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The Seven Minutes
BCE. Creasing, small tears, tanning, shelf and edge wear to Dust Jacket. Small moisture mark to bottom DJ at spine. Pages are clean and binding is tight. Solid Book.
607 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
97 people are currently reading
1250 people want to read
About the author
Irving Wallace
180 books292 followersIrving Wallace was an American bestselling author and screenwriter. His extensively researched books included such page-turners as The Chapman Report (1960), about human sexuality; The Prize (1962), a fictional behind-the-scenes account of the Nobel Prizes; The Man, about a black man becoming president of the U.S. in the 1960s; and The Word (1972), about the discovery of a new gospel.
Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois. Wallace grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was the father of Olympic historian David Wallechinsky and author Amy Wallace.
Wallace began selling stories to magazines when he was a teenager. In World War II Wallace served in the Frank Capra unit in Fort Fox along with Theodor Seuss Geisel - more popularly known as Dr Seuss - and continued to write for magazines. He also served in the First Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Force. In the years immediately following World war II Wallace became a Hollywood screenwriter. He collaborated on such films as The West Point Story (1950), Split Second (1953),and Meet Me at the Fair (1953).
After several years in Hollywood, he devoted himself full-time to writing books. Wallace published 33 books during his lifetime.
Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois. Wallace grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was the father of Olympic historian David Wallechinsky and author Amy Wallace.
Wallace began selling stories to magazines when he was a teenager. In World War II Wallace served in the Frank Capra unit in Fort Fox along with Theodor Seuss Geisel - more popularly known as Dr Seuss - and continued to write for magazines. He also served in the First Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Force. In the years immediately following World war II Wallace became a Hollywood screenwriter. He collaborated on such films as The West Point Story (1950), Split Second (1953),and Meet Me at the Fair (1953).
After several years in Hollywood, he devoted himself full-time to writing books. Wallace published 33 books during his lifetime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
April 5, 2022
A thought-provoking story of trial, The Seven Minutes is the account of the struggle of Michael Barrett, an idealistic lawyer who but not very much in control of his life. He faces the courtroom at the pace of an average existence, letting himself carried away by the ebb and flow of events. He gets involved with Maggie, a woman without much intellectual capacity, uninteresting, in the style of Mike himself. The counterpoint of this drowsiness appears in the public prosecutor Elmo Duncan's figure, a play without which the scenic game of defence/prosecution would have become tedious. According to the California State Penal Code, an attempt will condemn a book that would be "obscene material" (article 311). The young woman's death had prompted by the reading of this book, which narrates the thoughts of a woman during the seven minutes of the sexual act. Although it doesn't spell out the whole story, the book's plot (which tells of a book within a book) would make a good movie. Or is it already?
October 13, 2021
So unassuming at first glance, but this book was so much more a hidden gem. I have such respect and admiration for this book. I have a deep, deep affection for its inner workings and mechanism, what it tried to do, what it stood for.
It won me over delighting me as it took me through twists and turns exhibited in it. I found myself cheering for the champions, all of them, the book surprising me at every turn, and then surprised me even more. The final act, all of it, felt so satisfying. Like writing about Winter.
The subject matter is mild compared to today's standards and maybe the point it was making is moot now. But the hue of this book is still so relevant.
It made such a convincing case for opening your minds
it won the argument over the definition of censorship.
Scoring a point, a match point.
Wallace in this book raised the question of what is obscene and what is not, and in my opinion, answered that question adequately.
So what is obscene, to you?
Incidentally, The Seven Minutes inspired Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes, the only one of his books that I actually liked.
December 20, 2015
I read this book way back in 1980 and it took me ages as it was quite a tome.
It was one of those books that everyone was reading and talking about because it was very controversial at the time, due to its subject matter and descriptions of same.
After reading it I thought the hype was a all bit of a beat up and found that what I really enjoyed most about the book was the way the drama was all played out in court.
September 10, 2011
Another extraordinary novel from the 80's (I must be longing for my college days!) dealing with free speech, what it is in all its iterations, how it's interpreted, and how it affects us all. I plan on reading it again very soon. I suggest you check it out, too!
May 21, 2023
Reading this, I couldn't help but compare Irving Wallace to Dan Brown.
This is the second book of Wallace's that I've read, and the comparison is probably more appropriate for the other book ("The Word"). But there are elements of Dan Brown here too.
Of course, Wallace by far predated Brown. This one was written in the late 60s.
But like Brown, both of the books I've read involve lots and lots of research, and then the misapplication of that research. By which I mean, both involve some really cool information that makes you go "hmmm, that's neat" throughout, but then either the authors draw conclusions that don't hold up (in Brown's case, purposefully, I think) or else have the characters handle the information in ways that just don't make sense. And both involve scenarios that are just sort of kind of ludicrous, with thinly drawn characters doing things that no real characters would do. Both involve, sadly, "caricatures" more than "characters."
And for some reason, I mostly enjoy reading both.
I won't get into "The Word" here, but it was sort of a neat book, and the similarities to "DaVinci Code" are interesting. Different path throughout the narrative, but enough that the books could at least be cousins.
"The Seven Minutes" isn't so specifically focused on Christianity (although priests and nuns and religious extremists make plenty of appearances). Rather, it's a book about censorship and obscenity that ultimately champions the First Amendment and the artist's freedom to express himself (in the case of the book, that's very much a HIMself) however he chooses.
The book is okay. There are fun parts. It's enjoyable.
But it's not great.
My list of criticisms, in no particular order:
1. It's too long. 630 pages. That's a fine length for a really good book, but it's painfully long for a mediocre book. 400 pages is pretty much the outside limit for me for a book of this caliber.
