100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ

New on the blog! ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japanese Healing Fiction & โ˜• The Perfect Winter Reads

Coming Through Slaughter

3.87 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 6,868 ratings, 648 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Coming Through Slaughter explores the life of Buddy Bolden, a legendary early jazz musician in New Orleans. The narrative delves into his tumultuous existence, marked by creativity, personal struggles, and an eventual descent into chaos. Ondaatje beautifully intertwines fact and fiction to portray the intense emotional and artistic experiences that define Bolden's legacy.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2700
Elsewhere:
$3000
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy poetic prose and narratives that weave through the blurred lines of history and fiction. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century New Orleans, it explores the tumultuous life of a jazz musician, capturing the passion and frenzy of an artist on the edge. If you are drawn to stories that blend music, mystery, and the depths of human emotion, this book might resonate with you.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Michael Ondaatje's incredible debut novel of Jazz and strife, published for the first time in Vintage Classics alongside his memoir, Running in the Family.

Discover Michael Ondaatje's debut novel, 'a beautifully detailed story, perhaps the finest jazz novel ever written' Sunday Times.

Based on the life of cornet player Buddy Bolden, one of the legendary jazz pioneers of turn-of-the-twentieth-century New Orleans, Coming Through Slaughter is an extraordinary recreation of a remarkable musical life and a tragic conclusion. Through a collage of memoirs, interviews, imaginary conversations and monologues, Ondaatje builds a picture of a man who would work by day at a barber shop and by night unleash his talent to wild audiences who had never experienced such playing. But Buddy was also playing the field with two women, and inside his head was a ticking time-bomb which he was unable to stop.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Coming Through Slaughter is praised for its evocative depiction of jazz-infused street life, making readers feel immersed in its vibrant atmosphere. It is acclaimed as perhaps the finest jazz novel ever penned and noted for its exceptional storytelling, positioning it among the best novels published in English. Reviewers commend Michael Ondaatje for his poetic sensibility, bringing a lyrical quality to the narrative.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781784877828

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 08 December 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 120g

Pages: 176

About the Author

Michael Ondaatje is the author of several novels, as well as a memoir, a nonfiction book on film, and several books of poetry. Among his many Canadian and international recognitions, his novel The English Patient won the 1992 Man Booker Prize, was adapted into a multi-award winning Oscar movie, and was awarded the Golden Man Booker Prize in 2018; Anil's Ghost won the Giller Prize, the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, and the Prix Medicis; and Warlight was longlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize. Born in Sri Lanka, Michael Ondaatje lives in Toronto.

Also by Michael Ondaatje

View all
  • Running in the Family
    Running in the Family is Michael Ondaatje's exquisite blend of memoir and historical portrait, painting a vivid picture of his family's past within the lush backdrop of Sri Lanka. The narrative begins with a haunting sense of longing and curiosity that compels the author to return to his homeland after spending twenty-five years in the starkly different climate of Ontario,...
    Paperback
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Cat's Table
    From the acclaimed author of The English Patient and In the Skin of a Lion comes a stunningly beautiful and moving new novel about a boy's life-changing journey from Ceylon to England in the 1950s. What had there been before such a ship in my life? A dugout canoe on a river journey? A launch in Trincomalee harbour? There were...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2699
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • A Year of Last Things
    With A Year of Last Things, acclaimed novelist Michael Ondaatje returns to poetry, looking back on a life of displacement and discovery. 'My life always stops for a new book by him.' - JHUMPA LAHIRI 'A generous, moving book.' - GUARDIAN Born in Sri Lanka during the Second World War, Ondaatje was sent as a child to school in London...
    Hardback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Collected Works of Billy the Kid
    An award-winning reinterpretation of the life and death of infamous outlaw Billy the Kid, from Booker Prize-winning author Michael Ondaatje. Booker Prize-winning author Michael Ondaatje invites you on a brutal, beautiful journey into the American West... At twenty-one years old, Billy the Kid has killed a man for each year he's been alive. Roaming the blasted plains of the Wild...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Warlight
    A mesmerising new novel from the internationally acclaimed, bestselling author of The English Patient. LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2018 An elegiac novel set in post-WW2 London about memory, family secrets, and lies, from the internationally acclaimed author of The English Patient. It is 1945, and London is still reeling from the Blitz. Fourteen-year-old Nathaniel and his sister, Rachel,...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The English Patient
    WINNER OF THE GOLDEN MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2018 โ€˜Magnificent' Sunday Times 'The best piece of fiction I've read in years' Independent on Sunday The final curtain is closing on the Second World War and in an abandoned Italian village. Hana, a nurse, tends to her sole remaining patient. Rescued from a burning plane, the anonymous Englishman is damaged beyond recognition...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • A Year of Last Things
    With A Year of Last Things, acclaimed novelist Michael Ondaatje returns to poetry, looking back on a life of displacement and discovery. 'My life always stops for a new book by him' JHUMPA LAHIRI 'A generous, moving book' GUARDIAN Born in Sri Lanka during the Second World War, Ondaatje was sent as a child to school in London, and later...
    Paperback
    $3500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • In the Skin of a Lion
    Pre-order
    In the Skin of a Lion
    A magical book. Michael Ondaatje defies the normal distinction between poet and novelist. His writing is consistently tuned to a visionary pitch. Graham Swift It is the 1920s, and Patrick Lewis has arrived in the bustling city of Toronto, leaving behind his Canadian wilderness home. He immerses himself in the lives of the people who surround him, learning, from their...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Pre-order
    Out 28 Jul 2026
  • Anil's Ghost
    From the author of The English Patient and Running in the Family, a breathtaking novel about love and the horrors of civil war. Anil's Ghost transports us to Sri Lanka, a country steeped in centuries of tradition, now forced into the late twentieth century by the ravages of a bloody civil war. Enter Anil Tissera, a young woman and forensic...
    Paperback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Distance of a Shout: Selected Poems
    From independence movements in Sri Lanka to train stations in contemporary Ontario, an intimate and witty selection of Michael Ondaatje's most widely loved poems From independence movements in Sri Lanka to train stations in contemporary Ontario, an intimate and witty selection of Michael Ondaatje's most widely loved poems taken across fifty years 'My life always stops for a new book...
    Hardback
    Sold Out

