Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Were it not for the fact that literature since the early 90s has been almost wholly terrible, the product ONLY of MFAs and other uneducated losers, we'd probably have to concede that the 50s, 60s, and 70s produced the worst literature in the last 150 years. However, there were a few bright spots in the late 60s and early 70s, most long forgotten, and among them we would find the likes of Francine Prose and Harry Crews.
There is no question that Crews had a great mastery of language, an ear for dialog, and was as transgressive as anyone has ever gotten, and the two younger generations right now are so brainwashed by the PC movement in the 90s that they would be grossly offended by this novel. The truth is that books like these explore reality in a way that children who have lived in the bubble of upper middle class white privilege cannot possibly comprehend (not some idealized form of reality that is desired by the upper middle class).
Human civilization is a bizarre creature, no less so than the protagonist of this novel, one with a disability so severe that the only option was to become part of the freak show that is life, truly connected with other people, and which is not found in the freak show online that passes for real life in the modern age.
Another near masterpiece from the early canon of Mr. Crews.
There is no question that Crews had a great mastery of language, an ear for dialog, and was as transgressive as anyone has ever gotten, and the two younger generations right now are so brainwashed by the PC movement in the 90s that they would be grossly offended by this novel. The truth is that books like these explore reality in a way that children who have lived in the bubble of upper middle class white privilege cannot possibly comprehend (not some idealized form of reality that is desired by the upper middle class).
Human civilization is a bizarre creature, no less so than the protagonist of this novel, one with a disability so severe that the only option was to become part of the freak show that is life, truly connected with other people, and which is not found in the freak show online that passes for real life in the modern age.
Another near masterpiece from the early canon of Mr. Crews.
I'm one of those strange fiction fans that feels some level of satisfaction reading a middling offering from an author I really like. Schadenfreude? Not particularly - I just appreciate the struggles of penning anything worth reading, and if a particular work doesn't hit the heights of other novels by the same author it creates a rounding out of their talent. I'm not sure I'm coming through here on this point, but it is like all of those Vonnegut short stories published posthumously in While Mortals Sleep- they were never considered "good enough" to publish (or, re-publish) but I loved them all for their imperfections. This is a very important part of the writing craft, me-thinks.
The Gypsy's Curse had several things going for that I found wonderful: the communication struggles between mutes, deaf mutes and those that have all of their faculties. Crews does so much in what is not said, what is misunderstood between all of the characters - had he amped this particular theme this book would have been a BURIED classic. But Crews chose instead to play around the edges of Grits, and the racist side-show freaks of the narrative took center stage. There was nowhere to go but to follow the familiar track towards the denouement I see that Crews employs in the novels I've read so far.
The Gypsy's Curse had several things going for that I found wonderful: the communication struggles between mutes, deaf mutes and those that have all of their faculties. Crews does so much in what is not said, what is misunderstood between all of the characters - had he amped this particular theme this book would have been a BURIED classic. But Crews chose instead to play around the edges of Grits, and the racist side-show freaks of the narrative took center stage. There was nowhere to go but to follow the familiar track towards the denouement I see that Crews employs in the novels I've read so far.
Yet another freaking masterpiece... the ending is incredible. Love, love, love the characters.
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The second Crews books I've read (after Feast of Snakes) and wow, it's even wilder. Dealing with supposedly grotesque subject matter, it manages to be both outrageous and deeply humanistic.
Dark, twisted, funny, imperfect ending.... everything I like in a story! This book is a perfect example of the southern-gothic sub genre, southern-grotesque. Not only is no one perfect in the world of this book, no one has a flaw too small to be examined and exploited by the other characters. Most of them, however, for all their imperfections, show a surprising amount of heart when you look beyond the surface, and that's what this book is about - going beyond appearances.
Reminded me a bit of Geek Love, which is one my favorite books, so of course I loved this. I'm deep down the Harry Crews rabbit hole now...