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mindthebook's review against another edition
4.0
Alla dessa vägar som leder fram till böcker. En sen kväll tryckte jag som vanligt på poddknappen för att lyssna på 'Tankar för dagen'. I klippningen hade en liten snutt av detta program http://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt/800638?programid=4381 kommit med och jag noterade titeln 'The Land of Unlikeness', vilket är den första av två novellor i denna utgåva.
Ett exempel på en enastående förmåga att gestalta. Ibland blir det för mycket information, när varenda erektion ska redovisas i en positively philiproth:esque anda, men läsaren får ett fulländat porträtt av huvudpersonen, med goda och mindre goda sidor, inre och yttre liv:
"Above all else, including a list of neurotic disorders, marital and academic difficulties, Clive was a man of surpassing good humour [...] After a twelve-hour drive and a bitterly stupid late meal in Ypsilanti he was susceptible to his only two current anger items."
Ett exempel på en enastående förmåga att gestalta. Ibland blir det för mycket information, när varenda erektion ska redovisas i en positively philiproth:esque anda, men läsaren får ett fulländat porträtt av huvudpersonen, med goda och mindre goda sidor, inre och yttre liv:
"Above all else, including a list of neurotic disorders, marital and academic difficulties, Clive was a man of surpassing good humour [...] After a twelve-hour drive and a bitterly stupid late meal in Ypsilanti he was susceptible to his only two current anger items."
jamielynn223's review against another edition
3.0
Quiet and well crafted. I enjoyed the first novella much more than the title piece.
abbeyhar103's review against another edition
3.0
Found the title novella the much more compelling of the two.
richardwells's review against another edition
5.0
Some authors write like angels, some like wizards, Philip Roth and Jim Harrison (who are so similar, but seem to be at opposite ends of a class divide,) write like the devil himself. Then there's Cormac, THE Prince of Darkness, but that's a digression I won't get into.
In The River Swimmer, Mr. Harrison gives us two coming of age stories, from two points on the spectrum of age. In the first, "The Land of Unlikeness," we spend time with a 60 year old art critic/professor, not-failed but resigned artist, and bon vivant, as he returns home to spend some time caring for his partially blind mother. It's a story of rediscoveries that lead to discoveries and hope. A resurrection of sorts. It's beautifully handled. I don't know how Jim Harrison does it, but all his stories are a meander that go places they have no place going, and the places become exactly where we should be - and then he gets back to the main road. It's like a blessing to spend time in his creations. Mr. Harrison is a randy guy, and the story is full of the humorously risque. Like I said - he's a devil.
In the second, and possibly less successful, but hugely moving (as befits the current) The River Swimmer we're thrown into the life of a 17 year old boy whose medium is water, and whose talent is swimming. He's intent on swimming the rivers of the world, while supporting himself as a hydrologist. As can be expected, he's an odd duck (no pun intended). His girlfriend's abusive father incites the incidents that get him into the water, swimming from Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.) to Chicago where his life turns in the arms and family of his new friend, Emily. Randy and risque from the perspective of a 17 year old - and as I recall, heat was an organizing principle in those years. Mr. Harrison takes a leap into magical realism, and though it's a bit off, it works ultimately, and the end of the novella literally took my breath away.
Five stars should go to Shakespeare, and etc., but I find Jim Harrison to be so lovable he gets the five cause there's no other way to express my affection, respect, and admiration for his work.
In The River Swimmer, Mr. Harrison gives us two coming of age stories, from two points on the spectrum of age. In the first, "The Land of Unlikeness," we spend time with a 60 year old art critic/professor, not-failed but resigned artist, and bon vivant, as he returns home to spend some time caring for his partially blind mother. It's a story of rediscoveries that lead to discoveries and hope. A resurrection of sorts. It's beautifully handled. I don't know how Jim Harrison does it, but all his stories are a meander that go places they have no place going, and the places become exactly where we should be - and then he gets back to the main road. It's like a blessing to spend time in his creations. Mr. Harrison is a randy guy, and the story is full of the humorously risque. Like I said - he's a devil.
In the second, and possibly less successful, but hugely moving (as befits the current) The River Swimmer we're thrown into the life of a 17 year old boy whose medium is water, and whose talent is swimming. He's intent on swimming the rivers of the world, while supporting himself as a hydrologist. As can be expected, he's an odd duck (no pun intended). His girlfriend's abusive father incites the incidents that get him into the water, swimming from Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.) to Chicago where his life turns in the arms and family of his new friend, Emily. Randy and risque from the perspective of a 17 year old - and as I recall, heat was an organizing principle in those years. Mr. Harrison takes a leap into magical realism, and though it's a bit off, it works ultimately, and the end of the novella literally took my breath away.
Five stars should go to Shakespeare, and etc., but I find Jim Harrison to be so lovable he gets the five cause there's no other way to express my affection, respect, and admiration for his work.
coley_reads's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the first novella The Land of Unlikeness but didnt much like the second novella The River Summer.
jackb's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the style and the writing itself, I found it quite similar to Phillip Roth and Richard Ford. However, I didn't really like the stories. The river swimmer story was better but still I wasn't overly keen.
czarczajko's review
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
alisa4books's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed the first of the two stories. The second one confounded me. No matter how much of a chance I gave it, I still felt like it was all over the place and unsure of what it really wanted to be and say.
timdemarco's review against another edition
3.0
Three stars, but really it's five stars and one star, added and divided by two. I had never read anything by Jim Harrison before picking up this book. The first novella in this collection of two, "The Land of Unlikeliness," had me tempted to run out and buy everything this man has written. I'm glad I hesitated since it only took a few pages of the second novella, "The River Swimmer," before I wanted to steer clear of anything else this guy has written. In any case, the first novella is an excellent story, great language, beautiful descriptions of the landscape, characters that will stick with me. The second one... eh. Poor editing, strange pacing, unlikeable/unrealistic characters, just not my thing at all.
So, buy this used and read the first half. That's my recommendation.
So, buy this used and read the first half. That's my recommendation.
brussel777sprouts777's review against another edition
3.0
Fun intellectual writing style with great development of main character in each of the two stories. Yea, a little over sexed, but sex is not the main point of these. Totally disappointing ending for the second novella.