More from General Fiction

View all
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people โ€” but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    Land
    Inspired by the mapping of Ireland in the mid nineteenth century, Land, theย new novel from the author of Hamnet, is at once intimate and epic: a portrait of a family navigating a legacy of upheaval and loss with love and hope. On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tomรกs and his reluctant son,ย Liam, are working for the great...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set
    The Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set by Brandon Sanderson is a landmark fantasy series that has captivated readers worldwide. Renowned for its innovative magic system, intricate world-building, and compelling characters, this trilogy is a must-have for any fantasy enthusiast. Immerse yourself in a world shrouded in ash, where a once-hopeful land is ruled by the tyrannical Dark Lord, known as the...
    Set
    $6800
    Elsewhere:
    $7500
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Deal
    Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Deal now for the perfect fake-dating romance! She's about to make a deal with the college bad boy . . . Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Signed Bookplate
    New Release
    Light Wielder
    THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO METAL SLINGER, AKA THE BOOK WITH THE PLOT TWIST THAT BROKE THE INTERNET Sail the seas. Master the blade. Protect your heart. What would you do to have it all? READERS ARE GOING WILD FOR *METAL SLINGER* โ€˜The BEST plot twist to ever grace my Kindleโ€™ โญโญโญโญโญ โ€˜The author is a mastermind. Romantasy is back!!!!โ€™ โญโญโญโญโญ...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Project Hail Mary
    THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING NOVEL A BARACK OBAMA READING PICK A lone astronaut. An impossible mission. An ally he never imagined. 'The most enjoyable hard SF I have read in years' GUARDIAN 'Weir's finest work to date... This is the one book I read last year that I am certain I can recommend to anyone, no matter who, and know...
    Paperback
    $2099
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Project Hail Mary
    Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (4)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • There Is No Antimemetics Division
    Mind-bending science fiction about antimemes: ideas that attack memory, identity, and the fabric of reality itself. An antimeme is an entity with self-censoring properties. Some are benign, but others, less so... These entities can feed on your most cherished memories, the things that make you youโ€”and you'll never even know anything changed. And they aren't just feeding on us. They're...
    By qntm
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Throne of Glass Box Set (Paperback)
    Enter the realm. Unleash the darkness. Live the legend. Discover the worldwide phenomenon of the #1 New York Times-bestselling Throne of Glass series in this gorgeous 8-book box set! In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not...
    Set
    $12400
    Elsewhere:
    $15500
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Crescent City Paperback Box Set
    A beautiful box set containing all three paperback instalments of the Crescent City series from #1 bestselling global phenomenon Sarah J. Maas. BOUND BY BLOOD. TEMPTED BY DESIRE. UNLEASHED BY DESTINY. Maas has established herself as a fantasy fiction titan - Time Think Game of Thrones meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a drizzle of E.L. James โ€“ Telegraph Spiced...
    Set
    $5499
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Dungeon Crawler Carl
    The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman-now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition! You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what's worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • On Sale
    20% off
    The Wrath of the Fallen
    SAMKIEL AND DIANNA WILL RETURN in the next sizzling, dark romantasy series from Amber V. Nicole. EPIC. SPICY. ADDICTIVE. Embrace the darkness . . . 'If you like romantasy, read this!' RAVEN KENNEDY 'A wicked ride from beginning to heart-shattering end. Leaving me literally screaming for more' HANNAH NICOLE MAERHER 'This is perfection. Amber Nicole's Dianna is the FMC of...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.