The New York times book review called The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B, j. Donleavy's hilarious, bittersweet tale of a lost young man's existential odyssey, "A triumphant piece of writing, achieved with that total a...The New York times book review called The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B, j. Donleavy's hilarious, bittersweet tale of a lost young man's existential odyssey, "A triumphant piece of writing, achieved with that total authority, total mastery which shows that a fine writer is fully extended." In the years before and after World War II, balthazar b is the world's last shy, elegant young man.