"This romp of a novel is lush and lovely, bawdy and sad . . . the stuff of the passions and dreams of being alive."--The New York Times. A reprint of one of J.P. Donleavy's incredible works, it is "one of the most perfect love affairs in modern literature."
The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Touching, sad and funny,
By
This review is from: The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B. (Paperback)
This book was my introduction to J. P. Donleavey and I didn't know quite what to expect. Early on the book had me laughing out loud, yet throughout there is a strong undercurrent of sadness.The portion devoted to Balthazar's time at Trinity reminded me of both "Lucky Jim" by Kingsley Amis, and "The Water Method Man" by John Irving. Donleavy uses the academic setting to create situations with a tremendous amount of humor and a profound sense of loneliness and alienation simultaneously. This introduction led me to pick up four more by Donleavy. The emotion of the book stayed with me for a long time afterward.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique lyrical narrative voice,
By
This review is from: The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B (Paperback)
Balthazar B. is an aristocrat bewildered at every turn by life. His picaresque journey from Paris to Trinity College Dublin and visitations to country estates and among women of high and dubious social standing is hilarious to behold. The randy foil figure of Beefy may stand as one of the greatest comic figures since Shakespeare's Fat Jack Falstaff. The literary style of Donleavy is itself richly laden with lyricism and poetry and comedy. It is a uniquely pointillistic style in which brush strokes are applied to the canvas with precision and clarity in truncated and non-traditonal but accessible syntax. Like most truly great writers Donleany evokes all of the reader's senses in his work. He also succeeds in arousing sympathy, hilarity, tenderness, grief -- a full range of sensibilities that engage the reader. Each character is roundly drawn and speaks with a unique voice and range of experience. Donleavy's Ginger Man is named among the Random House Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century. He is a supremely talented story teller with an enchanting narrative style that will leave you wanting to read more. Don't miss this novel, The Destinies of Darcy Dancer, Gentleman and the Singular Man -- they are all pleasant and richly satisfying literary treasures.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A gem,
By Monkey Monkey "Monkey Monkey" (Beverly Hills, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B (Paperback)
A splendid book about one Balthazar B, gentleman at large. Donleavy's writing sparkles with wit, humor and charm, and yet he never shies from the experiences that make Balthazar (and all of us) human: the pursuit of sex and the loss of true love. Balthazar is no cardboard hero for whom everything goes right.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
He was born in Paris in a big white house on a little square off Avenue Foch. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miss Fitzdare, Uncle Edouard, Miss Hortense, Crescent Curve, God Balthazar, Professor Elegant, Avenue Foch, Hyde Park, Good God, Stephen's Green, Church of Ireland, Front Square, Bayswater Road, God Fitzdare, Palais Royal, Trinity College, Botany Bay, Come Balthazar, Enema Anglais, Gevrey Chambertin, Grafton Street, Merrion Square, Sloane Street, The Manor, Westland Row New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
He was born in Paris in a big white house on a little square off Avenue Foch. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miss Fitzdare, Uncle Edouard, Miss Hortense, Crescent Curve, God Balthazar, Professor Elegant, Avenue Foch, Hyde Park, Good God, Stephen's Green, Church of Ireland, Front Square, Bayswater Road, God Fitzdare, Palais Royal, Trinity College, Botany Bay, Come Balthazar, Enema Anglais, Gevrey Chambertin, Grafton Street, Merrion Square, Sloane Street, The Manor, Westland Row New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 2
books:
- Botany Bay by Charles Nordhoff on page 251
- The Nicomachean Ethics (Oxford World's Classics) by Aristotle on page 209
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