<-----------Original Message----------->
>Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 16:05:33 -0500
>From: "Michael Robison" <
zspider@gte.net>
>Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: RE: John Williams
review
>
>JT Lindroos responded to my COUNT TO CADENCE
question:
> > Nope. That's the "literary" Vietnam War novel,
his first. It's very much
> > worth a read as well.
>
>*************
>
>Thanks JT. The word "literary" as a descriptive term
for a novel always
>scares me. I figure it'll be to artsy for me to
understand. Nevertheless,
>I still plan on getting around to it.
I meant to jump in on this yesterday, but....
In this case, I think the term "literary" is definitely, and
unfairly, pejorative.
The novel starts out, at Clark Field (the P.I.) in the early
60s, and moves onto Vietnam. I don't know about any others,
but to those like me -- who, as a veteran* -- consider the
most accurate and "realistic" "war" movies to be CATCH.22 and
M*A*S*H, rather than the more graphic award winners ... well,
I think you'd love this book.
It is farce, but unrelenting, un-apologetic dark
take-no-prisoners-farce, and totally shreds any vestiges of
The Glorys of War. I don't know where it would fit in
anyone's definition of either "hard-boiled" or "noir" -- but
lot's of folks (including the surprisingly 'heroic'
protagonist) do get Royally Screwed....
(...and tattooed.)
Okay, I'm slightly prejudiced in that, half a decade after
Crumley, I
_enjoyed_ Clark AFB for 17 months, and could pick up on
locations, and tropes that rang true. But I put this, along
with Joe Haldeman's fist
(non-sf) novel, WAR YEAR, and the first volume of
Willeford's
'autobiography set' (much earlier than even Crumley, before
it was an Air Force base, he also Spent Time there), in a
special category, on my shelves.
Not to be presumptive, but I really have no idea of how any
of these would read to one without military experience, but I
do recommend the Crumley to anyone who enjoyed the two films
I cited.
All that aside, yes, I quite agree: THE LAST GOOD KISS is
Crumley's tour de force, and anyone who wants to maintain any
hard-boiled cred at all ... should read it!
--
Bill Bowers
* A loaded term, and one I still have trouble thinking of myself
of under that specific label.
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