etakloknok's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
pati_c's review
3.0
“Por que será”, ela perguntou, “que se você perguntar a uma mulher como ela está, a primeira coisa que ela lhe dirá é sobre seu marido ou namorado?”
Baseado (ou inspirado) no assassinato de Roseann Quinn, De Bar em Bar de Judith Rossner conta a estória de Theresa Dunn, uma jovem professora que ao cair da noite frequenta os bares de Manhattan em busca de encontros sexuais fadados a durar apenas 1 noite.
Este livro em pegou totalmente de surpresa. Acreditei que seria algo entre pulp/erótica, mas é muito mais do que isso. O livro é super bem escrito e construído, desde os personagens, as inter-relações de Theresa com a irmã Katherine, com seus pais e seus amantes; os diálogos são excelentes e até mesmo as cenas de sexo não deixam absolutamente nada a desejar. A dinâmica do relacionamento da jovem Theresa com seu professor Martin Engle é algo impressionante.
Outro fator interessante é que este livro foi publicado em 1975 e ficou na lista de best sellers do NYT por 36 semanas. Imaginar um livro deste calibre, tocando num assunto tão polêmico como a sexualidade feminina, e ainda de maneira tão acessível e que virou sucesso comercial? Impressionante!
É fácil pensar que se trate apenas de um livro sobre uma mulher solitária que precisa de companhia toda noite, mas toca também na liberação feminina e desejo sexual da mulher, entre outros tópicos. E o sensacional é que a autora fez tudo isso sem exagerar ou querer evangelizar ninguém, o que é sempre bom. Um livro que faz a gente sentir e pensar.
Adorei e recomendo com certeza.
Para esta e outras resenhas, e muito mais, visite: Siana Press
Baseado (ou inspirado) no assassinato de Roseann Quinn, De Bar em Bar de Judith Rossner conta a estória de Theresa Dunn, uma jovem professora que ao cair da noite frequenta os bares de Manhattan em busca de encontros sexuais fadados a durar apenas 1 noite.
Este livro em pegou totalmente de surpresa. Acreditei que seria algo entre pulp/erótica, mas é muito mais do que isso. O livro é super bem escrito e construído, desde os personagens, as inter-relações de Theresa com a irmã Katherine, com seus pais e seus amantes; os diálogos são excelentes e até mesmo as cenas de sexo não deixam absolutamente nada a desejar. A dinâmica do relacionamento da jovem Theresa com seu professor Martin Engle é algo impressionante.
Outro fator interessante é que este livro foi publicado em 1975 e ficou na lista de best sellers do NYT por 36 semanas. Imaginar um livro deste calibre, tocando num assunto tão polêmico como a sexualidade feminina, e ainda de maneira tão acessível e que virou sucesso comercial? Impressionante!
É fácil pensar que se trate apenas de um livro sobre uma mulher solitária que precisa de companhia toda noite, mas toca também na liberação feminina e desejo sexual da mulher, entre outros tópicos. E o sensacional é que a autora fez tudo isso sem exagerar ou querer evangelizar ninguém, o que é sempre bom. Um livro que faz a gente sentir e pensar.
Adorei e recomendo com certeza.
Para esta e outras resenhas, e muito mais, visite: Siana Press
brandy777's review
5.0
What.
You know how it’s going to end right off the beginning of the book so I’m not spoiling anything except.. that it was a solid 5/5 stars
Overwhelming at some points, but what you basically get is a story of a girl that was manipulated and used by some older man at a very young and critical point of her life, that in the end ,and her coming to terms with her existence isn’t questionable to the reader but to the clueless characters in the book and the even possibly herself.
