Difficult Young Man

by Martin Boyd

Other authorsDorothy Green (Introduction)
Paperback, 1993

Status

Available

Call number

823.3

Collection

Publication

Penguin Putnam~trade (1993), Paperback, 288 pages

Description

Handsome, proud, reprehensible, misunderstood - Dominic Langton is all of these things and more. He is the dark heart of A Difficult Young Man. His brother Guy can scarcely understand where he fits into the pattern of things or what he might do next. Martin Boyd's consistently popular novel is an elegant, witty and compelling family tale about the contradictions of growing up. The winner of the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal in 1956, this profound work deserves to be read by a modern audience.

User reviews

LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
I have to admit this story lagged for me. It wasn't as non-directional as The Cardboard Crown but it still couldn't hold my attention for long periods of time. Shoot, I couldn't get through ten pages without straying from the page. A fly crawling along a windowsill could capture my attention faster
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and hold it longer.
So, right from the start I need to tell you the "difficult young man" of the story is Dominic Langton, grandson of Alice (writer of the journal in The Cardboard Crown). Dominic's story is being told by his younger brother, Guy. Dominic is indeed difficult and troubled and sort of a loose cannon. He kills a horse, after all. But, it's also the story of a family who is discontent wherever they are. Bounding between England and Australia, the grass is always greener on the other side.
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LibraryThing member stillatim
Not quite as enjoyable as 'Cardboard Crown,' because it was much less even, and more diffuse. But still amusing, moving, and intelligent, particularly for those of us who would like to believe, against all the evidence, that some people care about human civilization.

Awards

ALS Gold Medal (Winner — 1957)

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

288 p.; 7.8 inches

ISBN

0140187618 / 9780140187618
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