Title: The Wine of Astonishment
Author: Martha Gellhorn
Cover artist: James Avati
Estimated value: $15-20
Best things about this cover:
- Spoiler: he's Jewish. That's "The Secret Within Him."
- "Wine? You served wine, Kathe? How could you? I'm astonished. [portentous 100-yard stare]"
- "Blue chairs … why must the chairs be blue? I'm tired of living my life with blue chairs! Why, when I was a boy, my mother…" "Steve! Oh, Steve, please. I'll paint the chairs. Just … no more stories about your mother, Steve. [sobs]" [end scene].
- Man, Avati drives me nuts. Staid, boring, straining after religiosity. The single most humorless cover artist. Also, sadly one of the most prolific. I associate him more with Signet. Unusual to see him on other imprints (at least in my collection).
Best things about this back cover:
- "Might" (?)
- Wow, that cover copy is straight out of romance novels / two movie promos I saw earlier today. Cheeseball-o-rama.
- Martha Gellhorn was an important war journalist. Also, an ex-Mrs. Hemingway.
Page 123~
"You're a sensible guy, aren't you, Johnny?"
"I'm a good sensible old man."
"Shall I fix you a drink?"
"Sure, let's polish off the bottle and go to bed."
Man. Johnny likes to get to the point.
~RP
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