THE GATEHOUSE

by Richard Dohrman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 13, 1971

Lyle Portman, a writer who is over forty, and Carla, his much younger common-law wife, buy an old gatehouse on Long Island only to find that a previous occupant still haunts it with her promiscuous presence and that it is erogenously zoned for appetitive pursuits. This they learn after an elderly neighbor Otis (a youthful victim of the earlier charmer) stages a soggy, disastrous party during and after which Carla becomes not only too easy to please but impossible to satisfy. Mr. Dohrman's joke doesn't bear repetition at this length (close to 400 pages) of swinging communal get-togethers which are really arch rather than sexy (""we share our goods and our goodies"") and dubious when it comes to the inclusion of some young children and a poor old lady whose wig catches fire. Middle-aged, frazzled farce.

Pub Date: Oct. 13, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1971

Categories: FICTION