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34th out of 120 books
—
79 voters
BUtterfield 8
A bestseller upon its publication in 1935, BUtterfield 8 was inspired by a news account of the discovery of the body of a beautiful young woman washed up on a Long Island beach. Was it an accident, a murder, a suicide? The circumstances of her death were never resolved, but O’Hara seized upon the tragedy to imagine the woman’s down-and-out life in New York City in the earl...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
April 1st 2003
by Modern Library
(first published September 1934)
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Another scalding piece of American realism from John O'Hara, BUtterfield 8 moves away from the author's "Gibbsville," Pa., home locale to depict a dozen or so main characters from a wide range of Manhattan social classes, who cross daily as equals only in the strangeness of the city's Prohibition-era speakeasy life. It is not a pretty picture, but deftly drawn with his great, great dialogue and unerring characterizations -- a love story, in its way. O'Hara makes me think of two very different wr...more
Man is this a hell of a book-- it's, as much as anything else, a portrait of NY life ca. 1931 that is maybe the least varnished I've ever seen. It's like every question whose answer you doubted when you heard it in history class is re-answered here, in totally convincing and layered fashion.
In her introduction, Liebowitz talks about the difference between O'Hara's knowingness (which she thinks is bad) and his knowledge (which she sees as good). But for me, it's impossible to distinguish them.
Th...more
In her introduction, Liebowitz talks about the difference between O'Hara's knowingness (which she thinks is bad) and his knowledge (which she sees as good). But for me, it's impossible to distinguish them.
Th...more
May 29, 2008
Michael
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone researching the development of the American novel
O'Hara writes with such an intense passion and excitement that it is a very difficult book not to like. But unfortunately, much of the brilliance lies within that passion and excitement, and not in the story or characters involved. The author's sense of dialogue is tremendously flowing and spot on, but at novel's end you have that lip-biting feeling that you've just read an unfinished masterpiece. Read it for the character's interractions with one another and for O'Hara fiery prose.
John O'Hara's Gloria Wandrous -- immortalized in the movie version by Elizabeth Taylor -- stands beside Sally Bowles and Holly Golightly in the rich history of detached women who wear their sex on their sleeves and draw a legion of male admirers, among them the wealthy (who want them for mistresses), the artistic (who chronicle them), and the queer (who admire their style and brazenness).
O'Hara's book is a dapper slice of life in upper-crust Manhattan circles affected but not quite driven under...more
O'Hara's book is a dapper slice of life in upper-crust Manhattan circles affected but not quite driven under...more
Nice and sexy at the start, with everyone walking around in their underwear ... moves through some misogyny and casual racism (it’s the 1930s) and ends with a disappointing splash. But fun along the way. Gloria is great:
"In the bathroom was a dressing-table with triplicate mirrors and many lights. Even the front of the draw had a mirror, and whenever she noticed this she thought about the unknown person who designed the table, what he or she must have had in mind: what earthly use could there be...more
"In the bathroom was a dressing-table with triplicate mirrors and many lights. Even the front of the draw had a mirror, and whenever she noticed this she thought about the unknown person who designed the table, what he or she must have had in mind: what earthly use could there be...more
More compelling than I would have thought; certainly more so than the overly melodramatic film, which was set much later than the book, around 1960. (If you were supposed to read the book for your book club but didn't, I strongly advise against viewing the film instead and trying to engage in an in-depth conversation about the book.) O'Hara wrote the book in 1935, partly in response to the tabloid coverage that had surrounded the drowning death of a promiscuous young woman of dubious means sever...more
This book was inspired by a news account of the discovery of the body of a beautiful woman washed up on a Long Island beach. The circumstances were never discovered and BUtterfield 8 is O’Hara's take on what the woman's life would have been like in New York City in the 1930's. What I love about O'Hara is his ability to make you care deeply about his characters in a very short book (much like Steinbeck), even if they are not very likable. Though O'Hara can be somewhat formulaic -- a wealthy socia...more
Hmmmmm...still undecided what I think about this one.
