Description
Book SynopsisThe New York Times Top Ten Bestseller
From the author of Writers & Lovers, Euphoria is Lily King’s gripping novel inspired by the true story of a woman who changed the way we understand our world.
‘Pretty much perfect’ – Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Rodham
In 1933 three young, gifted anthropologists are thrown together in the jungle of New Guinea. They are Nell Stone, fascinating, magnetic and famous for her controversial work; her intelligent but aggressive husband Fen, who is uneasy with her success; and Andrew Bankson, who stumbles into the lives of this strange couple and becomes totally enthralled by Nell. Within months the trio are producing their best ever work, but soon a firestorm of fierce love and jealousy begins to burn out of control, threatening their bonds, their careers and, ultimately, their lives . . .
‘Lily King is one of our great literary treasures’ – Madeline Miller, author of The Song of Achilles
‘Dazzling’ – Emma Donoghue, author of Room
‘Taut, witty, fiercely intelligent . . . a love triangle in extremis’ – The New York Times
Trade ReviewPretty much perfect. It's a novel about a Margaret Mead-like character in New Guinea in the 30s, and it's
so smart and rich and alive. -- Curtis Sittenfeld, author of
American Wife, Best Books of 2014
This
dazzling novel bites like a tropical insect, and makes anthropology seem more exciting than any other profession -- Emma Donogue, author of
RoomA
brilliant reimagining of Mead's pioneering exploits . . . the artfulness of her characterisation is so adept that her prose has the force of truth. * Daily Telegraph *
Jaw-droppingly, heart-stoppingly beautiful -- Paula McLain, author of
The Paris WifeA taut,
witty, fiercely intelligent tale of competing egos and desires in a landscape of exotic menace . . .
Exquisite * New York Times *
Dramatic, insightful and absorbing . . . she captures the amber of one man's exquisite longing for a woman who changed the way we look at ourselves * Washington Post *
Persuasive and evocative . . . Finely crafted . . . it shows a talented writer unwilling to settle for what she already does well and eager to give herself new challenges; her ambition is laudable * Los Angeles Times *
From Conrad to Kingsolver, the misdeeds of Westerners have inspired their own literary subgenre, and in
King's insightful, romantic addition, the work of novelist and anthropologist find resonant parallel: In the beauty and cruelty of others, we discover our own * Vogue *
Thrilling . . .
intense, seductive, sexual, and intellectual . . . It's grit-in-your-teeth sensuous * San Francisco Chronicle *
Euphoria is simply one of the finest novels I've read in years -- Andre Dubus III, author of
House of Sand and FogI have come to expect Lily King's nuanced explorations of the human heart, but in this novel she pulled me in to the exotic world of a woman anthropologist working with undiscovered tribes in 1930s New Guinea and I was totally captivated -- Karl Marlantes, author of
MatterhornDazzling . . . in King's expert hands the three protagonists soon become richly rendered characters, each with her or his own suspenseful narrative . . . an exhilarating novel * Boston Globe *
This impeccably researched story illuminates the state of the world as clearly as the passion of its characters . . . a thrilling read that, at its end, does indeed feel like 'the briefest, purest euphoria'' * Publishers Weekly *
A small gem, disturbing and haunting * Kirkus *
Atmospheric and sensual, with startling images throughout,
Euphoria is an intellectually stimulating tour de force -- Jane Ciabattari, author of
Stealing the FireAdventure and romance, danger and knowledge, desire and desolation . . . exquisitely braided, they form the core of
Euphoria . . . I'm left breathless, excited, ready to wander and explore, a little afraid, enamored, enlightened -- Bill Roorbach, author of
Life Among GiantsMasterful . . . A great novelist is like an anthropologist, examining what humans do by habit and custom . . . This is a riveting and provocative novel, absolutely first-rate * Seattle Times *
Fresh, brilliantly structured, and fully imagined -- Andrea Barrett, author of
Archangel and
Ship FeverEuphoria is a brilliantly written book and entirely fascinating from start to finish -- Alice Greenway, author of
The Bird SkinnerKing's novel turns an episode in the life of Margaret Mead into a taut tale of competing egos and desires in a landscape of exotic menace -- Notable Books of 2014 * New York Times *
