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      The Broom of the System

      by David Foster Wallace
      Published
      Jan 1987
      Main Genre
      General Fiction General Fiction
      Rating
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      About This Book

      Published when Wallace was just twenty-four years old, The Broom of the System stunned critics and marked the emergence of an extraordinary new talent. At the center of this outlandishly funny, fiercely intelligent novel is the bewitching heroine, Lenore Stonecipher Beadsman. The year is 1990 and the place is a slightly altered Cleveland, Ohio. Lenore's great-grandmother has disappeared with twenty-five other inmates of the Shaker Heights Nursing Home. Her beau, and boss, Rick Vigorous, is insanely jealous, and her cockatiel, Vlad the Impaler, has suddenly started spouting a mixture of psycho-babble, Auden, and the King James Bible. Ingenious and entertaining, this debut from one of the most innovative writers of his generation brilliantly explores the paradoxes of language, storytelling, and reality.

      Genres & Themes

      Genres

      General Fiction

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      Formats & Editions

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      Paperback

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      Paperback
      First Edition Jan 1987 Penguin ISBN13 9780140098686 ISBN10 0140098682
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      Mass Market Paperback
      Jul 1997 Avon ISBN13 9780380730308 ISBN10 0380730308
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      Trade Paperback
      Jan 1987 Penguin ISBN13 9780147781161 ISBN10 0147781167
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      May 1993 William Morrow ISBN13 9780380719914 ISBN10 0380719916
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      May 2004 Penguin ISBN13 9780142002421 ISBN10 0142002429
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      Trade Paperback
      Feb 2010 Abacus ISBN13 9780349109237 ISBN10 0349109230
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      Trade Paperback
      Jul 2010 Penguin ISBN13 9780143116936 ISBN10 0143116932
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      Trade Paperback
      Oct 2016 Penguin ISBN13 9780143129448 ISBN10 0143129449
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      Hardcover

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      Hardcover
      First Edition Jan 1987 Viking ISBN13 9780670812301 ISBN10 0670812307
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      eBook

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      eBook
      May 2004 Penguin ISBN13 9781101153536 ISBN10 1101153539
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      May 2004 Penguin ISBN10 B002YURMUK
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      eBook
      Dec 2023 Abacus ISBN13 9780349146799 ISBN10 0349146799
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      Audio

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      Audio CD
      Jun 2010 Hachette Audio ISBN13 9781607883883 ISBN10 1607883880
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      Audio CD
      Jun 2010 AudioGO ISBN13 9781607885399 ISBN10 1607885395
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      Playaway
      Jun 2010 Hachette Audio ISBN13 9781607887492 ISBN10 1607887495
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      Audible
      Jun 2010 Hachette Audio ISBN10 B003OXTOHA
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