Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
Netherland
by O'Neill, Joseph
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/Near Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0007269064
- ISBN 13
- 9780007269068
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
UK: Fourth Estate, 2008. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. A little bumped on the spine, no inscription, no tears, not price clipped
Synopsis
Netherland (2008) is a critically acclaimed novel by Joseph O'Neill. It concerns the life of a Dutchman living in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks who takes up cricket and starts playing at the Staten Island Cricket Club.
Reviews
On Sep 20 2013, CloggieDownunder said:
Netherland is the third novel by Irish-born author, Joseph O’Neill. Set mainly in post 9/11 New York, it is narrated by Hans van den Broek, a Dutch-born equities analyst living the Chelsea Hotel and working in for a large bank. When his English wife, Rachel takes his young son, Jake, and returns to England, Hans fills his empty weekends with the unlikely (in America) pastime of cricket. He makes the acquaintance of the charismatic Chuck Ramkissoon, a Jamaican of Pakistani extraction who has a finger in many pies, including Kosher sushi, real estate, the establishment of an International Cricket Arena, running a betting business and perhaps something darker, all the while with a wife and a mistress. There are lots of interesting and occasionally surprising tidbits in this novel: cricket in New York; cricket in Holland; preparation of cricket pitches; and New York’s non-white immigrant population. The concept of cricket as a civiliser is novel and the comment on America’s seeing (or lack thereof) of the world is perceptive. There is quite a lot of description of New York which is likely to appeal to people who have lived there. But I found the main character frustrating, emotionally deficient and therefore difficult to really like or care about. Even the departure of his wife and son seems insufficient impetus to stir him from his depressive mood and make him feel strongly enough to insist on leaving with her: he settles for no more than visiting every second weekend. When he returns to England, Hans seems to get his wife back by default: “ ‘He’s fucking someone else,’ Rachel said. ‘Good,’ I said, ‘that means I can fuck you.’ ‘OK, she said.’” There is certainly some lovely descriptive prose and imagery: “My family, the spine of my days, had crumbled. I was lost in invertebrate time” and “Huge trees grew nearby, and their leaves intercepted the sunlight very precisely, so that the shadows of their leaves seemed vital and creaturely as they stirred on the ground – an inkling of some supernature, to a sensibility open to such things.” But does this novel live up to the descriptions on the cover: “Mesmerising”, “Dazzling” and “A Brilliant Book” (Barack Obama)? This was an OK read, but nothing earth-shattering.
On Oct 6 2010, Ccqdesigns said:
I gave this book 50 pages to stop boring me, but it never did. The story was steeped in the minutia of each and every day of a man's life in New York City after his wife left him and moved back to London. He played Cricket on a team several days a week. And repeat..... I just don't have the patience to wait for something interesting to catch me.
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- The Book and Record Bar (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- BRB143
- Title
- Netherland
- Author
- O'Neill, Joseph
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 0007269064
- ISBN 13
- 9780007269068
- Publisher
- Fourth Estate
- Place of Publication
- UK
- Date Published
- 2008
- Bookseller catalogs
- Modern Fiction;
Terms of Sale
The Book and Record Bar
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
The Book and Record Bar
Biblio member since 2017
London
About The Book and Record Bar
We are a physical shop in South East London - West Norwood - right next to the train station. A huge selection of first editions is available to look at by dappointment in our basement, including some very rare items. We do not stock much in the way of Antiquarian books
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Price Clipped
- When a book is described as price-clipped, it indicates that the portion of the dust jacket flap that has the publisher's...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....