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A Gay and Melancholy S...
A Gay and Melancholy Sound
by
Merle Miller
The first book in nationally renowned librarian Nancy Pearl's new Book Lust Rediscoveries series, this lost literary classic is available for the first time in decades. As funny and entertaining as it is captivating and heartrending, A Gay and Melancholy Sound is a shattering depiction of modern disconnection and the tragic consequences of a life bereft of love.
Joshua Blan...more
Joshua Blan...more
Hardcover, 583 pages
Published
1961
by William Sloane Associates
(first published January 1st 1960)
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Book Description (from Amazon)
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
The first book in nationally renowned librarian Nancy Pearl’s new Book Lust Rediscoveries series, this lost literary classic is available for the first time in decades. As funny and entertaining as it is captivating and heartrending, A Gay and Melancholy Sound is a shattering depiction of modern disconnection and the tragic consequences of a life bereft of love.
Joshua Bland has lived the kind of life many would define as extraordinary....more
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
The first book in nationally renowned librarian Nancy Pearl’s new Book Lust Rediscoveries series, this lost literary classic is available for the first time in decades. As funny and entertaining as it is captivating and heartrending, A Gay and Melancholy Sound is a shattering depiction of modern disconnection and the tragic consequences of a life bereft of love.
Joshua Bland has lived the kind of life many would define as extraordinary....more
This was an unusual book for me. I didn't quite know how to take it at first. Then, all of the sudden, and quite by surprise, I was thoroughly drawn in and hooked - and I mean HOOKED. Like completely invested in the narrator, who is not exactly the kid next door, nor someone who you wish would live next door.... at least, at first. Then, with time, and with multiple chronological flashbacks and presages, I realized that I CARED for this guy. And that continued. Until the final pages. This was a...more
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I liked , then hated, then liked, then hated again, Joshua Bland ( the narrator of this book). The book, told in the first person, traces the life of Joshua Bland from being a child prodigy in the 1920's to the 1960's. I was sympathetic with Joshua as a child but as he ages and depressingly goes on and on about his inability to love and penchant for hurting everyone around him, I became less sympathetic. As the book goes on ( and it does for over 500 pages!) and he starts to deteriorate clearly...more
A powerful read. Written in 1961 and just now back in print, it is the self-told story of a man's life from childhood (born in the early 1920s) through the then present day (late 1950s), where he is in his late 30s. Beginning as a child prodigy with loads of self-doubt, family problems, etc., we see his life evolve through WW II and the 1950s. He can't love himself or others, and knows this. He realizes that he peaked as a teenager. The main character is very insightful about himself, but can't...more
Funny yet so very sad. A child genius succumbs to the habit of disdain that his unloving and unloveable mother models for him. This is his account of his life as he records it over several days preceding his planned suicide. Unflinching in his self-critical story telling, he subverts any possible pity that may be evolving during reminiscences of neglect by recounting acts of emotional and physical cruelties of his own. The author captures a life of brilliant despair in a very long and very thoro...more
Merle Miller's book was chosen by Book Lust Rediscoveries, a “series devoted to reprinting some of the best (and now out of print) novels originally published between 1960-2000. Each book is personally selected by Nancy Pearl and includes an introduction by her, as well as discussion questions for book groups and a list of recommended further reading.”
I thoroughly enjoyed the author's sense of humor and character development. The main character is named Joshua Bland, but his life was anything b...more
I thoroughly enjoyed the author's sense of humor and character development. The main character is named Joshua Bland, but his life was anything b...more
Very smart...i felt as if i were being challenged to keep up with this witty and somber tale. I also felt it was autobiographical in some respects. Going up different, feeling alienated from the "Out There" rang true to his life I think... He was a wounded from birth but not all bright kids get exploited. More people should be careful about what they hold as their ideals..and not sell out for greed, fame or prestige. How can you say a man cannot love who cries at tender moments. I don't buy that...more
In a certain sense, this book is the equivalent of listening to a sad song that brings great joy nonetheless - in my case that would be listening to a Janis Joplin tune such as "Ball and Chain," or "Turtle Blues." Miller is one of those artists who mines unimaginable pain and sadness and hones it into something idiosyncratically and strangely beautiful.
