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Leonard Cohen
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The Favorite Game Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 1965

by Leonard Cohen (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 109 ratings
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In this unforgettable novel, Leonard Cohen boldly etches the youth and early manhood of Lawrence Breavman, only son of an old Jewish family in Montreal. Life for Breavman is made up of dazzling colour – a series of motion pictures fed through a high-speed projector: the half-understood death of his father; the adult games of love and war, with their infinite capacity for fantasy and cruelty; his secret experiments with hypnotism; the night-long adventures with Krantz, his beloved comrade and confidant. Later, achieving literary fame as a college student, Breavman does penance through manual labour, but ultimately flees to New York. And although he has loved the bodies of many women, it is only when he meets Shell, whom he awakens to her own beauty, that he discovers the totality of love and its demands, and comes to terms with the sacrifices he must make.
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  1. Print length
    192 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Avon Books
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1965
  5. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00302T29U
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avon Books; First Avon Printing edition (January 1, 1965)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 109 ratings

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Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
109 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Richard Hobby
5.0 out of 5 stars A great novel
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2012
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Leonard Cohen's novel The Favorite Game is as close to perfect as it gets. Exceptionally intelligent and deep in feeling. Each sentence is beautiful. I am now reading this novel for the third time---and I read it very slowly . . . like a poem. And I read only a few pages a day so that I can savor the feeling and the ideas.

We go with Breavman on a journey of discovery as a boy growing up in Montreal into his life as a man in New York. His explorations of love with women are sensitive and full of insight.

A great novel.
6 people found this helpful
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Caroline
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely loved it and gifted it to another!
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2015
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I loved this book. It was perfect for the time and place in my life. I was living in Montreal for the summer and was looking for something and came across this. It is set in Montreal and is written beautifully. After skimming through it for a minute in the used book store, I bought it. After seeing how few reviews there are, it goes to show me that I could still fall in love with a book regardless of its popularity.
10 people found this helpful
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ken
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting more because the authors music is appreciated. Adds ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2016
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Interesting more because the authors music is appreciated. Adds depth to the author. His mind. Worth reading if interested in the authors background.
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L. V. Sage, Author
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Prose
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2012
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The fact that the great Leonard Cohen wrote this book should have clued me in for its intensely lyrical prose, but I was continually taken aback by his words. Although somewhat vague and definitely heady at times, most of this mostly autobiographical novel was astounding in its stunning use of wording. It reminded me at times of my favorite novel of all time, "Light Years" by James Salter. I am now looking forward to reading Cohen's other novel "Beautiful Losers".
4 people found this helpful
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David Van Elslande
3.0 out of 5 stars stylish work, but too anonymous for a huge fan
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2010
Didn't work for me. Sad since the sentimental (mis)education/odyssey of a young canadian jew could have worked wonders for an old fan of THE voice like me.

Why ?
Because the flow of consciouness style of the novel isn't my favorite (some quotes were brilliant - hell, its HIM - but in general I found it too heavy).
Also because how autobiographical the book is isn't answered and since he's always been mysterious about the origin of his work in songs or his life, I guess I was - foolishly - looking for answers, that unfortunately cannot be found in here and IT IS a big deal for an avid fan like me.

If only his memoires could be published someday to answer some of the questions I had. But I'm afraid he'll eternally be too busy seducing us with his shy charm and poetry for that. And maybe it'll be for the best, as usual.
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Anahita
5.0 out of 5 stars It's hard to choose words that describe this novel, ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2016
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It's hard to choose words that describe this novel, as it is totally unique. There is always a dark side with this writer, and there is humor as well.
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Boston Lady
5.0 out of 5 stars Bargain buy
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2018
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Interesting read. Best price I could find on the web.
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Lena Vanelslander
5.0 out of 5 stars "everyone who ever had a heart wouldn't turn around and ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2014
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"everyone who ever had a heart wouldn't turn around and break one", this quote shows how this book can burn your heart away for a while ...
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Top reviews from other countries

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PELEGON KING OF WISDOM
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK ; FAST SHIPPING ; RECOMMENDED !!!
Reviewed in Canada on February 17, 2018
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GREAT BOOK ; FAST SHIPPING ; RECOMMENDED !!!
One person found this helpful
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Sleppy94
5.0 out of 5 stars Mein Januar-Buch
Reviewed in Germany on January 27, 2020
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Wenn man Cohen's erstes Album genießt: das ist das Buchequivalent dazu. Perfekte Wortmalerei mit witzigen und auch traurigen, aber echt anfühlenden Stellen.
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AMER_P
1.0 out of 5 stars Descuido en el manejo del producto
Reviewed in Mexico on December 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
Llegó con la portada doblada y dañada, lo suficiente para considerar la devolución del produto, lo cual me entristece porque éste iba a mi colección de libros de Cohen.
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Mary
5.0 out of 5 stars Join the game!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2012
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book as a gift for a friend and so I was wanting quality as well as a realistic price. I would thoroughly recommend it to other people. I was really pleased by the quality of the book I received and ordering it through Amazon was brilliant - good price, was kept informed of the progress of my order and it was despatched swiftly. Way to go!
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Liz
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on June 5, 2017
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Very good. Small book. finished it in two days.
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