- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Jun 1 1994)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0446670251
- ISBN-13: 978-0446670258
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.2 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (311 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#16,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #72 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Movie Tie-Ins
- #90 in Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Psychological & Suspense
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Eugenides's tantalizing, macabre first novel begins with a suicide, the first of the five bizarre deaths of the teenage daughters in the Lisbon family; the rest of the work, set in the author's native Michigan in the early 1970s, is a backward-looking quest as the male narrator and his nosy, horny pals describe how they strove to understand the odd clan of this first chapter, which appeared in the Paris Review , where it won the 1991 Aga Khan Prize for fiction. The sensationalism of the subject matter (based loosely on a factual account) may be off-putting to some readers, but Eugenides's voice is so fresh and compelling, his powers of observation so startling and acute, that most will be mesmerized. The title derives from a song by the fictional rock band Cruel Crux, a favorite of the Lisbon daughter Lux--who, unlike her sisters Therese, Mary, Bonnie and Cecilia, is anything but a virgin by the tale's end. Her mother forces Lux to burn the album along with others she considers dangerously provocative. Mr. Lisbon, a mild-mannered high school math teacher, is driven to resign by parents who believe his control of their children may be as deficient as his control of his own brood. Eugenides risks sounding sophomoric in his attempt to convey the immaturity of high-school boys; while initially somewhat discomfiting, the narrator's voice (representing the collective memories of the group) acquires the ring of authenticity. The author is equally convincing when he describes the older locals' reactions to the suicide attempts. Under the narrator's goofy, posturing banter are some hard truths: mortality is a fact of life; teenage girls are more attracted to brawn than to brains (contrary to the testimony of the narrator's male relatives). This is an auspicious debut from an imaginative and talented writer. Literary Guild selection.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Eugenides's remarkable first novel opens on a startling note: "On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide... the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing exactly where the knife drawer was, and the gas oven, and the beam in the basement from which it was possible to tie a rope." What follows is not, however, a horror novel, but a finely crafted work of literary if slightly macabre imagination. In an unnamed town in the slightly distant past, detailed in such precise and limpid prose that readers will surely feel that they grew up there, Cecilia--the youngest and most obviously wacky of the luscious Lisbon girls--finally succeeds in taking her own life. As the confused neighbors watch rather helplessly, the remaining sisters become isolated and unhinged, ending it all in a spectacular multiple suicide anticipated from the first page. Eugenides's engrossing writing style keeps one reading despite a creepy feeling that one shouldn't be enjoying it so much. A black, glittering novel that won't be to everyone's taste but must be tried by readers looking for something different. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/92.
- Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide-it was Mary this time, and sleeping pills, like Therese-the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing exactly where the knife drawer was, and the gas oven, and the beam in the basement from which it was possible to tie a rope. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide-it was Mary this time, and sleeping pills, like Therese-the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing exactly where the knife drawer was, and the gas oven, and the beam in the basement from which it was possible to tie a rope. Read the first page
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eugenides is tops,
By Barrister John (Nova Scotia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Virgin Suicides (Paperback)
Let's start out by saying that above all things, this novel by Jeffrey Eugenides is macabre, to the inth degree. But, it's also fascinating and totally bizarre--just one of the reasons you should take it on. The story starts out with a suicide, that of oneof five teenage daughters of the Lisbon family. The setting is Michigan in the seventies, where Eugenides is from and where he's set part of his "Middlesex" another great novel. Some may call his themes sensational, but I call them fascinating. And, it's been rumored that this novel is based on actual happenings--an actual account. This is probably the reason it's spoken of in the same breath as McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood" and Capote's "In Cold Blood" as those too are hybrid novels--both fact and fiction. Yet the material in Eugenides hands, along with the subject matter, make this a one of a kind book. The narrator's voice in this case, in the matter of "Virgin Suicides" is that of a rather sophmoric groups of teens, and at times I was reminded of Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" with its same tone. The title of this book is derived from a fictional rock band named "Curel Crux" which was (fictionally) a favorite of one of the Lisbon daughters. What amazed me the most about this novel was the way the author makes us think that it's actually the teenage boys narrating the whole story. Remarkable. He's extremely successful and I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking a fresh new voice. Must also recommend another great novel that makes a great companion to this one titled "Bark of the Dogwood" which is equally riveting and complex, though on a totally different subject.
2.0 out of 5 stars
See the movie instead,
By
This review is from: The Virgin Suicides (Paperback)
Frankly, I almost missed the movie because I'd already read the book. This book's cleverness is in its voice, but the story is truly empty and its characters unmotivated . There are never any revelations about the reasons these "virgins" commit suicide, but from the tone of the narrative and its annoying voyeurism, one can guess the author's inference is that the real tragedy is that the Lisbon sisters died virgins. I'm just kidding, but really, this novel is ridiculous, and offers no more than a hackneyed and stereotypical portrayal of adolescence. Critics have compared it to Birdy which is far superior. I had to laugh at myself for even entertaining the idea of reading this book. See the movie instead. It's not a masterpiece either, but for a first work, it's far more artistic than this silly screed. Eugenides was a lucky scribbler to have sold it. There's not a shred of plausibilty in this story. I should have taken my cue from the title: VIRGIN Suicides. They're not girls, not women, not even people; they're virgins! And Eugenides kills them off for no reason at all. Please! It should be subtitled: Misogynist Gets Even With Words. Curiously, I suspect that the writer has talent, but this product is not solid evidence.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Obsessed,
By Miss Hater "Avid Reader" (Kentucky,USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Virgin Suicides (Paperback)
That is all I can say and the best way I can describe my feelings for the book and movie.Its very simple. The book and movie changed my life. They affected me in ways that very few other books and movies ever have or have ever had the capacity to do.It has a pretty big place in the fabric of my life.I read some in the book every day. It and the movie have become a sanctuary for me. Whenever I'm upset or depressed , I run to them and I feel better.It draws me into the Libson's girls world and its fascinating and comforting. Lux, Bonnie, Therese ,Mary and Cecilia are so vivid, that they almost seem like real people to me.They don't seem like fictional characters. They seem like friends.I find myself thinking about them a lot and there are very few made up characters that have ever stayed with me like this. I'm sure that there is at least one other Virgin Suicides fan out there that feels the same way I do and understand what I mean. I can only hope that it continues to affect and changes peoples lives the way it has mine.Read it. You might be shocked at how it haunts you and the presence it has in your life.I hope I explained it well. Something so luminous and subtextural and dream like yet deeply rooted in your psyche can be hard to explain.
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