Local Deities

By Agnes Bushell

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0915306824
• ISBN13: 9780915306824
• Release Date: July 1995
• Publisher: Curbstone Press
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.0" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

REVIEW QUOTES

"LOCAL DEITIES is, simultaneously, an enticing roman à clef, ...a gripping court-room drama and a direct engagement with the daily question of how to live a struggle in the belly of the beast." --The Nation"Intelligently written, the novel raises issues of commitment, rebellion, and the conflict between individual and public values." --Booklist"In memorable prose, Bushell depicts the uneasy alliance of women and men, the difficulty of maintaining zeal in the face of public indifference, the irrevocability of radical commitment, and, above all, the hurts parents do their children without intention. This is a book rich in character and incident, blessed with a noble theme." --Library Journal

Many expressions of an ideal

Local Deities touched me deeply. I am about the same age as the children in the book, and the passages which describe the Bohemian left-wing life of the early 1970s evoke glimpses of my childhood--to the extent of conjuring even smells (e.g., baking bread and homemade yogurt) and sounds (e.g., listening from bed as adults arguing politics late into the night) from that period.The book uses multiple perspectives to capture different conceptions and practices of left-wing idealism and gave me wonderful perspective on the political and personal choices that my parents and their friends have made. The characters are vividly drawn, and their dilemmas and internal conversations are poignant and seem real.If you enjoyed E.L. Doctorow's The Book of Daniel, T.C. Boyle's World's End, or John Sayle's Union Dues then you are very likely to enjoy Local Deities.

An amazing, underappreciated author

Local Deities is one of her best. Also look for her short story featuring a fictionalized version of gay porn legend John Preston, in the anthology Looking for Mr. Preston.

The revolution will not be televised...

An amazing read for anyone who did not develop a curious case of amnesia after the 60's. Highly recommended.