Ballad of a Small Player
Ballad of a Small Player
Ballad of a Small Player
Member Benefits
30% Off All Books - Savings that support storytellers, not stock prices.
Fight Book Bans - Every membership sends a book to LGBTQ+ youth in affected states.
Member Book Price
$19.00
$13.30
Couldn't load pickup availability
Description
Description
'I waited patiently for the next hand to be played out, and I had a feeling it was going to be a Natural, a perfect nine.'
His name is Lord Doyle. His plan: to gamble away his last days in the dark and decadent casino halls of Macau. His game: baccarat punto blanco -- 'that slutty dirty queen of casino card games.' Though Doyle is not a Lord at all. He is a fake; a corrupt lawyer who has spent a career siphoning money from rich clients. And now he is on the run, determined to send the money - and himself - up in smoke. So begins a beguiling, elliptical velvet rope of a plot: a sharp suit, yellow kid gloves, another naughty lemonade and an endless loop of small wins and losses. When Lady Luck arrives in the form of Dao-Ming, a beautiful yet enigmatic lost soul, so begins a spectacular and unnatural winning streak in which millions come Doyle's way. But in these shadowy dens of risk and compulsion, in a land governed by superstition, Doyle knows that when the bets are high, the stakes are even greater. The Ballad of a Small Player is a sleek, dark-hearted masterpiece: a ghost story set in the land of the living, and a decadent morality tale of a Faustian pact made, not with the devil, but with fortune's fickle hand.
About the Author
About the Author
LAWRENCE OSBORNE is the author of the bestselling novel The Forgiven and six books of nonfiction. His short story "Volcano" was selected for Best American Short Stories 2012, and he has written for the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, Forbes, Harper's, and several other publications.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Slim but insistent . . . A vivid and feverish portrait of a soul in self-inflicted purgatorio."--Tom Shone, New York Times Book Review "Osborne, a travel writer, renders the atmosphere of casinos, hotels, and restaurants seductively...[and] shows an impeccable facility for capturing the sweat-soaked suspense of the high-stakes card table."--The New Yorker "Hypnotic . . . Macau and Hong Kong feel vivid and true in the novel, yet also otherworldly: Well-known landmarks and weather conditions are captured with a stillness and beauty that make them feel haunting and melancholy. . . . Old ways collide with a brash new world, and in this game, it is not yet clear which will emerge the winner."--Tash Aw, for All Things Considered "Haunting . . . A captivating story about the nature of addiction, the power of the supernatural and the freedom that may come from throwing everything to chance."--NPR
"Elegantly told...The beauty of this novel is in the elegance and precision of its prose, which renders the glaring kitsch of Macau into a series of exquisite miniatures, and draws on Osborne's reserves as a travel writer."--The Guardian "A searing portrait of addiction and despair set in the glittering world of Macau's casinos. . . . Osborne's intriguing Chinese milieu and exquisite prose make this work as a standout."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "Osborne masterfully recreates the atmosphere of casinos as well as the psychology of baccarat players--and leaves readers eager to try their luck at the game."--Kirkus Reviews
"[Osborne's] darkly introspective study of decline and decay conjures apt comparisons to Paul Bowles, Graham Greene, and V. S. Naipaul."--Booklist "A modern Graham Greene . . . Osborne is a thrilling, exceptional talent in British fiction's landscape."--Sunday Times (UK) "Unavoidable comparisons will be drawn with Graham Greene's work. . . . [Osborne] has a masterful touch with creating mood, and a swirling, world-weary foreignness pervades the story. The Ballad of a Small Player is a layered work, a novel about addiction, love and class but given an allusive face by the way it perches constantly on some supernatural brink."--Irish Examiner
"Elegantly told...The beauty of this novel is in the elegance and precision of its prose, which renders the glaring kitsch of Macau into a series of exquisite miniatures, and draws on Osborne's reserves as a travel writer."--The Guardian "A searing portrait of addiction and despair set in the glittering world of Macau's casinos. . . . Osborne's intriguing Chinese milieu and exquisite prose make this work as a standout."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "Osborne masterfully recreates the atmosphere of casinos as well as the psychology of baccarat players--and leaves readers eager to try their luck at the game."--Kirkus Reviews
"[Osborne's] darkly introspective study of decline and decay conjures apt comparisons to Paul Bowles, Graham Greene, and V. S. Naipaul."--Booklist "A modern Graham Greene . . . Osborne is a thrilling, exceptional talent in British fiction's landscape."--Sunday Times (UK) "Unavoidable comparisons will be drawn with Graham Greene's work. . . . [Osborne] has a masterful touch with creating mood, and a swirling, world-weary foreignness pervades the story. The Ballad of a Small Player is a layered work, a novel about addiction, love and class but given an allusive face by the way it perches constantly on some supernatural brink."--Irish Examiner
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Random House Publishing Group
Pub date:
2015-01-13
Length:
272 pages
The Allstora Membership
Membership Perks:
- Save 30% on all online store purchases
- Exclusive access to author's content
- You pay less, but authors still earn double
Membership Terms:
First Month:
$0.00
Monthly price:
$5.00
- To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
- One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.