Surprised this was written in 1930--pedophilia, sex, drugs, alcohol (OK, not so surprising), girls staying out all night and sleeping around, abortions, there's even a murder/suicide thrown in there as an aside. All set during the depression, with some of the men trying to get work, others having plenty, others happy to have a job though their income is down. None of this is new, though the modern media would have us think so. And this book w...more
Surprised this was written in 1930--pedophilia, sex, drugs, alcohol (OK, not so surprising), girls staying out all night and sleeping around, abortions, there's even a murder/suicide thrown in there as an aside. All set during the depression, with some of the men trying to get work, others having plenty, others happy to have a job though their income is down. None of this is new, though the modern media would have us think so. And this book w...more
This is a terrific book that takes place in Prohibition era New York City and chronicles the activities of the "beautiful people." It is loosely based on the true story of an unidentified young woman whose body was found floating in Long Island Sound. O'Hara imagines the dead woman's journey towards her death. The main character, Gloria Wandrous, is a promiscuous alcoholic whose life was, to a large extent, shaped by a childhood episode in which she was sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend....more
I feel rather divided about this book. I believe that I didn't enjoy it more because it lacked something that let me emotionally connect to the characters in a consistent way. It was choppy in that regard. It was very matter of fact, very linear. There were spells where I would read steadily, following along and trying not to be bored to tears. And them, I'd just fall in, like an unexpected drop off in a swimming pool. I'd find myself deep into some truly beautiful writing. It would be descripti...more
This was confusing and depressing. I somehow had the vague and erroneous impression all my life, based on the movie box covers with Elizabeth Taylor, that this was some kind of suspense story. It might be because the title is a telephone exchange, and movies about phones or phone calls, and pretty girls are usually ominous. Oddly, the phone and phone numbers have nothing special to do with the book.
This is just a cynical, trashy story about a wayward girl who gets mixed up in an affair with a ma...more
This is just a cynical, trashy story about a wayward girl who gets mixed up in an affair with a ma...more
Wow. This is an amazing book. John O'Hara's writing style is really spectacular. With amazing economy (the book is just over 200 pages long) he creates a complete picture of multiple characters, their lives, their desires and fears.
It initially felt a bit dated. It was written in the early 1930s and he uses a lot of slang from the time - just throws it in. Don't be put off by it. I realized it was like reading Jane Austen - these small things go by and you don't know what they are but they don't...more
It initially felt a bit dated. It was written in the early 1930s and he uses a lot of slang from the time - just throws it in. Don't be put off by it. I realized it was like reading Jane Austen - these small things go by and you don't know what they are but they don't...more
Last year I read John O'Hara's classic first novel, Appointment in Samarra, and really enjoyed it and vowed to read some of his other work.I liked this story of a fast young woman, Gloria Wandrous (the literary godmother of Holly Golightly-it seems she is a later incarnation of this party girl), in the midst of the depression. She's a fast living and spoiled young woman living it up in New York in Speakeasies and with a father fixation on older gentlemen due to an early sexual encounter as a you...more
There are a number of "classics" sitting on my shelves to be read. This summer I picked up BUtterfield 8 and dove right in. I had almost no idea what to expect. I'd never seen the movie and hadn't really ever heard anything about the story. Reading the back cover gave a slight insight, but still left me wondering what to expect.
The book started out a little slow, but still very vivid. O'Hara writes with great description and passion and was able to make the scenes very alive and full. However, f...more
The book started out a little slow, but still very vivid. O'Hara writes with great description and passion and was able to make the scenes very alive and full. However, f...more
I would probably rate this at 3 1/2 stars. I love crime noir, which is what I thought this book was going to be about (it was not). But really, this is an excellent book for those interested in class structure and how it changed after the stock market crash in 1929. O'Hara wrote this in the midst of the depression (1935)and this is ultimately what I found most interesting. Though, the book does also contain some not so favorable opinions about various races and ethnicities, this too is telling o...more
I always give a book a chance and read at least 100 pages to see where and how the characters / story goes. I do not understand why this is considered a classic. I wanted to read this since it takes place in NYC in 1930 and thought would be interesting; very disappointing.
Very boring. It may be a character study, but there was no depth to the characters and the story seems to bounce around without a good flow.
I have no interest in finishing it
I bet the movie with Elizabeth Taylor would be much...more
Very boring. It may be a character study, but there was no depth to the characters and the story seems to bounce around without a good flow.
I have no interest in finishing it
I bet the movie with Elizabeth Taylor would be much...more
Really worth the reservations that I had at the beginning...Societal and seedy New York in the early 30's..I feel like I've walked through a labyrinth of speakeasies and dark thoughts that people rarely reveal-John O'Hara writes like a more acidic, gin-drunken Fitzgerald..yeah maybe an F. Scott without money and his insight into the human brain is what makes this so so good even today..it's also like many short stories combined!Shocking ending..
