A man and his young son are traveling along a highway, hoping to get far enough south to avoid the onslaught of winter. It is a post apocalyptic landsA man and his young son are traveling along a highway, hoping to get far enough south to avoid the onslaught of winter. It is a post apocalyptic landscape, heavy with ash, in which you can hear the absence of birds chirping or bugs buzzing. The language is remarkable. I was reminded of Thomas Hardy for beauty of language, but it is a different sort of beauty. McCarthy uses short declaratives, as if even language was short of breath in the devastation, and terrorizes generations of elementary school english teachers by tossing off verbless phrases as sentences (p 27 - A river far below.) He is effective in turning nouns into verbs, as on p4 – “when it was light enough to use the binoculars he glassed the valley below.” Forgetting the content of the narrative this is a masterwork of style. I was deeply moved by not only the technical skill with which he molds language to his purpose, but the effective emotional impact of the work. This is a book to read slowly, to savor, not one to speed through to hasten ingestion of the plot. There are events that are exceedingly grim in this, focusing on despair, suicide, cannibalism. Yet the love of the father for his son is palpable and despite the omnipresent gray ash, there remain slivers of hope. Highly recommended, but this is not a book for those with a weak stomach....more
**spoiler alert** Love lost through an inability to speak truth.
It is 1962. Edward and Florence have gone to a lovely seaside hotel on their wedding n**spoiler alert** Love lost through an inability to speak truth.
It is 1962. Edward and Florence have gone to a lovely seaside hotel on their wedding night, totally unprepared for the actual mechanics of sex. Both are virgins. Both have little knowledge of what can or should be done and the result is not a happy one. Still, the issue here is not about the mores of the 50’s, I believe. Is it really possible for two 20-somethings to be so ignorant, even in 1962? I suppose it is possible. But this is a novel about communication and trust more than about the uptight mores of a bygone time.
We are shown the history of their relationship via flashback. Florence came from a home bereft of physical contact. There is one scene in which it is intimated, although not conclusively, that her father may have been guilty of a crime against her youth. No wonder she is frightened. Physicality to her is a source of shame. And once given (as when she was cuddled by one of her nannies as a child) the pleasure is soon yanked away. (The nanny was let go) But the crime here is that Edward and Florence are unable to talk with each other about their problem. Had they exercised the power of speech they might have found a way out of their marital jungle. We are shown what the future holds for them. And maybe in that is a message about disparate times. Maybe, even with all the angst of changes over the last 50 years, we are in a better position to address our issues in the 21st century, even despite the divorce rate.
The Mr. Timothy of the title is Tim Cratchit, Tiny Tim as an adult, with Uncle Ebeneezer as his sponsor, offering an income in return for a visit now The Mr. Timothy of the title is Tim Cratchit, Tiny Tim as an adult, with Uncle Ebeneezer as his sponsor, offering an income in return for a visit now and again. Tim is not very settled in the world, even though he has overcome his infirmity to a point where he has merely a limp from a shortened leg to remind him of his past. He finds work in Mrs. Sharpe’s bordello, teaching the madame to read and write, helping keep the business’s books. One day he spies a young girl in an alley, a homeless child struggling to survive. Having earlier spotted a dead urchin with the letter G branded upon her, he fears for her safety and when he sets out to help her the game is afoot.
[image] Louis Bayard
Bayard has taken a mindful stroll through the world of one of his favorite authors. There are many references in the text to places and persons from a wide range of Charles’ Dickens’ works. Frankly, although I have read my share of Dickens, many of the references passed me by. But it can be fun to keep this in mind when reading the book, and be ready to google names and places as they appear. Dickens was inspired to write A Christmas Carol when he learned something of the state of children in the London of his time. Bayard keeps to that theme with a focus on the plight of abused children, and in that depiction, brings a more contemporary sensibility.
Ghosts figure in this story as they did in its inspiration, although they have a very different nature here.
This was a fun read, fast-paced, with likeable, interesting characters. Bayard clearly had a lot of fun putting this one together. It is probably best to read this in late December or early January, while visions of a ghostly trinity still linger in one's memory. I suppose the best thing one can say about this book is that I believe Mister Dickens would have approved. It would make a delightful film.
