A Favorite of the Gods [Paperback]

Sybille Bedford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2001

"Vibrant with an awareness of people and their manners and the countries that shape them."-Sylvia Brownrigg.. Henry James's theme of the New World (nave, upright, puritanical) confronting the Old (steeped in sophisticated and unscrupulous charm) is here explored by a novelist who has witnessed two world wars. Her protagonist is Constanza, a beautiful Italian-American pagan born to privilege and happiness-a seeming "favourite of the gods." But in the years of her maturity she becomes aware of what she lacks-a purpose and a part. Who am I, she asks, and what is it I can do? "This," writes Bedford, "is not a poor little rich girl's plaint. It is the quest that lurks within every human creature fortunate to lift its head above the daily grind.'Bedford's genius is for writing about people. [Her] excellence is immortal, her career one of great distinction in literature."-Peter Levi.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sybille Bedford was born in 1911, in Charlottenburg, Germany, and was brought up in Italy, England, and France. "Every reader knows her name," wrote Jan Morris, "but few, I suspect, realize the range of her gifts-novelist, biographer, travel writer, analyst of the law, celebrant of food, and mistress of an altogether inimitable prose." A vice president of English PEN and one of Britain's nine Companions of Literature, Mrs. Bedford lives in London and is currently at work on a memoir.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint (September 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582431582
• ISBN-13: 978-1582431581
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #827,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Bedford travels, December 19, 2009

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F. noyes "f noyes bookworm" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Favorite of the Gods (Paperback)

I love her travelogue writings that give you a window into her mind during some very eventful decades. Definitely a must read for the Sybille Bedford reader.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mothers & Daughters, May 12, 2003

By 

Victory Silvers - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Favorite of the Gods (Paperback)

[...] Not one to judge a book merely by it's cover, I picked it up, and was thrust into the lives of three women: Anna (a American women who marries an Italian prince), Constanza (their offspring), and Flavia (Constanza's daughter). Since the book was written in the 50's, I had trouble understanding some parts of it. (Hey! I'm an '80s child!) The book also all took place before the end of 1929. However, despite a few areas where I was confused, I found the book to be descriptive, sometimes a bit much in some areas (leading off into tangents that made no sense), but for the most part the details added to the reader's enjoyment in taking in the "Old World" of Italy, France, and England. The relationships between mothers and daughters are explored in great detail, and so are their often odd relationships with men. We can actually see a little of each woman in her mother. The ending was a bit unsatisfying, but overall, not a bad read.