2. The dialogue is painful to read. Eventually you sort of grow numb to it, but it takes a while, and it hurts before the numbness sets in. Every bit of dialogue in this book is presented in ways that no person has ever spoken to another person in conversation. Every bit of dialogue reads like an essay that someone wrote for a college class and then was forced to read out loud, to another person. "Conversations" involve one person talking for a full page or so, with asides and verbatim quotes of great writers, then another person doing the same. It's absolutely awful. But as I say, you get used to it.
3. The quotes. Sort of repeating myself here, but the quotes are just ridiculous. Everyone is quoting some smart person from history at all times, and they all get it very accurately, and feel the need to give an entire long-winded word-for-word quote instead of just getting to the gist, and it really makes the book seem silly. It's clear that Wallace wanted to show readers his research, and the facts and quotes are interesting in and of themselves, but so out of place in what is supposed to be conversation.
4. Any time a character in this book says "I won't beat around the bush," they are about to beat around the bush for at least a paragraph or so. Any time a character says "let me get straight to the point," you can rest assured that there will be at least a dozen long-winded sentences before they get to the point.
5. As noted above, the characters aren't so much characters as caricatures. They are thin, one-dimensional. Wallace tries to add some complexity to a couple of characters, but it's a shallow complexity, doesn't really fool you.
6. The fact that characters are really just caricatures makes this book come across at times as pretty racist. Or rather, to be more gentle, as insensitive to race issues. You have to give the guy a break to some extent. It was the late 60s, and while race issues were certainly very much in the air, there was perhaps not the same level of awareness of unconscious racism or a sense of political correctness or whatever you want to call it. Wallace clearly makes an effort to include more than an all white cast here, which is good. But each non-white character plays pretty heavily into racial stereotypes. Wallace is trying, and that's cool. There is a really good paragraph talking about racial injustice and the need to change the world. A Japanese character brings up WWII internment camps. The one black woman who gets attention is a very positive character. But they are all dripping with stereotypical behaviors, or his descriptions of them are painful to read, or, or, or. And the only mention of a Muslim is so, so, so tacky and offensive it hurts.
7. Don't even get me started on homosexuality. It's not a big issue in the book, but the casual insults of "faggots" and "queers" makes the book feel dated.
8. Women are treated like shit. Not necessarily by other characters, but by the author. In so many ways. Again, I think this is subconscious. And some of it is because EVERYONE is more caricature than character. But it's also more than that. Two examples, not major spoilers I hope. One, the book centers on a book (called "The Seven Minutes") that authorities are trying to ban, but whose fans think it is brilliant and important because it lets readers really get into the mindset of a woman, to understand sexuality from a woman's perspective. The book, of course, was written by a man, and it's odd that Wallace doesn't even consider for a moment that a book written by a man might not be the clearest picture into a woman's sexuality, might not be adored by women for helping them finally understand themselves. Uglier, much of the book focuses on a rape, but you read almost nothing about the young woman who is lying in a coma; everyone who is involved in the story is very, very worried about what is going to happen to the young man who admitted to raping her (his life is going to be ruined!) but almost no one, Wallace included, seems to think much of the woman in the hospital bed. There are uglier pieces, but those would be spoilers, so you'll have to find them yourself.
9. Wallace presents a pretty pathetic picture of love as an ideal, of "true" love. You can almost not notice while you're reading, but when you step away, it's just sad and tired. Again, not to give spoilers I hope, but much of the flow of the book is how the book within the book really is an example of the purest love, and the author and his lady are seen to somehow embody this mystical, magical force of love that is so much more meaningful and important than all these other common notions of love. The main character (who is engaged to a woman he's known for about three months, and then later falls in love with another woman after meeting her ONCE) learns so much about the truth and beauty of love from the book. But... well, the example that's held up as so wonderful is a fleeting romance. The characters that embody this perfect love don't stick around for each other, don't take care of each other, don't fulfill important commitments. They are two twenty-somethings running around Paris, reading poetry, having lots of sex. But there's really nothing much deeper than that. It's a youthful adventure, an infatuation. And I'm a big fan of that, I had my adventures and infatuations and I cherish those memories (sadly, none of mine in Paris), but that's not love, it's not impressive, it's not ground breaking, and to think that the characters are all saved somehow by learning of this love is just, well, silly.
So there you go. Most of what's wrong with "The Seven Minutes" in nine short paragraphs.
It wasn't terrible. There were parts I really enjoyed. But mostly just glad I finished it.
This is the second book of Wallace's that I've read, and the comparison is probably more appropriate for the other book ("The Word"). But there are elements of Dan Brown here too.
Of course, Wallace by far predated Brown. This one was written in the late 60s.
But like Brown, both of the books I've read involve lots and lots of research, and then the misapplication of that research. By which I mean, both involve some really cool information that makes you go "hmmm, that's neat" throughout, but then either the authors draw conclusions that don't hold up (in Brown's case, purposefully, I think) or else have the characters handle the information in ways that just don't make sense. And both involve scenarios that are just sort of kind of ludicrous, with thinly drawn characters doing things that no real characters would do. Both involve, sadly, "caricatures" more than "characters."
And for some reason, I mostly enjoy reading both.
I won't get into "The Word" here, but it was sort of a neat book, and the similarities to "DaVinci Code" are interesting. Different path throughout the narrative, but enough that the books could at least be cousins.
"The Seven Minutes" isn't so specifically focused on Christianity (although priests and nuns and religious extremists make plenty of appearances). Rather, it's a book about censorship and obscenity that ultimately champions the First Amendment and the artist's freedom to express himself (in the case of the book, that's very much a HIMself) however he chooses.
