Customer Reviews

Blues for Hannah

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From the author of The Monk Downstairs, this earlier work paints dazzling word-pictures of troubled relationships. Jerry Mason, the protagonist and narrator, is a struggling (and probably mediocre) artist, with two great loves in his life. LeeAnne is his faithful, rock-steady, ever-cheerful wife. Hannah is the mercurial guitar-playing free spirit who flits about the edges of his life, bears him a child, and flames out in the fiery auto crash she had predicted for herself for years.

Unfortunately, Jerry never quite achieves the maturity to make a final commitment to either of these women. He continues to live in a half-real world of philosophizing, day-dreaming, painting and jam sessions.

Author Tim Farrington is a brilliant writer, who paints (yes, paints) his characters and scenes in exquisite, evocative language. He has a remarkable gift for characterization. His prose is literary and poetic, filled with vivid images. Only his character of LeeAnne was somehow hard to believe, swinging abruptly from all too passive acceptance of Jerry's behavior to sudden, explosive, tantrums.

I enjoyed this book immensely although not as much as The Monk Downstairs. I think author Farrington is a great writer who is still improving his craft. Still, Blues For Hannah is a poignant and moving book and I recommend it highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

It's been almost a year since I read this book, but from the first five words I read I was mesmerized. It's a beautiful tale of love and passion and how it exists in the real world. This book touched my soul and intriged my mind. It is absolutly superb!

I found that the story was not as intersting as the emedded jewels of wisdom and pain that sprinkled this novel. I was partinularly struck by the chapter based on the way a single act of betrayal can change the feelings of a lifetime of love. There also was an interesting portait of pain shown by LeeAnn's cleaning. The story was not as compelling as the beautiful ideas within it. I would recommend reading this book if you enjoy thoughts about love more than stories of love.

I found myself thinking of why we love someone and about soul connections that can't be explained. I really liked this book. I wondered about art and relationships as I read, as I guess I was supposed to,and decided I just love the way Tim Farrington writes. His writing is wonderful. I picked it up by chance and loved it. When I finished it, on my back porch, with the first feelings of fall in the air, I actually kissed the book. I wanted to call the author and tell him how much I loved it.

I have not read a book with such beautiful writing in years. Often, I would read a sentence three times over because the descriptive language was so concise yet elegant. The word usage is amazing and as a result the character development is excellent because the author is able to evoke everything you want to know about the characters through his sparse yet elaborative writing.

I love to read books that make me want to read them again and again, that is exactly how Blues For Hannah made me feel. The poetry and conflict within this book are so moving and true. True in the sense that many people would have responded and reacted to the situations presented in this book in the same way, maybe i am just a sucker for such poetry and love, but i have incouraged many people to read on and feel the emotions that Tim Farrington presents in this book, i have gotten many of the same reviews from them. One common negative note has prevailed however, the book moves slowly in some areas. This didn't bother me, i still read on turing page after page. I urge everyone to give the book a try, it really won't hurt you and i am sure that you will not find it a waste of your time.

In this novel of relationships, the reader comes across definitions of the many types of bonds that are formed throughout life. With the awesome literary inserts at every chapter, the book makes you feel the actuality and truth of what the author is getting across. The inserts are like specific support for an essay, proving that all of these relationships are earthly. I am not an easy crier, but I found tears pushing at the brims of my eyes as the story came to an end. I wish I could stumble across other books that are written so briliantly.

Tim Farrington's BLUES FOR HANNAH is an amazingly beautiful book about the mystery and hope and magic of art and love. Never before have I seen this the feelings that love and art create put so well on the page. The story is full of gentle beauty. The love story is real and unique. You couldn't ask for a better read. Tim's first book THE CALIFORNIA BOOK OF THE DEAD was also an amazing book. Tim Farrington is sure to be considered one of the next centuries most treasured writers.

I predict that "Blues for Hannah" will be this summer's "Bridges of Madison County"! The characters and story were so engaging that I read it in one sitting.

This is a beautiful book, exploring how idealism and love are altered by time...but sometimes not. The descriptive passages read like poetry, and the plot unfolds like a story told late at night by the fire. The insights are canny, clever and authentic. Blues for Hannah is a funny, heartbreaking and ultimately, compassionate examination of what happens when love and art require sacrifice. I cannot recommend the book highly enough.
Blues for Hannah