Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Villages
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book

Villages (Hardcover)

by John Updike (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


19 used from £0.48
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover £17.99 £17.99 15 used & new from £2.39
Paperback £7.99 £5.99 55 used & new from £0.01

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Marry Me (Penguin Modern Classics)

Marry Me (Penguin Modern Classics)

by John Updike
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £6.48
Couples (Penguin Modern Classics)

Couples (Penguin Modern Classics)

by John Updike
3.6 out of 5 stars (7)  £5.99
The Women Who Got Away (Penguin Great Loves)

The Women Who Got Away (Penguin Great Loves)

by John Updike
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £3.73
Terrorist

Terrorist

by John Updike
3.2 out of 5 stars (24)  £4.99
Roger's Version (Penguin Classics)

Roger's Version (Penguin Classics)

by John Updike
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £6.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group (Oct 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1400042909
  • ISBN-13: 978-1400042906
  • Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 14 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 271,820 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #38 in  Books > Fiction > 20th Century Classics > Updike, John

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
john updike
updike

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Villages
66% buy the item featured on this page:
Villages 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
Marry Me (Penguin Modern Classics)
11% buy
Marry Me (Penguin Modern Classics) 5.0 out of 5 stars (3)
£6.48
Couples (Penguin Modern Classics)
11% buy
Couples (Penguin Modern Classics) 3.6 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.99
The Witches of Eastwick (Penguin Modern Classics)
7% buy
The Witches of Eastwick (Penguin Modern Classics) 4.5 out of 5 stars (2)
£6.48
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Villages, 6 April 2006
By Demob Happy "jamesewan" (London / Grenoble) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Villages (Paperback)
John Updike's 'Villages' savages US suburban life with its depiction of computer programmer Owen Mackenzie, the neighbourhood cuckold whose entire life seems to drift by in a succession of extra-marital affairs. As you would expect from Updike, this book is brimming with insights about middle-class America, told with the knowing wink and tongue-in-cheek of an author of extraordinary powers. Like Updike's protagonist Owen Wilson, this book is something of a cold fish. Rarely are we afforded the opportunity to glimpse beyond the author's enormous appetite for cynicism, his sharply-drawn characters as they are so harshly debased to cultural mores. Owen makes for a tangible but depressingly shallow protagonist, with little sense of loyalty or compassion. It is not immediately obvious why women are so attracted to him or often what attracts him to them, but it is a credible portrayal of someone that is ultimately unfulfilled by his suburban existence but is only able to articulate it through pursuit of his extra-marital affairs. It all makes for a rather damning portrait of 1960s and 70s America that sits quite comfortably with Updike's more compassionate Rabbit series. The world of 'Middle Falls' (i.e., Anytown, USA) - like Owen's aloof wife Phyllis, and the arcane world of computer programming - is depicted as emotionally impenetratable. This seems a deliberate attempt by the author to evoke a sense of detachment and superficiality - but it doesn't make for the most enjoyable read. Nevertheless, Updike still has the power to startle with the wit and veracity of his language, like the analogy he makes for Owen returning guiltily to his family home after a secret tryst, feeling 'the gaze of its windows as reproachful, like that of a forsaken pet'.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story, 6 April 2005
By Sancho Mahle (Charlotte, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Villages (Hardcover)
Villages is the first John Updike book I have read so I can't compare it to his other titles. However, I loved it. John Updike is a great storyteller I shall start taking seriously. The story was a well constructed . I especially liked the Character development and like Owen, the main character the most. Like all stories set in a society in transition, innocence, ignorance, enlightenment, courage, evil, sex and goodness are all interwoven to make situations so exciting,. John Updike captured all of those in this novel. A highly recommended read.

Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, GILEAD, THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4.0 out of 5 stars A good yarn, 20 Sep 2009
By G. D. Busby "Cornish Graham" (Cornwall) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Villages (Paperback)
More than thirty years after first reading John Updike, I have come back to his work and can now see why he is 'rated' although I don't believe this novel is particularly literary. Not sure which came first of these but I felt there were similarities in background with Vonnegut's Bluebeard and Irving's Widow for a Year but then that could be my imagination.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
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
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject











i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.