- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Random House (Aug 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1400061164
- ISBN-13: 978-1400061167
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.7 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,097,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
An Evening of Long Goodbyes
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Vastly entertaining and outright hilarious, Paul Murray’s debut heralds the arrival of a major new Irish talent. His protagonist is endearing and wildly witty–part P. G. Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster, with a cantankerous dash of A Confederacy of Dunces’ Ignatius J. Reilly thrown in. With its rollicking plot and colorful characters, An Evening of Long Goodbyes is a delightful and erudite comedy of epic proportions.
Charles Hythloday observes the world from the comfortable confines of Amaurot, his family estate, and doesn’t much care for what he sees. He prefers the black-and-white sanctum of classic cinema–especially anything starring the beautiful Gene Tierney–to the roiling and rumbling of twenty-first-century Dublin. At twenty-four, Charles aims to resurrect the lost lifestyle of the aristocratic country gentleman–contemplative walks, an ever-replenished drink, and afternoons filled with canapés as prepared by the Bosnian housekeeper, Mrs. P.
But Charles’s cozy existence is about to face a serious shake-up. His sister, Bel, an aspiring actress and hopeless romantic, has brought to Amaurot her most recent–and to Charles’s mind, most ill-advised–boyfriend. Frank is hulking and round, and resembles nothing so much as a large dresser, probably a Swedish one. He bets on greyhounds and talks endlessly of brawls and pubs in an accent that brings tears to Charles’s eyes. And, most suspiciously, his entrance into the Hythlodays’ lives just happens to coincide with the disappearance of an ever-increasing number of household antiques and baubles.
Soon, Charles and Bel discover that missing heirlooms are the least of their worries; they are simply not as rich as they have always believed. With the family fortune teetering in the balance, Charles must do something he swore he would never do: get a job. Booted into the mean streets of Dublin, he is as unprepared for real life as Frank would be for a cotillion. And it turns out that real life is a tad unprepared for Charles, as well.
Charles Hythloday observes the world from the comfortable confines of Amaurot, his family estate, and doesn’t much care for what he sees. He prefers the black-and-white sanctum of classic cinema–especially anything starring the beautiful Gene Tierney–to the roiling and rumbling of twenty-first-century Dublin. At twenty-four, Charles aims to resurrect the lost lifestyle of the aristocratic country gentleman–contemplative walks, an ever-replenished drink, and afternoons filled with canapés as prepared by the Bosnian housekeeper, Mrs. P.
But Charles’s cozy existence is about to face a serious shake-up. His sister, Bel, an aspiring actress and hopeless romantic, has brought to Amaurot her most recent–and to Charles’s mind, most ill-advised–boyfriend. Frank is hulking and round, and resembles nothing so much as a large dresser, probably a Swedish one. He bets on greyhounds and talks endlessly of brawls and pubs in an accent that brings tears to Charles’s eyes. And, most suspiciously, his entrance into the Hythlodays’ lives just happens to coincide with the disappearance of an ever-increasing number of household antiques and baubles.
Soon, Charles and Bel discover that missing heirlooms are the least of their worries; they are simply not as rich as they have always believed. With the family fortune teetering in the balance, Charles must do something he swore he would never do: get a job. Booted into the mean streets of Dublin, he is as unprepared for real life as Frank would be for a cotillion. And it turns out that real life is a tad unprepared for Charles, as well.
About the Author
Paul Murray studied for an MA in Creative Writing at UEA and now lives in Dublin. AN EVENING OF LONG GOODBYES is his first novel.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
A black wind was blowing outside the bow window. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
A black wind was blowing outside the bow window. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An Evening of Long Goodbyes portrays Dublin from a highly unusual, witty and modern slant. In the rich suburbs of Killiney, in a grand old mansion, a brother and sister are leading very different lives. Their father dead, their mother in an institution suffering from her nerves, Charles and Bel are left to face the unknown. Charles sees himself as protector of the family name, whilst Bel tries desperately to pursue an acting career, all the while entertaining male companions of dubious repute (at least in her brother's eyes). And so Paul Murray lures us into the lives of these two very different characters. An Evening of Long Goodbyes is a very touching and witty story about two lost souls that struggle in the animal world that dominated the Celtic Tiger. By the end of the book I was sad to sever all contact with this world Paul Murray so wonderfully created. Dare I mention the greyhound races?!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Those of you who, like me, tend to avoid first novels because so many of them centre around rote and tired coming-of-age stories, should suspend your prejudices for this witty and unusual book. It avoids many of the pitfalls that first time novelists fall into - Murray concentrates on the writing first and foremost, while still delivering engaging and funny characters. It tells the story of Charles Hythloday, a wealthy layabout, his high-strung actress sister Bel, and their attempts to save their large crumbling family mansion from interference from the outside world. The writing is lyrical, witty, and often touching, with a stand-out dream sequence where Charles goes on holidays with WB Yeats. The only misgiving I had about this book was that in the early chapters, the characters often seemed to belong to different books - Charles is an entirely unrealistic creation, but other minor characters seem to be satires of various Dublin types. But this is only a small problem, and may not even bother some readers. As the book progresses, the comic tone becomes more assured, and the reader accepts the characters as they are presented. Very enjoyable and highly recommended.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am going to unabashedly rave about this book. I began reading it, lured in by the cover's blurb describing a character who wants to be left in peace but `life has other ideas'. As I was rather sad at the time, I too was feeling that I just wanted to be alone. To my surprise I found myself laughing so much that I was having to put down the book. It completely cheered me up.
