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His future is disastrous, his present indecent, his past divine. He Is Darcy Dancer, youthful squire of Andromeda Park, the great gray stone mansion inhabited by Crooks, the cross-eyed butler, and the sexy, aristocratic Miss Von B.Tags
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Reginald Darcy Thormond Dancer Kildare, to the remote midlands Irish manor known as Andromeda Park born. His father, “a man well known for his gambling as he was for his generosity among cronies, had married for money and was, as he was mostly, away in England for the racing.” His mother a beloved equestrienne who soon dies in a riding accident.
Darcy grows in the crumbling country house, raised by servants, surrounded by the dwindling land his father is selling off. Taught the art of love by his Austrian housekeeper, Darcy is sent to a boarding school when his father learns of it. In a hilarious episode the school burns on Darcy’s first night and he commences his journey to manhood.
Darcy finds plenty of lust but still seeks love. show more In typical Donleavy style, the words and story flow hypnotically while Darcy finds his way in his young life and has to prove himself time and again while meeting the most amusing and disagreeable people Dublin has to offer. show less
Darcy grows in the crumbling country house, raised by servants, surrounded by the dwindling land his father is selling off. Taught the art of love by his Austrian housekeeper, Darcy is sent to a boarding school when his father learns of it. In a hilarious episode the school burns on Darcy’s first night and he commences his journey to manhood.
Darcy finds plenty of lust but still seeks love. show more In typical Donleavy style, the words and story flow hypnotically while Darcy finds his way in his young life and has to prove himself time and again while meeting the most amusing and disagreeable people Dublin has to offer. show less
Fantastic! Again, Donleavy has created a character (Darcy Dancer) and given him life to the point where after finishing this book, I felt as though I should give him a a call to see how he's doing. I have to order the second part to this book. I am sure it will be as good as this one.
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Author Information

30+ Works 5,561 Members
J. P. Donleavy was born James Patrick Donleavy Jr. in Brooklyn, New York on April 23, 1926. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he studied microbiology at Trinity College in Dublin. His first novel, The Ginger Man, was published in 1955. His other novels included A Singular Man, The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B., The Onion Eaters, show more A Fairy Tale of New York, The Lady Who Liked Clean Rest Rooms, Wrong Information Is Being Given Out at Princeton, and The Destinies of Darcy Dancer, Gentleman. He also wrote nonfiction books including The Unexpurgated Code: A Complete Manual of Survival and Manners and plays including The Beastly Beatitudes. He was an accomplished painter and had exhibitions on both sides of the Atlantic, including a show at the National Arts Club in Manhattan in 2007. He died from a stroke on September 11, 2017 at the age of 91. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Destinies of Darcy Dancer, Gentleman
- People/Characters
- Darcy Dancer
- Important places
- Dublin, Ireland; Ireland
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Statistics
- Members
- 230
- Popularity
- 141,092
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.41)
- Languages
- Dutch, English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 7




























































