Lord of misrule book washington county cooperative. Jaimy gordons lord of misrule, dark horse winner the. A brilliant novel that captures the dusty, dark, and beautiful wor. Gordon teaches at western michigan university in kalamazoo and in the prague summer program for. Nope, this is is a book that concentrates on the people the grotesques and misfits of the twobit life of the dregs of the racing world. Jaimy gordons lord of misrule is the novel that almost wasnt. Lord of misrule by jaimy gordon, and the debate over the national. Lord of misrule jaimy gordon, 2010 knopf doubleday 304 pp. Lord of misrule is hardly gordon s debut novel shes been writing and publishing since 1973, remaining relatively obscure compared to her current awardwinning success, but its surprise victory in 2010 uncannily mirrors the novels. But his plans go awry when everyone at the indian mound downs track seems to be on to his shenanigans. Lord of misrule vintage contemporaries by gordon, jaimy and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Jaimy gordon books list of books by author jaimy gordon. The book is divided into four sections, each concerned with one of four horse races at a down on the luck.
But this novel is so assured, exotic and uncategorizable, with such an unlikely provenance, that it arrives as an incontrovertible winner, a bona fide bolt from the bluems. She is also the author of a novella, circumspections from an equestrian statue, and the fantasy classic novel shamp of the citysolo. Jaimy gordon blends these ingredients into a moving contemplation of striving, dreaming, and the human condition. As an equestrian, i am drawn to books about horses. And we have not considered the horses who like the humans have seen better days. Lord of misrule lord of misrule audiobook, by jaimy gordon. This story is both humorous and serious, and is filled with unique, lively characters both of the human and equine varieties.
Lord of misrule book chicago public library bibliocommons. Lord of misrule by jaimy gordon, and the debate over the national book award. Lord of misrule book hennepin county library bibliocommons. Jaimy gordon s novel lord of misrule, which won the national book award for fiction last month, was such a long shot that even ms. Lord of misrule by jaimy gordon and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Lord of misrule by gordon, jaimy 2012 paperback on. When jaimy gordon won the national book award for fiction last month, she prompted a profligate outburst of metaphors about dark horses. It is nearly impossible not to be drawn into horseracing cliches when describing jaimy gordons novel lord of.
Buy lord of misrule by jaimy gordon from amazons fiction books store. Complete summary of jaimy gordon s lord of misrule. At the rockbottom end of the sport of kings sits the ruthless and often violent world of cheap horse racing, where trainers and jockeys, grooms and hotwalkers, loan sharks and touts all struggle to take an edge, or prove their luck, or just survive. Gordon structures the narrative around the four horses, the last best hope being lord of misrule, and she seamlessly moves the reader from one narrative consciousness to another without being manipulative or intrusive. With her first novel since her acclaimed bogeywoman 1999, jaimy gordon bears comparison to other great writers of the american demimonde, such. Jaimy gordon, the new york times bestselling author and national book award winner for lord of misrule will appear for the paperback release of her book author.
Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. In the early 1970s, horse trainer tommy hansel cooks up a crafty getrichquick scheme. Lord of misrule by gordon jaimy signed and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Equal parts nathanael west, damon runyon and eudora welty, lord of misrule follows five characters. Jaimy gordon blends these ingredients into a moving contemplation of striving, dreaming, and.
The book is divided into four sections, each concerned with one of four horse races at a down on the luck racetrack. I eagerly read lord of misrule, and while the track and horse racing passages and the characters were accurate and very well written, i found the plot to be somewhat melodramatic. This book is about ursie, the bogeywoman, who is committed for cutting herself following a botched attempt to express her feelings for another girl. At the rockbottom end of the sport of kings sits the ruthless and often violent world of cheap horse racing, where trainers and jockeys, grooms and hotwalkers, loan sharks and touts are all struggling to take an edge, or prove their luck, or just survive. In contrast is the hearts of horses by molly gloss. Dec 02, 2010 when jaimy gordon won the national book award for fiction last month, she prompted a profligate outburst of metaphors about dark horses. Gordon s short story, a nights work, which shares a number of. Lord of misrule has 6 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. After all, her winning book, lord of misrule, is set. Lord of misrule national book award by gordon, jaimy and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Lord of misrule winner, national book awards 2010 for fiction.
See all books authored by jaimy gordon, including lord of misrule, and bogeywoman, and more on. Lord of misrule is a darkly realistic novel about a young woman living through a year of horse racing while everyones best laid plans go brutally wrong. In the novel the lord of misrule by jaimy gordon, maggie realized the racetrack life was more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Lord of misrule is her fourth novel, and was awarded the national book award for fiction 2010.
