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Steps (Kosinski, Jerzy)
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Manufacturer: Grove Press
Author: Jerzy Kosinski
Publisher: Grove Press
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $13.00
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Grove Press
Author: Jerzy Kosinski
Publisher: Grove Press
Average Customer Rating:
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Steps (Kosinski, Jerzy) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780802135261
ISBN: 0802135269
Label: Grove Press
Manufacturer: Grove Press
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 160
Publication Date: 1997-08-07
Publisher: Grove Press
Studio: Grove Press
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780802135261
ISBN: 0802135269
Label: Grove Press
Manufacturer: Grove Press
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 160
Publication Date: 1997-08-07
Publisher: Grove Press
Studio: Grove Press
Editorial Review of Steps (Kosinski, Jerzy)
A portrayal of men and women both aroused and desensitized by an environment that disdains the individual and seeks control over the imagination.
Customer Reviews of Steps (Kosinski, Jerzy)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: JUST A BIT OVER THE TOP FOR MY TASTE.
Review: I am a Kosinski fan. I like his writing and enjoy reading his books. This one though, to be quite frank, was just a bit too much for me. Now don't take me wrong, I still feel the writing skills were present. This author can indeed write. I just could not for the life of me get into the subject matter. Rape, sexual degradation, beastiality and on and on and on! The author addresses some pretty horrible stuff with this one. It is like looking into the mind of one really sick puppy. Of course we all have our little sexual day dreams but I suppose mine simply are not the authors or anywhere near them. I am sure that some of mine are probably just as off beat, but I hope they are not quite as twisted, but hey, they are mine and I will deal with them. That being said, I still am giving it four stars as I do feel it is a good bit of writing..not the author's best, by far, but still quite good. I suppose this is one of those books that some will find fascinating, while other will simply not like. Thank goodness we have choices. I am glad this one is still in print as it should indeed be available for those who choose to read it.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: a dull recitation
Review: This unstructured novel filled with graphic violence and sex, for all its salacious material, does little to either titillate or instruct the reader with any moral or aesthetic lesson. Quite the opposite, Steps is wholly amoral. This would be fine, if the writing had some scintillating quality; if the characters were richly drawn; if the flow of the narrative was swift, effective, tense. But this novel has none of these things. It seems difficult to believe, based on Steps, the Kosinski was once the flavor of the month, and a National Book Award winner.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Admit it: you're filthy, too
Review: Riveting, gripping, amazing. If art is, in part, the dance between artist and audience, then Steps is art in its highest form. I found myself dancing & reacting in ways I wish I hadn't; found myself physically aroused by portions of the text that I found intellectually / psychologically repugnant. That's a neat trick, Kosinski.
In spare prose, the author takes his breathless reader (think of how your oxygen intake changed while watching 'Panic Room') on a "depraved" journey into the mind / experiences of his protagonist. The scenes that are depicted would be described by a good buddy of mind as "filthy" -- and that they are. Bestiality, rape, exploitation, and beyond. What I found most intriguing about this text, from a historical / sociological / anthropological perspective is that it was written decades ago. Far from the busy streets of NYC where the tranny hos walk amongst us, far from the prevalent teenage-flesh-peddling of 2005. The fact that humans are humans are humans are animals, in all of our glorious base desires and yes, just plain filth, was the most satisfying revelation of all.
It is an excellent piece of art, and I can't believe I let it sit untouched on my bookshelf for six years after picking it up from a used bookstore in New Haven. This is one book I won't be selling used on Amazon.com; it's staying in my collection for at least four decades. WOW.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Steps to disappointment
Review: A very adolescent work. Definitely not worth reading, despite the fact that Kosinsky had won an award for this book.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Excellent
Review: Although "Steps" defiantly lacks a narrative thread, it is a rich little book that provokes and amuses. Highly readable, it has a force and sharpness of focus to it that is undeniable. The terse, detached vignettes build what you might call a unifying vibe, if not an altogether cohesive story. This book is not for everyone, but it's an interesting study of the loose novel form and of writing in general.
Review Summary: JUST A BIT OVER THE TOP FOR MY TASTE.
Review: I am a Kosinski fan. I like his writing and enjoy reading his books. This one though, to be quite frank, was just a bit too much for me. Now don't take me wrong, I still feel the writing skills were present. This author can indeed write. I just could not for the life of me get into the subject matter. Rape, sexual degradation, beastiality and on and on and on! The author addresses some pretty horrible stuff with this one. It is like looking into the mind of one really sick puppy. Of course we all have our little sexual day dreams but I suppose mine simply are not the authors or anywhere near them. I am sure that some of mine are probably just as off beat, but I hope they are not quite as twisted, but hey, they are mine and I will deal with them. That being said, I still am giving it four stars as I do feel it is a good bit of writing..not the author's best, by far, but still quite good. I suppose this is one of those books that some will find fascinating, while other will simply not like. Thank goodness we have choices. I am glad this one is still in print as it should indeed be available for those who choose to read it.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: a dull recitation
Review: This unstructured novel filled with graphic violence and sex, for all its salacious material, does little to either titillate or instruct the reader with any moral or aesthetic lesson. Quite the opposite, Steps is wholly amoral. This would be fine, if the writing had some scintillating quality; if the characters were richly drawn; if the flow of the narrative was swift, effective, tense. But this novel has none of these things. It seems difficult to believe, based on Steps, the Kosinski was once the flavor of the month, and a National Book Award winner.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Admit it: you're filthy, too
Review: Riveting, gripping, amazing. If art is, in part, the dance between artist and audience, then Steps is art in its highest form. I found myself dancing & reacting in ways I wish I hadn't; found myself physically aroused by portions of the text that I found intellectually / psychologically repugnant. That's a neat trick, Kosinski.
In spare prose, the author takes his breathless reader (think of how your oxygen intake changed while watching 'Panic Room') on a "depraved" journey into the mind / experiences of his protagonist. The scenes that are depicted would be described by a good buddy of mind as "filthy" -- and that they are. Bestiality, rape, exploitation, and beyond. What I found most intriguing about this text, from a historical / sociological / anthropological perspective is that it was written decades ago. Far from the busy streets of NYC where the tranny hos walk amongst us, far from the prevalent teenage-flesh-peddling of 2005. The fact that humans are humans are humans are animals, in all of our glorious base desires and yes, just plain filth, was the most satisfying revelation of all.
It is an excellent piece of art, and I can't believe I let it sit untouched on my bookshelf for six years after picking it up from a used bookstore in New Haven. This is one book I won't be selling used on Amazon.com; it's staying in my collection for at least four decades. WOW.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Steps to disappointment
Review: A very adolescent work. Definitely not worth reading, despite the fact that Kosinsky had won an award for this book.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Excellent
Review: Although "Steps" defiantly lacks a narrative thread, it is a rich little book that provokes and amuses. Highly readable, it has a force and sharpness of focus to it that is undeniable. The terse, detached vignettes build what you might call a unifying vibe, if not an altogether cohesive story. This book is not for everyone, but it's an interesting study of the loose novel form and of writing in general.