Gain Your Copy BUtterfield 8 Illustrated By John OHara Ready In Readable Copy

unlikable characters, their lives in New York,and inspired by a true event, First time I have read this author but it will not be the last, The passion in his writing, wonderful prose, the characters interactions with each other, the speakeasies, well to do people and their desolate lifestyles all combined to make this a very atmospheric read.
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 lipbiting 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, The bestselling novel that became an Oscarwinning film starring Elizabeth Taylor about New York's speakeasy generation

A masterpiece of American fiction and a bestseller upon its publication in, BUtterfieldlays bare with brash honesty the unspoken and often shocking truths that lurked beneath the surface of a society still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression.
One Sunday morning, Gloria wakes up in a stranger's apartment with nothing but a torn evening dress, stockings, and panties.
When she steals a fur coat from the wardrobe to wear home, she unleashes a series of events that can only end in tragedy.
Inspired by true events, this novel caused a sensation on its publication for its frank depiction of the relationship between a wild and beautiful young woman and a respectable, married man.

I couldn't get through this and stopped maybepages into the book, I didn't care about any of the characters because they are all sleazebags and I didn't want to waste my time reading about a cast of unremarkable people exhibiting the worst in human behavior.

Writing on the topics of Adultery, Class, sex, alcohol, child abuse and suicide was always going to be categorized as heavy going, and it is, especially when thinking of it now I didn't like a single character.
However, like Yates, Fitzgerald, and Selby Jr, O'Hara portrays a New York with truthful harsh realities, where the city's elite would rather just brush unsavory events under the Persian carpet.
Considering this was published init's pretty open and frank on it's subjects, leading to an uncomfortable in places but quite addictive read, which featured some great use of dialogue that goes arm in arm with the people it represents.


It's depression era New York, where big hitters took big risks and ended up with nothing, work is hard to come by, and trouble is rife on the streets, unless of course your part of the Yale crowd who seemingly go on having good times whilst others continually struggle.
But there is always sex, there is sex on the very first page, and masturbation on the second, not for the readers titillation, but just, well, that's what humans do.
Can't think of any other book that starts in such a way, The focal point is of two, The heroine if you could call her that Gloria Wandrous, a young woman endowed with beauty, a strong libido, and sexual experience who is neither a dirty fantasy nor a femme fatale to put it simplistically.
Then there's Weston Liggett, upper class, married with daughters, flawed and a bit ridiculous, who becomes hooked on Gloria.
Through a grotesque series of coincidences and abrupt decisions, we see the two go about trying to patch up a night spent together, where Gloria wakes alone, finds her clothes torn, and leaves in the expensive mink coat of Liggett's wife.
Gloria, we learn as the story progresses was abused as a child, and thus may explain
behaviour, which is at times wild, she is not only a victim but an enthusiastic consumer of sex, while still being an empathetic if doomed character that must have been revolutionary for the year the book was published.
This is not least because so much of the sex and sexuality in the book is rendered from the woman's point of view.


Sitting in the background are themes of money, the great depression, and business, which adds a bit more depth to the story, and O'Hara is good at conveying the tense, edgy atmosphere of New York City at this time, when so many fearfully hoped that the Crash's aftermath was nearing its end and recovery would soon blossom, a time of waiting and hoping.
But it's Gloria who really leaves the mark, through her sexual freedom, hanging out in speakeasies, matching the men she meets drink for drink, and yet she also has a kind and tender friendship with Eddie Brunner he loves her, she

doesn't really love him, we see her when she is at her most vulnerable, but also when confidently strong.


I don't think O'Hara is in the same class as the writers I mentioned before, he doesn't cut through bread with the sharpest of knives however, I do find men writing of women far more appealing than women writing of men, and it's impressive the way he conducts human relationships, and his sympathetic and revealing characterization of Gloria, she loves Liggett can't see why, but maybe more in the father figure role, someone to make her feel special after her abused childhood.
I admit, even though I didn't always like her, I admired her will to live free, have fun, and face the consequences later.
Which unfortunately for her gives little chance of a happy ending, There are a number of "classics" sitting on my shelves to be read, This summer I picked up BUtterfield 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, for the first few chapters, the book felt rather disjointed to me and I felt a little disoriented and confused.
There were a ton of characters dropped in and I wasn't yet sure who was important and who was peripheral.


