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BUtterfield 8

by John O'Hara

A private affair in Depression-era New York

Regular price $17.22 USD
Regular price $26.91 USD Sale price $17.22 USD
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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A private affair in Depression-era New York

Set amid New York’s speakeasy generation and the lingering effects of the Great Depression, John O’Hara’s novel begins with Gloria waking in a stranger’s apartment after a night out. Her decision to take a fur coat sets events in motion, bringing her relationship with a married man into collision with the standards of respectable society. The book’s frank treatment of that relationship places private behavior and public respectability in direct tension, while its opening predicament points toward tragic consequences.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in literary fiction set in Depression-era New York.
  • Those drawn to stories about social respectability, sexual relationships, and their consequences.

Themes

Public respectability and private behaviorSexual relationshipsSocial life during the Great Depression

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The bestselling novel that became an Oscar-winning film starring Elizabeth Taylor about New York's speakeasy generation

A masterpiece of American fiction and a bestseller upon its publication in 1935, BUtterfield 8 lays bare with brash honesty the unspoken and often shocking truths that lurked beneath the surface of a society still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. One Sunday morning, Gloria wakes up in a stranger's apartment with nothing but a torn evening dress, stockings, and panties. When she steals a fur coat from the wardrobe to wear home, she unleashes a series of events that can only end in tragedy. Inspired by true events, this novel caused a sensation on its publication for its frank depiction of the relationship between a wild and beautiful young woman and a respectable, married man.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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