- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Vintage; 1 edition (Sep 12 1985)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0394549953
- ISBN-13: 978-0394549958
- ASIN: 0394741188
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 1.8 x 20.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 567 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #445,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
'Fast and sharp, like a newly synthesised stimulant, racing with high-density vernacular speed -- McInerney seems to have fitted some kind of catalytic converter to American prose' Observer
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
Ransom, Jay McInerney's second novel, belongs to the distinguished tradition of novels about exile. Living in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, Christopher Ransom seeks a purity and simplicity he could not find at home, and tries to exorcise the terror he encountered earlier in his travels—a blur of violence and death at the Khyber Pass.Ransom has managed to regain control, chiefly through the rigors of karate. Supporting himself by teaching English to eager Japanese businessmen, he finds company with impresario Miles Ryder and fellow expatriates whose headquarters is Buffalo Rome, a blues-bar that satisfies the hearty local appetite for Americana and accommodates the drifters pouring through Asia in the years immediately after the fall of Vietnam.Increasingly, Ransom and his circle are threatened, by everything they thought they had left behind, in a sequence of events whose consequences Ransom can forestall but cannot change.Jay McInerney details the pattern of adventure and disillusionment that leads Christopher Ransom toward an inevitable reckoning with his fate—in a novel of grand scale and serious implications.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
interesting,
By Matthew Arnold "author of The Shattered Silen... (Pacific Northwest USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Ransom (Paperback)
I lived in Kyoto some years ago and found this to be a great depiction of life in Japan as an American. It is an interesting story that is hard to tell where it is going, but it certainly held my attention. The ending is worth the wait and I re-read the last few pages several times for it to truely sink in. It stayed with me for sometime...
3.0 out of 5 stars
A great novel for the most part, but then...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Ransom (Paperback)
This is was actually a very enjoyable and engaging read. I enjoyed the keen descriptions, the insights of an outsider in Japan and some of the clever dialogue. The disturbing flashbacks to the Pakistani border, a hint of some past trauma, reminded me of Hemingway's "The Snows of Kilamanjaro."But the ending was strange, almost dream-like. Without giving it away, there is a violent martial arts duel. Was it real? It was disappointing. Give credit to McInerney for trying to do something different and unusual, but he didn't quite pull it off. It felt like the characters and the plot were left a little too unresolved, disjointed. Overall, a very talented, funny writer with a good skill for fluid, engaging reading. I hope to read his other works.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Succeeds in being what it aspires to,
By "npazich" (Santa Barbara, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ransom (Paperback)
I think that most people have missed the point of the book. It is a simple and elegant story. It is not biting social commentary. It does not give pat and easy answers. It does not beat you over the head with message. It is slow, short and meditative. If you feel that a great book must be "clever" or "shocking", look elsewhere.Many people seem upset that the characters and plot were not fully developed. This is not a story about personalities or a series of events. It is the story of a man driven by memories and circumstance into a search for validation.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
