Items related to John's Wife
Synopsis
A satirical fable of small-town America centers on a builder's wife and the erotic power she exerts over her neighbors, transforming before their eyes and changing forever their notions of right and wrong. 25,000 first printing. Tour.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Robert Coover teaches at Brown University.
From Kirkus Reviews
Our most abrasive and challenging postmodernist (Pinocchio in Venice, 1990, etc.) writes at pretty nearly peak level in this mock-epic chronicle of the vagaries of sex, greed, and death in an unnamed midwestern town whose inhabitants are all linked together by their admiration for--or friendship or obsession with--the opaque title character. John is a prominent building contractor, wealthy and successful beyond his envious neighbors' wildest dreams. His gorgeous wife (herself unnamed) ``always seemed,'' we're told, ``to be at the very heart of things in town, an endearing and ubiquitous presence, yet few of the town's citizens, if asked, could have described her.'' Nevertheless, Gordon, the local photographer, surreptitiously snaps pictures of her unawares; Floyd, who manages John's hardware stores, has blunter designs on her beauty; Ellsworth, who edits the Town Crier and nurses artistic pretensions, makes her the heroine of his fondest fantasies; Daphne, her best friend, wonders whether she really knows her at all. The woman makes only teasing, fleeting appearances throughout, and we never come to know her. We are, however, made privy to a rich, raffish cross-section of village life, a generous array of sharply realized characters: Otis the lawman, reluctantly involved with Gordon's notorious wife Pauline, a pathetic victim of childhood sexual abuse for whom a violent fate awaits; ``Mad Marge,'' the woman who can't get along with anybody and perversely decides to run for mayor; and a ragtag collection of hormonally unsettled teenagers whose melodramatic rites of passage are transcribed with delicious wit. It's fun watching Coover pull all this random (and randy) material together, his energy never flagging, as the novel surges toward its extended climax during the town's annual Pioneers Day barbecue--then toward a stunning d‚nouement that expertly plaits together a dozen or more loose ends and offers, for good measure, an unnerving surprise on the very last page. A pitch-perfect, pitch-black comedy, and one of Coover's most elegant and entertaining books yet. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherSimon & Schuster
- Publication date1996
- ISBN 10 0684818418
- ISBN 13 9780684818412
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages432
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
US$ 19.95
Shipping:
US$ 4.50
Within U.S.A.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
John's Wife
Seller: Orion Tech, Kingwood, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Fair. Seller Inventory # 0684818418-4-31950990
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
John's Wife
Seller: Gulf Coast Books, Memphis, TN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Good. Seller Inventory # 0684818418-3-31656227
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Johns Wife A Novel
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00071828354
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
John's Wife
Seller: ZBK Books, Carlstadt, NJ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: acceptable. Used book - May contain writing, notes, highlighting, bends or folds. Text is readable, book is clean, and pages and cover mostly intact. May show normal wear and tear. Item may be missing CD. May include library marks. Fast Shipping. Seller Inventory # ZBM.1GURH
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
John's Wife
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.7. Seller Inventory # G0684818418I4N01
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
John's Wife
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.7. Seller Inventory # G0684818418I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
John's Wife
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.7. Seller Inventory # G0684818418I4N10
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
John's Wife
Published by
Simon & Schuster, 1996
ISBN 10: 0684818418
ISBN 13: 9780684818412
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. 1ST. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP97681154
Quantity: 3 available
Stock Image
John's Wife
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 22-0684818418-G
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
John's Wife: A Novel
Published by
Simon & Schuster, Riverside, New Jersey, U.S.A., 1996
ISBN 10: 0684818418
ISBN 13: 9780684818412
Used
Hardcover
Seller: The Yard Sale Store, Narrowsburg, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hard Cover. Condition: Good. This book is in very good condition within nice dust jacket and clean presentable text. Seller Inventory # June23200649
Quantity: 1 available