The book is okay. There are fun parts. It's enjoyable.
But it's not great.
My list of criticisms, in no particular order:
1. It's too long. 630 pages. That's a fine length for a really good book, but it's painfully long for a mediocre book. 400 pages is pretty much the outside limit for me for a book of this caliber.
2. The dialogue is painful to read. Eventually you sort of grow numb to it, but it takes a while, and it hurts before the numbness sets in. Every bit of dialogue in this book is presented in ways that no person has ever spoken to another person in conversation. Every bit of dialogue reads like an essay that someone wrote for a college class and then was forced to read out loud, to another person. "Conversations" involve one person talking for a full page or so, with asides and verbatim quotes of great writers, then another person doing the same. It's absolutely awful. But as I say, you get used to it.
3. The quotes. Sort of repeating myself here, but the quotes are just ridiculous. Everyone is quoting some smart person from history at all times, and they all get it very accurately, and feel the need to give an entire long-winded word-for-word quote instead of just getting to the gist, and it really makes the book seem silly. It's clear that Wallace wanted to show readers his research, and the facts and quotes are interesting in and of themselves, but so out of place in what is supposed to be conversation.
4. Any time a character in this book says "I won't beat around the bush," they are about to beat around the bush for at least a paragraph or so. Any time a character says "let me get straight to the point," you can rest assured that there will be at least a dozen long-winded sentences before they get to the point.
5. As noted above, the characters aren't so much characters as caricatures. They are thin, one-dimensional. Wallace tries to add some complexity to a couple of characters, but it's a shallow complexity, doesn't really fool you.
6. The fact that characters are really just caricatures makes this book come across at times as pretty racist. Or rather, to be more gentle, as insensitive to race issues. You have to give the guy a break to some extent. It was the late 60s, and while race issues were certainly very much in the air, there was perhaps not the same level of awareness of unconscious racism or a sense of political correctness or whatever you want to call it. Wallace clearly makes an effort to include more than an all white cast here, which is good. But each non-white character plays pretty heavily into racial stereotypes. Wallace is trying, and that's cool. There is a really good paragraph talking about racial injustice and the need to change the world. A Japanese character brings up WWII internment camps. The one black woman who gets attention is a very positive character. But they are all dripping with stereotypical behaviors, or his descriptions of them are painful to read, or, or, or. And the only mention of a Muslim is so, so, so tacky and offensive it hurts.
7. Don't even get me started on homosexuality. It's not a big issue in the book, but the casual insults of "faggots" and "queers" makes the book feel dated.
8. Women are treated like shit. Not necessarily by other characters, but by the author. In so many ways. Again, I think this is subconscious. And some of it is because EVERYONE is more caricature than character. But it's also more than that. Two examples, not major spoilers I hope. One, the book centers on a book (called "The Seven Minutes") that authorities are trying to ban, but whose fans think it is brilliant and important because it lets readers really get into the mindset of a woman, to understand sexuality from a woman's perspective. The book, of course, was written by a man, and it's odd that Wallace doesn't even consider for a moment that a book written by a man might not be the clearest picture into a woman's sexuality, might not be adored by women for helping them finally understand themselves. Uglier, much of the book focuses on a rape, but you read almost nothing about the young woman who is lying in a coma; everyone who is involved in the story is very, very worried about what is going to happen to the young man who admitted to raping her (his life is going to be ruined!) but almost no one, Wallace included, seems to think much of the woman in the hospital bed. There are uglier pieces, but those would be spoilers, so you'll have to find them yourself.
9. Wallace presents a pretty pathetic picture of love as an ideal, of "true" love. You can almost not notice while you're reading, but when you step away, it's just sad and tired. Again, not to give spoilers I hope, but much of the flow of the book is how the book within the book really is an example of the purest love, and the author and his lady are seen to somehow embody this mystical, magical force of love that is so much more meaningful and important than all these other common notions of love. The main character (who is engaged to a woman he's known for about three months, and then later falls in love with another woman after meeting her ONCE) learns so much about the truth and beauty of love from the book. But... well, the example that's held up as so wonderful is a fleeting romance. The characters that embody this perfect love don't stick around for each other, don't take care of each other, don't fulfill important commitments. They are two twenty-somethings running around Paris, reading poetry, having lots of sex. But there's really nothing much deeper than that. It's a youthful adventure, an infatuation. And I'm a big fan of that, I had my adventures and infatuations and I cherish those memories (sadly, none of mine in Paris), but that's not love, it's not impressive, it's not ground breaking, and to think that the characters are all saved somehow by learning of this love is just, well, silly.
So there you go. Most of what's wrong with "The Seven Minutes" in nine short paragraphs.
It wasn't terrible. There were parts I really enjoyed. But mostly just glad I finished it.
December 18, 2008
I reckon this novel should be read by everybody especially politician as well as conservative people. The novel vividly described hidden activation of censors and anti-censors and moral dilemma we are facing today. I was shocked to find that Gibbon`s Decline and Fall of Roman Empire and Mill`s Principles of Political Economy were listed in the Index of Prohibited Books because they are anticlerical. I learned one thing from the novel that moral standards are changing.
April 20, 2020
This book is about Pornography and Censorship.
The trial plot was splendid and I enjoyed the build and the various characters. Trial lawyers will love it.
What my brother and I still talk about till today (we read it in the late 90s or early 00s) is the ending.
I gave it 5 stars.
The trial plot was splendid and I enjoyed the build and the various characters. Trial lawyers will love it.
