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A Single Man

By Christopher Isherwood

(67)

| Paperback | 9780816638628

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Book Description

Fiction

The author's favorite of his own novels, now back in print!

When A Single Man was originally published, it shocked many by its frank, sympathetic, and moving portrayal of a gay man in midlife. George, the protagonist, is adjusting to life on his own after the sudden death of his partContinue

Critics

Christopher Isherwood: A Single Man

Christopher Isherwood’s mellifluous name is not heard often these days. Until a film adaptation by a fashion designer turned perfumer brought this title back into print, all we had readily available were his Berlin novels, Mr Norris Changes Trains an ... (read full critics)

theasylum published on Fri, 10 Sep 2010

2 Reviews

4 people find this helpful

masterpiece

Rich, philosophical, poetic, nostalgic, introspective, tremendously funny. One of those books you just wish you could be there and become best friends with the protagonist.

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Unworldly Northman said on Apr 11, 2010 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

This novel comes as a pleasant surprise, with lots of WOWs. I get to know this novel because of the film adaptation. The film, however, can be a bit misleading as to what to expect from the book (I'm not saying the film is bad. I like the film version anyway.) While the film focuses on sorrow and lo ... (continue)

This novel comes as a pleasant surprise, with lots of WOWs. I get to know this novel because of the film adaptation. The film, however, can be a bit misleading as to what to expect from the book (I'm not saying the film is bad. I like the film version anyway.) While the film focuses on sorrow and loss on the part of George, the novel, on top of that, also spans to the life and time that George lives in, LA in the 60's. He is very good at picturing the subtlety of the common daily life. (And that rings the bell of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, a novel that A Single Man pays a lot tribute to.) Even things such as driving on highway becomes something significant, and George's classroom teaching, a sophisticated political issue, involved with race, gender and class. In a way, this makes Isherwood's novel eerily relevant to our times as these are still the hot issues nowadays. You don't feel like reading a novel published in 1963, but instead a contemporary novel about the 60's. It's truly a pioneering work.
However, I don't like the ending even though both the novel and the film have the same one. It's not very satisfying and not making sense to me. I really wonder why.

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yuuyh said on Jan 30, 2012 about the Audio CD edition | Add your feedback