Saint Jack - Softcover

Theroux, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140041575 ISBN 13: 9780140041576

Publisher: Penguin, 1976

Synopsis

At one time, expatriate Jack Flowers was the youngest drinker at Singapore's Bandung Club. Now, at 53, he is a fixture. But he is beginning to fear death, alone and vulnerable in the alien tropics. And Jack still dreams of success. How can he convert his "perfect dream of magic" into reality, away from the seamy waterfront that has become his home? A funny and sophisticated novel from an acclaimed and popular writer.

About this title

Review:

"Paul Theroux is without peer as the merciless obituarist of colonialism. He knows his way matchlessly about the milieu where no-one was ever at home, while having forgotten any other home. Dunroamin, a whore-house that is the pride of Jack Flowers, the 'Saint Jack' of his latest novel, is its perfect expression. Theroux novels are neither apologia nor accusation; wit is his rare medium, and that lays both bare." --Nadine Gordimer, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

From the Back Cover:

"Theroux is without peer as the merciless obituarist of colonialism . . . [His] novels are neither apologia nor accusation; wit is his rare medium, and that lays both bare." Nadine Gordimer, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
Jack Flowers needed to shake things up when he jumped into the Strait of Malacca and hitched a ride to Singapore. Deftly identifying the fastest route to riches, Jack hires girls out to lonely tourists, sailors, and bachelors, and soon opens two pleasure palaces. But when a shocking tumble toward the brink of death leaves him shaken, Jack is once again desperate to pull himself up to greatness. He s quick to do business with Edwin Shuck, a powerful American working to take down an unsuspecting general. Told with Paul Theroux s trademark biting humor and audacious prose, Saint Jack is a gripping work from an award-winning author.
A witty, subtle, often moving self-portrait of a memorable rogue. "Observer "(UK)
Theroux s prose is rich, his perceptions so many-layered, he involves us in a world that extends well beyond the physical limits of his novel. "The Times" (UK)
Paul Theroux is the author of many highly acclaimed books. His novels include The Lower River and The Mosquito Coast, and his renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star and Dark Star Safari. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod.

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About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 1976
• ISBN 10: 0140041575
• ISBN 13: 9780140041576
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224