What my brother and I still talk about till today (we read it in the late 90s or early 00s) is the ending.
I gave it 5 stars.
September 24, 2017
Mildly interesting potboiler. The worst part of this book is that the characters speak in soliloquies filled with literary or legal quotations. Seriously, all the characters, all the time. Nobody talks like that.
November 30, 2008
Read this the first time in grad school and couldn't put it down - no so much this time!! Still a good story with a twist ending - I guess our taste in books changes over time.
June 24, 2012
It's nice to see the enthusiasm for this book and its author. I read and enjoyed this in 1972 or 1973, at a time when my reading taste was very commercial and rather indiscriminate, often consisting of healthy doses of the fast-paced, glossy fiction that authors such as Irving Wallace, Harold Robbins and Arthur Hailey produced regularly - I was in my mid-teens and such reading material seemed very grown-up (and to be fair to myself, I was also reading more serious authors such as Ayn Rand).
Despite decades of popularity, Wallace's name is unfamiliar to today's readers, his books found only on the shelves of used bookstores. As we're told on Wikipedia: "Wallace was a blue-collar writer who wrote for a blue-collar audience. Most critics were scornful of his novels' flat prose and pedestrian characters" .... "Wallace's name is not to be found in directories of writers but he possessed the skill to entertain millions and he was seldom pretentious about it."
The recent fuss (and spectacular sales) of E.L. James's FIFTY SHADES Trilogy (which, other than flipping through a few random pages I haven't read and don't intend to read) reminded me that THE SEVEN MINUTES is about the controversy over a sexually explicit book - could reading about the thoughts and fantasies of a woman during seven minutes of sexual intercourse actually incite a college student to rape? - so I've decided to have a go at re-reading it.
The novel is dedicated "To Fanny, Constance, Molly, who made it possible" - it's a certainty that few of today's readers who so easily obtain a copy of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY by merely walking into a bookstore where it's prominently displayed, are familiar with the three women mentioned and the controversial works in which they appeared: Fanny Hill (Cleland's MEMOIRS OF A WOMAN OF PLEASURE), Constance Chatterley (Lawrence's LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER) and Molly Bloom (Joyce's ULYSSES). All three novels were sexually explicit, considered 'pornographic,' and were the subject of an important obscenity trial which resulted in changing the public's perception of 'pornography' and what could or couldn't be sold or mailed. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY would be sold 'under the counter' - if at all - without these three women, who made it possible for today's readers to casually walk into their local bookstore to obtain a copy and find it prominently displayed.
6/24: Michael Korda, who was Wallace's editor at Simon & Schuster for many years, felt that Wallace's novels were bloated potboilers, and the weight of some of his 1960s novels would seem to back up that opinion. Even at 607 pages, THE SEVEN MINUTES is somewhat 'flabby' - Wallace certainly did his research on famous pornographic works, their authors, and the criticisms - or praise - leveled at them, but, due to his need to impart this information to the reader, unfortunately this results in chunks of dialog that are often unwieldy or just plain didactic, in which characters often quote such things at length (well, several of the leading characters are lawyers...).
I found the second half of the book better-paced than the first half: Wallace ratchets up the suspense as various elements of the backstory begin falling into place. THE SEVEN MINUTES is still valid today, though it will seem dated to many of today's readers: pay phones abound, and a simple DNA test would pinpoint the identity of a suspected rapist.
Despite decades of popularity, Wallace's name is unfamiliar to today's readers, his books found only on the shelves of used bookstores. As we're told on Wikipedia: "Wallace was a blue-collar writer who wrote for a blue-collar audience. Most critics were scornful of his novels' flat prose and pedestrian characters" .... "Wallace's name is not to be found in directories of writers but he possessed the skill to entertain millions and he was seldom pretentious about it."
The recent fuss (and spectacular sales) of E.L. James's FIFTY SHADES Trilogy (which, other than flipping through a few random pages I haven't read and don't intend to read) reminded me that THE SEVEN MINUTES is about the controversy over a sexually explicit book - could reading about the thoughts and fantasies of a woman during seven minutes of sexual intercourse actually incite a college student to rape? - so I've decided to have a go at re-reading it.
The novel is dedicated "To Fanny, Constance, Molly, who made it possible" - it's a certainty that few of today's readers who so easily obtain a copy of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY by merely walking into a bookstore where it's prominently displayed, are familiar with the three women mentioned and the controversial works in which they appeared: Fanny Hill (Cleland's MEMOIRS OF A WOMAN OF PLEASURE), Constance Chatterley (Lawrence's LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER) and Molly Bloom (Joyce's ULYSSES). All three novels were sexually explicit, considered 'pornographic,' and were the subject of an important obscenity trial which resulted in changing the public's perception of 'pornography' and what could or couldn't be sold or mailed. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY would be sold 'under the counter' - if at all - without these three women, who made it possible for today's readers to casually walk into their local bookstore to obtain a copy and find it prominently displayed.
6/24: Michael Korda, who was Wallace's editor at Simon & Schuster for many years, felt that Wallace's novels were bloated potboilers, and the weight of some of his 1960s novels would seem to back up that opinion. Even at 607 pages, THE SEVEN MINUTES is somewhat 'flabby' - Wallace certainly did his research on famous pornographic works, their authors, and the criticisms - or praise - leveled at them, but, due to his need to impart this information to the reader, unfortunately this results in chunks of dialog that are often unwieldy or just plain didactic, in which characters often quote such things at length (well, several of the leading characters are lawyers...).
