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Title: Summons to Memphis by Peter Hillsman Taylor ISBN: 0-8161-4305-6 Publisher: G K Hall & Co Pub. Date: December, 1987 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (12 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Fabulously written
Comment: Peter Taylor writes in a way that makes every moment enjoyable and worth remembering. The story of the lives of the members of the Carver family and the profound effect a move from Nashville to Memphis has on them is unforgettable. By the novel's end the reader is left with so much to consider, from the relationships of the characters to their motivations and eventual lifestyles. And unlike one of the last books I read, Philip Roth's American Pastoral, which also chronicled the life of an American family, Taylor's book is beautifully written but yet simple and clear - no egotistical self-loving prose here! I would actually plan on reading some of Taylor's other works, this was so enjoyable. You won't forget this one.
Rating: 4
Summary: poignant story of dysfunctional southern blue bloods
Comment: The Carver family is seriously dysfunctional. The father was betrayed in business and then proceeded to destroy each of his children's love lives. He then grows old, becomes a widower and wants to remarry. The book looks back on the life of his son and his relationships with family and father. No one in the book is particularly likable including the narrator. But it is interesting to hear the voice of this "well-bred" southerner and think his thoughts regarding his family. The story is well told through flash backs and ends well. I found the play between father and son particularly interesting and while I didn't see myself in Phillip or my father in his, I did relate to the father-son interplay through them and found myself cheering for their relationship.
Rating: 3
Summary: Much Ado About Characters with Little Impact
Comment: Although Peter Taylor was a fine writer, I doubt that A Summons to Memphis merited the Pulitzer Prize in 1987. It seems almost that this novel should have emerged from an earlier decade, perhaps the 40s after World War II, given its restrained and old-fashioned tone.
The dynamics of the Carver family keep the story interesting, but ultimately there is not one defining event which is dramatic enough to place what happens to this family within a larger, universal context. The personal misfortunes of each family member collectively do not constitute or even come close to tragedy. A move to another city and the loss of the person one hopes to marry may be unsettling, but they are not earth-shattering events. The reader does not see any significant emotional impact that these events have had on any of the characters. Moreover, there is not one character who is so likable or lovable that the reader is moved by his or her fate. Even at the ending of the story, I did not feel empathy for Phillip Carver, despite his conflicting emotions about his father or his proclaimed independence of spirit.
The central weakness of this novel is in the lack of character development and the failure of the author to reveal anything of the characters' inner lives. The two sisters, Josephine and Betsy, for example, might as well be called "Tweedle-Dum" and "Tweedle-Dee." They are practically indistinguishable from one another, and their viewpoints and responses to events are identical. They are not fully rounded characters and reside in the realm of caricature and burlesque. In a similar vein, the mother of the family was part of a vibrant social scene in Nashville. She is depicted as having strong, fortifying qualities (she places their move to Memphis is an historical perspective and braces the children for its attendant changes on their lives) inexplicably lapses into invalidism and helplessness after the move. No reason is given, other than that this occurs shortly after the onset of a severe headache one day. Even Alex Mercer, a lifelong friend and ally of the narrator, stops communicating after the death of the father, George Carver, and the reader is left wondering why.
Although it succeeds as a well-told narrative about a southern family with a domineering father, A Summons to Memphis does not succeed in bringing us unforgettable characters whose lives resonate long after we finish the book.
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Title: Martin Dressler : The Tale of an American Dreamer by STEVEN MILLHAUSER ISBN: 0679781277 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 25 March, 1997 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love: A Novel by Oscar Hijuelos ISBN: 0060955457 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields ISBN: 014023313X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: April, 1995 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain: Stories by Robert Olen Butler ISBN: 0802137989 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: 10 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson ISBN: 0449213579 Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 12 October, 1986 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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