Myra Breckenridge/Myron

Customer Reviews:

Beast, What Is Thy Sex? .......2005-12-16

The fact that Gore Vidal's highly original 'Myra Breckinridge' (1968) and its sequel, 'Myron' (1974), have been published together in one edition by Penguin Books strongly suggests that the novels are in the process of becoming accepted as part of the canon of American Literature. This is extraordinary, since 'Myra Breckinridge' is a genuinely radical and subversive novel that strikes forcibly at the very heart of traditional American values, particularly at the country's conservative sexual mores, though most readers seem to miss the 'unacceptable truth' that the book shrewdly exposes. Oddly, the disastrous film version of 1970, presently in constant rotation on multiple cable channels, made the same point more clearly, which was perhaps somewhat responsible for its critical and box office failure.

On the basis of its tone alone, 'Myra Breckinridge' may be difficult for many readers to read comfortably, which was doubtlessly Vidal's intention. Told in first person through a series of journal entries, Myra's often hilarious commentary is a litany of keen perception, self-hatred, sniping mania, arrogant sarcasm, brittle irony, continuous domineering combativeness, and camp-laden neurosis.

Cultural critic Camille Paglia has championed the novel, and as critic Reed Woodhouse has suggested, Myra's voice is often comparable to Paglia at her acerbic, devil-may-care, 'the truth must out' best. As Paglia would also begin to do with the publication of Sexual Personae in 1991, 'Myra Breckinridge' is additionally a scathing attack on the then-untouchable decorous High WASP values and social mores of the first half of the Twentieth Century. The book's genius lies in Vidal's ability to make the reader first sympathize with and then champion the marauding sociopathic Myra, who is a liar, an extortionist, a sadist, a rapist and, ultimately, something of a phantasm.

The unmentionable--and entirely unacceptable--'ugly truth' that the novel subtly declares is that self-identified heterosexual men can, in fact, be converted to full-blown homosexual desire if they can be made to be the passive partner in homosexual intercourse on at least one occasion. Using an artificial phallus, Myra rapes the hyper-masculine but brainless Rusty (whose buttocks she refers to as "a cannibal banquet"), who then abandons his longtime girlfriend, brutally transfers his rage to aging nymphomaniac Letitia Van Allen, and settles into a life of active, willfully chosen homosexuality as the novel closes.

"We are furnaces inside," says Myra, who has introduced Rusty to an internal furnace he hadn't know he had. Thus Myra, "goddess enthroned and all-powerful," has achieved one of her primary goals: "that is woman's role, to make the wound and then heal it." Myra, who has been reborn several times herself, provides Rusty with a reawakening and second birth, one that would very likely never have occurred without her sadistic intervention.

Curiously, Vidal seems to have lost his nerve as the novel draws to a close. Myra is run over by an automobile driven by one of her enemies, awakens badly injured in a hospital, and, via a process never made clear to the reader, psychically reverts back to Myron Breckinridge, the man she was before physically altering genders via an operation in Denmark.

But while the original Myron was an effeminate if sadomasochistic homosexual male, the post-Myra Myron is a docile, heterosexually-identified house-husband married to Rusty's former girlfriend, Mary-Ann. Lifting a syrupy message from The Wizard of Oz (1939), the novel closes with Myron stating that "it is a proven fact that happiness, like the proverbial bluebird, is to be found in your own backyard if you just know where to look."

While Myron's advice, which violates absolutely everything which has come before, is intended to be ironic, it's odd that Vidal chose to brutally punish--and even physically dismember ("where are my breasts?")--social terrorist Myra for her all-out, hubristic assault on American values, beliefs, manners, and gender roles. Perhaps Myra's failure was an inevitability, since her broad goals are consistently inconsistent: while she zealously worships the depiction of manhood and masculinity reflected in Hollywood films of the Thirties and Forties, she simultaneously desires to figuratively but aggressively reduce every man she encounters to a submissive, quivering eunuch, a position which oddly mirrors her own transsexual status. Whether this confusion is Myra's or Vidal's is difficult to assess, but the book's tepid conclusion suggests that Vidal became unexpectedly mired in his theme and simply lost his way.

The unfunny, grossly overlong 'Myron' is more a parody of its predecessor than a genuine thematic sequel, revealing a Vidal even further removed from the first book's disturbing origins and motivators. Here, Myron, who has had radical reconstructive surgery, continues as a mousy heterosexual house-husband living comfortably in the San Fernando Valley circa 1973, where he runs a Chinese catering business and remains happily married to Mary-Ann.

