moved to New York, then to Hollywood, where he directed Playhouse 90 and...more
More about Dominick Dunne...
After his studies at Williams College and service in World War II, Dunne moved to New York, then to Hollywood, where he directed Playhouse 90 and...more
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May 27, 2010 07:15am