A Season in Purgatory [Hardcover]

Dominick Dunne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 1993

They were the family with everything. Money. Influence. Glamour. Power. The power to halt a police investigation in its tracks. The power to spin a story, concoct a lie, and believe it was the truth. The power to murder without guilt, without shame, and without ever paying the price. America's royalty, they called the Bradleys. But an outsider refuses to play his part. And now, the day of reckoning has arrived. . . .


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

That the rich clearly are different is a tenet often espoused by society chronicler Dunne, though never more cogently than in this riveting saga about the Bradley clan of Scarborough Hill, Conn. When young Harrison Burns becomes an accessory to a crime of passion committed by his friend and prep school classmate Constant Bradley, his silence is bought by patriarch Gerald. All efforts at a solution are mysteriously stifled; 20 years later Burns, now a successful journalist, decides to unburden himself of his torturous secret. Dunne plunges readers instantly into the thick of things with the book's opening lines: "The jury is in its third day of deliberation"--and, with the exception of a mildly disappointing excursion to Arizona, never relaxes his firm grip. The unforgettable Bradley family, their skeletons (e.g., Agnes, the mad, institutionalized daughter) and peccadillos offer an allure similar to a sidelong glance at tabloid headlines, though here told with wit and skill. Their machinations prove both fascinating and appalling--and always hypnotically readable. In addition to his potent characterization and deftly crafted plotting, Dunne again provides an insider's glimpse of this rarified stratum--a world where the highest praise for a character might be "he's marvelous at placement . . . he can seat a dinner party better than anyone I've ever known." This compulsive yarn might well be subtitled Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous--The Dark Side .
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-The Bradleys are a large, rich, powerful, Irish-Catholic family, headed by a ruthless patriarch who is bent on having his favorite son, Constant, become president. Mrs. Bradley is a religious, designer-clad mother who shuts her eyes to her husband's numerous affairs. Harrison Burns is Constant's poor but bright friend. They attend the same exclusive prep school. One night, Constant beats a young girl to death, and Harrison helps him cover it up. Twenty-two years later, he can't bear the guilt of his complicity in the crime and decides to confess. Can he bring the Bradley dynasty down with him? Dunne, who has previously paralleled real life in The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (Crown, 1985), has written a real page-turner that looks into the lives of a wealthy, morally corrupt American family. It's almost like reading People magazine.
Diana C. Hirsch, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, MD
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 377 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (April 13, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517583860
• ISBN-13: 978-0517583869
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #833,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dominick Dunne (1925-2009) was the author of five bestselling novels, two collections of essays, and "The Way We Lived Then," a memoir with photographs. His final novel, "Too Much Money," will be published in December 2009. He was a Special Correspondent for "Vanity Fair" and lived in New York City and Hadlyme, Connecticut.

Photo (C) H. Thompson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gossipy page turner, January 24, 2001

By 

Jeanna180 "Jeanna180" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Season in Purgatory (Mass Market Paperback)

This novel is Dunne at his best. In this story Dunne fictionalizes the Martha Moxley murder and shows his strengths as a storyteller. Here Dunne shows he can balance plot as well as charcter development.

This story is told from the point of veiw of Harrison Burns. When Harrison was a teenager he saw his friend Constant Bradley murder the girl next door. Constant's family buys Harrison's silence through the years by paying his college tution and sending him abroad.

However as the years go on Harrison finds it harder to live with what he has seen. These feelings cause the demise of his marriage and general self loathing. Harrison is forced to face off with the Bradley's when they invite him to their home to ask Harrison to write a book about Constant's life.

Along with Harrison's dilema Dunne tells the story of the demise of a family. The skill with which Dunne tells both stories make this book well worth reading. The other to reason to read it is of course, affairs, family battles, and good gossip.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well Dunne, May 31, 2003

By 

A. Schultz "amschult" (Park Ridge, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Season in Purgatory (Mass Market Paperback)

I can't agree with other reviewers that this is "vintage Dunne" or "quintessential Dunne" because this is my first Dominick Dunne book, but it certainly kept my attention for all of its 500-odd pages. The book was recommended to me by a friend who had seen the made-for-TV movie, and it did not disappoint.

Based "loosely" (read obviously) on the Martha Moxley murders, the book is about a friend of the Bradley family, Harrison Burns, who helps the family's favorite son, Constant Bradley, move the body of Winifred Utley, whom he's murdered. Gerald Bradley, who bears a striking resemblance to Joseph Kennedy, buys Harrison's silence, but the book is less about Harrison's struggle with his secret and more about how he got involved with the Bradleys and then later disentangled himself.

The book was written before Michael Skakel went to trial, and I read the trial portion of the book hoping that the book would mirror the real life outcome, justice for all, etc. Ultimately, this book is an indictment of people in power who hush up unsavory incidents to help themselves. Take it with you if you need to stay awake.... you won't want to put it down.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, Too scandalous to be fiction (It's Not), January 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Season in Purgatory (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book a few years ago, then again after reading a biography of Ethel Skakel Kennedy. I love Dominick Dunne's "in the know" type prose. He treats the readers like insiders, and the Bradley family like trash. He repeatedly refers to the family in other books, which leads me to want to know more. (In one of his later books, the family cook, it's mentioned all too briefly has killed herself). He does tend to layer a few too many Kennedy scandals in to the family. They aren't supposed to be the Kennedy's but instead the Skakel's. But it just tends to add to the drama and the spirit of the book. A Great Read, and one whose ending will leave you satisfied, but not feeling patronized.