Doctor Sleep [Paperback]

Madison Smartt Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1992

When little girls become the victims of a serial killer's rage, an insomniac's gifts come violently into play in this riveting novel by one of today's greatest writers--author of Barking Man and Other Stories and Waiting for the End of the World.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While its plot occasionally gets out of hand, this idiosyncratic novel of a New York druggie who has moved to London and become a hypnotist, a part-time investigator and a full-time imsomniac proves psychologically convincing.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Adrian Strother, a young American living in London, is the titular Doctor Sleep of this new novel by the author of Waiting for the End of the World ( LJ 9/15/90). A hypnotherapist by trade, Adrian fancies himself a necromancer as well, spending his off-hours in the British Museum studying the works of Giordano Bruno. He is possessed by the desire to learn the esoteric secrets by which he can attain godlike powers, an obsession which has, ironically, left him sleepless. As the novel opens, his lover Clara moves out just as two friends from his drug-addicted years in New York appear on the scene. Adrian's attempts to reconcile past and present lead to a series of waking nightmares involving punks, a drug lord, and shadowy operatives of Scotland Yard. In the end, he realizes his Faustian quest--only to find the result far different than he imagined. Part thriller, part psychological study, this is a notable addition to Bell's rapidly growing body of work. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/90.
- Law rence Rungren, Bedford Free P.L., Mass.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (June 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140165606
• ISBN-13: 978-0140165609
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,140,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny/sad story of an insomniac hypotist., August 14, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Doctor Sleep (Paperback)

One of the best novels of recent years. Bell's story of an
insomniac hypotist is by turns funny, scary, perplexing,
intriquing, and almost any other adjective that inspires
interest. All of Bell's fiction ranks among the best being
written today, but Dr. Sleep and Waiting for the End of the
World are especially rich examples of his earlier work.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hello...is there a story in here somewhere?, January 16, 2003

By 

Raymond E. Rippel (Kailua, HI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Doctor Sleep (Hardcover)

I purchased this because I read about a movie being made based on it. Allegedly, it was all about an American hypnotherapist helping Scotland Yard with a serial killer case. Well, that part of the book takes up about ten pages. I know some people enjoy reading just for the words -- sort of like poetry. And there's no doubting that these are good words. However, if you're looking for a story, look elsewhere.