Reviews

A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke

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yasmineiliana's review against another edition

3.0

Ethan Hawke released a novel after roughly two decades without one and he released a self-insert novel for straight white men. Somehow, I still enjoyed it despite myself. Nineteen, female, Mexican-American, and I have so many wonderful things I can say about it. I won’t, though, because William Harding will never read this review but if he could I would want him to know that I hate how one-sided all of the women in his life (this novel) are. The woman with the most depth is his mother and that isn’t saying much. Every female character either wants to sleep with him, he has slept with, is his mother, coddles him, or is his daughter.

Hawke writes about theatre with the precision and accuracy of someone who has experienced it, though, and this is the saving grace that convinces me that this book is better than some other reviewers give it credit for. Stylistically it is incredible, but it is lacking in substance.

I was ultimately underwhelmed with the ending and the story’s progression, but it had its redeemable moments and I really just bought the book because it was signed by an actor whose performances I have loved and enjoyed and when I got bored Hawke reeled me back in hard and fast with an unexpected character death. Read it if you’re a white guy. If you’re not but you like Ethan Hawke you’ll like it well enough. That is all.

adamskiboy528491's review

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4.0

The darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light. - Psalm 139:12.

[b:A Bright Ray of Darkness|54875689|A Bright Ray of Darkness|Ethan Hawke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602246342l/54875689._SX50_.jpg|85630274] by [a:Ethan Hawke|2970|Ethan Hawke|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400413847p2/2970.jpg] circles descends & crawls into the skin of his characters. It includes an exciting tie in with the author's explanation of the characters' issues about his relationship versus his growth & depth as an actor.

William Harding is a celebrated Hollywood actor whose personal life has become a tabloid mess. He seeks solace in his first passion - the theatre - to begin a run in Shakespeare's Henry IV. What follows is a brilliant character study, full of sensitivity, humour, & the love of acting. William's brittle insecurities come to the fore as we see a complicated man behind his fame.

Behind the scenes of the play show us an incredible cast of characters. All of the usual camaraderie, backstabbing, & pettiness are here in abundance as the actors' lives are laid bare. I enjoyed this beautifully written book. The irony of using this particular Shakespeare play was an interesting allegory - the story of a mischievous scoundrel & a rebellion plotted against King Henry. This novel seems to be a very thinly veiled work of fiction, & it is a fantastic read.

jhealybooknerd's review against another edition

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4.0

This book is not for everyone. If it is adapted for the screen, it would be for mature audiences only. But it’s funny (again, to me but not necessarily to everyone) and well written, and Hawke’s description of a not-so-experiences stage actor on Broadway are interesting. I’d love to know how much of it is autobiographical.

0hxneybee's review against another edition

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funny reflective medium-paced

4.0

This was a surprisingly good book. Listening to the audiobook got a little weird sometimes when he would

in semi-explicit detail talk about his affairs.

But other than that there was some really profound writing about life, art, and acting. Sometimes it didn’t feel like I was reading the same book when a whiplash moment would happen lol.

sterlinglacroix's review against another edition

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4.0

Great read to get me back into the realm of fiction after a several month break. I made note of several passages that struck me and will continue to dwell on. This book was a rollercoaster in the quality, it never could sustain a level of intensity or interest. He either brought it hard or I found it totally lacking, not much in between. I looked up Ethan Hawke's life and found this seems to be more of an autobiographical account than anything. 32-year old film star takes to the stage with Shakespeare while his marriage to another celebrity is falling apart due to his infidelity. Nothing wrong with that, but found it interesting. I'd certainly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read with depth.