You know how it’s going to end right off the beginning of the book so I’m not spoiling anything except.. that it was a solid 5/5 stars
Overwhelming at some points, but what you basically get is a story of a girl that was manipulated and used by some older man at a very young and critical point of her life, that in the end ,and her coming to terms with her existence isn’t questionable to the reader but to the clueless characters in the book and the even possibly herself.
mariosansav's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
eeg71's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Chronic illness, and Sexual assault
jerrica's review
4.0
A novelized view of hook-up culture, and its dark sides, as it begins to form in the late 1960s. That Theresa is murdered on the first day of 1970 is significant. I'm sure this book was quite scandalous to readers when it first came out; these days it would barely register.
pizzabrot's review
5.0
Reread in 2019, almost one year later: This book hasn't lost its grip on me, the writing style is magnificent in that it actually makes you slip into Theresa's shoes and understanding her so well despite her quite...obscure ways of living. Whoring around in bars is not exactly one of my favourite past-time activities, and yet I felt I could connect with Theresa so much. After all, self-sabotaging is something probably many of us are prone to, and often unwilling to admit even to ourselves. Theresa's sabotaging of potential loving relationships because she doesn't think she deserves anyone or anything remotely good (steeming from a deeper sense of self-hate) is something that hit closer to home than I myself would like to admit, and is probably the reason why I simply feel this book so incredibly much. A truly special read, by now already one of my all-time favourites books - even though I have to say that admitting to this when showing the blurb to people does make feel very self-conscious and embarrassed, being able to read their minds without them having to say so: "Why does Kathi - innocent Kathi - love reading about a woman sleeping around with strangers?" The answer is: because there's so much else to this book. An incredibly profound psychological case study that stays with you for a long time.
____________________________
Oh god, this book took me totally by surprise! I had expected nothing, absolutely nothing from it. I wasn't even excited when I started it and relieved that it wasn't going to be too long of a read. But wow! I appreciate the characterization of the protagonist so much, it's unlike everything I've read before. I could emphasize more with Theresa than many people and even I myself would expect, her being the total opposite of me and yet...her thoughts and feelings felt so familiar and I think that's the case for many women actually (not that we are proud to admit it). I wouldn't classify this one as a thriller. You immediately know what happens and who did it. But it's one of the best character-driven stories I've ever read, blunt and harsh in Theresa's portrayal - and yet so incredibly honest. The inner workings of one's mind aren't always so pretty as media wants us to think. And I appreciate how it makes us think next time we end up reading a news story about a murdered woman, who seemingly was at her own fault, "because she was asking for it, hanging out in bars and sleeping with random strangers". There's always a story behind everyone's story.
PS: Not a big fan of the very long and detailed description of the sex-scenes, but I feel they're an important part of this book in describing Theresa's mental relationship with men and herself.
PS2: Maybe surprisingly, I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone, mainly because I'm certain it won't be a 5-star-read for most people. I don't even have a rational reason for giving it the highest score, other than that I connected with the story so much, while also being completely shocked and even disgusted by it.
____________________________
Oh god, this book took me totally by surprise! I had expected nothing, absolutely nothing from it. I wasn't even excited when I started it and relieved that it wasn't going to be too long of a read. But wow! I appreciate the characterization of the protagonist so much, it's unlike everything I've read before. I could emphasize more with Theresa than many people and even I myself would expect, her being the total opposite of me and yet...her thoughts and feelings felt so familiar and I think that's the case for many women actually (not that we are proud to admit it). I wouldn't classify this one as a thriller. You immediately know what happens and who did it. But it's one of the best character-driven stories I've ever read, blunt and harsh in Theresa's portrayal - and yet so incredibly honest. The inner workings of one's mind aren't always so pretty as media wants us to think. And I appreciate how it makes us think next time we end up reading a news story about a murdered woman, who seemingly was at her own fault, "because she was asking for it, hanging out in bars and sleeping with random strangers". There's always a story behind everyone's story.
PS: Not a big fan of the very long and detailed description of the sex-scenes, but I feel they're an important part of this book in describing Theresa's mental relationship with men and herself.
