A Way of Life, Like Any Other
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Book Overview
The hero of Darcy O'Brien's A Way of Life, Like Any Other is a child of Hollywood, and once his life was a glittery dream. His father starred in Westerns. His mother was a goddess of the silver screen. The family enjoyed the high life on their estate, Casa Fiesta. But his parents' careers have crashed since then, and their marriage has broken up too. Lovesick and sex-crazed, the mother sets out on an intercontinental quest for the right--or wrong--man, while her mild-mannered but manipulative former husband clings to his memories in California. And their teenage son? How he struggles both to keep faith with his family and to get by himself, and what in the end he must do to break free, makes for a classic coming-of-age story--a novel that combines keen insight and devastating wit to hilarious and heartbreaking effect.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:094032279X
ISBN13:9780940322790
Release Date:August 2001
Publisher:New York Review of Books
Length:176 Pages
Weight:0.46 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Darcy O'Brien
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
Reading A Way of Life Like Any Other was such an unexpected pleasure. Time after time I have believed good reviews from sources one used to respect and bought a book, only to find that the writing was mediocre at best. This time I was thrilled to discover really brilliant writing: living characters, marvelous humor and not one superfluous sentence. A writer as rare as O'Brien should be celebrated.
Amazing Feat of Compression and Eloquence
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
The writing here is so filled with generosity, compassion, and dark humor -- it's a most charming view of life. A coming-of-age novel about a boy who grows up in post-WW II Hollywood, shuffling between unforgettable, screwed-up parents. There's not a dead sentence here. It's short, but O'Brien captures it all. Completely re-readable. Keep it by your bedside to inspire and forgive your own life when you feel like it's trying to beat you down.
A Fantastic Novel
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
This is a MUST. Indeed it is Caulden Houlfield in Hollywood. If you like Catcher in the Rye, most likely you will love this book. It really is a great story with some great humor.
A Way of Life
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Darcy O'Brien combines the surreal humor of Flann O'Brien and the limpid prose of the young James Joyce and somehow writes a coming of age book which transcends both mentors in some ways. Lean, cool, dry, witty, but in the end, mysteriously poignant. Anthony Powell always argued that seen at close range all human beings, driven as they are at different speeds by the same furies, are equally extraordinary. O'Brien proves Powell's point, in prose reminscent of that master's early comic novels.
a book unlike any other
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
A wonderous book which evvelips the mind of a child reared by ext movie star parents. This novel is a witty (sublime) and sadly delicate tale. yadadadadaddadada. read it. add it to yr LA fiction list.
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