Lehane is a wonderful writer. Mystic River was his opus magnus, and his Boston hard-boileds are quite good. This novel is his attempt to break out intLehane is a wonderful writer. Mystic River was his opus magnus, and his Boston hard-boileds are quite good. This novel is his attempt to break out into a larger literary world. Set in the period around World War I, Lehane offers us a sense of the times, and they are not pretty. The two primary characters are Danny Coughlin, a Boston cop in a long tradition, and Luther Laurence, a poor black. There is much in here about the condition of the working man, and it is startling, even to someone who has read quite a bit about the struggle of labor for decent treatment. Things were much worse than I’d imagined. This is a sweeping effort, as Lehane projects himself through a Dickensian lens, covering geography from Boston to Ohio to Tulsa, from Babe Ruth to the governor of Massachusetts to the lowliest criminal element. Lehane has done his homework and offers considerable information about the time. Two incidents stand out. One was the collapse of a vast molasses container that resulted in a flood of the stuff with waves 15 feet high. The other, his burning of Atlanta scene, is how the citizens of Boston react to the police strike. He offers us as well a sense of the political turmoil of the time, the Palmer raids, the fear of Bolshevists, anarchists and immigrants, and how those fears were stoked for political gain. Sound familiar? Lehane is particularly eager not to present his book as being political, and there are many readers who will not see what is right in front of them, but this novel keeps a sharp eye on contemporary events.
This is not Lehane’ best book. That would be Mystic River. But it is an ambitious one. Coming in at slightly over 700 fast-reading pages, it is by far his largest. And he writes about a much wider swath of humanity than he has before. I would say that overall he succeeds in the attempt. This is a very good book, engaging, with believable, well-drawn characters, insight into the complexities of familial relationships, sensitivity to the cultural environment of that age, and with a critical, politically aware eye.
There are several scenes in which Babe Ruth figures. While these scenes are fine, with one being outstanding (the contract negotiation), they could have been omitted without damaging the overall story.
Lehane is an excellent story teller and he plies his trade here quite well. Where the book falls short of the rare air occupied by books like Serena is in his hesitation to incorporate grander imagery into his work. He tells his story, with many intense scenes, many interesting and memorable events, but not the metaphorical, mythological ear of a Ron Rash or a Michael Ondaatje. This keeps the reins on his work. I expect that in future the reins will be loosened and he will produce work in this new Dickensian vein that might be remembered as long as the work of his hero.
**spoiler alert** A family tale set in the 1930s and ‘40s, Mudbound looks at the racial experience, divide, and struggle in the Deep South, from diver**spoiler alert** A family tale set in the 1930s and ‘40s, Mudbound looks at the racial experience, divide, and struggle in the Deep South, from diverse points of view.
[image] Hillary Jordan - image from NPR
Two families, one black, one white, tied to the land, to each other, and stuck in the muck of a racist world. Jordan uses multiple narrators to offer varying perspectives on the events of the story. Laura, a Memphis schoolteacher, is on the fast track to old-maid-hood after her 30th birthday, when she is introduced to Henry McAllan. He is smitten, and she likes him well enough. Marriage is fine with her, but when a death in the family throws long-term plans onto the scrapheap, Henry announces that in two weeks they will be moving to a remote part of Mississippi to take over a farm. It comes to be called Mudbound, for obvious reasons. The novel merges struggles with racism with views of the hardships of farming life.
[image] Rob Morgan as Hap Jackson and Jason Mitchell as Ronsel Jackson - image from RottenTomatoes.com
Two soldiers, one black, one white, return to town from World War II in Europe. Henry’s brother Jamie is a much (19 years) younger man, charming, a pilot, damaged by his war experience, (turning to alcohol to try to smother his recent visions of war and his still-sharp recollection of a near-death experience he’d had as a child) and of dubious character in any case. (Is there really any there there?) He becomes friends with Ronsel Jackson, the black son of one of Henry’s tenants, a successful, handsome member of a black tank corps. He had been a hero in Germany, was accepted there and in other parts of Europe as a man, a liberator, not as a black, but back home, the deep south remains the deep south and bigotry defines the limits of civilization, that form of madness personified by Henry and Jamie’s vile father, Pappy.
[image] Jonathan Banks as Pappy McAllan – image from Stimme.de
This was a very fast read, a page-turner. Jordan does a nice job of slowly ramping up the tension until the climactic action.
[image] Carey Mulligan as Laura McAllan – image from collider.com
Hillary Jordan given us a portrait of a particular place in a particular time. I do not believe it to have been her purpose to tell a tale of the modern age (the book was published in 2008), yet it is impossible not to think of the blue-on-black violence that has tormented the nation and relate it to the overt racial violence of the mid 20th century South.