Looking back, I think the disorientation could be a deliberate stylistic choice, Our central characters are all caught up in a whirlwind of life's adventures filled with big hopes and dreams, but still just whipped around dizzyingly by real life interactions.


Pushing through the first few chapters, I found myself getting really attached to the characters.
This is really a character driven novel and the characters are deep and engaging, It was a while before I even knew the name of the girl I was following around for the first few pages and I wasn't sure yet if I was supposed to be sympathetic to or disgusted by her situation, but I still felt compelled by her and wanted to know more.
As Gloria Wandrous grew more and more alive and as I learned more of her back story and current situation, she began to feel truly real and I found myself sympathizing for her.


Many of the themes of the book dealt with Gloria's sexuality both in the present world and with the encounters of her youth.
O'Hara isn't explicit/graphic with his sexual content, but I can see where even the allusions he presents could be controversial both then and now.
Sexuality is often a taboo subject anyway, Add to that the molestation/rape of a young girl and the subject becomes all the more disputable.


O'Hara doesn't wholly portray Gloria as a victim, which would be a natural response, He does explore her psychology and reactions, but he also gives her an inner strength and drive.
I really enjoyed the description of her conflicted moral judgments, She has a real desire to love and be loved, but she has a low sense of self worth because of her past that she feels she has to live up to.


In addition to the depth in Gloria's character, the book also expounds on the sexuality and behaviors of all the other characters.


Weston Ligget, the male love interest for Gloria, is a character with a lot of depth though it's harder to feel sympathetic towards him.
I feel almost sorry for him in that he does seem like he genuinely wants to care for Gloria, but at the same time, I read his love as more of an infatuation based on the thrill of the chase and the excitement of the affair.
He just sends off the creepy vibe through his pedophiliac/incestual behavior not to mention his infidelity and reckless abandon.


I really liked Eddie as Gloria's best friend, Part of me hoped that they would somehow get a romance going, but I knew early on that any chance of love between them was totally illfated.


I've spoken mostly about the characters and this really is a character driven novel, The characters are the life of the book, The plot itself felt a little thin, It was compelling only in the fact that I was attached to Gloria, The environment of New York and the speakeasies was meticulously created and felt very real and compelling.
The dialog was fresh and real,

The themes and content, while somewhat controversial and dated to thes/s, were still strikingly relevant in our modern society.
Thest century club scene is obviously a little different than that of the speakeasies, The stresses and concerns of modern daysomethings and whitecollars have become more technologically advanced, but the general worries are still very similar.


People want to be loved, They want to be accepted, They want to figure out who they are and how they fit into the world, They want to overcome the problems of their past and be able to take control of their future.


This novel has a lot of great themes to think on and wonderful characters to help open up the realities hiding under the pasted on smiles of society.
I would have liked to have seen some better resolution or morale at the end of the story, but it still left something to think about.
Probably my biggest complaint was the "pound gorilla in the room" that's alluded to on the back cover by telling us that O'Hara was inspired to write this book when he read a news article about an unknown girl found dead in the East River.
With that in mind, I knew what was coming and new the book couldn't end well,

Still, I hoped for a little more enlightenment or for something more to come from the impending death.
In that regard, the book left me somewhat disappointed, . . a bit of metafiction, placing me inside Gloria's own disappointment with the world,

Overall, it was a book worth reading, I enjoyed the reality of it, the depth of the characters and the interesting themes, The pacing was a bit slow and disjointed, especially early on, and the plot itself felt a bit contrived at moments.
Still, I am glad I read it and will likely seek out more O'Hara to put on my shelf.



.out of 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 descriptive, it would be profound, and in those moments I truly felt like I knew these characters and new them well.
In those moments I could identify, And then I would be jolted out, like some abrupt and jarring rescue, and I'd go about linearly again, taking in nothing but facts about the Depression, prohibition, and the practiced manner in which men and women spoke to one another in thes ands.
I found the speech both lovely and infuriating, The language was elevated, practiced, witty in a way it isn't now, thoughtful and evocative in a way I can't perfectly explain.
Women were coy and manipulative, even in language, Men were heavy handed and spoke above women, but had blaring moments of protectiveness that made them seem like gentlemen.
On the other hand, nobody really says what they mean, or rarely, if ever, It's all about reading between the lines, . . a task I found amusing on the good days, annoying on all the others, .