Gordon: A Novel [Hardcover]

Edith Templeton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2003

Originally written under a pseudonym, this thrilling novel of passion in post-World War II London was banned upon its publication in the late 1960s, and is only now being republished under the author’s real name. Edith Templeton creates an indelible character in the smartly dressed Louisa, a savvy young woman in the midst of a divorce who meets a charismatic man in a pub and within an hour has been sexually conquered by him on a garden bench. Thus begins her baffling but magnetic love affair with, and virtual enslavement to, Richard Gordon.

Gordon, a psychiatrist, keeps Louisa in his thrall with his almost omniscient ability to see through her and she, in turn, is gripped by the deep, unexpected pleasure of complete submission. As they venture further and further into the depths—both psychological and sexual—she begins, for the first time, to understand her troubled history and the self that has emerged from it.

In her clean, precise style, with every social nuance and motive exquisitely observed, Templeton delivers a tightly wound drama, unsparingly forthright in its description of how this form of love can bring incomparable rapture. Louisa’s unsettling story has more than the ring of truth to it: it is told with urgency and
relish, and its outcome, which leaves Louisa enlightened and changed forever, is profoundly satisfying.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First published pseudonymously in 1966, Templeton's first novel was banned in England for its sexual content and found an underground following when it was picked up by the notorious Olympia Press two years later. Templeton (The Darts of Cupid) offers a compelling portrait of a woman in postwar London who falls into a submissive relationship. Louisa is the soon-to-be-divorced 28-year-old narrator who gets picked up at a pub by an imperious stranger. She isn't sure how she feels about this enigmatic, chilly, inquisitive man who shows little emotion and forgoes conventional courtship rituals, taking her to his back garden and-to her unexpected pleasure-summarily ravishing her. The stranger turns out to be-what else?-a psychiatrist, Richard Gordon, who continues to anticipate Louisa's thoughts and erotic needs. Gordon has increasingly rough sex with Louisa, holding her in his erotic thrall while remaining aloof throughout the affair. Louisa is entranced with his effect on her and increasingly obsessed with him. The unlikely erotic interludes are intriguing, and Templeton adds a delicious bit of comedy when Gordon and Louisa attend a dinner party as a couple. The idea of a coldly omniscient psychiatrist feels dated, and some of Gordon's psychoanalytic observations are bound to strike readers as unintentionally parodic; he virtually reads Louisa's mind and endlessly prompts her with his impassive "go on." Louisa's predicament, however, is believable and captivating. Templeton's study of submission is psychologically acute, and she brings the couple's oblique power struggle to a fascinating climax.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This tale of sexual obsession in postwar London was banned in England and Germany during the Sixties, so naturally it became an underground classic.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon; 1 edition (March 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375421947
• ISBN-13: 978-0375421945
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,780,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Smart, Sexy, and Timeless, July 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Gordon: A Novel (Hardcover)

Louisa is unable to break away from Richard Gordon, the older lover who draws her more and more close to him the more chilling his behavior towards her becomes. Louisa can't understand her inability to leave what most of us would consider an abusive relationship - one in which she paradoxically finds refuge. Gordon remains tantilizingly enigmatic to the end.

Sex here is a reflection of their relationship, rather than the basis for it. It's difficult to believe this was written almost fifty years ago - bravo, Ms. Templeton, for finally taking credit for this fascinating novel. (But for the very last page, this would've been a 5-star book.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this novel deserves a LOT more recognition!, September 3, 2008

By 

M. Kuznetsova - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gordon: A Novel (Paperback)

After I read that Kathryn Harrison said Gordon was her favorite love story, I was beyond intrigued. Reading about the abusive relationship between the narrator and Gordon is a little bit like being unable to pull yourself from watching a gruesome car wreck, but I would highly, highly recommend the novel to anyone who has a stomach for it. I've read this book a few times and have gotten multiple friends to read it, and none of them could put it down, either. Edith Templeton's dark and sexy book is a must-read!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Male name title, female sardonic humor, October 11, 2009

By 

A fan (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gordon: A Novel (Paperback)

It's not the duel with psychiatry that makes this book great. It was banned for explicit sex in England (apparently, it was that unusual) in the 1960s. But it's Templeton's amazing writing technique that's truly eye-opening. The opening scene is the fastest, most furious, and funniest that has ever hooked me into a book.