Donleavy, author of the controversial Ginger Man (1955) and more recently The Lady Who Liked Clean Restrooms (1997), tells a good story here--if the reader can tolerate his use of crude language, unremitting focus on the raunchier aspects of sexuality, and his characters' blatant misogyny, not to mention his penchant for unusual grammatical structure. Stephen (a native New York Irishman with the unlikely last name of O'Kelly'O) marries Sylvia shortly after they meet. Why not? He is an ex-navy man recently returned from fighting in World War II and a struggling composer and pianist. She is a young, beautiful dancer, the adopted daughter of an extremely wealthy couple. They're soon in trouble, though, when Sylvia's parents cut off her allowance. Stephen's infidelity and her own anguished search for her birth mother cause Sylvia to flee. Stephen gets himself into some tricky situations that are both volatile and depressing, including an affair with Sylvia's adoptive mother. He is further brought down by his observations of the dehumanizing aspects of city life and acts out in various ways the humiliation and rage that have-nots often feel around the conspicuously wealthy. All the money in the world, however, can't buy Sylvia the one thing that drives her: a connection with her biological mother. O'Kelly'O actually begins to show some character in the face of tragic losses, which makes for a hopeful ending. The distinctive style of Elliot Banfield's illustrations, along with Donleavy's uncanny ability to capture the linguistic cadence of the period, provides an undeniable late '40s feeling. Grace Fill
From Kirkus Reviews
What does a nice Yank lad from the Bronx find in his heart to write about, long years after he's hightailed it to Dublin and set himself up as a full-time Paddy? Why, to be sure, the States themselves, which is where the second chronicle of ``the strangest stories ever to be rumoured around New York'' by Donleavy (The Woman Who Liked Clean Restrooms, 1997, etc.) takes place, across the waves of five decades and the Atlantic both. In the late '40s, when ``people were already beginning to forget that we were veterans. . . and that the government owed us a living,'' young Stephen O'Kelly'O [sic] is beginning to fear that the jig may well be up. After several years in the Navy, Stephen had settled down to academic life under the G.I. Bill, first in the Midwest and later in Italy. Now he's back in New York, trying without much success to make his name as a composer. His first bit of luck is Sylvia. Rich, gorgeous, and oversexed, Sylvia falls for Stephen hard and the two get married. But that's just where their troubles begin: Incensed at the marriage, Sylvia's father cuts off her allowance and disinherits them both. Stephen appeals to her mother, who opens her heart (after a fashion) by seducing Stephen and offering to become his patronessfor a price. When did any of Donleavy's rogues ever object to payment in kind? But Stephen recoils at the idea of servicing a rich woman for money, and turns her down flat. What will become of our hero? With Donleavy, of course, the usual expectations of happy or sad endings don't make much sense, so it's really beyond the point to wonder. Just hang on and enjoy the ride. The old dog is showing signs of age, but his friends will always be glad he's dropped in to say helloeven if their children find him a trifle unkempt and creepy. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
From the Publisher
Advance praise for Wrong Information Is Being Given Out At Princeton: "Silly, funny, bilious, and wise. Here is a novel to savor as you would a well-poured stout." --The Sunday Telegraph
"At the age of seventy-two, he's still as electric as the city he describes." --Mail on Sunday
"It is wonderful to report that the author of The Ginger Man, now in his seventies, is writing as vigorously as ever. In his new book, the tumbling prose that swoops from pedantry to poetry, fracturing grammar but always making perfect sense, is at the service of a fable that is both tragic and romantic. When it comes to being caught in the snares of sex, poverty, or high society, no one can ferment the language of frustration better than Donleavy." --The Sunday Telegraph
"Donleavy has produced another triumph." --Evening Herald
About the Author
J.P. Donleavy was born in New York City in 1926 and educated at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. He has written twelve novels, including the classic The Ginger Man and A Fairy Tale of New York, a book of short pieces, and most recently, the novella The Lady Who Liked Clean Restrooms. He lives in County Westmeath, Ireland.
