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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN num: 9780375719202
ISBN number: 0375719202
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 272
Printing Date: July 08, 2003
Publishing house: Vintage
Release Date: July 08, 2003
Sale Popularity Level: 38995
Studio: Vintage
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A twentieth-century classic, Appointment in Samarra is the very first and most widely read book by the writer Fran Leibowitz called “the real F. Scott Fitzgerald.”
In December 1930, just before Christmas, the Gibbsville social circuit is electrified with parties and dances, where the music plays late into the night and the liquor flows freely. At the center of the social elite stand Julian and Caroline English—the envy of friends and strangers alike. But in one rash moment born inside a highball glass, Julian breaks with polite society and begins a rapid descent toward self-destruction. Appointment in Samarra brilliantly captures the personal politics and easy bitterness of small-town life. It is John O’Hara’s crowning achievement, and a lasting testament to the keen social intelligence of a major American novelist.
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Rated by buyers 
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"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Thoreau
Truly one of my favorite 20th century American classics, I haven't been able to get this one out of my mind since finishing it two weeks ago. The above referenced quote by the great Thoreau pretty much sums up the whole book in one sentence. The plight of the novel's main protagonist - Julian English - is in many ways symbolic of the quandaries that most of the kings and queen's of the American scene find themselves ensnared in when they blindly sell their souls at a discount.
The story of Julian English is definitely not a singular one. He is a young man who seemingly has it all - a sexy, submissive Stepford spouse, a relatively successful business, the perfect home in the perfect neighborhood, good looks and charm, etc... He and his wife Caroline are adored by the town's elite almost as much as they are discreetly envied. However, what happens to a man when he finally wakes up one day only to learn that his life is one great big lie? What happens to that well-respected-man-about-town when he decides to finally stop playing the game?
O'Hara takes a Norman Rockwell painting and absolutely obliterates it. His main protagonist's world, like many people who seem to be blessed with it all, is in all actuality a very fragile, insipid one. Julian is an American man whose tank finally runs out of gas. And this time, no amount of booze, sex and money is sufficient enough to keep the engine running.
This 1934 classic is one hec of a read. Although it's a tragic tale, O'Hara's prose is loaded with wit, symbolism, and some very realistic dialogue throughout, making the story a relatively easy one to absorb, while never treading into any preachy or syrupy waters. This is a realistic, sober short story brilliantly told by an author who as Ernest Hemingway (you can definitely see Papa Ernie's influence throughout) once wrote "If you want to read a book by a man who knows exactly what he is writing about and has written it marvelously well, read "Appointment in Samarra" by John O'Hara." And I definitely will second that notion!
Enjoy!
P.S. Don't miss out on the great introduction by John Updike as well!
Rated by buyers 
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This is my very first experience with an O'Hara book. It reminded me in some ways of The Rise of Silas Lapham, one of my favorites. Though it is set during the Depression, Appointment in Samarra is a fascinating look at the country club set of the Roaring Twenties. Just as the society of this imaginary Pennsylvania town had not yet realized the depth of the Depression, the characters have not yet realized their way of life is coming to an end. Part of its appeal to me included the details of club rules, sexual mores, lost love, and how the automobile represents, "you are what you drive." It is also a cautionary tale of self-destruction and rebellion. I believe it could apply to a nation as well as an individual.
Rated by buyers -
I liked this book better than "The Great Gatsby", which is supposed to be the greatest novel of this period. The character development was done with such ease. The language flowed. The story unfolded with simplicity and surprise after surprise. I got a feeling for this time period.
Rated by buyers -
Facing the unspeakable horrors of World War I and the crushing effects of the Great Depression, it is fully understandable why Modern Fiction rarely has a happy ending. However, the Modernists had a keen way of breaking down the human condition, the precarious nature of the relationships we forge, private failings and public shame, the social dichotomy of the rich and poor, and the artificial constraints placed on emotion by a society bred to deny the impulses that humanize us all. Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara is a classic example of how one seemingly small act, throwing a drink in someones face, can have outstanding consequences.
The novel is set in Gibbsville, a fictional Pennsylvania town in the cradle of coal country in the thralls of the Great Depression. Julian English is the son of a successful doctor and a member of the upper crust of the Gibbsville social scene. The novel is about his struggle to retain the life he has painstakingly created from the societal consequences of throwing a drink in the face of one of the most influential Gibbsville inhabitants, Harry Reilly. The strength of the novel lies in the author's ability to contrast Julian's downfall to his commentary on the society Julian cared so desperately about. The undercurrent of the criminal underworld runs throughout the novel serving as a another reminder of the inherently duplicitous nature of the complex social webs that fill Julian's life. The tragedy of the novel isn't the downfall itself but rather how the looming "hammer" of society, perceived or otherwise, forces his cataclysmic descent.
Ernest Hemingway said of the novel, "If you want to ready a book by a man who knows exactly what he is writing about and has written marvelously well, read Appointment in Samarra." That quote sums up the novel beautifully. The text moves quickly, deftly following many players and dodging the metaphysical potholes that often riddle Modern Fiction. O'Hara wants to tell a story and he doesn't let the themes he wishes to convey get bogged down in meandering paragraphs or confusing metaphorical explanations. Like Hemingway, O'Hara spent significant time as a journalist, and the short, succinct style of writing is reflected in the novel. He doesn't waste the readers time by unnecessarily inflating the story, which not only leads to a tighter monologue, but also strengthens the plot by exhibiting how rapid his downfall actually was.
Appointment in Samarra is a tremendous novel. Though many works of Modernism deal with the downfall of men, John O'Hara carves out his own niche in the pantheon of the great American authors of the early 20th century by creating a riveting story of the true value of the relationships we forge, and the ramifications of disrupting the delicate balance of the society we desperately cling to.
Rated by buyers -
I can't stop thinking about this story -- it's New Year's Eve 1929-30 and the Cadillac dealer knows what everyone else in town is in denial about -- they're all about to be ruined. So resonant for this year... who knows what the fallout will be? How prepared are you to face it? Great book. Read it and weep.
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