Customer Reviews

Bluesman

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

 

 

A finely-written novel which is both a coming-of-age tale and an examination of the human spirit in all its shame and glory, Bluesman is the story of Leo Sutter, and boy on the verge of being a man in a sleepy paper mill town. Leo is coming to terms with the usual problems which beset all young men-love, sex, responsibility-against the background of a mostly redneck town in Viet Nam-era America. Through Leo's interactions with those close to him-his girlfriend, Allie, her communist father, Chic, Leo's father Jim and-most importantly-his dead mother (through her poetry and diary)-Dubus delicately and expertly examines the human condition. The book draws brilliantly on the blues music Leo so loves, and the strength of his bond with both his mother and father, to create genuine melodrama and subtly compelling plotlines. Dubus has spare, delicately understated style which is far more descriptive than a thousand pages of Danielle Steele could ever be. An enjoyable, potentially life-changing book which had me dusting off my old Lightin' Hopkins records, and which begs for a sequel.

It is not often you find a book that is about ordinary people and yet extraordinary in its telling. Dubus paints a picture of Massachusetts in the mid-sixties, and brings it to life so you can feel the heat and rain of the summer, almost smell the woods and countryside, and almost hear the blues played on harmonica. The characters have depth and can be identified with to the point of feeling their emotion. It was an excellent read which brought tears to my eyes and ended way too soon. It is one of the three best books I have read in the past year and I highly recommend it

Dazed and confused in the blues

Leo Sayer the young protagonist in Andre Dubus III's book the Bluesman is a young man coming of age in the time of social upheaval of the Vietnam era. Like many young man of that age his interest is sex, passion and music while trying to discover who he is and who he is going to be. Much to his delight he discovers sex with his girlfriend Allie Donovan. While being tutored by Allie on essential knowledge of the opposite sex, Leo is guided by his three father figures on the meaning of life. Leo's father Jim, introduces him to the world of Blues and acquaints Leo with his diseased mother,through her diaries and poetic writings. Leo's uncle Ryder provides harp lessons and helps Leo to feel the blues. Allies father Chick Donovan gives Leo an opportunity to work for him as a carpenter and teaches him the philosophy of Carl Marx.

Throughout all of his lessons Leo exhibits a sensitivity, but remains dazed and confused as to the direction of his life. During this time Leo is faced with some decisions, which others of this era faced as well as some unexpected choices. Dubus, adeptly holds the readers interest and the reader alternately feels frustrated and sympathetic with Leo.

Dubus is a skilled writer and his lyrical style reinforces the dreaminess of Leo's character. It encapsulates the essence of a youth who is impatient to get on with life along with the insecurity of how to go about it.

Bluesman is recommended reading for those familiar with the Vietnam era and those who would like to know more about it.

This is a wonderful book, and belongs in the Pantheon of excellent coming of age books. After reading it, I then bought some of the blues music written about - so this became a multimedia joy. Dubus has captured the thought-processes of a teenage boy to a tee.

A few years ago I read "House of Sand and Fog" by this author and thought it was great. That's why I was anxious to read this earlier novel of his. From the blurb on the cover I learned it was set in the late 60s, during a time of political turmoil in America. I therefore thought the author would use his talent to bring us back to a time and place that created major changes in the American landscape.

Well, the story IS about young man's coming of age during this period. But it never deals with any of the real conflicts that were going on at the time. Instead it is about his romance with a young woman and family relationships. And, frankly, some of the people and situations he describes are just not believable. There's the story of his mother, who died when he was a baby but left behind a diary of her life. The boy's father never got over his grief and his recreational activity is playing guitar and playing poker. One of his friends teaches the boy to play the harmonica and we all see that this is the boy's calling. The girl he romances comes from a strange family. Her father, a nut-job communist, is a house builder and tries to force Communist ideals down the throats of the men who work for him. Naturally, violence erupts. This is all supposed to happen in a little Massachusetts town that is so backward that the main characters don't even have a TV. And this is in 1968!

The Vietnam War is just a backdrop to the story. I never got a feeling about the real undercurrent of conflict and change that was happening in the country. Mostly, the story was about a budding love and its consequences. I was soon bored but I pushed myself to finish the book in hopes it would get better. It didn't.

Bluesman by Andre Dubus III

A beautifully written novel by the author of HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, this coming of age novel takes place during the Vietnam War era of the mid to late 60's. Young Leo Suther is about to turn 18 and is getting ready to find out what life outside of school is all about. He's got a new girl, Allie Donovan, who he's desperately in lust with. Her father, Chick Donovan, soon becomes his mentor and he's offered a job to help Chick build houses. It's Leo's first "real" job, and it makes him feel like a man. With Allie by his side and a great job, life is looking good.

