Customer Reviews

Had a Good Time: Stories from American Postcards

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4 star:		(5)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mr. Butler continues to experiment with new ways of looking at the world, at the people who enhabit his world. He doesn't write simply to give us the same old same old. He is taking chances on behalf of his craft. AND he's still very much in control of his powers. HAD A GOOD TIME, though not a perfect book, is another attempt by the author to keep going, to keep surprising himself with possibilities, to give his readers something different. For that and much more he gets my respect. I recommend people read and enjoy this new book regardless of what I or anyone else in these little snippets say. In my book, Mr. Butler is a brave writer for continuing to write from where it counts, where it is still vibrant and exciting. Writing from his intellect and heart. It's a winning combination.

In Butler's new book, he has created a new type of epistolary technique. He uses a news story and a postcard to introduce each of his stories. The concept of the postcard is further refined by showing the significant difference between life as it is, and life as depicted on the postcard.

First and foremost, the book is about America. Many of the characters are immigrants, coming to America for the first time. Many are not. But all meet the trials and tribulations of American life. And they write a postcard to someone they know and/or love. Yet that postcard is not in the least an accurate depiction of their life at that point in time.

Butler deals with the physical, the spiritual and the concepts of life and death in a visceral manner. Some of his stories are about war. Others are about immigration. Still others are about the contrast between life and death. These are the same questions that haunt all of our minds. And through his stories, Butler gives us a perspective on all these things, in fact, a very American perspective.

Butler is at his very best in the short story genre. He won his Pulitzer Prize for a terrific book of short stories. This one is no exception. It is highly recommended for all lovers of experimental modern literature, and those who love the short story genre, as these are some of his best.

Mr. Butler has been visited by a divine muse. How else can one explain his inspired idea of writing the stories behind the antique postcards he collects? "Carl and I" and "The Ironworkers Hayride" are quite possibly two of the finest short stories ever written. The author is a master of this format and his book is a must-read for aspiring writers and postcard collectors.

Butler has put together a wonderful collection of short stories based on postcards written near the beginning of the 20th century. Each story stands on its own, but together the collection is a balanced look at American life at that time from a number of different angles. As a previous reviewer said, some of the stories are more fully developed than others, but each one is a gem in my opinion. Definitely recommended.

Before email, faxes, and even regular phones was the postcard. The "golden age" of postcards perhaps lasted from 1898 to 1912, and in one year alone (1907) the Post Office delivered over 600 million cards (and the population was only 80 million). It is for traces of this era that Robert Butler has scoured the antique malls and postcard shows, looking for remarkable messages to craft his stories around.

The stories work well because Butler is historically accurate and the voices behind the stories seem (usually) authentic. Some of the stories revolve around simple, but pivotal events. The most humorous is, "The Ironworker's Hayride" and I had the pleasure of hearing Robert Butler read this and the audience was roaring in laughter. The stories are sometimes about the historic events of the era, for example the real photograph postcards and stories from "Woody Wilson's little escape in Vera Cruz" or "Mother in the trenches" of World War I. And in "Twins", for an immigrant to the United States trachoma was a real concern and a traveler on the White Star Line certainly would have thought about the Titanic. Perhaps some of the voices edge toward stereotype (for example "Uncle Andrew), but most resonate as clear individuals.

We did this in our book club The leader was the former books editor for Fort Worth Star Telegram. Everyone really liked the book. The short story our reviewer concentrated on was the one about the hay ride. We were told Butler had one of his students pull several antique postcards out of a box and he proceeded to write a story on each. He does not use outlines--lets the characters tell their own story. Good book and no two stories alike.

If you feel like reading only two short stories and aren't willing to invest any more time, start with the hilarious "The Ironworkers' Hayride" and follow it with the heartbreaking "Carl and I." I went from outright laughter to downright tears in the space of a few minutes.

Of course, if those are the only two stories you read in HAD A GOOD TIME, you'll miss the delightful "No Chord of Music," which could have been the story of my mother, whose first car ride in 1917 was equally exciting. You'd also deprive yourself of the engaging "Sunday," which somehow or other -- I don't see how Butler does it -- manages to make this series of short stories seem more like a novel.

No, this is not STRANGE MOUNTAIN. I like this one even better.

This book of short stories, all set in the early part of the 20th century, highlights Butler's ability to write in the voices of many different characters. The book is a result of Butler's project to tell stories based on the few lines written on a picture postcard from the period. Some are poignant; some are rollicking; some are sad. By the end of the trip the reader should be able to say "had a good time." Still, the overall impact wasn't as impressive as Butler's amazing "Good Scent from a Strange Mountain", a set of stories based on the lives of Vietnamese immigrants living in Louisiana, which I'd recommend as an introduction to Butler.

I really enjoyed this book. The stories are imaginative leaps from the few real lines from various old postcards collected by the author. He is currently working on a book based on one of the stories in the book, "The One in White" which promises to be a good read.

I used to respect Mr. Butler's work. I was a big fan of "Good Scent" and especially of "They Whisper." But this is yet another superficial, lightweight offering. It makes me sad to see a once-great author sinking to such depths. Anyone interested should go back and read the old works. They had some real magic to them. The last few books are all just dead weight, a finished author plowing ahead simply because he's expected to. I wish I could say something more nuanced and objective. But this is just a depressing last straw. I am finished with Mr. Butler from here on in.