Name: The Devoted
ISBN: 9780393357301

The co-op bookstore for avid readers

The Devoted

Blair Hurley

Paperback

Regular price$15.95With free membership trial$7.9750% off your first book+ Free shipping

Currently out of stock. Place a backorder.

Do you recommend this book?

Yes!

Reader Score

71%

71% of readers

recommend this book

Critic Reviews

Good

Based on 7 reviews on

Nicole Hennessy's world revolves around her Boston Zendo, to the chagrin of her Irish Catholic family. As she struggles to break free from a psychological and sexual entanglement with her mentor, her past finally catches up with her. A spellbinding confession of what it means to abandon one life for another, The Devoted asks what it takes, and what you'll sacrifice, to find enlightenment.

Book Details

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publish Date: Jun 4th, 2019
Pages: 320
Language: English
Edition: undefined - undefined
Dimensions: 8.40in - 5.50in - 1.00in - 0.65lb
EAN: 9780393357301
Categories: • Literary• Women• Psychological

About the Author

Hurley, Blair: - Blair Hurley is a Pushcart Prize winner whose work has been published in West Branch and Mid-American Review, among others. A native of Boston, she now lives in Toronto, where she teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto.

More books by Blair Hurley

Book Cover for: Minor Prophets, Blair Hurley

What people are saying

womenwriters

@WomenWriters

1 year

#womenwriters Women Writers, Women's Books: Online magazine about Women Writers, by Women Writers. Tweets by @chicaderock

★★★★★ “A thrilling journey into the heart of Buddhist thought on pain, truth, and desire... will pull you deep into the thorny beauty of American Buddhism—and leave you wondering and moved.” Blair Hurley, author of The Devoted https://t.co/Ab3SMA9x0N @KBrandtwriter https://t.co/qJtuOPXgtB

twitter.com

Story Literary Magazine

@StoryLitMag

3 years

STORY is a triannual print publication with tales that span across genre, perspective, and the world. Creativity comes to life on the pages of STORY.

Check out the phenomenal @bhurley in her story “The Disappearing Place” in our summer issue and her debut novel THE DEVOTED!! #fiction #storymagazine #summerreading #litmag #writers #read https://t.co/KF1iKGoJY9

Teacher and curriculum writer at CUNY Adult Literacy Program; writer. Novel Hope for the Worst out from @VineLeavesPress March 2023.

I loved Blair Hurley’s The Devoted, and can’t wait to read her newest. https://t.co/V74g5RTY0d

twitter.com

Critics’ reviews

Praise for this book

A rich and entertaining novel about a woman, a seeker, whose life, existence and relationships are all centered around a devout Buddhist mediation practice in Boston--until they aren't. I couldn't put it down.--Anne Lamott

Provocative.... [A] terrifying but insightful warning not to look for easy answers offered by false prophets.-- "Time"

A belated coming-of-age novel with a quest at its core, The Devoted is an assured and promising debut.-- "Vogue"

[Hurley's] hand is confident and steady as she layers Zen teachings into the already complicated history of her novel's focal character.... Hurley leaves you thinking and sorting through feelings long after her final page.-- "The Rumpus"

With absolutely spot-on descriptions of Boston, this spellbinding story adds much-needed nuance to the discussion of faith and what we're willing to forsake in the name of absolution.-- "Booklist (starred review)"

All lovers of great fiction with complex characters as well as anyone fascinated by narratives about religious cults will want this insightful story.-- "Library Journal (starred review)"

This thoughtful novel carefully untangles the often knotty interconnection between romantic and religious love, revealing the dangers inherent in each without denying their value.-- "Publishers Weekly"

A thoughtful exploration of faith, surrender, and ecstasy.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

The Devoted, Blair Hurley's stunning literary debut, pushes the boundaries of the traditional coming-of-age novel, offering instead a haunting, provocative tale of self-discovery and transformation in the fallout of exploitation and devastating loss.... Hurley is a gifted author who writes with startling beauty and tenderness, one heightened by a fierce, unwavering clarity.-- "Brooklyn Rail"

The Devoted has a tone of genius behind every chapter and a powerful magnetism that is hard to resist.-- "New York Journal of Books"

What people are saying

womenwriters

@WomenWriters

1 year

#womenwriters Women Writers, Women's Books: Online magazine about Women Writers, by Women Writers. Tweets by @chicaderock

twitter.com

Story Literary Magazine

@StoryLitMag

3 years

STORY is a triannual print publication with tales that span across genre, perspective, and the world. Creativity comes to life on the pages of STORY.

twitter.com