I did not expect to like this book - I am one of those unfortunate creatures who judges books by their titles, and this one sounded a bit too 'fl...more
I did not expect to like this book - I am one of those unfortunate creatures who judges books by their titles, and this one sounded a bit too 'fl...more
Joshua Bland cannot love. Joshua Bland is unlovable. Through crippling self-hatred, an overcompensated inferiority complex, a genius-level IQ, and a remarkable knack for self-sabotage, Joshua Bland managed to completely ruin any chance at happiness he could've had. What's more, he knew he was doing it. So now he's decided to create a voice-recorded chronicle of his life complete with his few triumphs and many failures. The resulting account shows the complexity of a life burdened by expectation...more
Feb 16, 2013
David
added it
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Recommended by NPR:
"Joshua Bland was born and raised in a small Iowa town where, unloved by his mother and stepfather, he grew up with a lacerating self-hatred. Once acclaimed as a child prodigy, he has always believed that he was never quite smart enough. Throughout his life, Joshua has systematically destroyed whatever happiness could be his, knowing exactly what he was doing as he did it, but unable to stop himself. While A Gay and Melancholy Sound is certainly grounded in the great historica...more
"Joshua Bland was born and raised in a small Iowa town where, unloved by his mother and stepfather, he grew up with a lacerating self-hatred. Once acclaimed as a child prodigy, he has always believed that he was never quite smart enough. Throughout his life, Joshua has systematically destroyed whatever happiness could be his, knowing exactly what he was doing as he did it, but unable to stop himself. While A Gay and Melancholy Sound is certainly grounded in the great historica...more
What an amazing book. This is NOT for everyone, believe me. It spoke to me profoundly. Such a beautiful multi-layered protagonist. The reviews I have read all emphasize his inability to love. Funnily enough, he loves people in a sadly poignant way throughout the book. He is incapable of resisting his base instincts to destroy.
Beautiful, sad, funny as hell, I had a difficult time putting it down. I loved it. The end is quite a tour de force.
Beautiful, sad, funny as hell, I had a difficult time putting it down. I loved it. The end is quite a tour de force.
I kinda wanted to go 3 1/2 on this one. It's a very well written book and hooks you in with a protagonist that is a sad person who lead a quite extraordinary life. What was really interesting were the political, religions and racial themes it touched on in past decades (20s, 30s, 50s) that resonate with what society is like now.
This is from Nancy Pearl's "A Book Lust Rediscovered" book. The intro is read by Nancy. I heard her talk about this book on a podcast. As I told my sister I was reading this, she warned me that Nancy likes to cry while reading her books. That is fair warning. While I did not cry much, it is a sad book, I think work the listen...
I just finished this book and for a book about suicide, it's pretty funny. I purchased this book initially because it was a Nancy Pearl (Book Lust) selection. It's the story of a childhood prodidy grown up and unhappy with his life. I have a pretty dark sense of humor and could appreciate this book.
Mar 23, 2012
Wendy
marked it as to-read
I received an advance copy of this book at a Nancy Pearl event at the Public Library Association's conference last week. It is the first of Nancy Pearl's "Book Lust Rediscovery" book series (a new title to come out every other month). Fantastic idea! Can't wait to get started!
My favorite book of 2010...
"I finished a wonderful book at work today. I even want X to read it.
A Gay and Melancholy Sound is Nancy Pearl (of Book Lust)'s favorite out-of-print book, and I understand why. I really hope we reprint it."
"I finished a wonderful book at work today. I even want X to read it.
A Gay and Melancholy Sound is Nancy Pearl (of Book Lust)'s favorite out-of-print book, and I understand why. I really hope we reprint it."
This is definitely one of the best books I have read since the end of March 2012. Have bought a copy for my son.
Funny, acerbic, and very cleverly written I am telling everyone it is worth a go.
You won't like any of the characters but you will believe in them all, and the prose is yummy.
Funny, acerbic, and very cleverly written I am telling everyone it is worth a go.
You won't like any of the characters but you will believe in them all, and the prose is yummy.
As recommended by Nancy Pearl.
I liked this book much more than I thought I would. The author does get a little long winded at times; I'm not sure the book really needed to be quite as long as it was. Yet, the author has that "magic" touch that makes a reader actually care about a man that is not likable by using wit, dark humor, and creating a really interesting story. The book was published in 1961, but I had to keep reminding myself of that while reading it. It felt as though it could have published last year if some of th...more
I have not enjoyed a book as much as this in quite awhile. The writing is not overdone and it flows.
Liked it but would only recommend it to certain readers. Have to be intrigued and understand mental illness and the vice it can have on a mind.
Dark, tragic, utterly depressing; in my current state, I couldn't finish it.
Nancy Pearl's favorite book. Out of print but soon available on Amazon.
Loved this. All the more intriguing for its semi-autobiographical touchstones.
May 21, 2012
Amy
marked it as to-read
Nancy Pearl, Book Lust Rediscoveries rec
A wonderful memoir.
Originally published in 1961, other than some of the syntax, it could have been written in the last couple of years. The fictionalized autobiography is cleverly written and spans from the early 1910's to 1960. Parts reminded me of the Augusten Burroughs books, both in the cynical humor and in the paranoia...
It's a good read.
It's a good read.
"P.S. If I find out what truth is, I'll drop you a line."
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Merle Miller was a novelist, non-fiction writer, television script writer, and biographer. His 1971 article "What It Means To Be a Homosexual" on coming out made him a spokesman for gay rights.
More about Merle Miller...
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