- Paperback
- Publisher: New Directions Publishing (September 1993)
- ISBN-10: 0811202240
- ISBN-13: 978-0811202244
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
pap.* $6. F The noted playwright took his first plunge into fiction with this 1950 novel. Reminiscent of his brand of drama, the plot follows an older woman's romantic involvement with a younger man in the great Italian capital. At the time of its debut, LJ 's reviewer praised the book for its "splendid characterization" ( LJ 9/1/50). This newest installment in New Directions' "Bibelot" series should be in all fiction collections.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Book Description
Mrs Stone changed from a famous, rich American actress to a notorious, very rich American widow. But the transition took years and all that time her youth and legendary beauty slipped away. So she escapes to Rome. But even the distractions of the Eternal City cannot stop old age wrinkling its way into her life. Frantic, she decides to take a lover, a young and very handsome Italian, being prepared to invest in his body for good return. But the price is too expensive. Not in money, but in her dignity.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
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First Sentence
At five o'clock in the afternoon, which was late in March, the stainless blue of the sky over Rome had begun to pale and the blue transparency of the narrow streets had gathered a faint opacity of vapor. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
At five o'clock in the afternoon, which was late in March, the stainless blue of the sky over Rome had begun to pale and the blue transparency of the narrow streets had gathered a faint opacity of vapor. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vintage Williams,
By A Customer
This review is from: Roman Spring Of Mrs Stone (Paperback)
Tennessee Williams is, of course, one of the country's master dramatists. So much emphasis is placed on his plays, however, that it is easy to forget that Williams--poet, novelist, essayist--was a true man of letters. While it lacks the intensity of "Streetcar" or the heartbreaking tenderness of "The Glass Menagerie," "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" is vintage Williams just the same. Williams once said that he was interested in characters who "were frightened of life. . .who were desperate to reach out to another person." Karen Stone, a lonely, fragile woman who is desperate to "stop the drift" following the death of her husband and her own fading youth and beauty, is such a character. It will never be considered one of his masterpieces, but it will touch your heart in a way that only Williams can.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews) 16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vintage Williams,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Roman Spring Of Mrs Stone (Paperback)
Tennessee Williams is, of course, one of the country's master dramatists. So much emphasis is placed on his plays, however, that it is easy to forget that Williams--poet, novelist, essayist--was a true man of letters. While it lacks the intensity of "Streetcar" or the heartbreaking tenderness of "The Glass Menagerie," "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" is vintage Williams just the same. Williams once said that he was interested in characters who "were frightened of life. . .who were desperate to reach out to another person." Karen Stone, a lonely, fragile woman who is desperate to "stop the drift" following the death of her husband and her own fading youth and beauty, is such a character. It will never be considered one of his masterpieces, but it will touch your heart in a way that only Williams can.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
"What's talent but the ability to get away with something?",
By Mary Whipple - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Roman Spring Of Mrs Stone (Paperback)
Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tennessee Williams abandons his southern roots by setting his fascinating first novel (1950) in Rome, just after World War II. An American actress, recently widowed, decides to live in Rome after retiring from the stage. Karen Stone, now in her fifties, is still nursing her ego after attempting but failing to be a convincing Juliet, the critics having cruelly pointed out her advanced age. Sensitive about the loss of her beauty and her plummeting career, Mrs. Stone plans to lead a less visible life in Rome.Making the acquaintance of the Contessa, a friendly but cruelly manipulative and impoverished woman who introduces her to a series of beautiful young men, Mrs. Stone allows herself to be escorted but refuses the young men's other favors. Even with Paolo, the most attractive of her escorts, she maintains her dignity, until, after a particularly bitter argument, she realizes that she can use him for sexual pleasure, without guilt or remorse, since there is no possibility of unforeseen biological consequences. As Mrs. Stone explores her sexuality in an effort to prove her desirability, Williams is remarkably candid about the characters' relationships. Sensitively, and with an expert eye for the vulnerability of women of a "certain age," he explores Mrs. Stone's relationship with a long-time female friend, her seemingly passionless marriage to Tom Stone, her budding sexual liberation, and Paolo's relationships with other men and women. Gradually, Mrs. Stone becomes more dependent on Paolo for emotional support while Paolo demands more of Mrs. Stone's financial support, until they both reach breaking point. Williams's vibrant dialogue successfully reveals the tensions and expectations of Mrs. Stone, the Contessa, and Paolo through their conversations, but Williams is also startlingly adept at incorporating symbols which add to the intensity of the internal action. The seasons, the imagery of birds, and even Mrs. Stone's name enhance the plot and themes, while the action ironically mimics the Romeo/Juliet tragedy. Small details add to this irony--a handsome young man follows Mrs. Stone, and as she gazes at him from the top floor of her apartment near the Spanish Steps, the Romeo/Juliet balcony scene comes to mind. Though the novel is sometimes melodramatic, it never becomes maudlin, and the conclusion, totally different from the two films based upon it, involves an emotional resolution, rather than dramatic action. n Mary Whipple 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Woman Power, Menopause and Nihilism,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (Paperback)
Mr. Williams has managed, yet again, to create a tragic, flawed and brave heroine who stands unique amongst his other memorable female portrayals.Newly widowed, the over-indulged and aging socialite Mrs. Stone travels to Rome where, amongst her circle of charmed and wealthy peers, she discovers truths about her own inner life as well as the seedy underbelly of the society in which she'd til now played a prominent and sneering role. A developing, doomed relationship with a young Italian call-boy (controlled by an equally memorable female pimp) uncovers Mrs. Stone's latent passion and lonliness, leading ultimately to a melodramatic submission to the nihilism of anonymous sex. The depth of Mrs. Stone's passion combined with her reserved dignity represent (to me) the singular beauty and subtle power increasingly inherent in women as we grow older. A beauty and power that are still tragically devalued and discouraged by our society today, more than 30 years after this timeless prose was written. Read this book for yourself, and for all of the women in your life. |
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