An Evening of Long Goodbyes: A Novel

ISBN: 0812970403

Author: Murray, Paul

Condition: New

Vastly entertaining and outright hilarious, Paul Murrays debut heralds the arrival of a major new Irish talent. His protagonist is endearing and wildly witty-part P. G. Wodehouses Bertie Wooster, with a cantankerous dash of A Confederacy of Dunces Ignatius J. Reilly thrown in. With its rollicking plot and colorful characters, An Evening of Long Goodbyes is a delightful and erudite comedy of epic proportions.Charles Hythloday observes the world from the comfortable confines of Amaurot, his family estate, and doesnt much care for what he sees. He prefers the black-and-white sanctum of classic cinema-especially anything starring the beautiful Gene Tierney-to the roiling and rumbling of twenty-first-century Dublin. At twenty-four, Charles aims to resurrect the lost lifestyle of the aristocratic country gentleman-contemplative walks, an ever-replenished drink, and afternoons filled with canapés as prepared by the Bosnian housekeeper, Mrs. P.But Charless cozy existence is about to face a serious shake-up. His sister, Bel, an aspiring actress and hopeless romantic, has brought to Amaurot her most recent-and to Charless mind, most ill-advised-boyfriend. Frank is hulking and round, and resembles nothing so much as a large dresser, probably a Swedish one. He bets on greyhounds and talks endlessly of brawls and pubs in an accent that brings tears to Charless eyes. And, most suspiciously, his entrance into the Hythlodays lives just happens to coincide with the disappearance of an ever-increasing number of household antiques and baubles.Soon, Charles and Bel discover that missing heirlooms are the least of their worries; they are simply not as rich as they have always believed. With the family fortune teetering in the balance, Charles must do something he swore he would never do: get a job. Booted into the mean streets of Dublin, he is as unprepared for real life as Frank would be for a cotillion. And it turns out that real life is a tad unprepared for Charles, as well.