All That Is
-
-
3.5 • 112개의 평가
-
-
- US$4.99
-
- US$4.99
출판사 설명
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A New York Times Book Review Notable Book • An NPR "Great Reads" Book • Here is PEN/Faulkner winner James Salter's dazzling, sometimes devastating portrait of love and ambition.
“Shimmering. . . . Intoxicating. . . . Few can match Salter’s depictions of life’s physical pleasures, the sheer sensual delight of being in this world.”—San Francisco Chronicle
All That Is explores a life unfolding in a world on the brink of change. Philip Bowman returns to America from the battlefields of Okinawa and finds success in the competitive world of publishing in postwar New York—yet what he most desires, and what eludes him, is love.
From his experiences as a young naval officer in battles off Okinawa, Philip Bowman returns to America and finds a position as a book editor. It is a time when publishing is still largely a private affair—a scattered family of small houses here and in Europe—a time of gatherings in fabled apartments and conversations that continue long into the night. In this world of dinners, deals, and literary careers, Bowman finds that he fits in perfectly. But despite his success, what eludes him is love. His first marriage goes bad, another fails to happen, and finally he meets a woman who enthralls him—before setting him on a course he could never have imagined for himself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The 87-year-old PEN/Faulkner Award winner's (Dusk and Other Stories) first full-length novel in more than three decades spans some 40 years and follows the accidental life, career, and loves of book editor Philip Bowman. After serving in the Pacific during WWII, Bowman stumbles into publishing at a time when small houses reigned. During extravagant literary parties and travels through Europe, Bowman shares his thoughts on authors both real and imagined. And yet his career is merely a vehicle for his loves and losses, connections made and missed. The women in his life somehow never suit and his many endings are always inexplicable to him. But Salter renders the first blushes of Bowman's loves exquisitely their giddiness, occasional illicitness, eroticism and his bewilderment after the relationships fail feels achingly real. By way of counterpoint, the author illustrates the happy but tragic marriage of a close friend, which parallels rather than intersects, since Bowman fails to connect with anyone. The number of characters who parade through the book can frustrate, and Salter's choice to render, for a chapter, a well-known character anonymously was unnecessary. But Salter measures his words carefully, occasionally punctuating his elegant prose with sharp, erotic punches.
사용자 리뷰
Good Read
This book tends to wander off course at times but overall a good story about an unsympathetic yet intriguing central character. Salter is an excellent writer who makes you think about the vagaries of life...EAF
All That Is
This book got such a great review from Alan Cheuse at NPR that I pre-ordered it and read it within the first few days of its publication. What a mistake. And because I ordered it on iTunes I don't even have the pleasure of throwing it away immediately. Don't bother.
Unsympathetic main character
James Salter provides an entertaining window into post-WW2 America. The story follows the protagonist, Phillip Bowman, from his days in the Navy in the war, through a failed marriage and multiple affairs and dalliances. The prose is beautiful and the book is sprinkled with interesting vignettes of ancillary characters. Bowman, however, seems completely devoid of scruples and by the end of the book I was more than ready to say goodbye. A sad and shallow character. I kept hoping for a moment of redemption, but none was forthcoming.