Jacob's Hands: A Fable - Softcover

Isherwood, Christopher; Huxley, Aldous

3.52

457 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312243065 ISBN 13: 9780312243067

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 1999

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In a lost novel by the authors of Brave New World and The Berlin Stories, respectively, a young ranch hand discovers that he has the power to heal, but when he cures a manipulative woman, she betrays him and begins a chain of events that will lead to the exploitation of his powers. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

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Review:

This collaborative effort between Aldous Huxley and Christopher Isherwood, from a film project they were contracted to write in the late 1930s, was discovered in a trunk at Huxley's estate by actress Sharon Stone, who was researching the author's work for a film based on one of his short stories. Jacob's Hands is a novella-length film treatment for a script about a ranch hand who, after learning that he has the gift of healing, becomes disillusioned when he discovers that mending a broken body does not always heal a tormented soul. The slim volume proves both mesmerizing and moving, and the use of the present tense lends an air of innocence and mystery to the story, while the book's emotional undercurrents and passions stir up deeper, troubling responses. Jacob's Hands is a complex, disquieting modern fairy tale unlike anything else by either author, and a fascinating artifact of their Hollywood careers. --Michael Bronski

About the Author:

Aldous Huxley is the author of several classics, including Brave New World and Chrome Yellow. Among Christopher Isherwood's many books are The Berlin Stories, which was the basis for the musical Cabaret, and The Memorial.

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