BUtterfield 8

· Sold by Penguin
3 reviews
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256
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About this ebook

The bestselling novel that became an Oscar-winning film starring Elizabeth Taylor about New York's speakeasy generation

A masterpiece of American fiction and a bestseller upon its publication in 1935, BUtterfield 8 lays bare with brash honesty the unspoken and often shocking truths that lurked beneath the surface of a society still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. One Sunday morning, Gloria wakes up in a stranger's apartment with nothing but a torn evening dress, stockings, and panties. When she steals a fur coat from the wardrobe to wear home, she unleashes a series of events that can only end in tragedy. Inspired by true events, this novel caused a sensation on its publication for its frank depiction of the relationship between a wild and beautiful young woman and a respectable, married man.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
The bestselling novel that became an Oscar-winning film starring Elizabeth Taylor about New York's speakeasy generation A masterpiece of American fiction and a bestseller upon its publication in 1935, BUtterfield 8 lays bare with brash honesty the unspoken and often shocking truths that lurked b...

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Ratings and reviews

3 reviews
Fernando Machado (PARANOiA)
June 19, 2026
Beyond boring. It is a glimpse into the times of the Great Depression. The author simply fragmented himself between all the characters to describe his loathe and obsession towards society and towards a social status that he was taken away from due to his father dying and never being able to go back into it. Honestly, not worth reading it. Bad ending, too much baggage that adds nothing to the "main" story. The 3 most important characters are just the ones that show the truth behind the author's feelings and life. Just a self-hating individual that spread heat everywhere because he was an utterly frustrated man and didn't know how to deal with it but by writing something (and I say something because it really doesn't add anything at all to culture or society in any shape or form).
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Allan Arpajian
November 9, 2023
Largely forgotten now, O'Hara's novel was ahead of its time on gender issues.
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About the author

John O’Hara (1905–1970) was one of the most prominent American writers of the twentieth century. Championed by Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Dorothy Parker, he wrote seventeen novels, including Appointment in Samarra, his first, BUtterfield 8, which was made into a film starring Elizabeth Taylor, and Ten North Frederick, which won the National Book Award, and he had more stories published in the New Yorker than anyone in the history of the magazine. Born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, he lived for many years in New York and in Princeton, New Jersey, where he died.
John O’Hara (1905–1970) was one of the most prominent American writers of the twentieth century. Championed by Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Dorothy Parker, he wrote seventeen novels, including Appointment in Samarra, his first, BUtterfield 8, which was made into a film starring Eliz...

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