''Lord of Misrule'' is a 2010 novel by

Jaimy Gordon Jaimy Gordon (born July 4, 1944) is an American writer. She is a winner of the National Book Award for Fiction. Biography She was born in Baltimore. She graduated from Antioch College in 1966, received an MA in English from Brown University in ...

. The book is divided into four sections, each concerned with one of four horse races at a "down on the luck" racetrack. The novel drew a positive response, with many reviewers focusing on Gordon's skillful and complex prose style. It received the

National Book Award for Fiction The National Book Award for Fiction is one of five annual National Book Awards, which recognize outstanding literary work by United States citizens. Since 1987 the awards have been administered and presented by the National Book Foundation, but ...

in 2010. This "dark horse" victory surprised its publishing house, McPherson & Company, which did not have enough copies ready to meet demand immediately after the win.

Style

Many reviewers of the novel comment on Gordon's distinctive style and control of language. In ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', reviewer

Jane Smiley Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is an American novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for her novel ''A Thousand Acres'' (1991). Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a s ...

wrote that "Gordon has completely mastered the language of the racetrack, and formed it into an evocative and idiosyncratic style." On the other hand, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' emphasized the complex and well used vocabulary applied by Gordon to this setting, writing "Ms. Gordon is a showy enough linguist to make gloriously apt use of the words

hierodule Sacred prostitution, temple prostitution, cult prostitution, and religious prostitution are rites consisting of paid intercourse performed in the context of religious worship, possibly as a form of fertility rite or divine marriage (). Scholar ...

, unmiscible and catawamptious. Bet on this: you’ll never see those three words in the same book again."

Critical reception

Generally reviews of the novel were positive, many of them placing praise on Gordon's control of language and action. ''The New York Times'' reviewer Janet Maslin praised the novel, liking its plot, but principally praising its style, she writes that novel "achieve miraculous effects with both dialogue and dialect" and "book is best remembered for flashes of startling beauty." ''The Washington Post'' similarly appreciated the plot and action, but focused on the novel's language, writing as well. However, with some reluctance The Washington Post writes that its "such a beautifully written novel that I wish I could say that every element works to perfection; I can't," noting that the multiple perspectives of the characters never allow intimacy with them. ''The LA Times'' emphasized the careful balance between beautiful description and philosophical reflection on the burdens and woes of both the humans and the horses. Reynolds, the reviewer, writes "All of this makes "Lord of Misrule" a fun book to read, fun that comes not without its raw anxieties bout life" The Independent was similarly praising starting the review with the novel is "big on character and narrative finesse" and concluding that "Lord of Misrule is by no means perfect. There are some passages of overblown prose and Tommy is less fleshed out than the other characters. But there is something mesmerising about Gordon's portrait."

References

{{NBA for Fiction 2000–2024 2010 American novels National Book Award for Fiction winning works Horse racing novels PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction-winning works