BUtterfield 8 roman (urspr publ 1935; utgåvan 2010)

BUtterfield 8 is based on a true story. In this novel O’Hara tries to imagine what that young girl’s life might have been like. Gloria Wandrous is a party girl, familiar with the speakeasies and clubs of 1920s New York City. She falls in with a married man and spends one night at his apartment—after which she steals his wife’s fur coat. The theft leads to tragedy.

I liked the idea of the novel, but I thought it was confusing and illogical in several places; I agree with a previous reviewer who said that the relationship between Gloria and Weston Liggett didn’t seem believable. The relationship started too quickly and seemed less like a relationship and more like lust/physical attraction; I didn’t buy for a second that he was in love with her.

The tone of the novel feels very frenetic and sex-charged, probably due to the intensity of Gloria’s personality and the suddenness of her friendship with Liggett. I found that I really didn’t care for her too much; she was too self-absorbed and too attached to physical pleasure to be truly likeable. O’Hara also introduced some characters who seem to be completely superfluous to the whole point of the book. I also thought that the ending of the book was a let-down; the author builds his reader up for something much more interesting and all we get is… disappointment. The premise is good, though. ( )

והאיש הזה (אוהרה) חשב שהוא הולך לקבל פרס נובל...​ ( )

I liked the book but struggled in the early parts trying to keep track of who was who and what the connections between them were.....fascinating depiction of the culture of this social set in NY in the period.......the dialogue made it seem quite real. The story line however, left a little to be desired, especially with respect to seemingly casual acquaintances morphing immediately into major life-altering emotional situations with drastic life-changes occurring as a result....it was very hard to wrap my head around this notion of 'true love' between Gloria and Weston, (passion or infatuation, yes, true-love - no!) not because of their age difference necessarily (although that did not help) but because their brief initial interaction would never have led to such intense responses....maybe over time it could have been believable but not in this short time span.....I've got a ton more O'hara on the shelf, so we'll see how this stacks up to the others. Oh, and as is always the case, titles intrigue me.....any ideas as to why this one was chosen??? ( )

There are a number of "classics" sitting on my shelves to be read. This summer I picked up BUtterfield 8 and dove right in. I had almost no idea what to expect. I'd never seen the movie and hadn't really ever heard anything about the story. Reading the back cover gave a slight insight, but still left me wondering what to expect.

The book started out a little slow, but still very vivid. O'Hara writes with great description and passion and was able to make the scenes very alive and full. However, for the first few chapters, the book felt rather disjointed to me and I felt a little disoriented and confused. There were a ton of characters dropped in and I wasn't yet sure who was important and who was peripheral.

Looking back, I think the disorientation could be a deliberate stylistic choice. Our central characters are all caught up in a whirlwind of life's adventures filled with big hopes and dreams, but still just whipped around dizzyingly by real life interactions.

Pushing through the first few chapters, I found myself getting really attached to the characters. This is really a character driven novel and the characters are deep and engaging. It was a while before I even knew the name of the girl I was following around for the first few pages and I wasn't sure yet if I was supposed to be sympathetic to or disgusted by her situation, but I still felt compelled by her and wanted to know more. As Gloria Wandrous grew more and more alive and as I learned more of her back story and current situation, she began to feel truly real and I found myself sympathizing for her.

Many of the themes of the book dealt with Gloria's sexuality both in the present world and with the encounters of her youth. O'Hara isn't explicit/graphic with his sexual content, but I can see where even the allusions he presents could be controversial both then and now. Sexuality is often a taboo subject anyway. Add to that the molestation/rape of a young girl and the subject becomes all the more disputable.

O'Hara doesn't wholly portray Gloria as a victim, which would be a natural response. He does explore her psychology and reactions, but he also gives her an inner strength and drive. I really enjoyed the description of her conflicted moral judgments. She has a real desire to love and be loved, but she has a low sense of self worth because of her past that she feels she has to live up to.

In addition to the depth in Gloria's character, the book also expounds on the sexuality and behaviors of all the other characters.

Weston Ligget, the male love interest for Gloria, is a character with a lot of depth though it's harder to feel sympathetic towards him. I feel almost sorry for him in that he does seem like he genuinely wants to care for Gloria, but at the same time, I read his love as more of an infatuation based on the thrill of the chase and the excitement of the affair. He just sends off the creepy vibe through his pedophiliac/incestual behavior not to mention his infidelity and reckless abandon.

I really liked Eddie as Gloria's best friend. Part of me hoped that they would somehow get a romance going, but I knew early on that any chance of love between them was totally ill-fated.

I've spoken mostly about the characters and this really is a character driven novel. The characters are the life of the book. The plot itself felt a little thin. It was compelling only in the fact that I was attached to Gloria. The environment of New York and the speakeasies was meticulously created and felt very real and compelling. The dialog was fresh and real.

The themes and content, while somewhat controversial and dated to the ~20s/30s, were still strikingly relevant in our modern society. The 21st century club scene is obviously a little different than that of the speakeasies. The stresses and concerns of modern day 20-somethings and white-collar-30+s have become more technologically advanced, but the general worries are still very similar.

People want to be loved. They want to be accepted. They want to figure out who they are and how they fit into the world. They want to overcome the problems of their past and be able to take control of their future.

This novel has a lot of great themes to think on and wonderful characters to help open up the realities hiding under the pasted on smiles of society. I would have liked to have seen some better resolution or morale at the end of the story, but it still left something to think about. Probably my biggest complaint was the "200 pound gorilla in the room" that's alluded to on the back cover by telling us that O'Hara was inspired to write this book when he read a news article about an unknown girl found dead in the East River. With that in mind, I knew what was coming and new the book couldn't end well.

Still, I hoped for a little more enlightenment or for something more to come from the impending death. In that regard, the book left me somewhat disappointed...a bit of metafiction, placing me inside Gloria's own disappointment with the world.

Overall, it was a book worth reading. I enjoyed the reality of it, the depth of the characters and the interesting themes. The pacing was a bit slow and disjointed, especially early on, and the plot itself felt a bit contrived at moments. Still, I am glad I read it and will likely seek out more O'Hara to put on my shelf.

****
3.5 stars (out of 5) ( )

A bleak story of Gloria, something of an it-girl in depression era New York, who lives for nights out at speakeasy bars and picking up or being picked up by wealthy men. Following one such night she wakes to find herself alone in his family apartment and realises that he has torn her clothes and that she would be unable to decently leave wearing an evening dress anyway. She steals his daughters hat and his wifes mink coat and leaves, little realising that this casual act of theft will have repercussions for many in New York over the coming days and eventually lead to tragedy and further betrayal.

I did enjoy the story but think I will appreciate it more after a second reading. Cleverly told and with some shocking moments that reveal a lot about Gloria and those who surround her, some obvious and some misleading, it should have been a gripping story but I think I tried to read too much else at the same time and perhaps lost something in that. ( )