[image] Mary J. Blige as Florence Jackson - image from RottenTomatoes.com
Although one might see Laura as the core of this story, and that is where the story began for Jordan, I believe it is Jamie around whom everything else moves. His relationship with Laura, the up and the down, help her define her relationship with Henry and with the world. His relationship with Ronsel is crucial to the dramatic events that follow. It is in the light of his personality that others see themselves more clearly.
Laura was the first, and only, voice for some while. Mudbound started as a short writing exercise in grad school. The assignment was to write 3 pages in the voice of a family member, so I decided to write about my grandparents’ farm — a sort of mythic place I’d grown up hearing about, which actually was called Mudbound — from my grandmother’s point of view. My teacher liked what I wrote and encouraged me to continue, and I tried to write a short story. Nana became Laura, a fictional character who is much more fiery and rebellious than my grandmother ever was, and the story got longer and longer. At 50 pages I realized I was writing a novel, and that’s when I decided to introduce the other voices. Jamie came next, then Henry, then Florence, then Hap. Ronsel wasn’t even a character until I had about 150 pages! And of course, when he entered the story, he changed its course dramatically. - from Loaded Questions interview
There is much here about being heard, who can speak, and who, ultimately, is silenced.
[image] Garrett Hedlund as Jamie McAllan
I have seen criticism about the use of stock characters here, and that is not without merit. Southern bigots are given only one coat of paint, as are strong black characters. Nonetheless, and in particular considering that this is a first novel, it is forgivable. Mudbound is a fine read, offering interesting characters, and a poignant view of race relations in the South, particularly right after World War II. It is well worth the ride. The film made of the novel has not only done it justice but maybe even exceeded the original material.
Jordan says Mudbound was inspired by her mother's family stories of the year they spent on an isolated farm without running water or electricity. Eventually, it grew into a larger story with darker themes. But the first character she wrote about, Laura, was based on her own grandmother. "I started out writing what I thought was going to be a short story in the voice of Laura," Jordan says, "and as the story grew, I just found myself wanting to hear from other people. As the story got larger, as it embraced these other themes, these larger themes about war and about Jim Crow, I wanted to hear from those people.
She had grammar rules for each character. For example, Laura is the only character to use a semicolon because she is the most educated. Henry’s sentences always end with a period because everything is a full stop for him. Hap has long, run-on sentences because he is a preacher.
Mudbound took six years and 11 drafts to complete, but she was not writing full time for those six years.
[image] Robert Harris - image from his Goodreads page
This is a fast-paced thriller, centering around a ghost writer assigned to revise and complete th[image] Robert Harris - image from his Goodreads page
This is a fast-paced thriller, centering around a ghost writer assigned to revise and complete the first draft of an autobiography prepared by his predecessor, another ghost writer, recently deceased. The subject of this is a Tony Blair stand-in, Adam Lang, a former British PM who had served American foreign policy needs with more attention than he gave to the wishes of his own people. The ghost is also under great time pressure from his publisher, one month to fix over a hundred thousand badly written words. The characters here are the sort one would expect in a political thriller, not too deep but fun to watch. The former PM has a background in theater that suits perfectly a person who seems not to be really there. His brains-behind-the-scenes wife, Ruth, was probably the most interesting character in the book, both warm and calculating, seemingly vulnerable yet dangerous. What really happened to the earlier ghost writer? Was his death really a suicide? Will the PM be brought to the international court as a war criminal? Is he guilty of the crimes of which he is accused? The ghostwriter is faced with choices. He can accept the assignment and make a lot of money, but in doing so he will alienate his sort-of girlfriend and trouble his conscience at least a little. Seduction of all sorts abounds here. I found it a fun, engaging read, a beach book, not to be taken too seriously, but enjoyable. The author’s political bias was clear enough (pro Iraq war) but I did not allow this to detract from the enjoyment of the read. Roll your eyes and keep reading.
[image] Pierce Brosnan as Adam Lang and Ewan McGregor as the ghost writer - from the Roman Polanski film, The Ghost Writer - image from RogerEbert.com
[image] Michael Zadoorian - image from Mangialibri.com
This is a delightful novel of two old people on their final road trip. She suffering from a varie[image] Michael Zadoorian - image from Mangialibri.com
This is a delightful novel of two old people on their final road trip. She suffering from a variety of terminal illnesses, he in and out of awareness as Alzheimer’s shreds his remnant memories. Sounds grim, but it is anything but, filled as it is with humor, down-to-earth humanity and a very elevated spirit. This should have been as popular as Marley and Me. It deserved to be.
