Customer Reviews

A Fine and Private Place

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although undoubtedly most well-known for his novel "The Last Unicorn," Peter S. Beagle's "A Fine and Private Place" has always been a personal favorite of mine. The title is taken from the Andrew Marvell poem, "To His Coy Mistress." The line is as follows: "The grave's a fine and private place, but none, I think, do there embrace." The story Beagle tells in this novel is of two ghosts who in death find a richer love than ever they knew in life, a love which is all the more precious to them because its doom is that it cannot last.

Peter Beagle is simply the most amazing writer ever (IMHO), and so I highly recommend all of his works. This one in particular, though, has always been special to me. The writing is so simple that it's beautiful. And the story of Michael and Laura's love is so touching,... there was a chapter in the book that was so painfully lovely that it actually brought tears to my eyes, one of only two times that I can remember being brought to tears by a book.

I can't recommend it highly enough. It's amazing in so many ways. For one, nearly the entire book takes place in a single graveyard, a place which becomes so real to me that I wish it were indeed real so that I might be buried there myself. The characters are unforgettable as well. Even the talking raven is wonderful, whereas I usually abhor loquacious animals (look for the squirrel and the raven's conversation, it is hands down the most hilarious section of the novel!).

Besides all that, it's a love story, which may be a plus to some of you. For the rest of you out there who hate love stories, I understand, becuase I hate them too. But Beagle's romance totally pulled me in. He has a way of doing that, you know, making me fall in love with things I thought I hated (see my review of The Last Unicorn).

Don't miss it. If you've read The Last Unicorn then you know how great this guy writes, so go ahead and read it already! If not, pick it up anyway, then go out and read The Last Unicorn, Innkeeper's Song, Tamsin... you get the picture.

What defines life? Where is the line between alive and dead? What makes life worth living? Sound like an outline for a course in philosophy? But these questions are what drives this lyrical, quiet, and unassuming story of two ghosts, a raven, a man caught somewhere in-between the living and the dead, and a very traditional Jewish widow.

The raven has an attitude, but insists on dragging sandwiches to Mr. Rebeck, a pharmacist who decided to live in the cemetery many years ago. Mr. Rebeck is lonely most of the time, except when there is a new burial, for then that person's ghost will stick around a little while and keep him company, until the ghost forgets what it is to be human, to be alive.

Michael Morgan and Laura are two such new ghosts. Each has a conflicted past, not fully remembered, and take different approaches to this new state of 'living', Michael trying fiercely to retain all he can of himself and his past, Laura trying to fully leave the world of the living. Mr. Rebeck suddenly finds himself with an unusually rich set of company, for besides Michael and Laura, he finds himself involved with the widow Mrs. Klapper, coming to visit the tomb of her husband.

Each of these characters is finely delineated, their conversations with each other slowly illuminating their pasts, their ambitions, their fears, and their hopes. From a little evening singing, quiet walks, the raven bringing news of the outside world, the story is built bit by little bit, with no large dramatic moments until the very end. It is, in essence, a character study, and each character's approach to life imposes its message about life's meaning and purpose. There are some fairly deep philosophical ruminations presented within this, part and parcel of the story line, stated with ease and a poetic feel that suffuses this entire work, with the raven perhaps as the cynic to provide some balance and comedy relief. Ah, but the final point is the attraction these characters begin to feel for each other, all quite logical, even predictable, but the result we end with is a believable love story of both the dead and the living.

Perhaps this work could have done with a little more action, a little more drama. But then again, adding such elements might have spoiled this poem in prose. Not perfect, but certainly one of the more unusual and very readable fantasy works I've read, with a set of ideas that possibly could not have been investigated in any other literary genre.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Okay, that sounds a little corny, but it's probably what I will forever call last Tuesday when I went to the library to get a Beagle book or two. I'd read "The Last Unicorn," loved it, and had decided to see what else this man could do. I picked up "A Fine and Private Place," and another book by him, "Tasmin." I started AFAPP as soon as I got home, and finished it around 3:15 that morning. From the first sentence, I was hooked. Speaking of the first sentence, I had to read this one a few times to make sure I had it. "The baloney weighed the raven down..." Yes, that's it! AFAPP is a deeply touching story about a recluse living in a cemetery, a brash raven with an attitude, and two lost ghosts. What really makes this book special though, is the writing style. Beagle seamlessly weaves together beautiful, almost lyrical, words with a timeless tale of love and discovery. Just be sure to begin reading it in the morning, because you may not be able to put it down!

