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About Schmidt
 
 

About Schmidt (Paperback)

by Louis Begley (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Serpent's Tail (13 Feb 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1852428430
  • ISBN-13: 978-1852428433
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 478,076 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Product Description
Albert Schmidt is a retired lawyer who misses his recently deceased wife, has an unhealthy diet, is a mild anti-Semite and owns a nice home in the Hamptons he feels compelled to offer to his daughter as a wedding present. Said daughter, Charlotte, is a yuppie in all the worst ways. She handles public relations for tobacco companies, doesn't want the house in the Hamptons, and is about to marry a buttoned-up Jewish lawyer. Schmidt, who had built a very lucrative career on his ability to be 'always demonstrably and impeccably right', begins to feel the first stirrings of self-doubt and, to his own astonishment, finds himself beginning an affair with a frank, exuberant waitress, a woman younger than his daughter. The conflict takes off from there in this finely told tale of retirement, inheritance, sex and death.

About the Author
Begley is a senior partner at Debevoise & Plimpton, a prestigious US law firm. Wartime Lies was the winner of the PEN Hemingway Award, The 1991 Irish Times Aer Lingus International Prize, and the Prix Medicis Etranger, France's most coveted prize for fiction in translation. It was a National Book Award, Los Angeles Times Book Award, and National Book Critics' Circle Award finalist. About Schmidt was likewise a National Book Critics' Circle Award and Los Angeles Times Book Award finalist. Begley has received the American Academy of Letters prize for literature.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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4 star:
 (3)
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Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read!, 9 Oct 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: About Schmidt: a Novel (Hardcover)
I read this novel when I became saturated with suspense thrillers and mysteries. I was pleasantly surprised. It almost came up to the standard of the review in the New Times Book Review which prompted me to read it.You will enjoy the prose once you get used to the writing style which uses no quotations - you must pay attention to wehther or not the characters are speaking or just thinking.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, but wrapped up too abruptly, 26 Oct 1998
By A Customer
Begley writes beautifully; his prose is seemingly effortless, although I'm sure it took many drafts to make it seem that way. Schmidt is a compelling protagonist, and his story is artfully told -- at least until the final fifty pages or so. The ending is far too abrupt, and the loose ends are tied up so neatly (and so much in Schmidt's favor) as to be unbelievable. It's not simply a compliment to Begley's writing style to say I wanted the book to go on longer; the story itself demanded to be longer. A more
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable read, 13 Jan 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: About Schmidt: a Novel (Hardcover)
If you are even thinking about reading this book, then just do it! Begley's fascinating style and subtle wit makes this book a joy to read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars I would not recommend this book. Very uninteresting
This book left me empty and unsatisfied. The writing style is not engaging nor is the basis of the story.
Published on 6 May 1997

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