Shamp of the citysolo treacle press, 1974 the rose of the west woodbine press, 1976 the bend, the lip, the kid sun press, 1978 private t. In the early 1970s, trainer tommy hansel attempts a horse racing scam at a small, backwoods track in west virginia, but nothing goes according to his plan when the horses refuse to cooperate and nearly everyone at the track seems to know his scheme. Equal parts nathanael west, damon runyon and eudora welty, lord of misrule follows. Lord of misrule book by jaimy gordon half price books. A brilliantnovel that captures the dusty, dark, and beautiful world of smalltime horse racing. Gordon has been a fellow of the fine arts work center in provincetown. Jaimy gordon is the author of three previous novels, shamp of the citysolo, she drove without stopping, and most lately. Nina shengold talks with bruce mcpherson, who recently published jaimy gordon s national book awardwinning lord of misrule. Jan 24, 2011 we are thrilled to be hosting jaimy gordon for a reading just months after her novel, lord of misrule, won the national book award for fiction. Kingstons publisher bruce mcpherson brings home literary. Jaimy gordons lord of misrule, a national book award winner.
With her first novel since her acclaimed bogeywoman 1999, jaimy gordon bears comparison to other great writers of the american. When this intriguing novel won the prestigious national book award in november, it occasioned a slew of comments having to do. Jaimy gordons lord of misrule, dark horse winner the new. Maggie is collegeeducated but is drawn to the seamy underbelly of the track and the brokendown beauty of the horses. Lord of misrule by jaimy gordon, 9780307946737, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. It received the national book award for fiction in 2010. Mar 28, 2011 gordon s short story, a nights work, which shares a number of characters with lord of misrule, appeared in best american short stories 1995.
Jaimy gordon, author of lord of misrule green apple books. Her writing style is difficult and characters, while interesting and eccentric, are a little too much. Jaimy gordons engrossing lord of misrule is a national book award winner. She is the author of a novella, circumspections from an equestrian statue, and the fantasy classic novel shamp of the citysolo. In england, the lord of misrule known in scotland as the abbot of unreason and in france as the prince des sots was an officer appointed by lot during christmastide to preside over the feast of fools.
Lord of misrule is a darkly realistic novel about a young woman living through a year of horse racing at a halfmile track in west virginia, while everyones best laid schemes keep going brutally wrong. Jaimy gordons novel lord of misrule, which won the national book award for fiction last month, was such a long shot that even ms. Jaimy gordon s most popular book is lord of misrule. Lord of misrule lord of misrule by gordon, jaimy authorpaperback on mar 08 2011 by jaimygordon and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The surprise winner of the 2010 us national book award, jaimy gordon s horseracing novel is big on character and narrative finesse. The lord of misrule was generally a peasant or subdeacon appointed to be in charge of christmas revelries, which often included. Nov 18, 2010 jaimy gordons victory last night at the national book awards was a classic underdog moment, about a littleknown writer with a littleseen book who overcame long odds to capture the prize and, at least for one night, revel in the glory or swoon out of disbelief.
Then theres the author herself, a dark horse national book award nominee if ever there was one. Lord of misrule vintage contemporaries series by jaimy gordon. She teaches at western michigan university in kalamazoo and in the prague summer program for writers, and received an academyinstitute award for her fiction from the american academy of arts and letters. Oddly, the horses in jaimy gordons novel dont really play such major roles as they did in those childrens books. We are thrilled to be hosting jaimy gordon for a reading just months after her novel, lord of misrule, won the national book award for fiction. Buy lord of misrule first printing by jaimy gordon isbn.
Jaimy gordon is the winner of the national book award for her novel lord of misrule. Gordons short story, a nights work, which shares a number of characters with lord of misrule, appeared in best american short stories 1995. With her first novel since her acclaimed bogeywoman, jaimy gordon bears comparison to other great writers of the american demimonde, such as nathanael west, damon runyon, and eudora welty. Jaimy gordon is the national book awardwinning author of lord of misrule. Jaimy gordon, gordon, author courtesy photowestern michigan. Discover book depositorys huge selection of jaimy gordon books online. Her second novel, she drove without stopping, brought her an academyinstitute award for her fiction from the american academy of arts and letters. With her first novel since her acclaimed bogeywoman 1999, jaimy gordon bears comparison to other great writers of the american demimonde, such as. Bookbrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world. Lord of misrule book charlotte mecklenburg library. It features a fascinating array of downatheel hopefuls who try. Jaimy gordon has 12 books on goodreads with 8706 ratings. Buy a cheap copy of lord of misrule book by jaimy gordon.
Jaimy gordon discusses lord of misrule rainy day books. So it was a shock when lord of misrule, a new novel set at a bottomlevel west virginia racetrack in the early 1970s, was named one of the five finalists for the national book award for fiction, a prize that has been won by literary giants such as william faulkner, john updike and saul bellow. National book award, fiction, 2010 at the rockbottom end of the sport of kings sits the ruthless and often violent world of cheap horse racing, where trainers and jockeys, grooms and hotwalkers, loan sharks and touts are all struggling to take an edge. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Gordon s short story, a nights work, which shares a number of characters with lord of misrule, appeared in best american short stories 1995.