The bestselling author of "The Object of My Affection" and "True Enough" presents a compelling novel that explores one man's quest for the holy trinity of modern life: true love, good sex, and great real estate. This moving and humorous story unfolds in post-traumatic, morally ambiguous America, where the desire to do good often conflicts with the need for immediate gratification. William Collins, a real estate agent near Boston, struggles with his sales figures, distracted by compulsive ironing, housecleaning binges, and nightly online hookups. His challenges include collecting rent from his passive-aggressive tenant, Kumiko Rothberg, and navigating his feelings for his best friend, Edward, a flight attendant. Acknowledging his problematic habits, William believes that recognition alone suffices. When he seeks a role model for stability, he encounters Charlotte O'Malley and Samuel Thompson, a wealthy couple searching for the ideal city apartment. William notes them as a "happy couple" and hopes to learn from them, but his insights challenge his views on real estate, love, and desire. Their interactions may unravel both a budding friendship and a promising sale. With crackling dialogue and a stellar ensemble, this novel offers a smart, sophisticated, and hilariously insightful look at contemporary life.
Stephen Mccauley Pořadí knih (chronologicky)






True Enough
- 322 stránek
- 12 hodin čtení
New York writer Desmond Sullivan doesn't believe in marriage. His five happy years with his lover Russell haven't fundamentally challenged Desmond's conviction that, at best, true love is "an acute form of tolerance." He's sexually restless, and looking forward to his four-month teaching stint in Boston as an attempt to regain some of his own identity and try to complete the biography he's been writing. Jane Cody, a Boston public television producer, is similarly disenchanted with her marriage to a clumsy, kindly professor of English. Lately, Jane has been meeting her ex-husband Dale for drinks and coffee, although she's well aware that he's a jerk. With so much going wrong in her life, it strikes Jane that she and Desmond could collaborate on a series of documentaries, salvaging both of their foundering work lives.
The author of the much-loved novels The Object of My Affection and The Easy Way Out is back - with another endearingly disaffected hero, another disastrously dysfunctional family, and new territory: the battleground - and occasional common ground - of fathers and sons. Clyde Carmichael is a hyperobservant, under-achieving teacher at a posh adult ed center. Clyde spends too much time obsessing over Gordon, his ex, devouring biographies in search of a design for living ("It's satisfying to be reminded that the most eventful and interesting lives usually end tragically"), and dodging his family: his maddeningly insecure sister and irascible father, whose days might or might not be numbered. Clyde's on the verge of becoming as aimless as his handsome (and unswervingly straight) roommate, Marcus, a casualty of higher education whose going on the tenth year of his dissertation and his umpteenth doomed relationship. Enter Louise Morris. Clyde's old friend and Marcus's onetime lover is a peripatetic writer and single mother who shows up with Ben, her son, and a neurotic stray dog in tow. The looming question of Ben's paternity is just what's needed to turn up the heat and give full comic play to McCauley's anxious, affectionate, ongoing fascination with the ties that bind - and sometimes strangle - families and friends.
Aus der Traum
- 397 stránek
- 14 hodin čtení
Dirk van Gunsteren, 1953 geboren, übersetzte u. a. Jonathan Safran Foer, Colum McCann, Thomas Pynchon, Philip Roth, T. C. Boyle und Oliver Sacks. 2007 erhielt er den Heinrich Maria Ledig-Rowohlt-Preis.
The Object of My Affection
- 384 stránek
- 14 hodin čtení
George and Nina seem like the perfect couple. They share a cozy, cluttered Brooklyn apartment, a taste for impromptu tuna casserole dinners, and a devotion to ballroom dancing lessons at Arthur Murray. They love each other. There's only one hitch: George is gay. And when Nina announces she's pregnant, things get especially complicated. Howard-- Nina's overbearing boyfriend and the baby's father-- wants marriage. Nina wants independence. George will do anything for a little unqualified affection, but is he ready to become an unwed surrogate dad? A touching and hilarious novel about love, friendship, and the many ways of making a family.