Exile [Library Binding]

Blake Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

Fiction - A Downtown Baudelaire of the 90's.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Details writer and second-novelist Nelson (Girl, 1994) chronicles the restless adolescent flailings of a mediocre poet. Thirty-one-year-old Mark West is a heroin-snorting high school grad with three published books and a powerful nostalgia for his fifteen minutes of fame, which took place some years back when New York magazine dubbed him the ``Baudelaire of the Nineties.'' But now he's a marginal figure on the Manhattan spoken-word scene, reduced to trying to talk his way into nightclubs without paying, and scrambling for money and contacts. He even gets arrested on a subway platform. Howard, his beloved editor and indefatigable supporter, tells him he's letting his talent fritter away, and at Howard's urging, Mark reluctantly ships out to take a yearlong gig as artist-in-residence at a small Oregon college. There, he learns to make small talk with earnest faculty members and runs a poetry workshop attended by various dilettantish locals and by stringy- haired Vanessa, who has actual talent and clearly articulated disdain for his work. He sleeps with some students, drinks heavily, and loafs around his apartment, hopelessly bored. As his stint draws to a close, he starts work on some ironic nature poems and seduces a motherly and happily married English professor before heading back to Manhattan. He's ready to party, but key figures from his downtown gang are getting married. Then he learns that Howard, the only person he really cares about, is dying of AIDS, a discovery that precipitates not just sadness but panic: Who else will care about Mark's career? Perhaps (surprise, surprise) it's time to grow up. This portrait of an aging loser and his airless world undoubtedly has its accurate elements, but barring any evidence of growth on Mark's part, the pointless litany of substance abuse, boredom, and bad poetry (quoted for pages on end) is mostly tedious. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: San Val (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417719699
• ISBN-13: 978-1417719693
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,043,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Blake Nelson grew up in Portland, OR. He attended Wesleyan University and NYU.

He began his career writing short humor pieces for Details Magazine. His first novel GIRL, was serialized in SASSY Magazine and was made into a film starring Selma Blaire and Summer Phoenix.

Nelson has since published ten more novels, including ROCKSTAR SUPERSTAR and THE NEW RULES OF HIGH SCHOOL, PROM ANONYMOUS and GENDER BENDER.

His science fiction novel THEY CAME FROM BELOW was a Kliatt Editors Choice pick in 2008 and his 2006 novel PARANOID PARK was made into a film by Gus Van Sant which won the Cannes Special Anniversary Prize Award in 2006, as well as Italy's Grinzane Literary award.

His latest book DESTROY ALL CARS has been praised as "Smart and entertaining" by the New York Times, and was called "A wonderful novel" by the Los Angeles Times.

His novel RECOVERY ROAD was released in March of 2011. His newest novel, DREAM SCHOOL, the sequel to GIRL, is being released in December, 2011 from Figment.

Figment is a web site for teens and young adults to create, discover, and share new reading and writing. Whatever you're into, from sci-fi to sonnets, you can find it all at www.figment.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a really good book!, October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Exile (Paperback)

I read this book before I read "girl" I thought it was better than "girl" but "girl" was really good too. As for this one, I really enjoyed it! So much so that I would read it again, and there aren't too many that I would say that for. I am anxiously awaiting the release of the newest one, "user" and like another reviewer said, I am also gonna buy that one, "sight unseen." That's how good Blake Nelson is!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars totally different from "Girl", obviously, December 9, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Leslie) (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exile (Paperback)

As I read the reader reviews for "Exile," everyone mentions how it isn't as good as "Girl." First of all, you can't even compare the two. For all I know, it was a totally diff. writer speaking about totally diff. subjects. I thought the character is very real and even though I am a teenage girl, I could even relate to the 30-something male in the book. Blake's choice of subjects is so interesting. I really enjoyed "Girl," but I also enjoyed "Exile," I've read it more than "Girl," and it still remains to be one of my favorite books. Give him a chance, and just because it isn't the wanted sequel to "Girl," don't go into the book with such high expectations, just read, and enjoy it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Youth Culture, September 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Exile (Paperback)

I'm giving this book five stars more for what it represents than my actual enjoyment of it. It's not as good as GIRL and that was disappointing. But what it is is another accurate representation of an aspect of youth culture and Nelson as usual gets it dead on right. I have been a fan of his since his Details magazine writing and he simply never misses. sometimes it's not the most pleasant things to read but he is a real talent, a necessary talent and I don't know why his books are coming to us so slowly--since there are never any author pictures on his books perhaps he's shy and wants to avoid the spotlight. But I wish he would write more. I will buy USER sight unseen.