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The Flamethrowers

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( 23,906 ratings, 2,792 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
The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner is a compelling tale set against the backdrop of the 1970s. It follows a young artist navigating the vibrant and tumultuous worlds of New York and Italy. As she becomes entwined with the art scene and radical political movements, the narrative explores themes of ambition, identity, and the powerful forces of culture and revolution.
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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?

You might enjoy this book if you are captivated by art, politics, and the vibrant culture of the late 1970s. It weaves a compelling story of a young artist navigating the avant-garde art scene in New York and radical political movements in Italy, blending personal ambition with larger historical forces. Its dynamic characters and evocative narrative might appeal to those who appreciate richly layered storytelling and historical depth.

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In Reno we encounter a heroine like no other.

Best Books of the Year:
* Guardian * New York Times * The Times * Observer * Financial Times * New Yorker * Telegraph * Slate * Oprah * Vogue * Time * Scotsman * Evening Standard *

Shortlisted for the National Book Awards 2013

An extraordinarily ambitious big American novel about a young artist and the worlds she encounters in New York and Rome in the mid-1970s - by turns underground, elite, dangerous

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

An extraordinarily ambitious big American novel about a young artist and the worlds she encounters in New York and Rome in the mid-1970s - by turns underground, elite, dangerous.

From the Man Booker Prize shortlisted author of The Mars Room

Shortlisted for the Folio Prize 2014

Longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction

Reno mounts her motorcycle and sets a collision course for New York. In 1977 the city is alive with art, sensuality and danger. She falls in with a bohemian clique colonising downtown and the lines between reality and performance begin to bleed.

A passionate affair with the scion of an Italian tyre empire carries Reno to Milan, where she is swept along by the radical left and drawn into a spiral of violence and betrayal.

The Flamethrowers is an audacious novel that explores the perplexing allure of femininity, fakery and fear. In Reno we encounter a heroine like no other.

Best Books of the Year:

  • Guardian
  • New York Times
  • The Times
  • Observer
  • Financial Times
  • New Yorker
  • Telegraph
  • Slate
  • Oprah
  • Vogue
  • Time
  • Scotsman
  • Evening Standard

Shortlisted for the National Book Awards 2013

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?

Rachel Kushner's The Flamethrowers is praised for its vibrant and dynamic storytelling, filled with anecdotes and richly-crafted characters. Critics regard Kushner as a prodigious talent, with the novel delivering an exhilarating literary experience. It has been described as an ambitious, beautifully written piece that blends the political and personal with precision. The novel's vivid depiction of the 1970s art scene and its thrilling, inventive narrative structure make it a standout in contemporary literature.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099586982

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 January 2014

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 308g

Pages: 400

About the Author

Rachel Kushner is the author of The Hard Crowd, her acclaimed essay collection, and the internationally bestselling novels The Mars Room, The Flamethrowers, and Telex from Cuba, as well as a book of short stories, The Strange Case of Rachel K. She has won the Prix Medicis and been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Folio Prize, and was twice a finalist for the National Book Award in Fiction. She is a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow and the recipient of the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her books are translated into twenty-seven languages.

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