Customer Reviews

Buried Alive

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

 

 

With a title such as "Buried Alive," one might expect a grizzly novel, but nothing could be further from the truth. This is a delightful tale and one that deserves a wider audience. The book served as the basis of a little-known Broadway musical in the 1960s called "Darling of the Day," by Jule Styne and E.Y. Harburg, starring Vincent Price and Patricia Routledge (best known for her TV show "Keeping Up Appearances"). The book and the musical are sweet and endearing, two adjectives that may turn off some modern readers, but it's their loss.

This is a true gem of a book.. I would give it more than 5 stars if I had a choice.. this is a delightful book about an extremely talented but painfully shy artist who is willing to go to any length to remain in the shadows.. I will not give away any of the main delight of this book, but please read it and enjoy it!!
Buy it, borrow it or check it out the library..

Arnold Bennett has fashioned a fine satire that brings to mind "Being There," except here the protagonist falls into a chain of events that threatens to expose his talents when all he wants-- Garbo-esque-- is to be "left alone." The novel skewers the art world, artists' temperaments, celebrity, and the way humans view the foibles of their loved ones. Bennett's better-known masterpiece "The Old Wives Tale" contained vignettes and observations of humor, but in "Buried Alive" he proves adept at an all-out comedy. I'm so glad I found this volume, it shows that Bennett had more than one excellent book in him, and led me to the also humorous "The Card." "Buried Alive" is definitely one of my favorite 20 novels.