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Joyce Carol Oates
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Patricide: A Novella (Kindle Single) Kindle Edition

by Joyce C Oates (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 97 ratings
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I am sixteen when my mother steps out of her skin one frozen January afternoon—pure self, atoms twinkling like microscopic diamond chips around her perhaps the chiming of a clock, or a few bright flute notes in the distance—and disappears. No one sees her leave, but she is gone. Laura Kasischke's first novel. Suspicious River. was hailed by the critics as "extremely powerful" (The Los Angeles Times), "amazing" (The Boston Globe), and "a novel of depth, beauty, and insight" (The Seattle Times). Now Kasischke follows up her auspicious debut with a spellbinding and erotic tale of marriage, secrets, and self-deception. When Katrina Connors' mother walks out on her family one frigid January day, Kat is surprised but not shocked; the whole year she has been "becoming sixteen"—falling in love with the boy next door, shedding her baby fat, discovering sex—her mother has slowly been withdrawing. As Kat and her father pick up the pieces of their daily life, she finds herself curiously unaffected by her mother's absence. But in dreams that become too real to ignore, she's haunted by her mother's cries for help. . . .
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  1. Print length
    117 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ecco
  4. Publication date
    July 3, 2012
  5. File size
    1.9 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0083DJSHW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ecco (July 3, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 3, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.9 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 117 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 97 ratings

About the author

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Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates

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Joyce Carol Oates is the author of more than 70 books, including novels, short story collections, poetry volumes, plays, essays, and criticism, including the national bestsellers We Were the Mulvaneys and Blonde. Among her many honors are the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction and the National Book Award. Oates is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Princeton University, and has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1978.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
97 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story interesting with realistic plot twists and turns. They praise the writing quality as high, masterful, and well-written with feeling. The characters are described as unique yet familiar. Readers find the book thought-provoking and enjoyable, with a comfortable pace. They also mention that the author connects with everyday emotions and complex problems.

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Story interestWriting qualityCharacter developmentThought provokingReadabilityPacing
12 customers mention "Story interest"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the story interesting with psychological development and suspense. They appreciate the realistic plot with unexpected twists that keep them hooked. The relationship between the father and daughter is also a focus of interest.

"...As with much of Oates' work an air of suspense prevails and the result is a well written psychological drama that I would highly recommend to any..." Read more

"I liked the story. I chose it becase of my history with the author. To be truthful I was not sure what a Novella was, but figured it out...." Read more

"Once again Joyce Carol Oates shows her genius for creating a novella of suspense, complexity and interesting twists and turns...." Read more

"...This story was very interesting and had a lot of psychological development and exploration of the characters...." Read more

8 customers mention "Writing quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality. They find the stories real and well-written with feeling. The author condenses the writing in a concise way to describe deep feelings and ambivalence.

"...' work an air of suspense prevails and the result is a well written psychological drama that I would highly recommend to any fan of literary fiction." Read more

"...Bittersweet ending. Solid writing, enjoyable and thought-provoking." Read more

"...In this instance, she has condensed the writing and there is nothing extra--each word, punctuation mark, and sentence phrasing is chosen with care." Read more

"...very much the way Joyce Carol Oates succeeds in a very concise way to describe deep feelings and ambivalence in her characters...." Read more

6 customers mention "Character development"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's character development. They find Lou Lou's character unique yet familiar. The masterful handling of complex characters keeps readers engaged. There are three main characters in the story, and each one is finely etched with precision.

"...The characters are well rounded, neither all good or all bad and experience a range of emotions from love to hate to pity to envy...." Read more

"...The masterful handling of complex characters kept me reading...." Read more

"...interesting and had a lot of psychological development and exploration of the characters. The relationship of the father and daughter was intriguing...." Read more

"The character development was particularly effective, and the plot was realistic and interesting...." Read more

6 customers mention "Thought provoking"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and engaging. They appreciate the insights into the main characters and their love-pain relationship. The writing is solid and enjoyable, with plenty of emotions and a good study in psychology.

"...Bittersweet ending. Solid writing, enjoyable and thought-provoking." Read more

"...cruel behavior misunderstanding....lots of emotions and a good study in psychology." Read more

"Compelling insight combine with love-pain relationship of the first order. i wanted to be the ex-wife or one of the five formers...." Read more

"...Very good study of these main characters." Read more

5 customers mention "Readability"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable. They mention it's a quick read that can be read in one sitting. However, some readers found parts confusing. The stories move along at a comfortable pace.

