Deadly Sins [Paperback]

Mary Gordon (Author), John Updike (Author), William Trevor (Author), Gore Vidal (Author), Richard Howard (Author), A. S. Byatt (Author), Joyce Carol Oates (Author), Thomas Pynchon (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1996

Who among us has not enjoyed a sin or two? Here are eight of the best present-day writers, discoursing on their favorite transgressions. (Even though Saint Thomas Aquinas only spoke of seven deadly sins, Joyce Carol Oates wanted to explore Despair.) Without guilt, readers can partake as the authors energetically defend Anger, Lust, Pride, and more. Line drawings. 2-color throughout.

Product Details

• Paperback: 125 pages
• Publisher: Quill (February 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688146163
• ISBN-13: 978-0688146160
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,081,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pynchon, Gordon, Updile, Vidal, Trevor, Howard, Byatt, Oates, April 18, 2000

By 

M. Elliott "vagrunt" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deadly Sins (Hardcover)

Eight essays on Sloth, Anger, Lust, Gluttony, Pride, Avarice, Envy, and Despair (yes that's 8 sins). To be honest I bought it because of Pynchon, (whose essay -if you are even a slight fan- makes the buy worth it) but read on to the back cover. I quickly discovered that these authors compiled around the topic of sins is a great way to see inside these writers styles and appraoch to a similar idea. Some I'd read before, and others introduced themselves in this novel. All were unique and interesting in their own right, especially for someone -me- who isn't terribly interested in sins. Highly reccomended!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lightweight, October 8, 2001

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deadly Sins (Paperback)

This book is a collection of eight essays. The first seven are each written on the subject of one of the "deadly" sins of sloth, anger, lust, gluttony, pride, avarice and envy. The eighth is on despair. Each of the famous authors ruminates on the sin, looking at it from his or her unique perspective.

Overall I found the essays well written, and the book to be easy to read. This book makes for some lightweight reading, short and simple, but without much substance. Overall, I don't recommend it.