The Virgin Suicides
A Novel
Jeffrey Eugenides
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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$9.99
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
04/01/1993
ISBN: 9781429960441
249 PagesThis beautiful and sad first novel, recently adapted for a major motion picture, tells of a band of teenage sleuths who piece together the story of a twenty-year old family tragedy begun by the youngest daughter's spectacular demise by self-defenstration, which inaugurates "the year of the suicides."
ONE
On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide—it was Mary this time, and sleeping pills, like Therese—the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing exactly where the knife drawer was, and the gas oven,...
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Jeffrey Eugenides Talks with The New York Times
Sam Tanenhaus of the New York Times interviews the author in his hometown of Detroit about his novels.
Share ThisPraise for The Virgin Suicides
“A piercing first novel . . . lyrical and portentous.” —The New York Times
“Mr. Eugenides is blessed with the storyteller's most magical gift, the ability to transform the mundane into the extraordinary.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Arresting . . . uncannily evokes the wry voice of adolescence and a mixture of curiosity, lust, tenderness, morbidity, cynicism, and the naïveté surrounding these bizarre events.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Picador's new paperback edition of The Virgin Suicides bears a modest white sleeve with an evocative cover image of lackadaisical teenagers lounging in a field of grass. The understatement of the binding is complemented by the rest of the package: Short of breadth, with larger than average type, it resembles nothing so much as what children refer to as a 'chapter book.' This sparsity of presentation is entirely appropriate, reflecting the marred innocence of the Lisbon girls themselves. The Virgin Suicides is a precious item, a timeless document of the eternal pangs of youth, a work which deserves to be savored and treasured and shared.” —Michael Munro, PLAYBACK:stl
In the Press
Work in Progress » Blog Archive » How to Read a Novelist
Jeffrey Eugenides by John Freeman For the past fifteen years or so, whenever a novel has been published, John Freeman has been there to greet it. As a critic for over two hundred newspapers worldwide and onetime president of the NBCC, he's reviewed thousands of books and interviewed hundreds of authors. - FSG's Work in Progress
Work in Progress » Blog Archive » Editor & Author: Jonathan Galassi and Jeffrey Eugenides
One of the most anticipated new books around the FSG offices (and out in the real world, I daresay) is Jeffrey Eugenides' follow-up to Middlesex. - FSG's Work in Progress
Work in Progress » Blog Archive » Jeffrey Eugenides on the Marriage Plot
At BookExpo America, the annual conference for booksellers, librarians and publishers, novelist Jeffrey Eugenides previewed The Marriage Plot, his much anticipated follow-up to Middlesex. (Astute Work in Progress readers may remember his conversation with editor Jonathan Galassi from our debut issue. - FSG's Work in Progress
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