Call number
FIC UPD
Collection
Genres
Publication
Alfred A. Knopf (1988), Edition: 1st, 288 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:S. is the story of Sarah P. Worth, a thoroughly modern spiritual seeker who has become enamored of a Hindu mystic called the Arhat. A native New Englander, she goes west to join his ashram in Arizona, and there struggles alongside fellow sannyasins (pilgrims) in the difficult attempt to subdue ego and achieve moksha (salvation, release from illusion). â??S.â?ť details her adventures in letters and tapes dispatched to her husband, her daughter, her brother, her dentist, her hairdresser, and her psychiatristâ??messages cleverly designed to keep her old world in order while she is creating for herself a new one. This is Hester Prynneâ??s side of the triangle described by Hawthorneâ??s Scarlet Letter; it is also a burlesque of the quest for enlightenment, and an affectionate meditation on Amer… (more)
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
I can admire what Updike did here, and I enjoyed the epistolary format (which really made the book, in my opinion), but I can't say that I felt this stood up to Updike's other works--or, those that I've read, anyway. It felt a little bit like a literary experiment, more than a book I could really
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engage with and enjoy, and it quickly became fairly predictable. I suppose it's something I might recommend to English majors and writers thinking to experiment in this territory, but otherwise, it's probably not something I'd recommend. It is what it is, and it's well done and beautifully written, but it's likely one I'll remember for the wrong reasons (in my opinion). Show Less
LibraryThing member HippieLunatic
S. is a highly interesting read, if for no other reason than the slightly unusual style of epistolary dominance.
However, given this style, I wanted to be able to attach myself to S. The satiric nature of the work did not allow that.
However, given this style, I wanted to be able to attach myself to S. The satiric nature of the work did not allow that.
LibraryThing member Lenaphoenix
S. is a novel which uses the letters and tapes of a middle-aged WASP woman to chronicle her time in a Rajneesh-style Arizona ashram. While I was intrigued by the concept, I had mixed feelings about the work. The epistolary structure offered an unusually intimate view into the main character’s
This book is supposedly a satire, and I will agree that it is entertaining on that level. But I do think Updike crosses the line from satire to cynicism in a number of places. Still, it’s an interesting read.
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world, but because S. was not a woman I found very sympathetic, her monologues didn’t speak to me personally. This book is supposedly a satire, and I will agree that it is entertaining on that level. But I do think Updike crosses the line from satire to cynicism in a number of places. Still, it’s an interesting read.
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LibraryThing member jvandehy
Reading this book twenty-five years after its publication was a real pleasure. Mr. Updike captured the fun, sweet decade of the eighties. The novel is a great recap of the eighties and a primer on at least one version of commercial Buddhism - Oh, and irony - lots of delicious irony. The issues
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raised are somewhat dated, but if you were around in the eighties, the situations will be familiar. Show Less
LibraryThing member pnorman4345
A doctor's wife from the northshore goes to an ashram in Arizona to find enlightenment and finds all the usual problems that humans have, but does manage to throw off many of the deceptions of a more conventional life. Lots of fun satire.
LibraryThing member jbarr5
S by John Updike
This book is a compilation of letters from Sarah Worth as she writes to many others who live back home. She has left Charles and has moved to the west.
She goes on and on and on about some things like she's very lonely and hasn't talked to anyone in months. So explicit instructions
She has left to go follow a religious cult of sorts and devote her life to the organization. She writes to many telling them her side of what happened. Liked the details of the co-op and the jobs she has while there, so descriptive.
At times she is teaching the yoga phrases and monosyllables as if they are a new language.
Lots of discussion of the Budha practices, nudity, sex scenes and how it all plays a part in where she is located.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
This book is a compilation of letters from Sarah Worth as she writes to many others who live back home. She has left Charles and has moved to the west.
She goes on and on and on about some things like she's very lonely and hasn't talked to anyone in months. So explicit instructions
Show More
on how to clean, leave which doors unlocked when the maid comes, etcShe has left to go follow a religious cult of sorts and devote her life to the organization. She writes to many telling them her side of what happened. Liked the details of the co-op and the jobs she has while there, so descriptive.
At times she is teaching the yoga phrases and monosyllables as if they are a new language.
Lots of discussion of the Budha practices, nudity, sex scenes and how it all plays a part in where she is located.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Show Less
LibraryThing member SusanDichter
Odd book, and so much Buddhist words that I skipped some paragraphs. But liked it. Updike is funny and I think the Wasp-Jew theme, men women, well done. Curious about how Updike saw the world, and how waspishness was part of him.
Pages
288
ISBN
0394568354 / 9780394568355