His home life isn't all that bad either. He and his father live side by side, sharing their love of the blues every night and playing music along with their family friend Ryder. Katie Faye, Leo's mother, had died years ago from cancer, and his memories of her have faded, but are being kept alive by his father's love for her. Throughout the novel, references to Katie's life are made, and her story unfolds as Leo learns about a mother who loved poetry and whose biggest desire before she died was to go to Paris. Her story helps shape Leo's future, as the reader soon finds out.

Leo is at a turning point in his life. With only one more year left of high school and a good job with Chick, Leo is ready to leave school and start a family of his own. He fantasizes about living with Allie and their many kids. This fantasy life of his puts blinders on Leo, as he finds out too late how Allie feels about him. And with problems of her own, Allie soon turns her back on Leo, leaving Leo feeling alone and frustrated. As their relationship hits rocky ground, Leo's life starts to fall apart, and he soon sees that not only has Allie's feelings for him have changed, but all around him friends and acquaintances are moving on. Change is in the air, and Leo isn't sure if he's ready for it.

I can't really say enough about BLUESMAN. It's a complex story composed of many layers. Leo's issues with Allie, with her father, and even his mother, are at the root of Leo's story. Political issues of the day are not the main focus, but help add to the story line. Communism, the Vietnam War, the attitudes of the late 60's, are all underlying themes of this book. It's not an easy read but I would definitely recommend this for it's beautiful prose and descriptions throughout the book. It's a great coming of age story, and if nothing else will leave with the reader memories of a time in history that has left a mark on many today.

In the summer of 1967, the year he turns 18, Leo Suther learns much in his passage to young adulthood. The lessons themselves are not unusual, but there is nothing wrong in that; this is a small Massachusetts blue-collar town in a time which still had some innocence. Leo falls in love. He starts working in construction, and finds himself good at it. He gets close to his boss (and his girlfriend's father), an idealistic Communist. He comes to a deeper understanding of his own father's love for his mother, who died when Leo was five. He begins to think about Vietnam, at a time when the US casualty rate is rising. And he learns to play the blues harmonica -- hence the title of the book.

There are some affecting moments here, but not much depth in what is clearly a first novel. Some of the larger themes die out, while others (like the diaries which Leo's mother wrote as she was dying) seem artificial. The most consistently developed strands are Leo's love life, which is rocky, and his progress as a bluesman, which seems impossibly fast -- but then I am not that kind of musician, so what do I know? But set within a smallish frame, the book does succeed as a relatively quiet portrait of a time, a place, and some characters who are warm and seemingly true.

I enjoyed Bluesman but not as much as his House of Sand and Fog. Bluesman is a story of an eighteen year old boy trying to figure out what he wants from life, he falls in love or should we say lust with a girl his age yet she is just as confused as he is. Growing up a motherless child, this boy/man has only a father and "uncle" to teach him the way and it seems that neither one of them really knows anything other than music, poker and bars, but mostly music!! The character who spoke volumes was his mother who left her journals and thoughts to him and her husband before dying. As alway Andre Dubus III is a wonderful writer, absorbing you into the story and leaving you thinking about the characters long after you have put the book down. I enjoyed the book a lot and would recommend for a quick summer read.

I am writing this review fresh off the read....just hugged the book before I tucked it back on my bookshelves. It is my ultimate praise as the book touched my heart so deeply.

"The House of Sand and Fog" is on my top ten list of all time books...high praise given I have read thousands in my lifetime. That said, I love that "Bluesman" has a totally different feel. Our young protaginist, Leo, 18 years old, stands on the precipice of adulthood, being pushed over more quickly by a troubled love affair, heartbreaking decisions, a desire to escape emotional pain and the "sign of the times." This novel is set in 1969 in the heat of the Vietnam war and the season of free love:

"He wished he had a picture of him and Allie to pack too. He remembered how she said this was the summer of free love, but Leo didn't believe love was free. As far as he could tell, love cost people more than anything."

The writing is exquisite as exampled, the story heartbreaking yet uplifting. Where "House and Sand" was a roller coaster ride, this is a quiet jumble in a pickup, savoring the sights as senses are heightened by the fullness of the surroundings. Andre Dubus III characters are written so acutely it disables complacency in the reader. The plotline is steady; the writing intrinsic; the story is the blues and whether played on harmonicas or heartstrings, the effect is much the same. Play on, Leo, play on.

...but that's about it.

This is one of Dubus' first novels, and it shows. The timelines in the story are inconsistent; details that you expect to have an impact are never mentioned again.

Nevertheless, I read it thru to the dissappointing end.