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Nightmare Alley William Lindsay Gresham

Nightmare Alley By William Lindsay Gresham

Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham


£6.30
New RRP £8.99
Condition - Very Good
<20 in stock

Nightmare Alley Summary

Nightmare Alley: Film Tie-in by William Lindsay Gresham

OUT NOW IN CINEMAS AND NOMINATED FOR FOUR OSCARS A cool, cruel, rediscovered classic of American noir adapted for cinemas by Guillermo del Toro, starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara 'Read and shudder. And relish' Guardian 'A creepy, all-too-harrowing masterpiece' Washington Post Stanton Carlisle, employed as a carny at a travelling circus watches their freak-show geek - an abject alcoholic, the object of the voyeuristic crowd's gleeful disgust and derision - and wonders how a man could fall so low. There's no way in hell, he vows, that anything like that will ever happen to him. Unlike the tragic figure he sees before him, Stan is young, clever and ambitious and quick to learn from the other carnival acts. Initially teaming up with a beautiful but vulnerable woman as part of a double act in which he mesmerises her, Stan soon leaves his circus days behind him, becoming a successful spiritualist who exploits the weak and the wealthy. But even the very best con-men can meet their match.... With a new introduction from James Smythe, Nightmare Alley is a forgotten classic of Depression-era America: a brilliant, horrifying, compulsive journey into the true darkness of the human mind.

Nightmare Alley Reviews

More than just a steamy noir classic. As a portrait of the human condition, Nightmare Alley is a creepy, all-too-harrowing masterpiece * Washington Post *
Along with The Grapes of Wrath and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, this is a great American Depression-era novel. Read and shudder. And relish * Guardian *
A brilliant and horrific book * The Times *
The 'nightmare' of the title rings true, for this delirious and unstoppable novel ... inverts the American dream ... Never was noir more autobiographical than here... Nightmare Alley remains a masterpiece * Los Angeles Times *

About William Lindsay Gresham

Nightmare Alley was American writer William Lindsay Gresham's first book, and was a bestseller, subsequently adapted into a film in 1947. The novel was in part inspired by conversations Gresham had with a former sideshow employee whom he befriended while volunteering during the Spanish Civil War. Gresham followed Nightmare Alley with one further piece of fiction, and three works of non-fiction, but was unable to replicate the success of his debut. Gresham married three times, and his second wife, the poet and novelist Joy Davidman later (on her death bed) became the wife of British author C.S. Lewis. An early adopter of Scientology, which he later denounced, Gresham overcame his alcoholism via Alcoholics Anonymous but struggled with his mental health. Facing a diagnosis of terminal cancer, he committed suicide in 1962. In his pocket were found business cards reading, 'No Address. No Phone. No Business. No Money. Retired.'

Additional information

GOR012122755
9781526640864
1526640864
Nightmare Alley: Film Tie-in by William Lindsay Gresham
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
20211209
400
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Nightmare Alley