The film adaptation was released to DVD in the USA in July 2018. It was a box office flop, grossing only $10 million ($20 million according to The Numbers site) globally. I haven't seen, it so can offer no opinion on how well it captured the novel.
"I think this is what the end of the world will be like," McIntyre said, and none among them raised his voice to disagree.
In the primeval woods o
"I think this is what the end of the world will be like," McIntyre said, and none among them raised his voice to disagree.
In the primeval woods of North Carolina, young timber baron, George Pemberton, brings his bride, Serena, to live with him in his kingdom. He had been busy enough already, fathering a child with a local girl and clear-cutting wide swaths of land. Serena quickly establishes herself as a power in her own right, knowledgeable about the timber business from her family background in Colorado, frightened of nothing and totally, totally ruthless. She is both an almost deitific figure and a satanic one. She will tolerate no criticism and her ambition is beyond measure. Beware, any who would cross her path. Both murderer of people and proud rapist of the land, she acquires a henchman to take care of her dirtiest deeds, among which is the removal of George’s bastard child, and the child’s mother, and enlists a non-human assistant as well. One thing you should know is that whenever Serena speaks it is in iambic pentameter, another way in which Rash makes her stands out.
[image] Ron Rash - image from StarTribune - shot by Ashley Jones
Literature with a capital L, Serena is one of the great dark females in literary history, up there with Livia, Lady MacBeth, and others of their ilk. Beautiful, beautiful writing.
This is the most satisfying read I have had all year (2009). Ron Rash is a major find. It is a wonder that he is not as well known as Ondaatje or others on that high plain. A feast, a powerful tale accompanied by a symphony of classical and literary tones. Hubris, greed, man and god, doing the right thing, magic, vengeance, good and evil, the essence of America, capitalism, and with a Greek chorus to boot. If this is not made into a world-class, best-picture level film it will be a huge, huge loss. This is a very cinematic book, [more on that below] rich in color, scenery, imagery, dramatic settings, shocking events, bigger than life characters, and all with purpose. Major, major work. It makes one yearn for more.
June 6, 2017 - I was alerted by GR friend Linda to the following from April 2017 - WCU's Ron Rash wins Guggenheim Fellowship - Rash deserves all the recognition there is, he is a national treasure.
Rash does not, so far as I can tell, have a facebook page. But his son, James, set up a Fan Club FB page for him.
================================THE FILM
2/10/15 - I wrote the above, somewhat thin, review several years back. If anything, it understates the power of the book. It was only a matter of time before the novel was translated to the big screen. It will be opening in the US later this month. I was honored to attend, yesterday, a screening of the new film, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. Although hopes had been high initially, once the project got under way it became apparent that all would not end up as hoped. It was not, for example, taken on by one of Hollywood's A-list directors, despite the acting star-power. The result is, while not a bad film, not an exceptional one either, and that is a huge shame. The problems are diverse. The performances are quite good, as one would expect.
[image]
Liberties were taken with the character of Serena that I thought did not help. In the book, for example, it is clear early on that Serena is a dark and powerful force, with a hearty dollop of madness mixed in. The film plays her softer in the beginning, and offers an event that purports to spark her madness. I was reminded of another film that got this sort of thing wrong. Sweeney Todd. In the original theatrical production, Sweeney returns to London, quite sane, but determined to seek vengeance on the evil-doer who had done him dirt. It is when he fails in his initial attempt at the evil Judge Turpin that Sweeney goes all meat-pie in the head. The disappointing film portrays him as bonkers from the start, making him so much less human, which dilutes the impact of the savagery in which he engages. In Serena, she is a primal force from the git-go, and there is no need for the film to justify her dark-doings with an intermediate event. It is like attempting to justify a tornado. Don't. It just is. Bradley Cooper's character, Pemberton, seemed a bit harsher in the film than in the book, where, although he is an awful person, he was much more driven by events than he is in this treatment.
The book was written, at least in part, as a look at the rape of the land in North Carolina,
I thought it was a better way to look at the present, through the past. I wrote Serena because of what was happening a couple of years ago, with environmental issues -particularly it looked like there was going to be some really extensive logging in National Forests. It didn't quite happen as badly as I thought it was going to happen, but certainly the threat was there. - from 18:05 of Stacey Cochran’s interview with Rash on more2read.com
standing in for the rape of the land today, but that cinematographical smorgasbord was left on the table, mostly untouched. There are some scenes that let us in on the damage being done, particularly a brilliant scene in which Pemberton, in a public forum, challenges those who propose a national park that will include his land. But a lot more could have been offered visually to reinforce this theme.