I'm so conflicted about this book. The writing is spectacular. The characters are so vivid that the reader comes to know them intimately. That is why I feel so angered by the denouement. The story of Gloria Wandrous is grim and gruesome. She deserved better, I think. No, she did deserve better. Okay, my conflict is over. BUtterfield 8 is an amazingly affecting novel. Just prepare yourself to be royally pissed off.
A gift from MXM because he thought Elizabeth Taylor looked hot on the cover. The dialogue in the book is excellent - particularly the party scenes. I also like the details about individuals that are not characters in the book. The combination of those two things really makes you get a sense of the time and place (NYC during the Depression, although it feels less like it is during the Depression and more like it is during Prohibition). The story itself goes from sad to gruesome, though, with litt...more
Jun 08, 2010
Katrina
marked it as to-read
I found a page from this book on the ground in Brooklyn in May, brown and torn and mostly disintegrated. The bit that was legible drew me in, though, and thanks to Google books I was able to find out what book it's from! I wonder if this was a sign that I should read this book or just a sign that someone's copy was due for retirement.
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May 20, 2010
Jukka
added it
BUtterfield 8 - John O'Hara
I love O'Hara when he's on, and he's definitely on in this one. He is imo tops when it comes to charged emotional dialoque.
I haven't seen this version, i'd love to read the Fran Lebowitz intro! [At least she's writing something, Fran i loved Metropolitan Life and Social Studies! Genius.:]
I love O'Hara when he's on, and he's definitely on in this one. He is imo tops when it comes to charged emotional dialoque.
I haven't seen this version, i'd love to read the Fran Lebowitz intro! [At least she's writing something, Fran i loved Metropolitan Life and Social Studies! Genius.:]
Well, this was a somewhat unexpected continuation of my literary tour of 'seedy' cities. Next stop 1930's NYC!! In the end, I didn't really get pulled into the story, and even though I knew what was coming, I found the conclusion a bit abrupt and out of nowhere. If the plot hadn't been set out in the back blurb, I think I would have liked it less.
The book brings a strong sense of sadness to the live of people in NY. It reminded me of an article on relationships in Manhattan NYMag wrote last year and how they are further strained in NY more than anywhere else. The book reminds us these problems aren't new, people are just more open to discussing them.
Feb 17, 2013
Carly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Carly by:
Dusty
Shelves:
2013
An interesting book that tells the tale of Gloria Wandrous and her life. The time is 1930, post stock market crash, the depression is looming and speakeasies are the place to be. Gloria is a young woman who the narrator describes would have been a flapper had she been born a mere ten years earlier.
This is a sad tale, no one seems particularly happy or successful. There are people with money, but there are also men cheating on their wives, getting beaten up in bars, a high probability of alcohol...more
This is a sad tale, no one seems particularly happy or successful. There are people with money, but there are also men cheating on their wives, getting beaten up in bars, a high probability of alcohol...more
I borrowed this from the library after I read an article about it. Wished I hadn’t bothered, really. I kept turning page after page hoping that I’d understand what was going on, who these people were, and/or something—anything!—interesting would happen, but it didn’t, so I gave up after page 50.
A rather compelling read with Great Depression, great description of New York during Prohibition , speakeasies, absolutely great dialogues, class defined characters. I seriously didn't expect so much sex, drugs and even pedophilia problems in the book written in forties of the last century.
As a roman a clef, it does its job. Not an unenjoyable read, but not very much fun either. I had such high hopes for Gloria's character after her introduction in chapter one, but ended up disappointed. She acted like such a spoiled, bratty little child that I couldn't dredge up very much emotion for her.
No American author captures the essence of how humans interact re: sex better than this author; and while some of the content dates-- the interaction never does. Rage for Living is a much better novel of his than this-- also-- clearly-- the film has little to do with the novel.
phenomenal, enjoyed much more than appt in Samara. O'hara takes a real life event (the washing up of a dead young woman on the LI shore) and creates a whole fictitious story around what her life must have been like in the early 1930s. Short, easy read, bery rich characters.
Once again with writers of this era, I am struck by the vapidness of the characters and BUtterfield 8 was no exception. Perhaps it is just the writing style of that time but I struggled with the selfishness portrayed by each and every character. Ugh.
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John Henry O'Hara was an American writer born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. He initially became known for his short stories and later became a best-selling novelist whose works include Appointment in Samarra and BUtterfield 8. He was particularly known for an uncannily accurate ear for dialogue. O'Hara was a keen observer of social status and class differences, and wrote frequently about the social...more
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