An underground classic of the 1960s - an extraordinary novel of psycho-sexual entanglement. Post-war London, Louisa, a smartly dressed young woman in the midst of a divorce, meets a charismatic man in a pub, and within an hour has been sexually conquered by him on a garden bench. Thus begins her baffling but magnetic love affair with Richard Gordon. Gordon, a psychiatrist, keeps Louisa in his thrall with his almost omniscient ability to see through her, and she is equally gripped by the unexpected pleasure of complete submission, as they sink further and further into the depths - both psychologically and sexually. Templeton's prose exquisitely captures one of the most unusual and disturbing love stories ever written.
Gordon
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A fine alternative for those frustrated by the anodyne S&M relationship in Fifty Shades of Grey . . . not only an unsettling portrait of psycho-sexual entanglement but also an exquisite love story (Independent )
A haunting, powerfully fascinating work of bold, desolate honesty. Terrible, believeable, inexorable (New Statesman )
Remarkable and unusual, memorable and unsettling (Daily Telegraph )
Reading Gordon is a chilling experience. The power of the novel lies in its determination to present a relationship that still inhabits the realm of the taboo (Sunday Herald )
Fascinating, spellbinding (Candia McWilliam Evening Standard )
A compelling story which offers no easy conclusions and deserves a significant place in the history of women's writing (Observer ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
A haunting, powerfully fascinating work of bold, desolate honesty. Terrible, believeable, inexorable (New Statesman )
Remarkable and unusual, memorable and unsettling (Daily Telegraph )
Reading Gordon is a chilling experience. The power of the novel lies in its determination to present a relationship that still inhabits the realm of the taboo (Sunday Herald )
Fascinating, spellbinding (Candia McWilliam Evening Standard )
A compelling story which offers no easy conclusions and deserves a significant place in the history of women's writing (Observer ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
About the Author
Edith Templeton was born in Bohemia in 1916 and moved to England as a young woman. Her short stories, THE DARTS OF CUPID, to be published next year by Viking, caused a major stir when first published by the New Yorker over forty years ago because of their sexual explicitness. She has lived in India and Portugal, and now makes her home in Italy.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Edith Templeton was an accomplished writer, popular for her shorter fiction published in the New Yorker during the 1950s.
Gordon is a 'fictionalised' account of her first marriage to a psychiatrist who dominated her both psychologically and physically, and is revealing in its honesty about her inclination masochistically to submit to his desire. Not published until 1966, by the notorious publishing house, Olympia Press, the story is set in the post-Second World War London, and shares some of the sexual territory of 'The Story of O' which was published in 1954 by the similarly accomplished female writer, Anne Desclos, writing pseudonymously as Pauline Reage/Dominique Aury, and also published by Olympia.
If Fifty Shades of Grey has shown that Sado-masochism and Dominant-submissive dynamics are more common amongst the avowedly straight population than taboo has permitted us to discuss, then it is a pity that readers of that trilogy have not yet discovered Gordon. Where 50SoG fails to deliver any deeper insights into real 'BDSM' dynamics, and is appallingly badly written, Gordon (and The Story of O) both provide readers with challenges to their assumptions about the dynamics of human sexual relationships. Gordon is not written to titillate, but to document. This has not resulted in an 'unreadable' tale of horror (sadly, for some, The Story of O is too extreme, violent, graphic and explicit) and readers will find themselves engaged with an empathy towards a woman who willingly, despite her own force of personality, becomes enthralled by a powerful man.
This is not 'soft-porn', nor is it a romance. It should be compulsory (and compulsive) reading for anyone who has been exposed to Fifty Shades of Grey and sequels.
Gordon is a 'fictionalised' account of her first marriage to a psychiatrist who dominated her both psychologically and physically, and is revealing in its honesty about her inclination masochistically to submit to his desire. Not published until 1966, by the notorious publishing house, Olympia Press, the story is set in the post-Second World War London, and shares some of the sexual territory of 'The Story of O' which was published in 1954 by the similarly accomplished female writer, Anne Desclos, writing pseudonymously as Pauline Reage/Dominique Aury, and also published by Olympia.
If Fifty Shades of Grey has shown that Sado-masochism and Dominant-submissive dynamics are more common amongst the avowedly straight population than taboo has permitted us to discuss, then it is a pity that readers of that trilogy have not yet discovered Gordon. Where 50SoG fails to deliver any deeper insights into real 'BDSM' dynamics, and is appallingly badly written, Gordon (and The Story of O) both provide readers with challenges to their assumptions about the dynamics of human sexual relationships. Gordon is not written to titillate, but to document. This has not resulted in an 'unreadable' tale of horror (sadly, for some, The Story of O is too extreme, violent, graphic and explicit) and readers will find themselves engaged with an empathy towards a woman who willingly, despite her own force of personality, becomes enthralled by a powerful man.
This is not 'soft-porn', nor is it a romance. It should be compulsory (and compulsive) reading for anyone who has been exposed to Fifty Shades of Grey and sequels.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By J. Mellor
Format:Paperback
Gordon is an unsettling, post-war novel set in London. It is centred upon a young, upper-middle class woman, Louisa, and her relationship with Richard Gordon, an older man and a psychiatrist, who rapes her shortly after meeting her. The novel is not erotic but describes the emerging relationship in a cold and clinical way. I found much of the novel uncomfortable to read, especially as it becomes clear that Louisa and Gordon are two very complex and damaged people and because Louisa enjoys submitting to mental and physical cruelty. The important question, however, is this: is Louisa powerless or does she exert power, through her apparent weakness? In any case, I was happy to have finished the book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in psychoanalysis (perhaps the most interesting parts of the book are the discussions about Freudian psychoanalysis).
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By E. Bridges
Format:Hardcover
Having read a Guardian interview with Templeton, I was intrigued and eager to read the book. The opening to middle of the book was captivating as I was carried along with the desire to seek an explanation for the protagonists behaviour - a truly fascinating read. However, I felt let down my the somewhat abrupt and disappointing end. Overall, worthy read for its thought-provoking characters but I so wanted to know more and I'll ignore the end!
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