Puttering About in a Small Land

Philip K. Dick

Tor Books

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When Roger and Virginia Lindhal enroll their son Gregg in Mrs. Alt’s Los Padres Valley School in the mountains of Southern California, their marriage is already in deep trouble. Then the Lindhals meet Chic and Liz Bonner, whose two sons also board at Mrs. Alt’s school. The meeting is a catalyst for a complicated series of emotions and traumas, set against the backdrop of suburban Los Angeles in the early fifties. The buildup of emotional intensity and the finely observed characterizations are hallmarks of Philip K. Dick’s work.

This is a realistic novel filled with details of everyday life and skillfully told from three points of view. It is powerful, eloquent, and gripping.

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Praise for Puttering About in a Small Land

“Dick was…one of the genuine visionaries that North American fiction has produced in this century.”
—L.A. Weekly

“This work is radically different from the famous science fiction author’s past successes. It is a mood piece, a somber study of two young couples…a curious, oddly compelling book….Turning each page…the reader feels an odd suspense and a reluctance to abandon these four unpredictable but somehow endearing people.”
—Booklist on Puttering About in a Small Land

“Dick here writes plainly about life in California, the vagaries of love, and the struggle, sometimes spiritual, to survive.…These are real people Dick is writing about, the kind of morally complicated people you might find in any nearby store, and they each have their own dramas.”
—Rain Taxi on In Milton Lumky Territory

“[Dick] reworks the territory of soured domesticity (á la Richard Yates and John Updike) in a working-class milieu anticipating Raymond Carver. Decades later, his oeuvre (like Philip Roth’s) is lovingly enshrined in our national pantheon.”
—Los Angeles Times on Voices from the Street

Reviews from Goodreads

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melvinhiddenelder  rated it  
Jan 10, 2010
Another of Dick's great early novels! ...more
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Christine  rated it  
Apr 21, 2011
He is a Master of character portrayal!' he's a true master. ...more
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Jordi  rated it  
Oct 5, 2010
Buena novela de Philip K. Dick en la que, pese a no ser ciencia ficción, aparecen de nuevo los temas que preocupaban al autor. Recomendable, aunque hay mejores cosas que leer. ...more
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About the Author

Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick has had many movies based on his stories, including the classic, Blade Runner. The official website maintained by the Philip K. Dick Trust is www.philipkdick.com.

Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick

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Available Formats and Book Details

Puttering About in a Small Land
Philip K. Dick

Trade Paperback

Trade Paperback
Tom Doherty Associates
Tor Books
January 2011
Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780765328359
ISBN10: 0765328356
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 320 pages
$15.99
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Hardcover

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Hardcover
Tom Doherty Associates
Tor Books
December 2009
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780765316943
ISBN10: 0765316943
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 320 pages
$26.99

e-Book Agency

Learn more about this edition
e-Book Agency
Tom Doherty Associates
Tor Books
December 2009
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9781429963022
ISBN10: 1429963026
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 320 pages
$9.99
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