Ed is away this week. We will all miss his contribution.Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Judith Rossner
This was a shocking book when I read it in 1975. It was a best seller then and it would probably be one today. We are still shocked by
women who need to take chances, who seek out danger-- for this is a story of a woman's search for the degradation she feels she deserves.Mr. Goodbar" is based loosely on the actual case of a Roseann Quinn, a quite, rigidly brought-up, Catholic schoolteacher, who was wholly unremarkable except that she sought out her sexual partners in New York singles bars. The last of them bashed in her skull on New Year's Day, 1973.
Roseann Quinn becomes Theresa Dunn in the novel and we follow her from her dreadful childhood into adult life. Her fate is one we can hardly bear to watch yet can't tear our eyes from. She is intelligent, attractive but she still must throw herself at the most disreputable men she attracts in the seediest bar.
It was one of Dianne Keaton's most effective movies a few years later. This is about as noir as it gets. Terrific writing, a compelling plot.
Here are some more suggestions.
Sergio Angelini
Yvette Banek
Brian Busby
Bill Crider
Martin Edwards
Kurt Evans
Jerry House
Nick Jones
George Kelley
Margot Kinberg
B.V. Lawson
Evan Lewis
Steve Lewis
Todd Mason
Neer
J.F. Norris
James Reasoner
Gerard Saylor
Ron Scheer
Michael Slind
Kerrie Smith
Kevin Tipple
Prashant Trikannad
0 comments:
Post a Comment