Though Myron hopes to "block out that awful period" of his life, the now repressed Myra struggles to liberate herself and take control of Myron's "mutilated body." To this end, Myra, "the arch-creatrix herself," supernaturally inserts Myron into a telecast of the fictional 'Siren of Babylon,' after which he finds he is "caught inside the movie" while it is being filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1948. 'Myron' reduces Myra to the back lot B-movie heroine she has continually threatened to degenerate into.

While 'Myra Breckinridge' has sharp and potentially deadly teeth, 'Myron,' sadly overladen with third-rate, 'naughty' gay camp humor, has none. However, it's likely that admirers of the first book will want to follow the further adventures of Vidal's dangerous, dazzling creation.

Myra, psychotic superhero.......2005-11-21

I don't like to know too much about a story before i start reading it. This was the case with this book. Not only i had no idea about the subject matter, i didn't even know too much about Gore Vidal.

There was something really strange about the main character, Myra. She was way too arrogant and full of herself. At first, i thought that was due to the writing. What does Gore Vidal know about women? I remember how surprised i was with She's Come Undone. After reading that book, it was hard for me to believe that Wally Lamb is a man!

But this Myra sure was weird. She was recently widowed, and traveled to Hollywood to collect on her husband's inheritance, which until then had been in the hands of Uncle Buck, an old movie star who now ran an acting school. Uncle Buck decides to keep Myra close by while his lawyers investigate her alleged marriage to his nephew, so he offers her a job in the acting school.

Myra keeps a diary which she is planning to share with her shrink back in NYC. While at the school, she becomes obsessed with a very handsome young man and his girlfriend. She in fact starts planning some unclear revenge, with the handsome guy as the victim.

This was one of those novels that kept me entertained even when i wasn't reading it. It was during one of those moments, when i was thinking about a small detail that did not make sense, that i was able to finally figure out what was going on with Myra. And then i smacked my forehead, because it was sort of obvious.

Not for the faint of heart, because there are some XXX moments, but this was a very fun ride. I enjoyed Myra's self-righteousness after a while, as well as the great movie commentaries throughout the book. There were two points that particularly resonated with me:

1: Myra's praise for the commercial as an art form. I love commercials and the incredible creativity they can concentrate in such a few seconds.

2: "But then the pedestrian is not favored hereabouts. In fact, the police are quick to stop and question anyone found on foot in a residential district since it is part of California folklore that only the queer or criminal walk; the good drive cars that fill the air with the foul odor of burning fossils, and so day by day our lungs fill up with the stuff of great ferns and dinosaurs who thus revenge themselves upon their successors, causing us to wither and die prematurely".

And i have just found out that there is a movie based on the book, so bad that is good.

Two unforgettable novels with one amazing, twisted character.......2005-02-27

MYRA BRECKINRIDGE moves to Hollywood in order to collect the inheritance left by her husband Myron. The one problem is Uncle Buck Loner who stands between her and the property - a profitable school for would be actors run by Buck. Myra is certain that everything will turn out her way, as she is the New American Woman. Every man wants her, but none may have her. However, there is a twist to Myra that will throw her plans into turmoil if anyone finds out.

This is a darkly comic book with one of the most intriguing of characters in Myra Breckinridge. She is self-confidant (perhaps overly so), knows how to control and manipulate both men and women to fulfill her wishes, and determined not to let anything stop her. She is ready to change the world to suit her. In other words, a force to be reckoned with. I also liked that she patterned herself after movie heroines and relates to people as though they were characters in a movie, shown for her benefit.

The novel itself is written as a series of diary entries, written by Myra as events happen. This gives an immediacy to the story and makes the reader feel as though he/she is a part of the action. The twist in the story is definitely a shocking one; I admit that it threw me for a loop. I can only imagine its impact when the book was published in 1968 with the sexual revolution just underway. An incredible book.

MYRON: This sequel to "Myra Breckinridge" follows poor Myron as he battles against Myra, only this time they've somehow become stuck in the 1948 movie "Siren of Babylon." It's a strange world, the Hollywood of 1948, and Myron tries frantically to return to 1973 and his beloved Richard M. Nixon while Myra has plans of her own to both bring back the glory of MG Studios by fixing "Siren" and to curb the human population growth by re-forming man in her image - strong, sterile Amazonian woman. Her one problem: Myron and how to keep him from escaping the film.

It's a totally bizarre and wonderfully campy look at Hollywood of the 1940s but seen through the eyes of the 1970s. And, like its predecessor, is written in journal entries so you're in the action as it happens from the characters' perspectives. A great piece of fantasy fiction.