I found the second half of the book better-paced than the first half: Wallace ratchets up the suspense as various elements of the backstory begin falling into place. THE SEVEN MINUTES is still valid today, though it will seem dated to many of today's readers: pay phones abound, and a simple DNA test would pinpoint the identity of a suspected rapist.
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February 6, 2024Creo que esta novela es una extensa oda a la esperanza y a la democracia liberal. Lo curioso es que precisamente en estos dos pilares del mundo contemporáneo y occidental residen contradicciones: el primero elevado a un plano social, político y económico, no trae consigo sino la exigencia de un mundo distinto; el segundo, por otro lado y debido a su hegemonía, se presenta como el único modo de hacer posible esta demanda, pesando a la vez sus consecuencias en el plano material: la democracia liberal no es sino un mecanismo para consolidar el dominio de una clase sobre otra.
Entretenida y fácil de leer, Los Siete Minutos es fácilmente un fiel retrato de las manifestaciones culturales e ideológicas de una época donde iban germinando algunas de los arquetipos actuales de hombre exitoso y realizado, del progreso tal como lo entendemos ahora, entre otras cosas. Es notable la descripción que se puede asimilar de esa pugna entre lo idealista y esperanzado que puede ser un hombre sobre el que pesan exigencias de clase, enfrentándose a una parte de la superestructura (en este caso el Derecho).
Entretenida y fácil de leer, Los Siete Minutos es fácilmente un fiel retrato de las manifestaciones culturales e ideológicas de una época donde iban germinando algunas de los arquetipos actuales de hombre exitoso y realizado, del progreso tal como lo entendemos ahora, entre otras cosas. Es notable la descripción que se puede asimilar de esa pugna entre lo idealista y esperanzado que puede ser un hombre sobre el que pesan exigencias de clase, enfrentándose a una parte de la superestructura (en este caso el Derecho).
July 18, 2015
Extenso, mas deveras interessante.
Um abre-olhos, graças a um caso levado a tribunal, sobre um livro, Sete Minutos, que é considerado demasiado obsceno e pornográfico para a população dos anos 50. A história do livro não é muito trabalhada durante a história, mas sim a liberdade de expressão, de imprensa e de outros assuntos que são utilizados como argumentos, da parte de cada um dos advogados - defesa e o promotor - nomeadamente, a 'pessoa média', obtida através de dados estatísticos e da frieza, pouco bela, com que a matemática pode tratar as coisas; as relações racionais/sentimentais entre duas pessoas; entre outros.
Além disso tenho a destacar pela positiva todas as referências a livros, autores, filósofos, psicólogos e citações que Wallace nos dispõe.
Um livro riquíssimo, que talvez volte a ler num futuro não muito longínquo.
(aqui fica-)
Um abre-olhos, graças a um caso levado a tribunal, sobre um livro, Sete Minutos, que é considerado demasiado obsceno e pornográfico para a população dos anos 50. A história do livro não é muito trabalhada durante a história, mas sim a liberdade de expressão, de imprensa e de outros assuntos que são utilizados como argumentos, da parte de cada um dos advogados - defesa e o promotor - nomeadamente, a 'pessoa média', obtida através de dados estatísticos e da frieza, pouco bela, com que a matemática pode tratar as coisas; as relações racionais/sentimentais entre duas pessoas; entre outros.
Além disso tenho a destacar pela positiva todas as referências a livros, autores, filósofos, psicólogos e citações que Wallace nos dispõe.
Um livro riquíssimo, que talvez volte a ler num futuro não muito longínquo.
(aqui fica-)
March 29, 2020
Esse livro me surpreendeu em todos os aspectos que um livro poderia: muitíssimo bem escrito, a narrativa é perfeita, os personagens são muito bem desenvolvidos, mas o ponto principal pra mim é a crítica ideológica muito bem argumentada e atual mesmo depois de tantos anos, que une as discussões liberdade de expressão e sexualidade feminina em um mesmo pacote. Escancara a ligação do conservadorismo a interesses particulares. Livro sensacional.
April 11, 2012
Um romance intenso (e imenso) à Perry Mason, onde a acção na sala de audiências do tribunal consome toda a atenção do leitor. Mas o interessante é o fundamento da acção judicial. Delicioso, de leitura rápida, apesar do número de páginas.
April 18, 2021
One of the best books I have read. I had read this long back, but it was so good that I still remember parts of it. This was about book censorship and free speech, which is very relevant even today. The arguments in the court room for / against censorship were thought- provoking.
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April 9, 2018A story that could have been told with a lot fewer words...
September 12, 2018
Evelyn Beatrice Hall once said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” In spite of stepping into the twenty-first century with aplomb, we as a human race have not progressed to a point where all written word is cherished and published. Censorship is very much a reality and books are routinely suppressed and banned.
The censorship debate is age-old and has often been used to suppress the voices of those who are either perceived as dissenters by some political groups or whose ideas are regarded as immoral when viewed with the subjective lens of some community. The statute books all across the world, in one form or another, still contain an arbitration provision of censorship which has led to some of the infamous trials in the literary history of the world.
Published in 1969, Wallace’s The Seven Minutes still remains relevant. Dealing with the subject of censorship, the plot revolves around the trial of a controversial fictitious book, The Seven Minutes written by J J Jadway, which is banned for obscenity. Opening with the arrest of the bookseller charged for selling the obscene material, the narrative takes a turn when a boy charged with rape reveals that Jadway’s book drove him to commit such a heinous act. And suddenly, the boy becomes the victim of Jadway’s book and the book becomes the actual culprit. It becomes the rallying point of the State, “Protect the public from those lust-provoking books that lead to terror.”