As I continued, however, I found myself leaving its Wodehouse-ian outlook for a sharp satire on the downside of the new booming economy in Ireland which, without blotting the comic tone of the book, came as an eye-opener to this Londoner.
Finally I reached a destination so melancholy and elegiac that it stayed with me long after I had finished it.
It is a book with a mad plot and oddball characters which some people won't warm to, but don't be put off. The plot is deceptive. In truth it is as tight as a coiled spring. As for the eccentric characters, they all have a heart that beats and makes you want to stay with them.
Paul Murray has woven hilarity, wit, satire and heartbreaking beauty into a tale of extraordinary and abundant imagination.
As I continued, however, I found myself leaving its Wodehouse-ian outlook for a sharp satire on the downside of the new booming economy in Ireland which, without blotting the comic tone of the book, came as an eye-opener to this Londoner.
Finally I reached a destination so melancholy and elegiac that it stayed with me long after I had finished it.
It is a book with a mad plot and oddball characters which some people won't warm to, but don't be put off. The plot is deceptive. In truth it is as tight as a coiled spring. As for the eccentric characters, they all have a heart that beats and makes you want to stay with them.
Paul Murray has woven hilarity, wit, satire and heartbreaking beauty into a tale of extraordinary and abundant imagination.
I take my hat off to him.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fantastic characters
I really enjoyed this book but was sorry the ending was so
bleak. I could'nt take the ending at all. No, I really had to
skim read it! Read more
bleak. I could'nt take the ending at all. No, I really had to
skim read it! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Miss S. P. Wells
Bizarre, moving, hilarious!
Bizarre, moving, hilarious and engaging - I adored the mechanics and perplexing relationships of this novel, which holds a beautifully awkward mirror to the world under scrutiny. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Edward Rice
Atypic, thankfully!
I mostly agree with the other review, An evening of long goodbye is a fantastic read, and a real page turner. Paul Murray really has his way with words. Read more
Published 9 months ago by CN
This begs for a TV series adaptation!
Well I was to say the least wary of this novel after having thoroughly enjoyed Skippy Dies and rarely read the same author, 2 in a row. This was indeed a bit of surprise. Read more
Published 11 months ago by T. Jacobs
So, you liked "Skippy Dies"?
Sure, it was a bit long, but it was surprising and funny and touching and it zipped along - so should you buy Murray's earlier (first) book while you wait for something new? Read more
Published 12 months ago by John Lewis-Partnership
Modern classic
This book is a proper modern classic. I had laughed and I had (almost) cried. And I am keeping the book to lend to my friends.
Published 15 months ago by Victor Bourenkov
Joyce meets Bateman in a bar with Flann O Brien
The language of this book appears to have its roots in Joyce in Dubliners and O Brien in The Poor Mouth (where else do you see people referred to as "fellows"? Read more
Published 16 months ago by A. P. Walton
Happiness is a greyhound called...
Let's get allegorical. This terific novel is akin to settling down in a Dublin pub in the company of an aging shaggy-dog storyteller, fortified by the finest whisky - Scots malt,... Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2003
Heart-warming and humorous
Imagine, if you will, PG Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster crossed with Will from Nick Hornby's 'About a Boy', and you have conjured up Charles Hythloday, the main protagonist of Paul... Read more
Published on 18 July 2003
Paul Murray, take a bow...
I am going to unabashedly rave about this book. I began reading it, lured in by the cover's blurb describing a character who wants to be left in peace but `life has other ideas'. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2003
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