No Orchids for Miss Blandish - Softcover

Chase, James Hadley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140055525 ISBN 13: 9780140055528

Publisher: Penguin Books, 1980

Synopsis

This is a newly revised edition of the famous crime novel NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH. For the first time this edition combines the original text from 1939 with the revisions made by the author in 1961. The novel is now widely regarded as one of the top thrillers of the last century. When it was originally published it pushed the social boundaries of the time through its relentless exploration of crime and sexual exploitation. Unlike most crime novels of that era, the characters are rich, deeply realized portraits of those who lived on the fringes of society during the Great Depression -- namely the gangsters, their women, and the men who hunted them. The novel broke sales records when published and has gone onto to sell over four million copies worldwide. Historically important, such literary greats as George Orwell and Graham Greene instantly recognized its merits. In a lengthy essay that securely placed NO ORCHIDS in an honored position in crime fiction, George Orwell wrote that, "In a book like NO ORCHIDS one is not, as in the old-style crime story, simply escaping from dull reality into an imaginary world of action. One's escape is essentially into cruelty and sexual perversion...a brilliant piece of writing, with hardly a wasted word or a jarring note anywhere." Set in the heartland of America during hard times, the story reveals itself along the back roads, roadside diners and street corners of a jaded, threadbare society - a truly unnerving novel updated for a new generation of readers ready to discover the world of James Hadley Chase.

About this title

About the Author:

James Hadley Chase (1906-1985) was the author of more than 80 novels, but No Orchids for Miss Blandish was his first and most famous, becoming one of the best-selling books of the 1930s and the basis of stage and film adaptations. Jeff Harding is an actor who has appeared in such shows as "Father Ted" and" Life Is Wild." A prolific audiobook reader, he has recorded such high-profile bestsellers as the Bourne Trilogy and "The Da Vinci Code."

Review:

"Brilliantly narrated...pure fun for fans of both classic mysteries and narrators who reflect old-time charm." --"Booklist "

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 1980
• ISBN 10: 0140055525
• ISBN 13: 9780140055528
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176