Instead of a slow and steady build up of tension and pressure, the film seemed to mosey along, stopping far too often to linger in far too many closeups, making this one hour forty nine minute film feel much longer. The ending of the story, for Serena, is changed from that of the book. I suppose it is understandable, but I was hoping for greater allegiance to the original material.
Rash was asked, in a 3/24/15 interview by Judith Rosen in Publishers Weekly about his involvement with the film adaptations of Serena and an earlier novel
I made a decision early on not to read either screenplay. I answered a few questions from the screenwriters but was otherwise uninvolved in the filming. For me, that was better. I was deep into a new novel during that period and preferred to concentrate on something that, unlike film, I knew I could do well. Of course I hoped the movies would be as true as possible to my novels, but it is a different medium so differences are inevitable. Someone once asked Harry Crews what a film “might do” to his book, and he answered that a film didn’t change a single word in the book itself. That seems a good attitude for a writer to take.
A couple of minor notes, there is an unintentional joke when Cooper's character is referred to by another as a lousy shot. The trailer for the film contains a fabulous shot of Serena launching an eagle from her arm. Somehow that did not make it into the final cut.
The film is definitely interesting, but it struck me, overall, as a melody that was slightly out of tune, a drum that was off the beat, and a huge opportunity that was lost to bring one of the best novels of our time to the big screen. I can only hope that the presence of J-Law and Cooper can bring enough attention to Ron Rash's great novel to propel an increase in his readership. As one of our greatest living writers, he deserves that. He certainly deserved better than this only-ok film....more
This is an extraordinary novel, Hamlet in the North Woods of Wisconsin.
Wroblewski was very fond of the stories of Shakespeare as a kid, if not necessaThis is an extraordinary novel, Hamlet in the North Woods of Wisconsin.
Wroblewski was very fond of the stories of Shakespeare as a kid, if not necessarily the actual text, and it is clear that he carried with him the knowledge of tragedy. Edgar opens with a mysterious transaction in the Orient in which a man seeks out a purveyor of a particularly effective poison. That will feature large later in the story.
Edgar (Hamlet) is a boy born without the power of speech to a family (father Gar and mother Trudy) engaged in the business of raising very special dogs, so-called Sawtelle dogs. The author made up the breed. Edgar is accompanied by his faithful companion, Almondine, born only a short while prior to the boy. She is a wonderful character and I wish there was more of her in this book. She is Ophelia. Edgar is a hard-worker who manages to become quite adept at his dog training. It is his life. There is a mystical seer in the village, Ida Paine, who can be counted on to say some sooths. She is so spooky she is almost comedic, but her purpose is other. Finally, the household is joined by Claude (Claudius), Gar’s brother. He very much reminded me of Iago, and even a bit of Richard the Third as well as of his Hamlet inspiration. Claude and Gar never got on well, and we can expect more of the same even though they are teamed, for a time at least, in working the dog business.
[image] The author
This is one of the most moving books I have ever read. Edgar is an immediately sympathetic character, beset by malevolent forces and unable to make himself heard. While one can see early on that the Shakespearean DNA will lead to a dark place, the journey there is magical. Do not be put off by the impending troubles. There are triumphs as well as defeats in store.
Wroblewski was also very fond of Kipling’s Jungle Book as a kid and Edgar takes on the role of Mowgli as well as that of Hamlet. There is immense charm to accompany the danger when Edgar/Mowgli is afoot in the wood/jungle with his personal pack.
It is shocking that this is Wroblewski’s first novel. It sings with the language of a master. Read it aloud and hear for yourself. You will come to love Edgar, ache for Almondine, weep for some, smile at the kindness of a few, rage at others. This is not just another book, but an emotional engagement that brings with it the satisfaction of literary content and beauty of language. If you have not had the opportunity to travel with Edgar, seek him out and howl with joy and sorrow. One of my all time favorites, this is a great, great book!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal website. His Twitter account does not appear to have been touched in a couple of years and I found no FB page by him. In his site, you might enjoy the tangents page, for a diversity of interesting information and links.
PS - Wroblewski will be returning to the North Woods in his next book, telling the story of Edgar's ancestors. Edgar took him ten years to write. I don't think the prequel will take quite so long, as he will, hopefully, have made enough money from Edgar to allow him to spend full time writing. I can't wait. (Well... as of 2022 that has not happened, so one must wonder if it will)
PPS - I happened across a very nice interview with Wroblewski on Bookbrowse.com
And. several years later, I stumbled upon this interview with Oprah
Loading...
