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Used Book ~ Man Crazy by author Joyce Carol Oates
Man Crazy
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Book Information
Publisher: Plume
Book Type: Paperback
Rating: 9

ISBN-13: 9780452277243 - ISBN-10: 0452277248
Pages: 288

Book Description:
Fresh from the triumph of We Were the Mulvaneys, Joyce Carol Oates continues her exploration of family love and possibilities of human redemption with this compelling story of how one young woman suffers profoundly in the pursuit of love, but manages to emerge safe and whole. Set in several towns on the Chatauqua River in upstate New York, Man Crazy tells the story of Ingrid Boone, who at age eight is taken into hiding by her beautiful young mother, Chloe. Sought by the men who have taunted Chloe, the authorities, and Ingrid's loving but volatile father still haunted by memories of Vietnam, Ingrid and her mother fight to survive both together and apart. "Man crazy" is the label assigned to teenage Ingrid, whose desperate need to find a substitute for her father's affection makes her easy prey for the charismatic leader of a violent cult. Eventually, the police surround the cult compound and a tense standoff erupts in bullets and flames. Ingrid escapes to rebuild her life, and Oates' depiction of this severely damaged young woman's slow but miraculous process of healing stands as one of the most brilliant portraits she has ever created. Oates' gift for haunting imagery reaches new heights in this emotionally resonant work.
This will be published simultaneously with the Dutton release of a major new novel from Oates, My Heart Laid Bare. We Were the Mulvaneys was a national bestseller.

Members who requested this book also requested:
The Dictionary of Failed Relationships : 26 Tales of Love Gone WrongVinegar Hill

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Genres:
Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover, Hardcover


Rate These Member Reviews

Maranda B. (maranda) from STURGIS, MI wrote on 10/25/2008...


I have yet to come across a Joyce Carol Oates story that I didn't love! Man Crazy is quite a twisted account of an unfortunate girl from childhood to her 21st birthday. This story is not for the faint of heart.

The narrator, Ingrid, comes from a broken family and spotty childhood home life, which directly impacts her outlook on life and decision-making as a young adult. Her destructive lifestyle leads her to promiscuity, drugs, and association with the Children of Satan, from which she redeems herself and comes back full circle to the woman who shaped her life from the very beginning.

I found this book to be a somwhat quick and easy read, written in free flowing verses that fit Ingrid's personality perfectly. Oates has done a great job developing this character, and will pull you close enough to love Ingrid, then push you away with repulsion before bringing it full circle once again. I think it's safe to say an open mind is required for reading this one!

Jaime A. from IRVINE, CA wrote on 6/27/2005...



I had to keep reading until I finished it. You travel from childhood through adulthood so Oates gives the background so you can understand more of why Ingrid ends up where she does. This is the Oates I want to see in every one of her books. I read Zombie and although I felt like getting sick through most of it, I still don’t think anyone else could have written it. I was very pleased reading Man Crazy that I once again found the Oates I fell in love with in her short stories and earlier works. This is a must read for any women who questions why she keeps ending up in the same relationships with guys that don’t treat her right. Ingrid is real and out there in the world with no one to help her, just as the Ingrid in the novel. If you want to see what a series of wrong choices made as a teenager and a mother with issues of her own will lead a woman too, read this book because Oates answers that question. It will lead to Ingrid.