Overview

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. New Directions is excited to reissue the Gardner classics, beginning with October Light, a complex relationship rendered in a down-to-earth narrative.

October Light is one of John Gardner's masterworks. The penniless widow of a once-wealthy dentist, Sally Abbot now lives in the Vermont farmhouse of her older brother, 72-year-old James Page. Polar opposites in nearly every way, their clash of values turns a bitter corner when the exacting and resolute James takes a shotgun to his sister's color television set. After he locks Sally up in her room with the trashy "blockbuster" novel that has consumed her (and only apples to eat), the novel-within-the-novel becomes an echo chamber providing glimpses into the history of the family that spawned these bizarre, sad, and stubborn people. Gardner uses the turbulent siblings as a stepping-off point from which he expands upon the lives of their extended families, and the rural community that surrounds them. He also engages larger issues of how liberals and conservatives define themselves, and considers those moments when life transcends all their arguments.

ISBN-13

9780811216371

ISBN-10

0811216373

Weight

0.86 Pounds

Dimensions

5.20 x 1.10 x 8.00 In

List Price

$14.95

Format

Paperback

Language

English

Pages

440 pages

Publisher

New Directions

Published On

2005-10-17



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Used, Very Good
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More Than Words
★★★★★

Waltham, MA, USA

A bright, square, and overall a nice copy.
$7.25

 Free delivery by: 02 Apr 2026

Used, Good
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BayStateBooks
★★★★☆

North Smithfield, RI, USA

The book is in good condition with all pages and cover intact including the dust jacket if origina...
$11.44

 Free delivery by: 02 Apr 2026

Used, Good
Seller details
Bonita
★★★★☆

Santa Clarita, CA, USA

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
$39.80

 Free delivery by: 02 Apr 2026

Brand New
Seller details
GridFreed
★★★★★

San Diego, CA, USA

Size: 8x5x1; In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title!
$84.58

 Free delivery by: 02 Apr 2026


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