PS2: Maybe surprisingly, I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone, mainly because I'm certain it won't be a 5-star-read for most people. I don't even have a rational reason for giving it the highest score, other than that I connected with the story so much, while also being completely shocked and even disgusted by it.
martydah's review
5.0
This was one of those couldn't-put-it-down novels. The feminist issues it addresses are perhaps not as fresh or as wildly political as they once were, but they are still relevant. Through Theresa, a young, outwardly nonchalant but inwardly vulnerable woman, Rossner addresses the 'battle between the sexes,' the pressure to be 'perfect' and the devastating effects of both on women like Terry in the 1970s.
Terry suffered from polio at a very young age, something that could have been lessened if her parents hadn't been so wrapped up in their grief for her older brother. Later, this illness causes a curvature of the spine which requires several surgeries to correct. Terry, who feels ugly and unloved compared to her beautiful older sister and athletic younger sister, begins to isolate herself emotionally. Her first love affair, with a manipulative, egotistical college professor, ends so painfully that she begins to starve herself.
Later, she becomes a school teacher, a job she loves, while spending her nights in bars, picking up strangers. In this way, she seeks to reassure herself that she is desirable, while at the same time avoiding emotional rejection. Paradoxically this makes her feel powerful but also bolsters her lack of self-worth. This dual role of exploiting and being exploited is by now a classic symptom of past unaddressed pain.
This is a "period piece" - some of the language and social attitudes will seem pretty old fashioned to young women today. Terry's promiscuity and lack of attention of safe sex appears not only idiotic but almost criminally negligent in the age of potentially fatal, incurable STDs and rampant sexual predators. By that token, the ending certainly comes as no surprise but it doesn't make Terry any less of a tragic figure.
Terry suffered from polio at a very young age, something that could have been lessened if her parents hadn't been so wrapped up in their grief for her older brother. Later, this illness causes a curvature of the spine which requires several surgeries to correct. Terry, who feels ugly and unloved compared to her beautiful older sister and athletic younger sister, begins to isolate herself emotionally. Her first love affair, with a manipulative, egotistical college professor, ends so painfully that she begins to starve herself.
Later, she becomes a school teacher, a job she loves, while spending her nights in bars, picking up strangers. In this way, she seeks to reassure herself that she is desirable, while at the same time avoiding emotional rejection. Paradoxically this makes her feel powerful but also bolsters her lack of self-worth. This dual role of exploiting and being exploited is by now a classic symptom of past unaddressed pain.
This is a "period piece" - some of the language and social attitudes will seem pretty old fashioned to young women today. Terry's promiscuity and lack of attention of safe sex appears not only idiotic but almost criminally negligent in the age of potentially fatal, incurable STDs and rampant sexual predators. By that token, the ending certainly comes as no surprise but it doesn't make Terry any less of a tragic figure.
andrew61's review
4.0
This was a remarkable piece of writing which was apparently based on a true story and gives voice to a victim of male sexual violence while also expressing the sexual freedom that women were experiencing in the 1960's and 1970s.
The book is about Theresa Dunn, a young woman whose childhood is affected by her medical treatment for polio and her parents loss of an older brother in Vietnam.
As she moves into adulthood and gains work as a teacher she also learns to enjoy sex and casual sexual encounters in mahattan bars.
As we know atvthe beginning of Theresa's murder the remaining voice tells us how events led to the brutal killing of an interesting and independent young woman.
Given the current state of American political movements interference with women's rights this is a book that seems as relevant today as it was 50 year's ago. Well worth reading.
The book is about Theresa Dunn, a young woman whose childhood is affected by her medical treatment for polio and her parents loss of an older brother in Vietnam.
As she moves into adulthood and gains work as a teacher she also learns to enjoy sex and casual sexual encounters in mahattan bars.
As we know atvthe beginning of Theresa's murder the remaining voice tells us how events led to the brutal killing of an interesting and independent young woman.
Given the current state of American political movements interference with women's rights this is a book that seems as relevant today as it was 50 year's ago. Well worth reading.