Customer Reviews

The Grass Harp: Including A Tree of Night and Other Stories

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

 

 

For years I've known this work existed, but never read it until now. I've been fishing about in contemporary fiction, looking for something entertaining, enlightening, and superbly well written, but my search ended entirely when I finally read this novel, written in 1951. Set in the South, in the countryside, this story draws you in to its surroundings, which are so important to its impact. Its three main characters, Dolly, Collin, and Catherine, are real presences that emerge from the lush southern environs as complex, blooming beings whose lives take time to develop and understand. There is nothing slick about this writing; it's just elegant and clear. The story is filled with interesting characters, and proceeds as if inspired by Twain. It is entertaining, poetic, and meaningful all at once. I found myself rereading the opening pages, picturing the scene that Capote presents, and feeling how brilliant it is in its elegiac and inspired imagery. The story is simple enough: a young boy, orphaned, lives with his two eccentric aunts in a small town in the South. One aunt is controlling, mean-spirited, and selfish, and the other is sweet, other-worldly, and gentle. When the mean aunt tries to exploit the sweet one by mass producing the sweet one's folk medicine remedy she learned from a traveling gypsy woman, the sweet aunt runs away from home with the orphan boy and her best friend, a strange Indian woman. They don't run too far, however, just to a local tree house in a China tree. From that point on, everyone learns something about themselves, including the mean aunt. The world is a generous place to Truman Capote, and it has mercies to give, and lessons to be learned. In fact, it's something of a magical world that Capote gives us, almost a precursor of the magical realism of Marquez and others. But as the characters learn about themselves, so we the readers learn too, about what love is, about change, and about what we accept in life. For Capote to have written this book at the age of 26 is truly a miracle. This book alone puts him in league with the greats. I highly recommend The Grass Harp to anyone looking for that one great book to read and treasure.

[I wrote this review in 1999 as "A Reader." I hope more people read it and read this book.]
For years I've known about this work but never read it until now. I've been fishing about in contemporary fiction, looking for something entertaining, enlightening, and superbly well written, but my search ended entirely when I finally read this novel, written in 1951. Set in the South, in the countryside, this story brilliantly draws you into its magical surroundings. Its three main characters, Dolly, Collin, and Catherine, are real presences that emerge from the lush southern environs as complex, blooming beings whose lives take time to develop and understand. There is nothing slick about this writing; it's just classically elegant and clear. The story is packed with interesting people and proceeds as if inspired by Twain. It is entertaining, poetic, and meaningful all at once. I found myself rereading the opening pages, picturing the scene, and feeling how brilliant the writing was in its elegiac and inspired imagery. The story is simple: a young boy, orphaned, lives with his two eccentric aunts in a small town in the South. One aunt is mean-spirited and selfish, and the other is sweet, other-worldly, and gentle. When the mean aunt tries to exploit the sweet one by mass producing a folk medicine remedy the sweet aunt learned about from a traveling gypsy woman, the sweet aunt runs away from home with the orphan boy and her best friend, a strange Indian woman. They don't run too far, however, just to a tree house in a nearby China tree. From that point on, everyone learns something about themselves. This southern world is a generous place to Truman Capote, and it has mercies to give and lessons to be learned. In fact, it's something of a magical world, almost a precursor of the magical realism of Marquez and others. But as the characters learn about themselves, so we the readers learn too, about what love is, about change, and about what we accept in life. For Capote to have written this book at the age of 26 is truly a miracle. This book alone puts him in league with the literary giants. I highly recommend "The Grass Harp" to anyone looking for that one great book to read and treasure.

Every sentence in this book is like a jewel on a necklace. Capote was famously charming in life, and his charm translates to the page, for this is one of the most charming books I've ever read. While I did not like the recent movie version of this book, I would like to relate that the director chose to direct it after he asked a movie-friend, "What is the greatest novel you've ever read that has never been made into a movie?" The movie-friend said, "THE GRASS HARP." That movie-friend had taste in books. There are rumors that Harper Lee never wrote a second book after TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, because Truman Capote more or less wrote TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD for her! And without Capote by her side, she couldn't really "write" another book. A GRASS HARP has the same kind of charm that MOCKINGBIRD did, so that story is almost believable. (Capote was a close friend of Harper Lee's since childhood, and was the prototype for the character Dew in MOCKINGBIRD.) THE GRASS HARP is a famous book, but not as famous as it should be.

Capote found his full voice in this, his second novel. It is a fantasy based on characters from his own life, including himself, his aunt Sook Faulk, to whom the book is dedicated "in memory of affections deep and true", another aunt, and their servant.

Capote's prose is beautiful and lucid as it carries the reader through the book at a swift pace, and this novel achieves the rare combination of ease of reading with depth of thought and emotion.

If you were one of those people who had someone in your childhood speak to your heart, if someone showed you the stars and told you family stories and made you feel connected to a great huge human family, then you will love this book. If no one did this for you, then Truman Capote will. Take this book to a quiet place and let your heart soar. It is so beautiful it is hard to imagine somone knew how to make all the words fit so well to express such wondrous things.

what a sweet, eccentric, charming little tale!

two old ladies take a young boy to live in a tree after a beloved tincture recipie is stolen from one of the women. they don't stay in the tree long, but while they do- a strange cast of character's pass by, drop by, & stay for awhile.

this is the first thing of capote's i've read, although i am well aware of his more famous works. i was truly delighted by this short, sweet, book (the version appearing here says it's 200 odd pages- my copy was under 100), and i recommend it to anyone who searches for profound lovlieness immersed in oddity.

TRUMAN CAPOTE's wrote THE GRASS HARP early in his career and it is an often overlooked gem. This sweet, eccentric, moving and decidedly southern tale is the leisurely paced story of the repercussions that ensue when three townfolk decide to up and run away to live in a treehouse on the outskirts of town. Three quickly becomes five and eventually swells to even more as the makeshift home becomes a sort of paradise and refuge where stories are shared, closeness is established, and love blooms....think FLANNERY O'CONNOR meets SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON with a dash of STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Themes of finding one's place and path and making oneself known are skillfully woven into the narrative. It has the feel of a fantastic and utterly charming myth. Primary assets are the "thick as molasses" southern mood and syntax as well as a bevy of unforgettable characters.

This early Novella by Truman Capote clearly demonstrates his ability to put together a word portrait. As an example: "... I would hear the tantalizing tremor of their voices flowing like sapsyrup through the old wood."

The characters are richly portrayed in this gem of Southern fiction.

Truman Capote was best known for Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood. However, his real gifts to the world are among the less well known. When Capote writes stories that have their origins and influence from his childhood, his pen is like a magic wand that transports the written word into a thing of exquisite beauty that lifts a gossamer curtain so that the reader gains the miracle of the musical vision that this most gifted writer was able to create. His tale, The Grass Harp is simple and true, achingly revealing of the needs of the human heart. Give yourself the favor of reading this gentle and moving visit into the heart of one of our gifted legends: Truman Capote.

Though I'd heard of this book for years, I never picked it up. I could kick myself for not reading it sooner. What a beautifully written jewel. The prose is as close to perfect as I've ever read, the characters are nothing short of wonderful, and the voice -- THE VOICE! If you haven't read this treasure, please don't wait a moment longer. I can't recommend it highly enough.