Product Description

The stories collected in ORIGINAL BLISS are concerned, appropriately, with the complexities of sex and the lack of it. In the long novella that gives the book its title, Helen Brindle thinks she has lost God- but it is simply love that she's missing. She can't find it at home, with the violent, deadly Mr Brindle; but will she find it in Stuttgart when she meets the enigmatic Edward E. Gluck, with his Process and his paraphernalla? And what happens when her father confessor starts to confess? A beautiful and terrifying examination of passion and pornography, of the aching need for completion and healing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56411 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
"A writer rich in the humanity and warmth that seems at a premium in these bleak times."
--Salman Rushdie
"Kennedy has now proved that she is one of the few young writers to have found a distinctive voice, one that we could recognize even from a couple of sentences; and that in itself is already a considerable achievement."
--Jonathan Coe
"The young Scottish writer A. L. Kennedy has said she admires Raymond Carver for his sense of limitation, for his dealing with small precise human situations for themselves. Her own work has these virtues."
--A. S. Byatt
"Mesmerizes with its musicality and startles with the frankness of its sexual detail . . . The narrative is relentless . . . Manages to address its characters' deep pathos brazenly, and without apology."
--Publishers Weekly
"Beautiful, rare, and touching: Kennedy handles extremely volatile material with the greatest care . . . A small gem."
--Kirkus Reviews

"From the Hardcover edition."

From the Publisher
'A writer of linguistic brilliance, balm-bearing humanity and blissful originality' Scotsman

About the Author
A. L. Kennedy has published four novels, two books of non-fiction, and three collections of stories, most recently Indelible Acts in 2002. She lives in Glasgow.

Customer Reviews

A remarkable novel
In 'Original Bliss', A.L. Kennedy skilfully tells the story of how a loving relationship develops, and ultimately saves, two damaged people: an abused housewife who has lost touch with her spirituality, and an expert in cybernetics addicted to violent pornography. Hardly the most attractive of topics, one might think! However, don't let the subject matter deter you from experiencing this truly remarkable novel.

The story is superbly told, generating both understanding and sympathy for the central characters. It is beautifully conveyed, absorbing, and powerful, leaving no doubt that Ms Kennedy has a wonderful gift for prose. If you appreciate talent, you will appreciate 'Original Bliss'.

A remarkable novel
In 'Original Bliss', A.L. Kennedy skillfully tells the story of how a loving relationship develops, and ultimately saves, two damaged people: an abused housewife who has lost touch with her spirituality, and an expert in cybernetics addicted to violent pornography. Hardly the most attractive of topics, one might think! However, don't let the subject matter deter you from experiencing this truely remarkable novel.

The story is superbly told, generating both understanding and sympathy for the the central characters. It is beautifully conveyed, absorbing, and powerful, leaving no doubt that Ms Kennedy has a wonderful gift for prose. If you appreciate talent, you will appreciate 'Original Bliss'.