"I enjoyed this quick read, characterization and irony predominate. The masterful handling of complex characters kept me reading...." Read more

"...quite intense and interesting. It was a quick read, and I thought very enjoyable." Read more

"Joyce Carol Oates has written an engaging novella that you can read in one sitting...." Read more

"...but the language always carries Oates' stories along at a comfortable pace." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book. They find the characters relatable and the plot engaging, with suspense and interesting twists. The author connects with everyday emotions without complicated problems.

"...Carol Oates shows her genius for creating a novella of suspense, complexity and interesting twists and turns...." Read more

"...The characters, despite their oddities, are easy to relate to and the plot has a lot of twists that keep you interested." Read more

"moves you to want to read it...this author connects with everyday emotion- not complicated problems just normal life everyone has with family ,..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Jim Lester
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent novella
    Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The novella, which is longer than a short story and shorter than a novel, is a difficult form to master. Far too often novellas feel like padded short stories or compressed and hurried novels. In this case, however, Joyce Carol Oates hits it out of the park. There are three main characters in the story and each one is finely etched with precision. Lou-Lou, the narrator, is the middle aged daughter of a Nobel Prize laureate, while her father is an aging, self-centered philanderer whose whirlwind romance with a younger woman sparks the action in the story.

    The characters are well rounded, neither all good or all bad and experience a range of emotions from love to hate to pity to envy. As with much of Oates' work an air of suspense prevails and the result is a well written psychological drama that I would highly recommend to any fan of literary fiction.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Monica H. Hagen
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Price of Family
    Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this quick read, characterization and irony predominate. The masterful handling of complex characters kept me reading. I appreciate how Ms. Oates handled balancing predictablility (story foreshadows a tragedy with the stairs) with the unusual living arrangement at the end. The darkness of the tenacious dedication to the dead egomaniac left a disturbing feeling in my gut. "Patricide" explores the very human reality of allowing relationships with family to overshadow our adult choices and lives, and how adult children often pursue acceptance and love from parents incapable of acknowledging their children. Bittersweet ending. Solid writing, enjoyable and thought-provoking.
    Helpful
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  • A Rochester
    3.0 out of 5 stars It's OK
    Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I didn't realize I was reading a shorten form of a novel. There is Roland Marks who is a well known writer, his grown daughter and later in the story his new love interest. There are only these 3 characters, and I did not like any of them. Roland is a good looking 75 year old writer who is totally self-centered. His daughter is a 45 year old misfit who lives to please her dad, but seldom succeeds. Later in the story we meet Courtney who is PhD candidate who is infatuated with Roland. Roland is obnoxious, LouLou the daughter is pitiful and Courtney I never figured out! It was interesting as we saw these people interact. There was jealousy, neglect, cruel behavior misunderstanding....lots of emotions and a good study in psychology.
    Helpful
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  • halloween
    4.0 out of 5 stars Relationships
    Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I liked the story. I chose it becase of my history with the author.
    To be truthful I was not sure what a Novella was, but figured it out.
    Fighting cancer touches almost everyone in some way, themselves, family
    members or special friends. I thought the father daughter relation was
    quite intense and interesting. It was a quick read, and I thought very
    enjoyable.
    Helpful
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  • estefania
    5.0 out of 5 stars Patricide: A Novella
    Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Once again Joyce Carol Oates shows her genius for creating a novella of suspense, complexity and interesting twists and turns. Her writing is always of the highest quality regardless of the size of the work. In this instance, she has condensed the writing and there is nothing extra--each word, punctuation mark, and sentence phrasing is chosen with care.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Nancy Reader
    2.0 out of 5 stars Patricide
    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I did not think Patricide measured up to Joyce Carol Oates standard. It was rather dull, and the conclusion with the two women bonding seemed absurd. The daughter's guilt and jealousyseemed easily dismissed.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Another good short novella by Joyce Carol Oates. I like her writing style and therefore enjoy reading most anything she writes. This story was very interesting and had a lot of psychological development and exploration of the characters. The relationship of the father and daughter was intriguing. The story kept my interest.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Rareday
    5.0 out of 5 stars Joyce Carol Oates delivers again.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    The character development was particularly effective, and the plot was realistic and interesting.
    There were surprises throughout that kept my interest. I wanted to read straight through.
    It made a terrific Kindle selection for me.
    Helpful
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