"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
The Neon Bible tells the story of David, a young boy growing up in a small Southern town in the 1940s. David's voice is perfectly calibrated, disarmingly funny, sad, shrewd, gathering force from page to page with an emotional directness that never lapses into sentimentality. Through it we share his awkward, painful, universally recognizable encounter with first love, we participate in boy evangelist Bobbie Lee Taylor's revival, we meet the pious, bigoted townspeople. From the opening lines of The Neon Bible, David is fully alive, naive yet sharply observant, drawing us into his world through the sure artistry of John Kennedy Toole.
"Heartfelt emotion, communicated in clean direct prose...a remarkable achievement."--Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"A powerful novel that belongs on the shelf with the works of Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, and Eudora Welty. It is a moving evocation of the small-town South in the mid-twentieth century, and it is an expertly crafted tale of an adolescent boy finding the courage to make the decisions to change his life."--William McKeen, Orlando Sentinel
"John Kennedy Toole's tender, nostalgic side is as brilliantly effective as his corrosive satire. If you liked To Kill A Mockingbird you will love The Neon Bible."--Florence King
"Shockingly mature.... Even at sixteen, Toole knew that the way to write about complex emotions is to express them simply."--Kerry Luft, Chicago Tribune
John Kennedy Toole was born in New Orleans in 1937. He received a master's degree in English from Columbia University and taught at Hunter and the University of Southwestern Louisiana. In 1969, frustrated at his failure to interest a publisher in A Confederacy of Dunces, he committed suicide. Toole's book was eventually published, after his mother brought the work to the attention of Walker Percy and insisted that he read her son's manuscript. Percy became one of the novel's many admirers and The Confederacy of Dunces was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1981. Following that posthumous success, The Neon Bible, which Toole had written when he was sixteen, was first published in 1989.
Nick Sullivan, a Tennessee native, has worked extensively on Broadway and at many theaters throughout the United States. His television credits include 30 Rock, The Good Wife, All My Children, and all three Law & Order series. He has recorded over three hundred audiobooks and received numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Book Description Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A few small stains. Seller Inventory # wbb0023567833
Book Description Hard Cover. Condition: Good +. Dust Jacket Condition: Good +. First Edition. ex-library, brown pages, stamped to title page and stickers to front end page Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 107592
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. ALL ITEMS ARE DISPATCHED FROM THE UK WITHIN 48 HOURS ( BOOKS ORDERED OVER THE WEEKEND DISPATCHED ON MONDAY) ALL OVERSEAS ORDERS SENT BY TRACKABLE AIR MAIL. IF YOU ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UK PLEASE ASK US FOR A POSTAGE QUOTE FOR MULTI VOLUME SETS BEFORE ORDERING. Seller Inventory # mon0000848989
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First UK edition second impression from 1990, the book is fine, no markings, the jacket has a crease to the top front which I have photographed, please see pics, jacket now in removable protective sleeve, paypal accepted any questions please get in touch. Seller Inventory # ABE-6939919730
Book Description Original Black Hardcover. Condition: Very Good Plus. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good Plus. First UK Edition. 1989. xi, 162pp. "John Kennedy Toole wrote 'The Neon Bible' for a literary contest when he was sixteen. The manuscript languished in a drawer for years . 'The Neon Bible' tells the story of David, a young boy growing up in a small southern town in the 1940s. He lives in a dilapidated house on a hill. From the porch he can see the whole valley: the Renning smokestack with the tall black R that Poppa said stood for Rich against Poor, lamps winking on and off in cosy houses as people go about their business. And every night David watches the neon Bible light up the sky, righteous red letters on a golden page with a big blue cross in the middle, emblem of God-fearing folk who snub his family because Poppa can't afford the church dues. . David's voice is disarming, funny, sad, shred. Through it we share his awkward, painful, universally recognizable encounter with first love. He is naive yet sharly observant, and the sheet artistry of John Kennedy Toole draws us irresistably into his world." Book and unclipped jacket both in excellent condition. Very slight shelfware to jacket. No inscriptions. Seller Inventory # LitToole001
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. Black boards with gilt lettering on the spine. Edges of boards are lgihtly rubbed, head and tail of spine softly bumped. Binding is strong and neat. Previous owner's inscription on front free endpaper. Pastedowns, free endpaper and page edges are lightly foxed. Pages are lightly and evenly discoloured due to the age of the book, otherwise in good condition. Dust wrapper is lightly rubbed and thumbed at the edges. Price clipped. Else in good condition. *We always describe the faults of our books meticulously but they usually present better than they sound. Seller Inventory # FIC0343
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Jacket by Joanna Ciechanowska (illustrator). 1st Edition. First UK edition, first impression. Some edge wear to top and bottom of jacket and spine, small closed tear to top front jacket, corners very slightly rubbed. Not price clipped (£12.99), no inscriptions, internally clean tight and square, overall a vg++ copy. 162pp. American author John Kennedy Toole (1939-69), wrote 'The Neon Bible' for a literary contest at the age of sixteen. The manuscript was finally published twenty years after Toole's death from suicide. 'The Neon Bible' opens with a young man named David on a train, leaving the small Southern town he's grown up in for the first time. What unspools is the tender and tragic coming of age story of a lonely child, a story that revolves around David's unorthodox friendship with his great aunt Mae, a former stage performer who is fiercely at odds with the conservative townspeople, and the everyday toll of living in an environment of religious fanaticism. From the opening lines of 'The Neon Bible', David is fully alive, naive yet sharply observant, drawing us into his world through the sure artistry of John Kennedy Toole, author of his other posthumously published novel 'A Confederacy of Dunces'. Seller Inventory # 007876