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The Inner Circle
by T. Coraghessan Boyle
'Road To Wellville' author T.C. Boyle once again fictionalizes the life of an American historical figure. This time, the subject is noted sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey, who is viewed through the eyes of his fictional assistant, John Milk, who narrates the novel.
Viking, 418 pages
09/09/2004
$25.95
ISBN: 0670033448
Fiction
General Literature & Fiction
Historical Fiction
All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...
Chicago Sun-Times Randy Michael Signor
A typical Boyle masterwork, a slick union of style and substance.
Entertainment Weekly Jennifer Reese
No one -- not Sherwood Anderson, not Francisco de Goya, not David Lynch -- is better at capturing a grotesque.
Booklist Donna Seaman
Strong medicine from a phenomenally artistic, morally inquisitive, and unfailingly compassionate writer. [1 Jun 2004, p.1670]
Library Journal Dale Raben
At once titillating and maddening. [Jul 2004, p.66]
Publishers Weekly
The irony and the drama of this mesmerizing novel lie in Milk's unquestioning acceptance of his idol's demands, and the gradual moral corruption that ensues. [5 Jul 2004, p.34]
San Francisco Chronicle Kate Washington
A captivating and emotionally compelling exploration of a key chapter in American cultural history.
The Independent Mary Flanagan
Boyle writes with pace, verve and breathtaking insight.
PopMatters Shandy Casteel
What he has accomplished yet again with this novel is to capture a snapshot of American history, a fictional retelling that hits the heart with more accuracy than a dozen biographies could ever hope to realize.
The Spectator Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy
For much of the book Boyle’s triumph is his portrait of [Kinsey].
The Economist
The tension between sympathy and antipathy, in both the narrator and the reader, is what makes the novel work. Best of all, "The Inner Circle" is fun to read, and that is amazingly rare in modern literary fiction.
The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Zsuzsi Gartner
Either Boyle intends Kinsey to be seen here as grossly unsympathetic, or he's crashed against the barbed-wire-topped wall that inevitably rises when trying to write about a charismatic figure.
The Onion A.V. Club Scott Tobias
Vibrant... With an evocative feel for the tenor of the times, Boyle captures the sense of scandal and excitement.
Washington Post Michael Dirda
I couldn't stop reading The Inner Circle, for it possesses, to adopt an old phrase, "the fascination of the abomination."
The Guardian Benjamin Markovits
It's beautifully structured and has the merit of a large idea; Boyle on the whole does justice to it.
Boston Globe Nick Poppy
Unfortunately, Milk's dispassionate, lightly brainwashed voice sometimes lends the tale a flatness more thorough than probably intended.
Houston Chronicle Fritz Lanham
The Inner Circle lacks the extravagant comedy of some of his other work. It is, however, a completely persuasive and disquieting case study of the price you pay by giving yourself up to a mesmerizing, domineering genius.
Kirkus Reviews
A great subject imperfectly tamed and controlled. Well worth reading, but not Boyle's best. [1 Jun 2004, p.504]
Los Angeles Times Gary Indiana
Boyle's singular accomplishment in this book is his portrait of Kinsey. [12 Sep 2004]
The New York Times Book Review A. O. Scott
For all its historical detail, ''The Inner Circle'' has a blurry, hasty, unfinished quality.
Daily Telegraph David Flusfeder
The ideas in this book are interesting. The characters become less so and the writing seldom is.
The New York Times Michiko Kakutani
One of his flatter, flabbier productions... The result is a tepid historical novel about two unpalatable and one-dimensional characters.
 The average user rating for this book is 5.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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