The battle lines are drawn – on one side of the prism is the trifecta between the State, the money and the religion represented by Elmo Duncan, the District Attorney, and on the other side is the publisher, Philip Sanford represented by Michael Barrett – the young and idealistic attorney. What unfolds behind the scenes is political manipulation – the trial publicised by the district attorney and his benefactor for political gain.
Drawing on the vast material, the author presents both sides of the debate. For the censors, the book is “a vulgar, dirty little piece of trash, indescribably filthy and thoroughly dishonest” and “the fiendish hordes of lust and decadence had to be stopped…if civilization, meaning law and order and morality, were to preserved.”
For the defendants of the free speech, it’s a beautiful book, “a milestone of enlightenment in our understanding of the relationship between the sexes and of sex itself.” However, in the midst of all the hullabaloo, the author asks the most pertinent question, “Who shall stand guard to the guards themselves?” and who decides what is obscene, what is socially desirable, who set the standards?
Even though, both sides present convincing arguments, citing authorities, it is the free speech ultimately that wins the day as “The Constitution protects coarse expression as well as refined, and vulgarity no less than elegance” and ultimately “it is for each to choose for himself.”
While the first half of the novel revolves around the preparation of the trial, it is the second half of the book which is fast-paced. The debates and arguments surrounding what freedom entails and to what extent it can be curtailed by the state, are not just gripping and interesting but also provides ample food for thought for the reader.
As significant as it was first published, the book holds a mirror to those who act as self-appointed custodians of morality as “What is truly obscene is clubbing or persecuting a man because he is different from you or has different ideas…” The Seven Minutes is a celebration of freedom and provides hope for a better world where everyone has a choice to choose for themselves.
The censorship debate is age-old and has often been used to suppress the voices of those who are either perceived as dissenters by some political groups or whose ideas are regarded as immoral when viewed with the subjective lens of some community. The statute books all across the world, in one form or another, still contain an arbitration provision of censorship which has led to some of the infamous trials in the literary history of the world.
Published in 1969, Wallace’s The Seven Minutes still remains relevant. Dealing with the subject of censorship, the plot revolves around the trial of a controversial fictitious book, The Seven Minutes written by J J Jadway, which is banned for obscenity. Opening with the arrest of the bookseller charged for selling the obscene material, the narrative takes a turn when a boy charged with rape reveals that Jadway’s book drove him to commit such a heinous act. And suddenly, the boy becomes the victim of Jadway’s book and the book becomes the actual culprit. It becomes the rallying point of the State, “Protect the public from those lust-provoking books that lead to terror.”
The battle lines are drawn – on one side of the prism is the trifecta between the State, the money and the religion represented by Elmo Duncan, the District Attorney, and on the other side is the publisher, Philip Sanford represented by Michael Barrett – the young and idealistic attorney. What unfolds behind the scenes is political manipulation – the trial publicised by the district attorney and his benefactor for political gain.
Drawing on the vast material, the author presents both sides of the debate. For the censors, the book is “a vulgar, dirty little piece of trash, indescribably filthy and thoroughly dishonest” and “the fiendish hordes of lust and decadence had to be stopped…if civilization, meaning law and order and morality, were to preserved.”
For the defendants of the free speech, it’s a beautiful book, “a milestone of enlightenment in our understanding of the relationship between the sexes and of sex itself.” However, in the midst of all the hullabaloo, the author asks the most pertinent question, “Who shall stand guard to the guards themselves?” and who decides what is obscene, what is socially desirable, who set the standards?
Even though, both sides present convincing arguments, citing authorities, it is the free speech ultimately that wins the day as “The Constitution protects coarse expression as well as refined, and vulgarity no less than elegance” and ultimately “it is for each to choose for himself.”
While the first half of the novel revolves around the preparation of the trial, it is the second half of the book which is fast-paced. The debates and arguments surrounding what freedom entails and to what extent it can be curtailed by the state, are not just gripping and interesting but also provides ample food for thought for the reader.
As significant as it was first published, the book holds a mirror to those who act as self-appointed custodians of morality as “What is truly obscene is clubbing or persecuting a man because he is different from you or has different ideas…” The Seven Minutes is a celebration of freedom and provides hope for a better world where everyone has a choice to choose for themselves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2017
I read this a number of years ago. I liked it, as I did this author's "Fan Club" and a couple of others. But alas, college life intruded, and I set Wallace aside for good.
February 20, 2017
I'm not a big fan of lawyer novels, but as an artist I've had many discussions about what obscenity in art means. The Seven Minutes by Irving Wallace, is a fictional account of a trial about blocking publication of an erotic book, which speaks to this issue in an informative and also entertaining fashion.
Good fiction writers often can do this better than non-fiction for a layperson (pardon the pun). Wallace is obviously talented in writing best sellers, but with this one somehow manages to make the reader increasingly interested as he spends more than half of a very long book on the relatively dry subject of legal precedents, trial research, and the intricacies of other court proceedings prior and during the fireworks of a trial.
The accompanying personal story lines are composed of stock characters you would expect in Wallace's potboiler fiction, but he takes his subject, the nature of art vs obscenity seriously. Originally published in 1970, the characters' manner of talking and acting may seem a bit dated, but we, unfortunately to this day, continue to contest the roles and independence of men and women in society, as well as the meaning and expression of sexuality. While the novel has a slow beginning, I found myself learning a lot, and turning the pages more and more quickly as I stayed with it.
This is one of those "make a difference books" which I occasionally find, and in this case quite unexpectedly. I was throwing out a bunch of old novels when I realized I had never read this one, picked it up expecting little, and found it spoke to me a lot. While the main plot revolves around healthy sexuality versus crime and obscenity, the reader is led thoughtfully into the wider issues freedom vs dependence and what is important to live a full, meaningful life.
