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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
John O'Hara is an author that I have never read. At least, none of his novels. I remember regularly reshelving his fiction when I was a page in the late 60's, but I wasn't the slightest bit interested in what he had to say.
A volume of three of his novels crossed my path, so I decided it would accompany me to the beach. This is the first in the volume. I am both intrigued and baffled.
The storyline was quite interesting. The setting - early part of the Depression in middle America - might as well be a foreign country to me which means I got to learn a new "place". The characters were well drawn, but somewhat stereotypical, although the stereotype might be based on O'Hara's writings. I think he is known for his stories about Gibbsville which is where this book takes place.
I am a bit baffled because I am not sure why the book went the direction it went. I did not anticipate the ending at all. Looking back on the story, I am now not sure where I thought we were going, but this was not it.
Apparently, I am not the only reader that ever had trouble with O'Hara. This book was put on the Modern Library list of the top 100 American books and many people did not think this was a good choice. When O'Hara was published, some people were offended by the sexual content, which in this day and age is very tame.
A volume of three of his novels crossed my path, so I decided it would accompany me to the beach. This is the first in the volume. I am both intrigued and baffled.
The storyline was quite interesting. The setting - early part of the Depression in middle America - might as well be a foreign country to me which means I got to learn a new "place". The characters were well drawn, but somewhat stereotypical, although the stereotype might be based on O'Hara's writings. I think he is known for his stories about Gibbsville which is where this book takes place.
I am a bit baffled because I am not sure why the book went the direction it went. I did not anticipate the ending at all. Looking back on the story, I am now not sure where I thought we were going, but this was not it.
Apparently, I am not the only reader that ever had trouble with O'Hara. This book was put on the Modern Library list of the top 100 American books and many people did not think this was a good choice. When O'Hara was published, some people were offended by the sexual content, which in this day and age is very tame.
This book took a little while to grow on me, a bit like it took a little while for the self destruction of Julian English to grow from some unknown, indefinite source to the shadow of something real to an all consuming raging fire. It reminds me how close we really are to the edge, we are living our lives obvlious to the fact that we could trigger some internal unravelling that in the end we simply can't stop.
Not what you call a cheery read, but gripping, compelling and totally real. A great dip back into fiction, I've reading way too many 'work' books lately, and my first real attempt at Good Reads recommendations, picking up a new author I never heard of before (sorry to admit!), it turned out pretty well.
Not what you call a cheery read, but gripping, compelling and totally real. A great dip back into fiction, I've reading way too many 'work' books lately, and my first real attempt at Good Reads recommendations, picking up a new author I never heard of before (sorry to admit!), it turned out pretty well.
A smart, well-written character study; like Fitzgerald's novels it uses a fashionable setting and social mores as the backdrop (and player in) Julian's abrupt decline.
love a story about a man ruining his life for no reason! oddly meandering at times but conceptually perfect.
I'm sure it's great. I just couldn't engage.
After committing a small act of violence at the local country club, Julian English's life goes downhill over the course of three days during Christmas. The small pillars that he has built in his life, whether, social, professional or sexual all start to decompose, revealing how brittle they were from the start.
The main character himself is a little sad, a Don Draper type who seems self destructive. The book also goes on long tangents about other people that don't really have that much of an effect on Julian's life, such as "Al" Greco.
I'm always down for books during this time period, and the high-society types that do nothing but drink high balls and go to country club functions. Not great, but enjoyable
The main character himself is a little sad, a Don Draper type who seems self destructive. The book also goes on long tangents about other people that don't really have that much of an effect on Julian's life, such as "Al" Greco.
I'm always down for books during this time period, and the high-society types that do nothing but drink high balls and go to country club functions. Not great, but enjoyable
Quotable:
"Our story never ends.
"You pull the pin out of a hand grenade, and in a few seconds it explodes and men in a small area get killed and wounded. That makes bodies to be buried, hurt men to be treated. It makes widows and fatherless children and bereaved parents. It means pension machinery, and it makes for pacifism in some and for lasting hatred in others. Again, a man out of the danger area sees the carnage the grenade creates, and he shoots himself in the foot. Another man had been standing there just two minutes before the thing went off, and thereafter he believes in God or in a rabbit’s foot. Another man sees human brains for the first time and locks up the picture until one night years later, when he finally comes out with a description of what he saw, and the horror of his description turns his wife away from him . . ."
"Our story never ends.
"You pull the pin out of a hand grenade, and in a few seconds it explodes and men in a small area get killed and wounded. That makes bodies to be buried, hurt men to be treated. It makes widows and fatherless children and bereaved parents. It means pension machinery, and it makes for pacifism in some and for lasting hatred in others. Again, a man out of the danger area sees the carnage the grenade creates, and he shoots himself in the foot. Another man had been standing there just two minutes before the thing went off, and thereafter he believes in God or in a rabbit’s foot. Another man sees human brains for the first time and locks up the picture until one night years later, when he finally comes out with a description of what he saw, and the horror of his description turns his wife away from him . . ."