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An American Dream

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About this listen

In this wild battering ram of a novel, which was originally published to vast controversy in 1965, Norman Mailer creates a character who might be a fictional precursor of the philosopher-killer he would later profile in The Executioner's Song. As Stephen Rojack, a decorated war hero and former congressman who murders his wife in a fashionable New York City high-rise, runs amok through the city in which he was once a privileged citizen, Mailer peels away the layers of our social norms to reveal a world of pure appetite and relentless cruelty. One part Nietzsche, one part de Sade, and one part Charlie Parker, An American Dream grabs the reader by the throat and refuses to let go.

©1965 Norman Mailer (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Fiction
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fantastic accomplished writing. loved this book. interesting story so glad I read this marvellous book

Fantastic writing. trippy surreal story. loved it.

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I appreciated the writing and the narration, but the story was just too violent for me and it felt like a product of its time. Pretty offensive in places, and I had to listen in very short bursts. Interesting but hard going and ultimately felt a bit pointless.

Brilliant writer, tough storyline

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