Customer Reviews

The Hindenburg Crashes Nightly

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It has been a long time (since Scott Spencer's "Endless Love") coming that a novel has been so beautifully written about lonliness, pain, obssession and the angst of youth. Bravo Greg Hrbek and I look forward to future literary gems from you! It has been a long time since I had a book that I couldn't wait to get back to and felt annoyed when reality pulled me away.

Having stumbled onto this book one weekend while in my favorite bookstore, I was intrigued by the title, pulled it from the shelf and purchased it. I'm thankful that I did not miss this novel.
In parallel stories, THE HIDENBURG CRASHES NIGHTLY chronicles Tom Markham's enduring love for Lindsey Paris, a girl eight years his senior.
A dark and sensual story of passion and obsession, this is a gorgeously written first novel, which hopefully, will not be Mr. Hrebk's last. While this novel seems to be limited in availability, do whatever you can to find a copy.

Hindenberg Crashes Nighlty is one of those rare books that has a strong narrative drive, with rich complex, conflicted charachters that despite their flaws are immensly likable. This book has a similiar 'soulful' feel to Michael Cunningham's A Home at the End of the Work; it asks those big life questions, while delivering a satisfying dose of unrequited love, soul searching and smart, funny conversations you might hear at a fantasticly intellectual dinner party. A really refreshing read. Hrebeck also has a story in this months Harpers Magazine (December 1999) that is a worthwhile introduction to his unique writing style.

A wonderful story by someone who remembers the 70's as they should be remembered. The writer uses words as a paintbrush to paint memories in your mind. Read this when you have lots of time, because you will only be annoyed to stop reading in the middle of a good part.

I really enjoyed this book for it's interesting and believable characters.
As in life, there were no 'black hats' and 'white hats'. I got to know each one in there glory and dispair. It's a testiment to Mr. Hrbek's writing skill that I found sympathy and understanding for all the characters even as they made their way through stressful situations and sometimes acted irrationally.
I also appreaciated the accurate SF references as I'm a Bay Area resident.
I hope he's at work on another one!

I absolutely loved the first 100 pages of this novel. But all too soon it starts to sink under the weight of its near-hysteria melodrama. The loves scenes are overwritten and the dialogue too arch--people don't talk like this. Hrbek needed to pare down on the purple prose in order to have saved this one.

Greg Hrbek's debut novel is a beautifully rendered, heartbreaking story of the power of tragedy and the triumph of love. His command of dialogue is rare in a young novelist and always rings true. Hrbek's characters are real and unforgettable. Highly recommended.

Great book. Brutally honest, as it should be, and very well written. Greg-I've met you before- we were classmates in Jessica Hagedorn's Writer's Voice classes in New York, in Spring 1993. I had the small-town Texas pieces, and you were reading from the Hindenburg manuscript even back then- and we all loved it. You did a great job with it and got it published. Bravo!

How else to describe Greg Hrbek's prose than with the adjectives of beauty, love, desire? His writing is not merely poetic, but somehow onomatopoeic -- the sound of the words are interpreted as pure emotion for the reader. His writing is not only read, but experienced.

But do we always want to feel the powerful emotion Hrbek creates in this book? For it slowly becomes clear that below the surface of Tom and Lindsey's passion will take the pain, the guilt, the searing truth of betrayal and heartbreak -- we'll take it, because in exchange Hrbek gives us the gift of shared inspiration. From Tom's original loss, to Lindsey's childhood violation, to Matt's headlong dive into the welcoming waters of insanity, Hrbek makes clear that in his world, only suffering breeds beauty.

And lucky for us. A writer of literature, in the truest sense, Greg Hrbek is more than just a young writer to take note of -- he's a literary star about to be born

Greg Hrbek's deliverence is both lyrical and analytical. This is
an amazing novel. The characters linger long after you have finished reading. The best novels are the ones that leave you wanting to read it again, not because you didn't understand it, but because you want to bury yourself deep in it's world, it's quittessence. The Hindenberg Crashes Nightly is a perfect example. This is my new favorite novel.