Amsterdam: A Novel (Man Booker Prize Winner) - Softcover

  • 3.46 out of 5 stars
    55,316 ratings by Goodreads
9780385494243: Amsterdam: A Novel (Man Booker Prize Winner)

Synopsis

The Booker Prize-winning contemporary morality tale—cleverly disguised as a comic novel—from the acclaimed author of Atonement.

On a chilly February day, two old friends meet in the throng outside a London crematorium to pay their last respects to Molly Lane. Both Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday had been Molly's lovers in the days before they reached their current eminence: Clive is Britain's most successful modern composer, and Vernon is a newspaper editor. Gorgeous, feisty Molly had other lovers, too, notably Julian Garmony, Foreign Secretary, a notorious right-winger tipped to be the next prime minister. In the days that follow Molly's funeral, Clive and Vernon will make a pact with consequences that neither could have foreseen...

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review

When good-time, fortysomething Molly Lane dies of an unspecified degenerative illness, her many friends and numerous lovers are led to think about their own mortality. Vernon Halliday, editor of the upmarket newspaper the Judge, persuades his old friend Clive Linley, a self-indulgent composer of some reputation, to enter into a euthanasia pact with him. Should either of them be stricken with such an illness, the other will bring about his death. From this point onward we are in little doubt as to Amsterdam's outcome--it's only a matter of who will kill whom. In the meantime, compromising photographs of Molly's most distinguished lover, foreign secretary Julian Garmony, have found their way into the hands of the press, and as rumors circulate he teeters on the edge of disgrace. However, this is McEwan, so it is no surprise to find that the rather unsavory Garmony comes out on top. Ian McEwan is master of the writer's craft, and while this is the sort of novel that wins prizes, his characters remain curiously soulless amidst the twists and turns of plot. --Lisa Jardine

From the Inside Flap

On a chilly February day, two old friends meet in the throng outside a London crematorium to pay their last respects to Molly Lane. Both Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday had been Molly's lovers in the days before they reached their current eminence: Clive is Britain's most successful modern composer, and Vernon is editor of the newspaper "The Judge. Gorgeous, feisty Molly had other lovers, too, notably Julian Garmony, Foreign Secretary, a notorious right-winger tipped to be the next prime minister.
In the days that follow Molly's funeral, Clive and Vernon will make a pact with consequences that neither could have foreseen. Each will make a disastrous moral decision, their friendship will be tested to its limits, and Julian Garmony will be fighting for his political life. A sharp contemporary morality tale, cleverly disguised as a comic novel, Amsterdam is "as sheerly enjoyable a book as one is likely to pick up this year" ("The Washington Post Book World).

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherKnopf Doubleday Publishing Group
  • Publication date1999
  • ISBN 10 0385494246
  • ISBN 13 9780385494243
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages208
  • Rating
    • 3.46 out of 5 stars
      55,316 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Ian McEwan
Published by Anchor, 1999
ISBN 10: 0385494246 ISBN 13: 9780385494243
Used Paperback

Seller: Your Online Bookstore, Houston, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Good. Seller Inventory # 0385494246-3-19311858

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 4.49
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 3 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ian McEwan
Published by Anchor, 1999
ISBN 10: 0385494246 ISBN 13: 9780385494243
Used Paperback

Seller: Orion Tech, Kingwood, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Good. Seller Inventory # 0385494246-3-19021642

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 4.49
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 3 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ian McEwan
Published by Anchor, 1999
ISBN 10: 0385494246 ISBN 13: 9780385494243
Used Paperback

Seller: Your Online Bookstore, Houston, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Fair. Seller Inventory # 0385494246-4-22173446

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 4.49
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ian McEwan
Published by Anchor, 1999
ISBN 10: 0385494246 ISBN 13: 9780385494243
Used Paperback

Seller: Gulf Coast Books, Memphis, TN, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Good. Seller Inventory # 0385494246-3-20523366

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 4.49
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 6 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ian McEwan
Published by Anchor, 1999
ISBN 10: 0385494246 ISBN 13: 9780385494243
Used Paperback

Seller: Gulf Coast Books, Memphis, TN, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Fair. Seller Inventory # 0385494246-4-24270560

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 4.49
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ian McEwan
Published by Anchor, 1999
ISBN 10: 0385494246 ISBN 13: 9780385494243
Used Paperback

Seller: Orion Tech, Kingwood, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Fair. Seller Inventory # 0385494246-4-18983953

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 4.49
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ian McEwan
Published by Anchor, 1999
ISBN 10: 0385494246 ISBN 13: 9780385494243
Used Softcover

Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Acceptable. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00054187878

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 4.49
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: Over 20 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ian McEwan
Published by Anchor, 1999
ISBN 10: 0385494246 ISBN 13: 9780385494243
Used Softcover

Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00043860365

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 4.49
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: Over 20 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ian McEwan
ISBN 10: 0385494246 ISBN 13: 9780385494243
Used Softcover

Seller: More Than Words, Waltham, MA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Good. . . All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Before placing your order for please contact us for confirmation on the book's binding. Check out our other listings to add to your order for discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # WAL-J-0e-002165

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 1.00
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 3 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ian McEwan
ISBN 10: 0385494246 ISBN 13: 9780385494243
Used Softcover

Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 19-0385494246-G

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 5.60
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

There are 139 more copies of this book

View all search results for this book