The Names and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more

Buy Used
Used - Very Good See details
Price: £1.87

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Start reading The Names on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

The Names (Picador Books) [Paperback]

Don DeLillo
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £5.60  
Hardcover --  
Paperback £6.89  
Paperback, 13 Mar 1987 --  
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Book Description

13 Mar 1987 Picador Books
Set against the backdrop of a lush and exotic Greece, The Names is considered the book which began to drive "sharply upward the size of his readership" (Los Angeles Times Book Review). Among the cast of DeLillo's bizarre yet fully realized characters in The Names are Kathryn, the narrator's estranged wife; their son, the six-year-old novelist; Owen, the scientist; and the neurotic narrator obsessed with his own neuroses. A thriller, a mystery, and still a moving examination of family, loss, and the amorphous and magical potential of language itself, The Names stands with any of DeLillo's more recent and highly acclaimed works.

"The Names not only accurately reflects a portion of our contemporary world but, more importantly, creates an original world of its own."--Chicago Sun-Times

"DeLillo sifts experience through simultaneous grids of science and poetry, analysis and clear sight, to make a high-wire prose that is voluptuously stark."--Village Voice Literary Supplement

"DeLillo verbally examines every state of consciousness from eroticism to tourism, from the idea of America as conceived by the rest of the world to the idea of the rest of the world as conceived by America, from mysticism to fanaticism."--New York Times
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Picador; New edition edition (13 Mar 1987)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0330297511
  • ISBN-13: 978-0330297516
  • Product Dimensions: 13 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 633,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Book Description

‘Compelling . . . strange and wonderful and frightening’ New Yorker DeLillo’s seventh novel is an exotic thriller. Set mostly in Greece, it concerns a mysterious ‘language cult’ seemingly behind a number of unexplained murders. Obsessed by news of this ritualistic violence, an American risk analyst is drawn to search for an explanation. We follow his progress on an obsessive journey that begins to take over his life and the lives of those closest to him. In addition to offering a series of precise character studies, The Names explores the intersection of language and culture, the perception of America from both inside and outside its borders, and the impact that narration has on the facts of a story. Meditative and probing, DeLillo wonders: how does one cope with the fact that the act of articulation is simultaneously capable of defining and circumscriptively restricting access to the self? ‘A serious and complicated novel which deserves praise . . . an outstandingly well-written and constructed book’ Guardian --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

Reading the fiction of Don DeLillo is an utterly original experience: powerful, prescient, perceptive. Writing in a prose that is both majestic and muscular, his unerringly accurate vision penetrates deep into the soul of America and consistently leaves readers with a fresh perspective on the world. Since the publication of his first novel, in 1971, he has been acknowledged across the globe as one of the greatest writers of his generation. DeLillo’s seventh is an exotic thriller. Set mostly in Greece, it concerns a mysterious ‘language cult’ seemingly behind a number of unexplained murders. Obsessed by news of this ritualistic violence, an American risk analyst is drawn to search for an explanation. We follow his progress on an obsessive journey that begins to take over his life and the lives of those closest to him. In addition to offering a series of precise character studies, The Names explores the intersection of language and culture, the perception of America from both inside and outside of its borders, and the impact that narration has on the facts of a story. Meditative and probing, DeLillo wonders: how does one cope with the fact that the act of articulation is simultaneously capable of defining and circumscriptively restricting access to the self? --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Customer Reviews

3 star
0
2 star
0
1 star
0
4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Names 18 May 2010
Format:Paperback
A stunning piece of writing. DeLillo takes on the weighty topics of language, culture, history and society and somehow comes up with a fascinating thriller. His dry, perfectly phrased sentences are surprisingly funny and a joy to read. Best living American author?
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
14 of 38 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
DeLillo is the patient archeologist, brushing away the dust to reveal a rich and intertextual narrative which explores the landscapes of history, philosophy, morality and religion. Yet in all this the author reserves the right not to judge his characters, but to observe and contextualise; the upshot being a thickening in the sauce of the stories mysteries and a deepening of focus away from plot, to character, subtext and setting. With the precision of a brain surgeon (where so many authors are gynecologists) DeLillo dissects the souls of his characters in all their complexity and absurdity. Like the ancient alphabets which the story deals with, DeLillo has carved a haunting mythology which will outlive us all. The Names is a historical lament for our time which will continue to be read in a far away future.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 15 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Why Can't Amazon Package Books More Carefully? 14 Sep 2010
Format:Paperback
Don DeLilo is a terrific author, and this is an intriguing and complex novel. However I am writing this review in order to complain about Amazon's service. This was one of three books I ordered in a batch from Amazon. They were poorly packaged and all were damaged in some way. This is the third time this has happened this year. I complained and got no response. Very poor delivery, very poor customer service. Is it beyond Amazon to adequately package books?
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback