
BUtterfield 8
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Narrated by:
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Gretchen Mol
The best-selling novel that became an Oscar-winning film starring Elizabeth Taylor about New York's speakeasy generation.
A masterpiece of American fiction and a best seller upon its publication in 1935, BUtterfield 8 lays bare with brash honesty the unspoken and often shocking truths that lurked beneath the surface of a society still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. One Sunday morning, Gloria wakes up in a stranger's apartment with nothing but a torn evening dress, stockings, and panties. When she steals a fur coat from the wardrobe to wear home, she unleashes a series of events that can only end in tragedy. Inspired by true events, this novel caused a sensation on its publication for its frank depiction of the relationship between a wild and beautiful young woman and a respectable, married man.
©2013 John O'Hara (P)2014 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















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On the other hand, I do think that it gives a sense of the times; the "lost generation"; the rote daily existence; those who don't take responsibility for their actions, or at least seek easy solutions; the constant alcoholism; double standards; aimlessness.
I guess I felt it was rather directionless compared to other "classics" of the period, even his own Samarra. The style is very Hemingway-esque for the most part.
Elements made me think of, and wish for the audio of, P.J. Wolfson's Three of a Kind (a great noir of the Cain Postman variety) but particularly for Is My Flesh of Brass?, (1934) a great novel concerning unscrupulous doctors and abortion that predates by a year Butterfield (1935).
a little drab for me
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Despite rough patches, this book has incredible power. There's something fresh about the blunt writing, and the story gathers steam leading up to its explosive ending. Although he's often compared with Fitzgerald, the prose couldn't be more different. A more apt comparison might be Dreiser. Even the uneven writing contributes somehow to its power--as if the writer was rushing headlong to get it all down.
Gretchen Moll's reading is good but undistinguished. It works well for the journalistic aspects of the novel, and her voice has a tone that feels appropriate for the period--the 1930's. But she doesn't do much to bring individual characters to life and doesn't help to make Gloria the tough but sympathetic character O'Hara created.
Wildly Uneven
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