I bought this book because I fell in love with Beagle's "The Last Unicorn" and was curious to see if he could hold my attention again. I was pleasently surprised. This is a thoughtful, satisfying book that is thoroughly convincing. The thing I love about Beagle is his ability to let the reader walk away having learned something about themselves but unable to pin-point exactly what. I believe that if I were to go back and read it thirty years later I would get a completley different experience. If you have never read one of his books I suggest you do so immediatley. He has a wonderful gift.

My favorite author, Robin McKinley, has a comment on her website about how important it is to be able to distinguish between, "This book sucks bears," and "This book isn't for me." That is to say that some books may be well-written, but still not appeal at all to certain readers, even readers who otherwise enjoy that author. That's pretty much how I felt about this book.

On the one hand, it's written by Peter Beagle, who has a wonderful style that I love. He's a great author, and I haven't seen him completely butchering anything.

On the other hand, the book's premise left me cold. The main idea is that after you die you just kind of continue. Beagle decides to go against all of the major ideas about death: no heaven or hell, no ended existence, no nirvana, rebirth, or anything else. Instead, your spirit just kind of hangs around in the cemetery where you're buried (being unable to leave it) and you gradually forget life and being human. Eventually you more or less give up and lay down in your grave to "sleep" (the quotation marks because you can't do that either now that you're dead).

Enter two of the main characters, two people who have just died and are still in their "trying to deal with it and hang on to life" phase. As they hang out in the cemetery, they gradually get to know each other and eventually fall in love.

I think the main point here is that love can come anywhere and any time. There's also supposed to be something about how Michael and Laura are doing their best to hang on to each other and their love despite the hopelessness of their situation. It could probably be a fairly touching story, except that the whole blah-ness of existence after death turned me off. It had such a grey hopelessness to it. That was so strong for me that I couldn't enjoy the rest of the story. I've heard that same feedback from one of my other good friends, so I know I'm not the only one to feel this way. On the other hand, these reviews indicate that many people have loved this book; it obviously can reach people in significant ways. Hopefully this review will help you discern whether this book is for you or not.

This has been one of my all-time favorite books since I was a kid. One of the reviewers feared a let-down if he re-read the book now, but I did just that last summer (my copy is pretty dog-eared so I'm thrilled that they're releasing a new edition). I must confess that I wasn't the least bit let down. The story was just as whimsical and touching as I remembered it to be, with some profound lessons about death, and more importantly, life. I've always loved cemeteries because of this book.

What a romantic novel, and what imagination Peter S. Beagles's had! I wished I could be Michael Morgan when I first read this book - back in 1974! The characters were so well developed and real they were unreal, or were they so unreal that they seemed real?

I lost count of the number of times I read it, and I still think about it often. I'm getting a new copy to replace my totally worn one so I can start over again.

This is an extraordinary concept - much less a book. I first read this while in high school where I found it in the school library. I checked it out so many times - that I can't even remember. Since I was a library aide - the Librarian finally told me to keep it - and I still have it. I've reread it so many times - that the book is basicly falling apart. I noticed that the book has a different cover - I prefer the original. My bookcover is the same in that it has the raven on the front - and the musoleum - but, Rebek is shown sitting playing chess with Laura and Michael. Anyway, it is a sort of "macabre" love-story. If you can get over the fact that one set of lovers (Laura & Michael) are dead - then you'll really enjoy this wacky love-story!

Through the title of this book it's worth noting that it's optimistic. It is a story of people passing by life-not death; and lives passing eachother with very opposite and yet spiritually connected tones. Peter S. Beagle forms these lush characters together for the need of something greater than their individual stakes. The character's humanity is seen in the pages of thier eyes, hearts and spirits you will mistake for your own at times. Mr. Beagle has a musical quality to much of his work. It is not about the spirit world-quit as much as it's about the spirit's world- how clearly, we can feel in the most foreign situations.

I have a bad habit of giving away books I love when I find others who love them. When I gave away my copy of A Fine and Private Place, I found I could not replace it. What a joy to know it is available again. I found The Last Unicorn to be a big disappointment in comparison.