Hello America [Paperback]

J. G. Ballard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1989

Frank Sinatra, Charles Manson and American presidents play their part in J G Ballard's tribute to the American dream past, present and future.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'J G Ballard's talent is one of the most mysterious and distempered in modern fiction … it is futile to have expectations of Ballard: he will inevitably subvert them' Martin Amis, Observer'A mythically resonant epic journey … a joy - witty, playful, moving, mythic, poetic' Literary Review'This fable lifts a great freight of ideas effortlessly … the story of an expedition driven on by wishes of possession and power but guided internally by myths of America whose sources lie in the late 20th century' Guardian'Enter Mr Ballard's worlds and you become entranced in a séance difficult to break out of, so powerful is his method' The TimesPraise for J G Ballard:'A work of very powerful originality. Ballard is amongst our finest writers of fiction.' Anthony Burgess'One of the few genuine surrealists this country has produced, the possessor of a terrifying and exhilarating imagination.' Guardian'Ballard has issued a series of bulletins on the modern world of almost unerring prescience. Other writers describe; Ballard anticipates.' Will Self'Britain's number one living novelist.' John Sutherland, Sunday Times --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub (September 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881845477
• ISBN-13: 978-0881845471
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,887,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Shanghai in 1930, J. G. BALLARD is the author of sixteen novels, including "Empire of the Sun," "The Drowned World," and "Crash." He lived in London until his death in April 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Sun that got away, July 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hello, America (Hardcover)

Hello America is a tale of the rediscovery of America one hundred years after its abandonment following a series of financial and energy disasters. The new pioneers find a desertified continent in which once mighty cities have become vast ghost towns; the sometime haunts of wandering "tribes" of "executives", "divorcees" and "bureaucrats". The explorers' transcontinental odyssey leads them to Las Vegas, reborn as a tropical paradise, where they meet "President" Charles Manson. Who they discover has very different ideas for reinventing the United States. Hello America is an improbable book. Not for its premise which is quite intriguing, but for its depictions of 100 year old watches, autos and cruise missiles that still function. Furthermore, Ballard's usually sly ironies take some painfully clumsy turns e.g., characters named "Pepsodent" ,"Heinz" and "Xerox". What hurts the book most is the feeling that Ballard is just fulfilling a publishing committment. He never warms to his story and character development, which has never been his strong suit, has rarely been more lacking in a book. What saves Hello America from the ash heap are his usual stocks in trade: interesting ideas, a rarified prose style and flashes of brilliant imagery. Still, a book for Ballard die hards only.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars am I the only one who likes this book?, September 2, 2003

By 

Paul DeLong (Metuchen, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hello America (Paperback)

Well, I liked it. I don't think the other reviews were terribly fair. It wasn't Shakespaere or Sartre, but it wasn't awful either. The characters weren't terribly deep, but I can forgive that. And anyone who is judging this based on the plausibility of its premise really hasn't read much sci-fi at all.

I agree with another reviewer that it's a little hard to believe that much of the machinery would still be working after a century of disuse. But that doesn't detract from the story. And it's nothing compared with the suspension of disbelief required for some of the "new" flying machines featured in the story.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Say Goodbye to Hello, April 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Hello, America (Hardcover)

Wonderful premise! Awful execution! It's a tough experience to be 50 pages when one realizes that a book does not live up to expectations....at page 75 realize it shall not get better...at page 100 see that one is so bored there is too much temptation to give up. Listen to that temptation. It is unfathomable how a well-regard novelist wrote such a poor book and that no editor saved or stopped the book before it consumed several hours of my time with no gain to me.