P tells the story of Benjamin Seymour, a failed New York City pornographer obsessed with his lost love, and Finn, a ten-year-old runaway girl genius. Separately and then together they wander the city over the course of a single day, searching for love and life through lust and loss.

Reviews

P is the literary equivalent of a cover song. Conn, a film critic and essayist, here covers Ulysses (Joyce is "St. James" in the acknowledgments), a novel that poses obvious challenges to a young writer hoping to pay homage. Technically, the talented Conn is more than proficient. His take on Ulysses is set in Manhattan on (of course) June 16, 1996. His Leopold Bloom is Benjamin Seymour, an Ivy League-educated pornographer (director, actor) chafing his way through three years of celibacy in mourning for his dead true love, Penelope. Stephen Dedalus is Finn, a 10-year-old girl, who ditches her elite prep school to smoke dope, beg for change and wander the city. Conn's discursions on the porn industry and his stream-of-consciousness presentation of Manhattan through a child's stoned gaze are smart and fun to read. Scenes recounting Penelope and Benjamin's doomed relationship are at once tender and tortured, imbued with a complexity that is rare in a first-time novelist. These accomplishments are considerable, but Conn's novel is hamstrung by its slavish devotion to Ulysses. Overschematic and hyperallusive, P will be mystifying to those unfamiliar with the source material and vexing to those who know it. Such is perhaps the inevitable pitfall of tributes. One hopes that Conn will next apply his gifts to a more freewheeling project.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Priceless Books
112 W. Main, Urbana, IL, 61801, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

Subject to prior sale, returns accepted within 10 days if not as
described. Will hold books for two weeks. PAYMENT: Check/credit card:
VISA/MC/Discover/Am Express. IL residents add 9% sales tax. SHIPPING: USPS Media Mail
: 1st book $3.60 each additional $1.50. Foreign
mailings at exact postage. Inquire for priority, airmail, Fedex,
UPS, other carriers. Pls confirm availability.

Shipping Terms

Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	5 to 14 business days	3 to 6 business days
First item	US$ 3.90	US$ 10.10

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.