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A review by trixirina
A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke
3.0
Damned with faint praise...
Well, I guess if you are a somewhat successful (male) movie actor someone will decide it's okay for you to be a writer too. And then you can write an indulgent, navel-gazing novel and work your shit out on paper and someone will pay you for it also.
Judging from the multiple five star reviews, I'm in the minority here. And strangely enough, I feel the same way about Hawke's writing as I do when I watch his films. He annoys me but at the same time I want to keep watching him for some reason.
I'm giving three stars because it has some really well-written passages, when he isn't talking about himself (I mean, William). In particular, the way he describes the ins and outs of the theater world and the personalities that populate it was really honest with an undertone of affection and warmth. The process that performing artists go through 'putting themselves out there' and the coping mechanisms they use to get there rang true.
Well, I guess if you are a somewhat successful (male) movie actor someone will decide it's okay for you to be a writer too. And then you can write an indulgent, navel-gazing novel and work your shit out on paper and someone will pay you for it also.
Judging from the multiple five star reviews, I'm in the minority here. And strangely enough, I feel the same way about Hawke's writing as I do when I watch his films. He annoys me but at the same time I want to keep watching him for some reason.
I'm giving three stars because it has some really well-written passages, when he isn't talking about himself (I mean, William). In particular, the way he describes the ins and outs of the theater world and the personalities that populate it was really honest with an undertone of affection and warmth. The process that performing artists go through 'putting themselves out there' and the coping mechanisms they use to get there rang true.