About this title: Using Dante's INERNO as a basis for constructing her plot, Naylor tells the story of Willie Mason, a poet, and his journey through Linden Hills, a town where he and fellow poet Lester Tilson go to find work during the holidays. Linden Hills is, essentially, run by Luther Nedeed, a fifth-generation mortician who admires traditional white affluence and has sacrificed his soul and his identity to achieve it.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780140088298ISBN:0140088296
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 320 p. Contemporary American Fiction. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780140088298ISBN:0140088296
Description: Acceptable. Overall below average used book. May have highlighting, underlining, notes, price sticker on cover, or be an ex-library book. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Ticknor & Fields
Date Published: 1985
ISBN-13:9780899193571ISBN:0899193579
Description: Acceptable in Acceptable jacket. Ex-library copy. Used hardcover with dust jacket. Both are in good condition with some signs of wear to the dust jacket. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Ticknor & Fields, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1985
ISBN-13:9780899193571ISBN:0899193579
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. -----Serving the NW Chicago suburbs and the World since 1975----- read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780140088298ISBN:0140088296
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Good to very good trade paperback-blue/green cover-pages darkening with age. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 320 p. Contemporary American Fiction. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Fair. Purchasing this item supports Pierce County libraries. Thriftbooks and PCL have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780140088298ISBN:0140088296
Description: Acceptable. MAY HAVE COVER WEAR, SPINE CREASES, HIGHLIGHTING, UNDERLINING & PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE. FASTER SERVICE FROM US! ! ! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
"probably a very good book but I had trouble following it as the author used the characters' names and nicknames interchangably. It was a bit hard to keep track for me. I didnt finish it but I would probably recommend it."
"The reason i love this book (besides the fact it is written by my favorite author) is that it provides a class, gender, race dialogue to dante's inferno in a way that easier to understand than the classic novel. The parallels between Dante's spiral into hell and the books exploration into Linden Hills are at the forefront of the novel. It gives you a perspective into the mind of how African American thought mixes with the so-called traditional literary canons."
"A funny, imaginative portrait and scathing indictment of the rules that regulate a particular slice of society, the African American upper class. Behind the walls of pristine mansions, racism, classism, homophobia and sexism collide and eat away at the inhabitants. This story is useful for thinking about what liberation is and what it isn't. I wonder how much the White House, Obama's house, looks like the interiors of Linden Hills, if you peek behind the curtain."
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