A Hall of Mirrors [Paperback]

Robert Stone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1997

Rheinhardt, a disk jockey and failed musician, rolls into New Orleans looking for work and another chance in life. What he finds is a woman physically and psychically damaged by the men in her past and a job that entangles him in a right-wing political movement. Peopled with civil rights activists, fanatical Christians, corrupt politicians, and demented Hollywood stars, A Hall of Mirrors vividly depicts the dark side of America that erupted in the sixties. To quote Wallace Stegner, "Stone writes like a bird, like an angel, like a circus barker, like a con man, like someone so high on pot that he is scraping his shoes on the stars."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ROBERT STONE is the acclaimed author of seven novels and two story collections, including Dog Soldiers, winner of the National Book Award, and Bear and His Daughter, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His memoir, Prime Green, was published in 2006.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395860288
• ISBN-13: 978-0395860281
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ROBERT STONE is the author of seven novels: A Hall of Mirrors, Dog Soldiers (winner of the National Book Award), A Flag for Sunrise, Children of Light, Outerbridge Reach, Damascus Gate, and Bay of Souls. His story collection, Bear and His Daughter, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and his memoir, Prime Green, was published in 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Stone's best, January 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Hall of Mirrors (Paperback)

I'm a fan of New Orleans literature in general, and this is my favorite NO novel. Stone captures the Quarter like no one else can, and wrings the stink of misery from the cobblestones.

Those of us who didn't live during Southern desegregation are terrified of scenes like the ones in this novel. We see quasi-fascist racists, who are contrasted only with Rheinhardt (who works for them) and his neighbor Bogdanovich who can only smoke pot and utter meaningless exclamations. If America was really Stone's nightmare vision, my parents' generation should've been happy Vietnam was distracting them from the slow disintegration of the USA.

Read it. You'll quote it, I promise. You'll read passages to your friends.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I feel as if I was really there..., June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Hall of Mirrors (Paperback)

Along with Walker Percy's "The Moviegoer" this is one of the best written books I've ever read about New Orleans. However, while Percy concentrates on a slowly rotting family from old-society New Orleans, Stone concentrates on a more modern, touristy, sordid side of the city - one that will probably seem more familiar to those who have visited or lived in the city.

Some of the other reviews below mention that they found this book "overwritten" but I didn't really find that to be the case. I thought that Stone struck an excellent balance between detail and plot. The characters were fascinating, sometimes terrifying, and often hilarious.

Interestingly, I was not nearly as drawn to the main characters as I was to the fascinating side characters, especially the British pseudo-preacher who is definitely one of the most memorable characters I've read in years.

An excellent book, artfully written, and brilliantly executed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stone's New Orleans novel lets the bad times roll!, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Hall of Mirrors (Paperback)

I've read (and liked) all of Robert Stone's books and even though this one is more sprawling and overwritten than the others (after all, it was his first novel and it feels like he wanted to include EVERYTHING about America he could think of), it's my personal favorite. I read it during some nasty days in New York and it really got into my psyche. For a time, I was even making decisions (like whether I should have another drink or go home to bed and safety) by asking "What would Reinhardt [the main character] do in these circumstances?" -- and if you're familiar with Reinhardt, you know what a bad idea that was. It's sometimes scary and sometimes depressing and really, really funny. The sequence where Reinhardt smokes dope with his neighbors and then he and Bogdanovich walk to the laundry is one of the greatest in all literature. Most people I've recommended this novel to didn't get through it, but they all admitted it's beautifully written. Maybe not a book for everyone, but I loved it!