Most provocative, insightful & hilarious book I ever read.......2004-05-01

The incomparable Gore Vidal wrote this book in the middle of the sexual revolution of the late sixties. He managed to write a book that is a profound statement on the women's movement on the brink of political madness; revealing the madness of patriarchal society during the Vietnam years while it began to embody the intimate criminal mentality of its enemy at the edge of its success. This book is still, more than thirty-five years later, ahead of its time. Myra Breckinridge is a symbol of America at this tumultuous time--a time that has not only not ended but is being ignored for the benefit of going backward to the Commie-hunter fifties culture, where it is seemingly safe from critical scrutiny. The sexuality, the artistry, the marketplace, the spirituality, and the narcissism that goes from the ridiculous to the sublime--defining the time in which is what written--is all here in this novel, in a way that is not only brilliantly entertaining but non-stop funny.

Vidal was the favorite writer of my baby-boomer parents when I was a child. And like my grandfather, who can tell me all the dirty little secrets of my parents generation without them even being aware, Vidal, with his unmatched artistry and biting wit, reveals all, with a talent for weaving stories that has been unmatched. Who is Myra Breckinridge? A better question would be who ISN'T?

An incredible novel.

EASY DOES IT ON THIS ONE.......2003-02-28

Some of the past reviewers went to take an aspirin and swallowed the whole bottle. Myra was but an amusing story that posed the deep question of what part one's sexuality plays in defining one's ultimate identity. If a guy should discover half way through life that he wanted to be a she-read this book before whacking it off. The amputation solved nothing for Myron. Myra had hoped she'd evolve into a new, superior species but discovered that a lovely woman's body didn't erase her loneliness. Myra did claim a temporary uniqueness but Vidal's heavy handed ending decapitated that idea.

The sequel Myron was a totally different cup of tea. Since by then there were no characters the reader could identify or sympathize with, a comic book quality emerged which did very little beyond illustrating the amusing war of the sexes. You needn't be a sadist to enjoy this book but it wouldn't hurt. I suppose some of Neal Gabler's (LIFE THE MOVIE) questions regarding psuedo reality and life imitating art were also illustrated here-but don't expect any clarification.

Book Description

In October 1978, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, archbishop of Kraków, was elected Pope, taking the name John Paul II in honor of his predecessor, who died after just thirty-three days in office. John Paul II was a surprising choice: Not only was he relatively young, at fifty-eight, but he was also the first non-Italian to be elevated to the papacy for more than 450 years. Eight months later, Wojtyla returned to his native Poland as Pope, receiving a rapturous welcome from his fellow Poles, who were then still living under communism. This was the beginning of John Paul II's extraordinary engagement with the world--work that remade the Catholic Church and reached out to people of all faiths in every nation.

Karol Wojtyla was born near Kraków in 1920. Having studied theology secretly during the German occupation, he was ordained a priest in 1946, becoming archbishop in 1964 and cardinal in 1967. Outspoken and often controversial, John Paul II became one of the best-known figures in the world as the Cold War drew to an end. The most traveled Pope there has been, he had visited 123 countries by his eightieth birthday. By his eighty-third birthday, in 2003, he had become the fourth-longest-serving Pope in history, having worked diligently to secure his theological legacy within the church.

This volume demonstrates the breadth and depth of John Paul II's life and interests. A Life in Prayer collects prayers and public speeches from the four volumes of The Private Prayers of Pope John Paul II. The selections illustrate his devotion to the Virgin Mary and the Rosary, the foundations of his spiritual life, the profound range of his compassion, and the poetry of his life and language. A Life in Prayer also includes extracts from Tad Szulc's biography of John Paul II that describe the key moments in Wojtyla's life.

In 1994, John Paul II was named Time magazine's Person of the Year. The magazine said, "His power rests in the word, not the sword....He is an army of one, and his empire is both as ethereal and as ubiquitous as the soul."

