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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Violence; madness; physical deterioration
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Some
Sexual content; New Orleans prostitution milieu
Substance Use
Some
Drinking and drug use in the New Orleans jazz world
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Psychological dissolution; madness depicted; artistic self-destruction
What this book is about
Ondaatje's 1976 novel fictionalizes the life of cornetist Buddy Bolden, who disappeared into madness in 1907. Features violence, sexual content, jazz culture, and Ondaatje's fragmentary prose. For adults.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Sexual content
Violence
Madness
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