Blurb:
A gripping story of ambition, lust, seduction, and betrayal . . . After the communists destroy his dream of becoming a recognized painter, Reinhardt Drixler escapes Hungary and moves to America to further his artistic ambitions and provide a better future for his young family. Twenty-five years later, his son Béla falls in love with Suzy Kiss, an alluring striptease dancer whose interest in Béla can be summarized in two words: green card. When Suzy is mysteriously deported, a devastated Béla must make a decision – should he stay in New York and continue with the noble artistic ambitions his father instilled in him, or should he follow his heart to Hungary and explore the enticing and risqué opportunities blossoming in Budapest after the collapse of communism? The City of Earthly Desire is a sweeping novel of love and lust, beauty and vulgarity, humor and pathos, and art and ethics. The story is peopled by a memorable cast of characters who are as intense, turbulent, and ambivalent as the place and time they occupy.
My Thoughts:
This book had me and my attention from the start. It's a sweeping story that is just beautifully written. I honestly cannot pinpoint any flaw. The size of this book intimidated me at first, but once you start reading you do NOT want to stop. The characters are flawed but still beautiful in their own way. This is a story that will haunt you well after you have finished.
I loved it. I read it in a day and a half, and the half was because I FORCED myself to go to bed and woke up earlier the next morning to finish! That should tell you something, because I am in LOVE with my sleep.
Great writing, great characters, and in depth story development..read this book! Got it!?
Author Info:
Francis
Berger was born in New York City in 1971. Recently, he completed a six
year stretch as a high school teacher in the Bronx and Queens in New
York City. He has published some short stories, most notably in The
Toronto Star. The City of Earthly Desire is his first novel. He currently lives near Toronto, Canada with his wife and young son.
Top Ten
Books And Why – Francis Berger
The
Bible
In
these secular times it has become somewhat unfashionable to read “The
Good Book.” Nonetheless, even if someone is a hardened atheist, an
understanding of the foundation of Western society, especially in the
realm of ethics and morality, would not be a detriment. Having said
that, it is still the go-to source for great and often archetypal
stories.
The
Greek Myths – Robert Graves
Perhaps
the most accessible and careful retelling of the myths that serve as
the prototypes for so many later narratives.
Hamlet
– William Shakespeare
To
be or not to be . . . need anything more be said?
Crime
and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
All
the tension of a whodunit enveloped in the moral labyrinth of a
why-did-he-do-it. More than anyone, Dostoevsky screams to us from
the rooftops of the dangers of a world “where everything is
permitted.”
War and
Peace – Leo Tolstoy
Most
people refuse to read this novel for its sheer bulk alone. Yet,
interestingly enough, many of those same people see nothing wrong
with reading several thousand pages of the Harry Potter series. If
length alone does not scare most readers off, the complexity of the
plot and the many characters who people it do. In today's age, where
all kinds of supplementary material can be found online with a few
pushes of some buttons, there is no excuse for anyone to avoid
Tolstoy's masterpiece.
Lost
Illusions – Honore de Balzac
Ever
know anyone who came from humble beginnings and wanted to make it big
in New York City or Hollywood? Were you ever one of those people
yourself? Perhaps you still are? Fascinated by American Idol?
Forget all that. Balzac delves into the lustful furnaces of human
ambition to discover what steel society is really tempered from.
Moby
Dick – Herman Melville
The
greatest metaphysical story ever composed, complete with
Shakespearean syntax and the towering figure of Captain Ahab, one of
the most compelling characters ever created.
The
Gulag Archipelago – Alexander Solzhenitsyn
In
order to create a utopia, one first needs a sewer system. A damning
document of communism and its inherent cruelty. A warning to all
future attempts at creating heaven on earth.
A
Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
The
ultimate redemption story. A timeless classic and, for Dickens,
refreshingly brief in its telling.
The
Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
Salinger
does such a masterful job capturing the narrative voice of Holden
Caulfield the reader cannot help but be swept away in the all the
angst and anger. I also tip my hat to the idea that Salinger
steadfastly refused to have anyone make a film adaptation of his
novel. Let's all hope Catcher never makes it to “a theater near
you.”
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for reading my novel and taking the time to write this review.