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      S.

      by John Updike
      Published
      Apr 1989
      Main Genre
      General Fiction General Fiction
      Rating
      Pages
      299
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      About This Book

      S. is the story of Sarah P. Worth, a thoroughly modern spiritual seeker who has become enamored of a Hindu mystic called the Arhat. A native New Englander, she goes west to join his ashram in Arizona, and there struggles alongside fellow sannyasins (pilgrims) in the difficult attempt to subdue ego and achieve moksha (salvation, release from illusion). "S." details her adventures in letters and tapes dispatched to her husband, her daughter, her brother, her dentist, her hairdresser, and her psychiatrist—messages cleverly designed to keep her old world in order while she is creating for herself a new one. This is Hester Prynne's side of the triangle described by Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter; it is also a burlesque of the quest for enlightenment, and an affectionate meditation on American womanhood.

      Genres & Themes

      Genres

      General Fiction

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      Formats & Editions

      Browse the different covers, formats, and publication history for this title.

      Paperback

      Paperback edition cover
      Trade Paperback
      First Edition Apr 1989 Penguin (UK) ISBN13 9780140121339 ISBN10 0140121331
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      Paperback edition cover
      Mass Market Paperback
      Sep 1989 Fawcett ISBN13 9780449216521 ISBN10 0449216527
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      Paperback edition cover
      Trade Paperback
      Sep 1996 Ballantine ISBN13 9780449912126 ISBN10 0449912124
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      Paperback edition cover
      Trade Paperback
      Nov 2006 Penguin (UK) ISBN13 9780141189017 ISBN10 0141189010
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      Hardcover

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      Hardcover
      Feb 1988 Knopf ISBN13 9780394568355 ISBN10 0394568354
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      eBook

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      eBook
      Mar 2012 Random House ISBN13 9780679645924 ISBN10 0679645926
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      eBook edition cover
      eBook
      Mar 2012 Random House ISBN10 B006L7RB62
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      Audio

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      Audio Cassette
      Jul 1989 Random House Audio ISBN13 9780394574165 ISBN10 0394574168
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