Malcolm (Paperback)

by James Purdy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Malcolm is a classic innocent, led from one protective personality to another in the search for his missing father. He becomes involved in a series of poignant and wildly comic adventures as he is taken under the wing of an astrologer, an undertaker, a jazz queen and other eccentric characters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Serpent's Tail (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852423684
• ISBN-13: 978-1852423681
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,183,885 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, June 20, 2000

By A Customer

One of the most poised yet hilarious books I have ever read. A shame the man has never received the literary recognition he deserves.

6 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring and odd, May 3, 2004

By	Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book has been hailed as a comic masterpiece of irony, etc. I wish that I had enjoyed it as such, but I found it obscure, utterly lacking in writing style, and full of inexplicably abrupt plot changes.

The plot revolves around a pretty boy, apparently orphaned, who is discovered on a park bench and introduced to a series of bizarre people. They all want to own him in some way, which simply doesn't make sense as there is nothing interesting about him whatsoever. He just blunders on, into greater and more improbable situations, none of which I found funny in the slightest. It is like reading a novel by Eugene Ionescu, without the humor and surrealism.

In other words, I just didn't get it and don't think it is worth the effort. I would never have gotten through it except for the fact that I grabbed it for a long flight and had nothing else to read.

Not recommended.