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A review by jhbandcats
The Adventures of John Carson in Several Quarters of the World: A Novel of Robert Louis Stevenson by Brian Doyle
5.0
I thought this book was charming, clever, beautiful, and unique. A novel about author Robert Louis Stevenson, it’s told in Stevenson’s first person as a series of rambles through San Francisco that culminate each evening in front of the fireplace with his landlord John Carson. They talk and Carson spins tales of his many trips around the world, and after dinner Stevenson rushes upstairs to his room to jot down as much as he can remember in hopes of turning the stories into books some day.
It’s a lovely homage to San Francisco and Stevenson told in lyrical language. Some examples: Stevenson compares Carson’s storytelling style with a river as it eddies and swirls, faster and slower. The winds of San Francisco are so strong that he imagines the inhabitants attaching sails to themselves to speed their way through the city. The book is full of such descriptions, both smart and whimsical.
A beautiful book. Definitely not for everyone - it’s slow and soporific but I loved it nonetheless.
It’s a lovely homage to San Francisco and Stevenson told in lyrical language. Some examples: Stevenson compares Carson’s storytelling style with a river as it eddies and swirls, faster and slower. The winds of San Francisco are so strong that he imagines the inhabitants attaching sails to themselves to speed their way through the city. The book is full of such descriptions, both smart and whimsical.
A beautiful book. Definitely not for everyone - it’s slow and soporific but I loved it nonetheless.