The Magic Kingdom

Review “A splendid work of fiction.” —_Newsday_ “Hysterical and profound . . . Earns its place among the dark voyages that fiction must chronicle.” —_The New York Times_ Product Description “Among Mr. Elkin’s best works of fiction . . . A comedy that cuts so many ways that it leaves us bleeding with laughter.” —_The New York Times_ Eddy Bale’s twelve-year-old son died after a terrible, drawn-out illness. Now, determined to help alleviate the suffering of other sick children, Eddy plans to take a group of seven terminally ill youths on a dream vacation to Disney World. Accompanied by four eccentric chaperones, Eddy and the kids embark on what is meant to be a magical retreat that quickly devolves into a series of disasters when the kids turn out to be more full of life than anyone expected. Written with deadpan humor and poignancy, The Magic Kingdom is a striking and honest portrayal of life and death—and the trouble that ensues when one attempts to master either. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis. Fantasy,Fiction,General,Literary,Psychological,Psychological fiction,Death,Children - Death,Walt Disney World (Fla.),Humorous stories,Children,Terminally ill children

Eddy Bale’s twelve-year-old son died after a terrible, drawn-out illness. Now, determined to help alleviate the suffering of other sick children, Eddy plans to take a group of seven terminally ill youths on a dream vacation to Disney World. Accompanied by four eccentric chaperones, Eddy and the kids embark on what is meant to be a magical retreat that quickly devolves into a series of disasters when the kids turn out to be more full of life than anyone expected.   Written with deadpan humor and poignancy, The Magic Kingdom is a striking and honest portrayal of life and death—and the trouble that ensues when one attempts to master either.   This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.

Max Apple

Mr. Elkin's language is always a surprise and a joy. Mr. Elkin tortures language the way fate usually tortures his characters, but Mr. Elkin is kinder than fate and more fruitful. He squeezes out new meanings....Even fiction, that familiar opener of eyes, rarely opens our eyes to the interior terrors. We are accustomed to metaphors of disease and decay. Mr. Elkin presents the real thing; not metaphors, kids. Novelists may X-ray the soul and the psyche, but we leave the body to technicians. Not Stanley Elkin. -- New York Times

-- Brimming with Elkin's comic brilliance and singular wordplay, The Magic Kingdom tells the story of Eddy Bale, who, determined to learn from the ghastly experience of his son's long, drawn-out death, decides to raise enough money to take seven terminally ill children to Disney World in order to give them a dream vacation before they die.-- Stanley Elkin, a two-timer winner of the National Book Critics Award and three-time nominee for the National Book Award, is widely considered to be one of the most important writers of the contemporary period. Author of over a dozen novels and short story collections, his works include The Franchiser, George Mills, and Mrs. Ted Bliss.-- First published by Dutton (1985), most recent paperback by Thunder's Mouth (1991). "Abandoned by his wife and devastated by the death of his twelve-year old son, Eddy Bale becomes obsessed with the plight of terminally ill children and develops a plan to provide a "last hurrah" dream vacation for seven children who will never grow-up. Eddy and his four dyfunctional chaperones journey to the entertainment capital of America - Disney World. Once they arrive, a series of absurdities characteristic of an Elkin novel - including a freak snowstorm and a run-in with a vengeful Mickey Mouse - transform Eddy's idealistic wish into a fantastic nightmare."--BOOK JACKET.