Reviews

Green Shadows, White Whale by Ray Bradbury

turquoisetyto's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

cheezvshcrvst's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

What an incredible ode to Ireland and to a time always gone, always Past, never near! Ray can tell a story, and, even truer, can tell many stories to tell one story, and this one’s no less for these. In fact, the only reason I don’t rate this more highly is because the poetry of it were the best bits and everything else read like someone was demanding more where less said would’ve been better. Which, I know, is crazy of me to insist upon- this is Ray Bradbury talking about living in Ireland in 1953 to write a screenplay for a film adaptation of one of the most audacious books of all time for one of the most audacious directors in any memory! And yet, no, I did not need so many words. There’s some incredibly beautiful and sharp and vivid passages and descriptions in here. Read it, and love it, but don’t count on wanting to revisit it. Just as Ray said for his time in Ireland, I won’t be coming back to this one. Though it will stay with me. 

jimmypat's review

2.0

As a teenager, my favorite writer was Bradbury- he was able to evoke emotions, wonderment, and subtle scares like no one else. At some point, I started reading latter day Bradbury and the magic was gone. This book is latter day Bradbury: great writing, but the stories are just boring or feel pointless. There is a sense that Bradbury thinks he has written something scintillating but, alas, it’s not true. To be fair, some of this book approached 4 star territory, but most of it was laborious. It was kind of like watching a firework show where they kept shooting off the same one. Not so good.

lowercasepoet's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

nineteenpoundsofbones's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

As I was reading, I said to myself, I don't believe ANY of the local color stories about the Irish people, but I believe ALL of the stories about how terrible famous movie director John Huston was. 

Then, about 80% in, I got to the place where the two come together in a glorious epiphany that made me fall in love with the entire book. 

I suppose I need to watch "Moby Dick" now. 

cheryl6of8's review against another edition

5.0

Read this book in 2011 and it made me laugh out loud. Clearly it was written years ago, and yet it had the feel of the Ireland I visited in 2012 and fell in love with. Bradbury is a talented writer and conveys a sense of place and character as well in non-fiction as in his fiction. Just lovely and I definitely recommend it.

cmbohn's review against another edition

4.0

Very different sort of book, with all the lyrical quality of Dandelion Wine, a touch of the fey, and a bit of Hollywood dirt blended in together. If you like Bradbury, you should find a copy of this one and settle down for a good read.

jillsch's review against another edition

1.0

DNF

marcstuartpacitti's review against another edition

3.0

Neither one thing nor the other - not a portrait of John Houston, not a book about Ireland, not even really much about Ray Bradbury and certainly not about Moby Dick. Too broad to be anything but passably entertaining.

nwhyte's review against another edition

http://nhw.livejournal.com/86784.html[return][return]It's the story of young sf writer Ray Bradbury, brought to Ireland by film director John Huston, to write a screenplay for Moby Dick. Huston comes across as a real monster, incessantly bullying his wife, Bradbury and other colleagues, with almost no redeeming features. I found Bradbury's portrayal of Ireland and the Irish irritating at first and then I realised that he was doing nothing more than writing in his usual style; it might as well have been Mars.[return][return]The short stories dropped into the narrative - including two with fantasy elements, which I list on my web page - are the best bits of a very uneven book. The only other "novel" I've read by Bradbury, To the Dust Returned, was equally uneven. Perhaps he is someone who needs the discipline of the short story form to write quality stuff. For