Good fiction writers often can do this better than non-fiction for a layperson (pardon the pun). Wallace is obviously talented in writing best sellers, but with this one somehow manages to make the reader increasingly interested as he spends more than half of a very long book on the relatively dry subject of legal precedents, trial research, and the intricacies of other court proceedings prior and during the fireworks of a trial.
The accompanying personal story lines are composed of stock characters you would expect in Wallace's potboiler fiction, but he takes his subject, the nature of art vs obscenity seriously. Originally published in 1970, the characters' manner of talking and acting may seem a bit dated, but we, unfortunately to this day, continue to contest the roles and independence of men and women in society, as well as the meaning and expression of sexuality. While the novel has a slow beginning, I found myself learning a lot, and turning the pages more and more quickly as I stayed with it.
This is one of those "make a difference books" which I occasionally find, and in this case quite unexpectedly. I was throwing out a bunch of old novels when I realized I had never read this one, picked it up expecting little, and found it spoke to me a lot. While the main plot revolves around healthy sexuality versus crime and obscenity, the reader is led thoughtfully into the wider issues freedom vs dependence and what is important to live a full, meaningful life.
January 21, 2022
Este libro también me gustó bastante x lo controversial del tema. Y es q hay q entender q fueron publicados en una época en que, apenitas se estaba admitiendo el derecho a hablar de la sexualidad femenina. La historia en sí misma es interesante, pero lo q hace el autor con la trama es mantenernos en vilo con la identidad de la mujer y el real contenido del libro prohibido.
Para q nos entendamos, la trama empieza con el dueño de una librería al que arrestan por vender una copia del libro más pornográfico que jamás se haya escrito y que no es otra cosa que los pensamientos de una mujer durante siete minutos de actividad sexual. El libro se condena no sólo por obscenidad, sino también por haber conducido a un respetable joven estudiante a un brutal episodio de abuso sexual y asesinato. El juicio se convierte en un campo de batalla donde la censura y la libertad de expresión se confrontan sin reservas. Justo en el centro de la tormenta se encuentra Michael Barrett, abogado defensor. En su lucha por salvar el libro, el juicio y su propio futuro, Barrett se topa con una galería de personajes inolvidables: productores de películas obscenas de mirada lasciva, una chica de sociedad sexualmente permisiva, un despiadado magnate de la industria electrónica# todos inmersos en este conflicto dramático que versa sobre la libertad sexual, la perversión, el desnudo, la obscenidad y los derechos humanos.
Lo más espectacular de todo, es que, lo leí siendo jovencita y siendo un libro extenso, me pasé leyendo página tras página esperando a ver cuál era todo el escándalo detrás del libro del que habla la trama. Obviamente nunca pasó, pero disfruté la novela y me ha parecido q la cama celestial resultó mucho más compleja y reveladora q ésta.
Para q nos entendamos, la trama empieza con el dueño de una librería al que arrestan por vender una copia del libro más pornográfico que jamás se haya escrito y que no es otra cosa que los pensamientos de una mujer durante siete minutos de actividad sexual. El libro se condena no sólo por obscenidad, sino también por haber conducido a un respetable joven estudiante a un brutal episodio de abuso sexual y asesinato. El juicio se convierte en un campo de batalla donde la censura y la libertad de expresión se confrontan sin reservas. Justo en el centro de la tormenta se encuentra Michael Barrett, abogado defensor. En su lucha por salvar el libro, el juicio y su propio futuro, Barrett se topa con una galería de personajes inolvidables: productores de películas obscenas de mirada lasciva, una chica de sociedad sexualmente permisiva, un despiadado magnate de la industria electrónica# todos inmersos en este conflicto dramático que versa sobre la libertad sexual, la perversión, el desnudo, la obscenidad y los derechos humanos.
Lo más espectacular de todo, es que, lo leí siendo jovencita y siendo un libro extenso, me pasé leyendo página tras página esperando a ver cuál era todo el escándalo detrás del libro del que habla la trama. Obviamente nunca pasó, pero disfruté la novela y me ha parecido q la cama celestial resultó mucho más compleja y reveladora q ésta.
June 4, 2018
**** Spoilers ****
Great premise but not very well executed. The book is unnecessarily long and drawn-out, with pages-long speeches and monologues and tangents. The plot is a bit dubious, with the ‘brilliant lawyer’ main character actually doing very little to try and put together a case and dropping any potential leads at the slightest bit of resistance. The rape victim’s dad threatens to hit you? Oh well, better drop all investigation into that crucial part of the crime that is the main piece of evidence against your book.
Oh, the nun who is the daughter of the second most important person in the entire trial, probably won’t want to speak to you, according to the mother superior? Best leave it alone then and don’t bother pushing for someone to actually ask her in that case.
Oh, the poorly fleshed out female love interest (but that’s OK, she’s very pretty so her character doesn’t really need development) asks you to not to question the person whose crime will be used by the prosecution to hinge their entire case on? And in exchange for that she will give you some very dubious and unverified evidence that she won’t show you in advance? Hey, why not! It’s not like other people’s lives and careers are going to be impacted by the outcom of this case!
Essentially the main character spent the entire book waiting for the deus ex machina to bail him out. And it does in a very predictable and un-explosive way. Disappointing, boring and a waste of several days’ reading.
