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The Neon Bible

By John Kennedy Toole
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3.77 goodreads logo

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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
The Neon Bible by John Kennedy Toole tells the poignant story of David, a young boy growing up in a small Southern town during the 1940s and 1950s. Through David's eyes, readers experience the challenges of a troubled family life, societal pressures, and the influence of a domineering religious figure. This novel eloquently captures the struggles of yearning for escape and understanding.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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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 Southern Gothic stories that explore the complexities of growing up in a small, oppressive town. With its richly drawn characters and poignant themes of isolation and longing, it's perfect for readers who appreciate a coming-of-age tale imbued with emotional depth and a sense of place.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The accomplished and evocative first novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Confederacy of Dunces.

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

John Kennedy Toole wrote The Neon Bible for a literary contest at the age of sixteen. The manuscript was finally published twenty years after Toole's death.

The Neon Bible opens with the narrator, a young man named David, on a train, leaving the small Southern town he's grown up in for the first time. What unspools is the tender and tragic coming-of-age story of a lonely child, a story that revolves around David's unorthodox friendship with his great-aunt Mae—a former stage performer who is fiercely at odds with the conservative townspeople—and the everyday toll of living in an environment of religious fanaticism.

From the opening lines of The Neon Bible, David is fully alive, naive yet sharply observant, drawing us into his world through the sure artistry of John Kennedy Toole.

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?

John Kennedy Toole's The Neon Bible is praised for its heartfelt emotion and direct prose, marking it as a remarkable achievement. It is seen as a powerful novel that fits alongside works by Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, and Eudora Welty, with a tender and nostalgic quality reminiscent of To Kill A Mockingbird. Reviewers commend Toole's maturity in conveying complex emotions through simple expression, even as a young writer.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781611854985

Publisher: Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 May 2019

Country: United States

Imprint: Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 11.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 127g

Pages: 176

Collections

Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Fiction General Fiction John Kennedy Toole Literary Fiction

About the Author

John Kennedy Toole (1937-1969), a native of New Orleans, graduated from Tulane University and received a master's degree in English from Columbia University. He received a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for his only other novel, A Confederacy of Dunces.

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