Painted Desert - Softcover

Barthelme, Frederick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140242147 ISBN 13: 9780140242140

Publisher: Penguin Books, 1997

Synopsis

Motivated by the horrors of the L.A. riots and the spectacle of O. J. Simpson's Bronco ride, Jen and Del decide to take a road trip to Los Angeles, and their mission takes them into the heart of American culture. Reprint.

About this title

About the Author:

Frederick Barthelme is the author of sixteen books of fiction and nonfiction, one of which, Elroy Nights, was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and a New York Times Notable Book. His most recent book, There Must Be Some Mistake, was published in 2014. Until 2010, he directed the writing program at the University of Southern Mississippi and edited the Mississippi Review. He is currently editor and publisher of the online literary publication New World Writing.

From Library Journal:

In this sequel to The Brothers (LJ 8/93), Barthelme revisits Del and Jen, a wisecracking 1990s couple living in Biloxi, Mississippi. Del, divorced and pushing 50, is starting life over with Jen, a 27-year-old devotee of cyberpunk who carries a laptop computer and a portable television with her at all times. One day, while watching the O.J. Simpson murder trial, Jen decides they need to get in touch with real life. With Jen's father and his latest girlfriend in tow, they drive west to visit some of the key sites of recent history: Dealy Plaza, Florence, and Normandie, Bundy Drive. Along the way they encounter assassination buffs, UFO fanatics, and one dangerous psychopath who forces Jen to rethink her recent drift toward militancy. The episodic road trip format is perfectly suited to Barthelme's quirky humor and postmodern sensibility. This funny and sharply observant novel is one of his best books.?Edward B. St. John, Loyola Law Sch. Lib., Los Angeles
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0140242147
• ISBN 13: 9780140242140
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256