Mention Books Concering The Devil Tree
| Original Title: | The Devil Tree |
| ISBN: | 0802139655 (ISBN13: 9780802139658) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Jerzy Kosiński
Paperback | Pages: 224 pages Rating: 3.57 | 918 Users | 53 Reviews
Details Based On Books The Devil Tree
| Title | : | The Devil Tree |
| Author | : | Jerzy Kosiński |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 224 pages |
| Published | : | June 26th 2003 by Grove Press (first published January 1st 1973) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. European Literature. Polish Literature |
Representaion As Books The Devil Tree
A searing novel from a writer of international stature, The Devil Tree is a tale that combines the existential emptiness of Camus's The Stranger with the universe of international playboys, violence, and murder of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. Jonathan Whalen's life has been determined from the start by the immense fortune of his father, a steel tycoon. Whalen's childlike delight in power and status mask a greater need, a desire to feel life intensely, through drugs, violence, sex, and attempts at meaningful connection with other people -- whether lovers or the memory of his dead parents. But the physical is all that feels real to him, and as he embarks on a journey to Africa with his godparents, Whalen's embrace of amoral thrill accelerates toward ultimate fulfillment. Now in a Grove Press paperback, Kosinski's classic, acclaimed as "an impressive novel ... it should confirm Jerzy Kosinki's position as one of our most significant writers" -- Newsweek "Savage ... [Whalen is] a foolproof, timeless American character." -- Mary Ellin Barrett, CosmopolitanRating Based On Books The Devil Tree
Ratings: 3.57 From 918 Users | 53 ReviewsArticle Based On Books The Devil Tree
I really liked this book - it's hard, though, to say I enjoyed it. A scathing indictment of materialism, The Devil Tree explores the hollowness of wealth. I'll never forget the ending.So this is insanity. How interesting. What happens next? Jerzy Kosiński, The Devil TreeJerzy Kosinski's novel The Devil Tree takes place in 1970s America, a world of the Me generation, where an entire population had easy access to multiple partner sex, powerful mind-bending and sense-enhancing drugs and a plethora of self-help books ranging from jogging, diet, and speed-reading to primal screams, transactional analysis and do-it-yourself psychodrama. Being an adult and holding a philosophy of
An old book and still a mind bending adventure. Jerzy Kozinski is one those unique writers that after you've read him lingers forever in your conciousness. And as a writer I appreciate reading someone that has so obviously labored over every word he puts down. The effect is mesmorizing.
There is something really great about this book. I think something that you actually need in books but don't tend to get from american books, basically a lack of resolution. There are moments when this book forshadows later problems, "how do you know if you are crazy." But really the book is about identity and belonging and the book asks us clearly to find these things. But then tells us they are unfindable. There is no prefect relationship. There is no hope for freedom, because even in freedom
I was helping my mom clean the attic this spring when I came across this book in a box of her old stuff. I asked her what it was about and if it was good. She thought for a minute, then she said "I read that a long time ago, I can't really remember. But I think if you liked Night by Elie Wiesel, you will like this one too" So I am expecting a harrowing account of the Holocaust.No, that's totally not what it was about.It's about a young guy (Whalen) who loses both his parents and is left with a
Kosinski is one of those authors that easily flew under my radar for a long time. DFW mentioned him as being one of the most powerful authors of contemporary fiction, so I naturally was skeptical upon reading "Steps." I've been nothing but impressed by his use and control of language, his broken-up plot lines, a characters of such immense depth that they tell us something about ourselves through their actions. It's sort of a commentary which happens behind the scenes, without having to be yelled
The book has not aged well. What was once morally abhorrent has, in this age when greed is good, become the norm. The over indulgence of the narcissist is now something to aspire too instead of looked upon with repugnance. Strange how the times have changed.
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