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5.0 out of 5 stars
An unforgettable American character; reads smoothly,
By j. olsen (minneapolis, mn) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hamilton Stark (Paperback)
I found "Hamilton Stark" to be an unexpected page-turner. Hamilton Stark, the fictional man, is an unforgettable creation. The novel, eschewing conventional plotting, clips along fluidly and swiftly nonetheless. Experimental fiction is rarely this readable (certainly Banks' "Family Life," and "Relation of My Imprisonment" are not).
The daily-life-variety exploits of New Hampshire pipe fitter Hamilton Stark are a guilty pleasure to follow. As the man's habits and life history unfold, one wonders, with great eagerness, what absurdity of will and character will be exhibited next. Through what strange behavior will he lose his 5th wife, for example, in comparison to how he lost #4, etc. And one wonders what has so moved the highly educated, intellectual, borderline-sycophantic narrator- and at an earlier point Stark's sharp-witted estranged daughter- to revere, worship, and indulge in the compulsion to decipher and document for the ages, the life and ways of this near-feral, anti-social, misanthropic, eccentrically-principled lone wolf New England plumber. Maybe the secret to the Hamilton Stark Phenomenon lies in the generations-buried influence of the pre English-settlement Abenooki Natives? A uniquely American character and novel, with curious epic undertones. Possibly a work of genius. Highly recommended. |
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Hamilton Stark by Russell Banks (Paperback - June 5, 1996)
$15.00 $14.95
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