Download Description

"In October 1978, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, archbishop of Kraków, was elected Pope, taking the name John Paul II in honor of his predecessor, who died after just thirty-three days in office. John Paul II was a surprising choice: Not only was he relatively young, at fifty-eight, but he was also the first non-Italian to be elevated to the papacy for more than 450 years. Eight months later, Wojtyla returned to his native Poland as Pope, receiving a rapturous welcome from his fellow Poles, who were then still living under communism. This was the beginning of John Paul II's extraordinary engagement with the world--work that remade the Catholic Church and reached out to people of all faiths in every nation. Karol Wojtyla was born near Kraków in 1920. Having studied theology secretly during the German occupation, he was ordained a priest in 1946, becoming archbishop in 1964 and cardinal in 1967. Outspoken and often controversial, John Paul II became one of the best-known figures in the world as the Cold War drew to an end. The most traveled Pope there has been, he had visited 123 countries by his eightieth birthday. By his eighty-third birthday, in 2003, he had become the fourth-longest-serving Pope in history, having worked diligently to secure his theological legacy within the church. This volume demonstrates the breadth and depth of John Paul II's life and interests. A Life in Prayer collects prayers and public speeches from the four volumes of The Private Prayers of Pope John Paul II. The selections illustrate his devotion to the Virgin Mary and the Rosary, the foundations of his spiritual life, the profound range of his compassion, and the poetry of his life and language. A Life in Prayer also includes extracts from Tad Szulc's biography of John Paul II that describe the key moments in Wojtyla's life. In 1994, John Paul II was named Time magazine's Person of the Year. The magazine said, ""His power rests in the word, not the sword....He is an army of one, and his empire is both as ethereal and as ubiquitous as the soul."" "

Finding Balance: Loving God With Heart And Soul, Mind And Strength -- DVD KIT

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Finding Balance: Loving God With Heart And Soul, Mind And Strength -- DVD KIT
Becca Stevens
Manufacturer: Abingdon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0687344905

Right with God: Loving Instruction from the Father's Heart (LifeChange Books)

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Helpful

Right with God: Loving Instruction from the Father's Heart (LifeChange Books)
Ron Mehl
Manufacturer: Multnomah
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1590521862
Release Date: 2003-03-06

Book Description

The Ten Commandments are often portrayed as cold, harsh words from a vengeful God. This new, condensed version of Ron Mehl's enormously popular The Tender Commandments recasts them as ten tender declarations of our Creator's love for us. Pastor and Gold Medallion award-winning author Mehl explores the wisdom contained in the commandments that can keep us from being injured by the deadly traps of a fallen world. Following God's guidance is in our own best interests, keeping us under His protection and love.

Customer Reviews:

Helpful.......2003-07-23

Ron Mehl applies the 10 Commandents to daily living. He places them in the framework of being helpful to live life in a productive, helpful way. The bookends at the beginning and end of his teachings on the Commandents is the eagle analogy from Exodus 19. He describes the growth process involved, i.e., that the mother eagle insists on taking her offspring out of the comfort zone for natural growth. The Commandents were given by God in a similar manner he says, to enable people to grow. He devotes time to the issue of being involved in the interests of other people and moving beyond the immaturity of selfishness. Mehl also says the Commandments cannot be lived in one's own strength, but in God's strength as an individual learns to depend on Him.

Bless His Heart: The GRITS Guide to Loving (or Just Living With) Southern Men

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Bless His Heart: The GRITS Guide to Loving (or Just Living With) Southern Men
Deborah Ford
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0525949712

Book Description

Deborah Ford, tireless promoter and bestselling author of The GRITS® Guide to Life, delivers a field manual for catching, loving, feeding, and living with Southern men.

If you're living and breathing in this country, chances are you know a GRITS (Gentlemen Raised in the South), and if you're Southern yourself (or just wish you were), chances are you love him. He's chivalrous, kind, and moral, but he can also be messy, hog-wild, inattentive, and just plain frustrating. You love him, bless his heart, but you sure don't understand him. If any of the following are true of your man, you might need this book:

• Does he know every single word to his school's fight song?
• Does he sing it at two a.m. on the lawn of the opposing team's coach?
• Does he think nothing of driving twenty miles to help a friend fix his roof, even though he can't make it twenty feet to take out the garbage?
• When he comes home, is he often as muddy as the dog trailing behind him?
• Does he love MoonPies, RC Cola, and GooGoo Clusters?
• Does he still think Mama can do no wrong, even though he's got grandchildren of his own?

With her signature Southern wit, wisdom, and heart, Deborah Ford turns her attention to the men who drive us to distraction. Whether he lives in a tarpaper shack or a columned mansion, Deborah celebrates the wonderful, entertaining, and downright crazy GRITS that Southern women can't live without.