Great premise but not very well executed. The book is unnecessarily long and drawn-out, with pages-long speeches and monologues and tangents. The plot is a bit dubious, with the ‘brilliant lawyer’ main character actually doing very little to try and put together a case and dropping any potential leads at the slightest bit of resistance. The rape victim’s dad threatens to hit you? Oh well, better drop all investigation into that crucial part of the crime that is the main piece of evidence against your book.
Oh, the nun who is the daughter of the second most important person in the entire trial, probably won’t want to speak to you, according to the mother superior? Best leave it alone then and don’t bother pushing for someone to actually ask her in that case.
Oh, the poorly fleshed out female love interest (but that’s OK, she’s very pretty so her character doesn’t really need development) asks you to not to question the person whose crime will be used by the prosecution to hinge their entire case on? And in exchange for that she will give you some very dubious and unverified evidence that she won’t show you in advance? Hey, why not! It’s not like other people’s lives and careers are going to be impacted by the outcom of this case!
Essentially the main character spent the entire book waiting for the deus ex machina to bail him out. And it does in a very predictable and un-explosive way. Disappointing, boring and a waste of several days’ reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2013
The Seven Minutes written by Irving Wallace is a novel about a novel,”The Seven Minutes – J J Jadway”, one of the most banned and obscene book of all Times.
As per prosecution, “The Seven Minute” is immoral, filthy and very dangerous to society while on other side as per defense, the book is master piece and literature art not made for monetary purpose but with social importance. Lots of unforgettable characters are caught up in this dramatic conflict over sexual freedom, perversion, nudity, obscenity and human right.
This novel became inspiration source for lots of author and film maker including “Eleven Minutes” written by Paulo Coelho. Book is written very well and sticks you till the End.
http://ujvalslounge.com/2011/02/06/th...
As per prosecution, “The Seven Minute” is immoral, filthy and very dangerous to society while on other side as per defense, the book is master piece and literature art not made for monetary purpose but with social importance. Lots of unforgettable characters are caught up in this dramatic conflict over sexual freedom, perversion, nudity, obscenity and human right.
This novel became inspiration source for lots of author and film maker including “Eleven Minutes” written by Paulo Coelho. Book is written very well and sticks you till the End.
http://ujvalslounge.com/2011/02/06/th...
August 16, 2014
I'm disappointed that I didn't read this book until today. This book was first published in 1969 (I wasn't even born)and the subject matters holds good even today. The plot revolves around a fictional, pornographic novel called Seven Minutes. The book is touted as the most pornographic book ever written. It does raise a few hackles among the conservatives. To the liberals,the book is all about a peep into sexuality in general and female sexuality in particular. The conservatives want the book to be banned and censorship law to be invoked.
The courtroom episodes are brilliant and arguments cogent. The twist in the last 20 pages is mind blowing.
The courtroom episodes are brilliant and arguments cogent. The twist in the last 20 pages is mind blowing.
January 22, 2010
Vatican has a book list to condemn authors of immorality. It is called the Index. Points at the hypocrisy of the church and fights for the freedom of speech for writers.Popes known for immorality: Pope Sergius 111 had a lover called Marozia, who had her illegitimate son named Pope John 1X; Pope Leo V111 died of a stroke in his lovers bed;Pope Alexander V1, father of the Borgias. One of his mistresses was 17 year old Giulia Farnesse. Discusses the origin of baser vocabulary, all with honourable beginnings.
April 10, 2022
I read this book when it came out in '69 as I was a rabid Irving Wallace fan. I read it again recently because I accidentally rediscovered him and found out that I had not missed a few of his latter books. I loved "Seven Minutes". There is a courtroom scene where the defense attorney reads passages from books that were banned because of those passages to a woman (average reader) and asks her if those passages were pornographic! I don't want to spoil the novel by giving details, but it was memorable!
February 8, 2015
This book shook me. It opened my head to the cunning, wit and savagery of lawyers or their brilliance if you prefer and the 'perfect world of political wizardry. Beautifully crafted, gripping and at times heart aching. Read this book about twenty years ago. It's still knocking in my head. I could hardly put it down. It made me start a fruitless search of anything Irving Wallace; fruitless because in those days the internet was just a toddler.
July 10, 2018
I read this as a kid and I remember absolutely loving it!
What makes it so good is that Wallace has the perfect mix of intellectual arguments about free speech and pornography with titillating scenes, memorable characters, and suspenseful plot twists.
I am pretty sure this is the first book where I saw mention of "Madame Bovary" or "Tropic of Capricorn" (I still haven't read either).
For an impressionable kid this was the perfect mix of edification and entertainment.
What makes it so good is that Wallace has the perfect mix of intellectual arguments about free speech and pornography with titillating scenes, memorable characters, and suspenseful plot twists.
I am pretty sure this is the first book where I saw mention of "Madame Bovary" or "Tropic of Capricorn" (I still haven't read either).
For an impressionable kid this was the perfect mix of edification and entertainment.
January 9, 2020
Reading it as a product of its time, this is absorbing and a real page-turner. There is much that I think we'd challenge in 2020, in Wallace's thinking; and the protagonist, though sympathetic, caused me quite a bit of head-shaking. I had to think of how I remember the 1960s being - socially, morally, politically. The overarching theme of freedom of expression and its unending battle against censorship still stands, though. A good read.
July 4, 2022
Honestly, this book was great. A bit too long, but besides that, it's interesting to see a story that takes place in the late 60's that's so relatable to current world issues. There were moments where I didn't want to put it down, and moments that were a bit too drawn out. 4/5 2022
December 7, 2008
This is a beautifully written "post coming of age" story told motly as a flashback. The writer's skill is evident in every line, creating a memorable tale and I truly enjoyed it.
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