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1.0étoiles sur 5
It was a short history for me!, Avril 1 2004
I couldn't get past page 68. I read the first chapter (1972), and found it OK, but once the second one got going (1995), I started getting very irritated. Walter came across as a malcontent whiny guy, and the characters so far had been less than enticing (Susan seemed slightly egotistical, and Lucy was way too perfect to be real). Another thing that bothered me is the excruciating descriptions that the author goes through about the most minute details. I could tolerate that level of detail when the story carries my interest (We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates is a great example), but in this case I just had to glaze over whole paragraphs describing suburbian neighborhoods. I hate it when I don't finish a book, so I decided to check Amazon reviews and see what other people had said. I'm not so disappointed now. To the author's credit, I didn't see the fact that Walter is gay right away. However, the parallelisms between lesbian aunt Sue Rawson mentoring Walter in his ballet, and then Walter mentoring his niece on hers were too melodramatic. The ending, which I only know about through other people's comments, makes me wonder if Jane Hamilton perhaps wrote this book with Oprah in mind. I really enjoyed The Book of Ruth. It was difficult to go through, but there was something true and compelling about the story and the characters. In this case, though, I wasn't able to find any empathy for anyone or get driven to the story.
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4.0étoiles sur 5
A Prince of a Story, Mars 28 2003
Hamilton does what she does best, as always, makes us look at ourselves; our limitations, our own fears.
This is the second time I've read "Short History of a Prince"
It was better the second time, because, ofcourse, we see more detail.The story unfolds back and forth from the 70s to the 90s...For some more inexperienced writers, this may not have worked, but for Hamilton, it did.
Walter is the main character, coming of age in some chapters, a thirty eight year old in others. I love how Hamilton does this, as in the "Book of Ruth" It really allows the reader to understand the characters more clearly. I enjoy dance and adored Balanchine, so I found the story line centered around the dance world very interesting. I wonder if Hamilton danced once herself or just did her homework on this one. The story has been woven with family situations, death, dreams, sexual desires (some we may never experience), youth, middle-age, and finally, in the end,
realizing that sometimes what we have is enough... Love, love, love Hamilton, the messages she sends, Her tenderness, Her ability to allow hope to seep through all of her stories. She does not disappoint in this one either!
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4.0étoiles sur 5
More relatable than Ruth, Mars 13 2002
Without question, Jane Hamilton is one of my favorite authors (who could not be moved by "The Book of Ruth"?), but in "A Short History of a Prince", Hamilton rises to a new level of exquisite characterization. Hamilton's graceful lyricism is present as always, rendering the book a charming read whether or not you enjoy the plot - but it is nearly impossible not to do so. Anyone who has every participated in the arts, or at least coddled an impossible dream, can relate to the plight of Walter. In a world in which, tawdry, but uplifting "feel good" books crowd the shelves it is refreshing to read of one who struggles with a dream, fails to achieve it in the physical sense, and yet triumphs internally. Hamilton gently reminds us that true grace lies in humanity and true achievement in how we deal with others. It is a novel about subjects far deeper than dance and far more human than death. It is a novel about life. Hamilton is a master of characterization. Ruth Grey and Matt (of "The Book of Ruth") are prime examples. But it is the character of Walter that stands out in my mind. He is one of the most fulfilling gay characters I've encountered in literature, proving once and for all, that literature with a gay central character, need not be soley concerned with sex and relationships. Instead, Walter is a complex, lovable and slightly pathetic (in a good way, mind you) man who must deal with the real life tragedies of death in the family and unfulfilled dreams. I enjoyed "A Short History of a Prince" far more than "The Book of Ruth" for several reasons. Partly because it was slightly easier to digest in its general lack of violence and dismal poverty, but mostly because I found Walter to be a character closer to my heart and self. I am not a gay man, but I felt more kinship with Walter than with Ruth. He is less specific than Ruth, more middle class, artistic and introspective. In short, he is me.
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