The Greatest Gift of All Is-- A Daughter Like You: Loving Thoughts from the Heart of a Parent (Blue Mountain Arts Collection) (Blue Mountain Arts Collection)

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The Greatest Gift of All Is-- A Daughter Like You: Loving Thoughts from the Heart of a Parent (Blue Mountain Arts Collection) (Blue Mountain Arts Collection)

Manufacturer: Blue Mountain Arts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0883966115

Book Description

The moment she enters your life, a daughter transforms your world forever. In return, you find yourself wanting to provide her with a world full of dreams, love, and happiness. This collection gives voice to every parent's deepest feelings, in beautiful words that every daughter will enjoy reading time and again throughout the years. The unique handmade paper used for the cover of this book is first crafted from mulberry trees and then hand-colored by artisans. Each book cover in this eloquent series is distinct and different, and the environment is not harmed in the making of this paper.

Be the Star You Are!: 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference (Heart & Star Books) (Heart & Star Books)

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ENERGY AND HEART!
I love this book!
This is a superb self help book!
great choice
A book for life

Be the Star You Are!: 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference (Heart & Star Books) (Heart & Star Books)
Cynthia Brian
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

There are no dress rehearsals in life and you only get one shot at a scene-why not make it as good as it can be? In BE THE STAR YOU ARE! Cynthia Brian proves that you already possess everything you need to be the producer, writer, director, and star of your own life. By recognizing your individual gifts and tapping into your creative energies you can learn to sparkle and soar in every area of your life. Drawn from personal stories of growing up one of five hardworking children on the family farm, Cynthia shares 99 lessons (or "gifts") that teach you to cherish your past, focus on your assets, dream of the future, and celebrate each moment. From appreciation to devotion, leadership to perseverance, and serendipity to wisdom-each gift will open your heart, inspire you to embrace all experiences, and help you make the most of your life.

Customer Reviews:

ENERGY AND HEART!.......2005-04-26

Cynthia's warm and engaging style is a total treat. Her 99 gifts are just that - gifts of wisdom, heart and practicality that help put our ridiculously fast-paced lives in a more realistic perspective!

Libby Gill, Author of Traveling Hopefully

I love this book!.......2005-02-08

This is a book that you can pick up everyday! I open it it to any page and read--a guarantee mood pick me upper! Author Cynthia Brian is so right with her insights, stories, and huge dosage of encouragement that you will feel like you have your very own fairy godmother beside you. Her words make you sit up and decide to reach for the stars. There is light meant to be in the world and after reading her book, you will know it is meant to also come from you.

This is a superb self help book!.......2004-12-10

This is a superb self help book. Cynthia Brian did an awesome job collecting 99 empowering messages which she calls gifts about a wide variety of subjects on personal development and achieving greatness

In this book you will find the secrets on how bring super success and abundance into your life. As you read this book, you will see for yourself that she is doing this for the love of helping people. Her genuine desire to help people improve their lives is really touching. Her enthusiasm and zest for life will inspire and enrich you to live your life to its fullest! Highly recommended!

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works

great choice.......2001-12-22

I cerainly can see why all of those famous authors give this book the sendoff it has received. If the reader could develop the marvelous attitude that ms.Brian extolls, Life would be lived to the Max.

A book for life.......2001-09-28

I carry this book in my brief case, handy for "stolen moments" of reading and sharing. I am sure I have read each insightful and entertaining story at least twice. Cynthia's 99 gifts for living life has made a difference in my life; she reminds us to strive for our fullest potential each and every day. This is a book that should be shared with others; a gift that will inspire and encourage a higher plateau of living.
Yes, I am a star, and am shining more brightly because Cynthia has reminded me to live and love life.

When Fairy Tale Romances Break Real Hearts: A Guide to Creating Loving Lasting Relationships

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When Fairy Tale Romances Break Real Hearts: A Guide to Creating Loving Lasting Relationships
Kimberley Heart
Manufacturer: H.J. Kramer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Gifts from the Heart: 10 Ways to Build More Loving Relationships

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wonderful advice

Gifts from the Heart: 10 Ways to Build More Loving Relationships
Randy Fujishin
Manufacturer: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0742525023

Book Description

Helps learn, practice, and improve ten fundamental communication skills needed for any long-term relationship. Grounded in specific, manageable, and directed activities designed to immediately enhance relationships.

Customer Reviews:

wonderful advice.......2004-05-04

This book makes one stop and think about relationships from anothers perspective. Great, thoughtful exercises.

Whispers of Sweet Somethings: Loving Words to Inspire Your Heart

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Whispers of Sweet Somethings: Loving Words to Inspire Your Heart
Gay Talbott Boassy
Manufacturer: Harvest House Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Love & Romance | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0736904611

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