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High Cost of Living

Published
Oct 1988
Main Genre
General Fiction General Fiction
Pages
268

About This Book

Passions flare in a most unlikely love triangle between three remarkable characters facing arduous life challenges in this engrossing novel by bestselling author Marge Piercy

 


Heartbroken after her girlfriend leaves her for another woman, Leslie, a history grad student, follows her thesis advisor from Grand Rapids to Detroit for a fresh start. There she befriends seventeen-year-old Honor, who sparks a familiar passion within her. Feeling that she can't act on her desire, she sleeps with Honor's older friend, Bernard, a gay former street hustler who resents his past and, to make matters more complicated, also lusts for Honor.


 


As the three grapple with issues of sexuality and identity, author Marge Piercy manages to be both intimately attuned to her characters' emotions and aware of their role in a larger social and economic context. Leslie, Honor, and Bernard struggle financially in a city that doesn't offer many opportunities, and they discover that expressing their sexuality and finding love may be privileges they cannot afford.


 


"A novel as ambiguous and fascinating as life itself." —The New York Times

 


"Piercy goes over her subjects with a fine-tooth comb and provides food for thought about some of our directions, feelings and values." —Publishers Weekly

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Formats & Editions

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Paperback

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Mass Market Paperback
First Edition Oct 1988 Fawcett ISBN 0449445399
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May 1979 Women's Press (UK) ISBN 070433836X
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Jul 1981 Random House ISBN 0449238121
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Oct 1985 Fawcett ISBN 0449208796
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eBook

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Apr 2016 Open Road Media ISBN B01C54MK3I
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Apr 2016 Open Road Media ISBN 1504033418
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