Before

By Irini Spanidou

Book Overview

From the author of God's Snake , and Fear comes a stunning novel that shines light on what it means to be beautiful, and to be possessed--by oneself, and by others. The setting is 1970s New York City,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 037571314X
• ISBN13: 9780375713149
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Before

Beautifully written and compelling portrait of a young woman's self-destruction...Takes place in the Soho Art world of the 1970's and captures that era's social and physical landscapes...Brings you inside the psyche of an alluring muse who is undone by the power of her beauty.

Brilliant

This is a gift-a wonderfully written book which evokes an era past with vibrancy and intensity. The scenes Ms.Spanidou depicts and the complex characters that unfold left me immersed and compelled to keep reading. Ms.Spanidou's writing is precious-each word, each image so perfectly drawn. She is an artist and a poet with a keen ability to draw in the reader. Her characters are compelling in their evolution and depth. A must read that will resonate and resonate.

Strong Stuff

A great read, almost terse, but not light. The themes were resonating in my head long after I finished it: stark, poetic, insistent. The counterpoints are neatly arranged to entrap the reader to be Both judgemental And sympathetic---good tragic art. In a visionary way, the evocation of time and place is sharper than that in a poem, and better than science fiction constructions. The story starts out Very grim, but, after a flash of giddy comedy, one gets to guess at Beatrice's future: and it may not look as grim, after all. I am tempted to read it again.

Great book

A great read. Interestingly, half the critics' reviews are excellent the other half are lengthy essays on the perceived stylistic and character faults: a testimonial that, like people with strong characters, it arouses strong feelings. I passionately loved it.

The best writing of the summer.

I have never heard of Ms. Spanidou, and would not have picked this book up, except I saw the blurb on the back of the book from Mary Gaitskill. The characterization is amazing, and the writing is near perfection. The only negative thing I can say is that it's only 200 pages.