Being There: Library Edition

from zenhead

A delightful modern parable. Chance, who has worked as the gardner at The Old Man's estate for as long as he can remember, finds himself - through no fault of his own and without hardly saying a word - is transformed into Chauncy Gardiner, and projected into the highest levels of international po...

from Smiler69

Chance is a simple-minded man who has always lived in the same house, where he's always taken care of the garden. He's never learned to read and write and never set food outside the grounds of the house, not even to see a doctor. But his life is turned upside down when the "old man"-the owner of ...

from scottcholstad

Postmodern brilliance. Stunning in what is says in what it doesn't say. I actually prefer Kosinki's The Painted Bird, which is a little more brutal, but I honestly think Being There is the author's best truly "postmodern" work, translated well to the screen, and perfectly holds a mirror up to soc...

from HarryMacDonald

Just a quick addendum to what others have said. Beyond the political and sexual satire, there is a comprehensive moral tone here recalling Anatole France at his best. There are also, in pleasing contrast, occasional poetic touches of considerable grace. Consier this (from page 43): "He watched th...

from Goodwillbooks

This is a slim book and a quick read. I never saw the movie, but I gather the book tracks the movie pretty closely - there's not a lot of extraneous scenes or detail. It's a clever idea: the main character is someone with little knowledge of the world and who speaks very simply only about his nar...