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4.0 out of 5 stars
A good bio of Jones, December 2, 1999
This review is from: Into Eternity: The Life of James Jones, American Writer (Hardcover)
I don't really expect a lot from biographies. The facts are what is necessary for me. But I did enjoy reading this book about an interesting man of letters - an enigma in the alumni of American writers to be sure. Jones life is told in a cronologically fashion with many anecdotes and quotes given of this great writer and complex man.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful look at Jones' life and career, January 19, 2012
This review is from: Into Eternity: The Life of James Jones, American Writer (Hardcover)
"Into Eternity" by Frank McShane is a concise and enjoyable read on the life and work of author James Jones. McShane's book succeeds in showing all stages of the life of one of the Post WWII era's best novelists. It is really a straightforward biography; there are no huge surprises or revelations in the writing, but it comes off as candid and insightful regarding both Jones' personal life and his artistic process. Like all good biographies, this book mixes the human side of Jones with his enormous accomplishments, which not only shows prospective writers how success is achieved but does so in an enjoyable and informative fashion. Jones was born in Robison, Illinois in 1921. His early life was quite typical of the depression era, as his once prominent family hit hard times and as a result Jones often felt less than. He was quite withdrawn and developed an attitude around town as tough guy outsider and troublemaker. He was also fond of boxing and started his fair share of fights. After graduation, he had limited options and turned to the army. Here began his maturation into a man and provided the fodder of his most acclaimed literature. Jones relationship with the army was an ambivalent one. In that regard it created fertile ground for literary work as Jones was able to explore the conflict that existed within him and through his writing, he gave voice to the feelings many soldiers had towards the army. There was the pride in serving your country and the opportunity to prove worth for many down on their luck Americans, but there also existed the irony that this institution stripped the individual of many aspects of his private self. Jones was to explore the theme of the individual versus society through his examination of the army, which he used as a microcosm of America itself. This work was started at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii where Jones served for 3 years. During that time he witnessed Pearl Harbor and was later shipped out to Guadalcanal where he would endure his only combat experience. Jones was wounded in the head during the latter stages of the campaign with the 25th Division, but an ankle injury caused him the most trauma and he was shipped back to the states and endured hellish recovery time in army hospitals before being discharged. His discharge was a point of much contention, as he simply refused to return to active duty in 1944 and was released with the help of family connections on psychiatric and physical grounds. Hemingway was very critical of this fact after Jones became famous, but Jones' hatred for the wanton destruction the war represented found voice in his acclaimed trilogy written between 1950 and his death in 1977. Although he wrote other books, his views on war are considered his real lasting contribution to 20th century American literature. He was one of the first veterans who pursued writing in the post war era and his novels based on experience at war rang true with veterans and civilians alike. "Into Eternity" was published in 1951, which rocketed Jones to instant fame as it became a best seller and major motion picture. Jones was very much the anti-authority figure in his post war years despite his record in the army. He was mentored by the bohemian Lowney Handy until his marriage to actress Gloria Mossolino in the late 50's. Jones settled into life in abroad in France where he lived most of his life with his wife and two kids. Eventually the late nights with the literary crowd caught up with Jones and his health failed him before his death in 1977. He left an excellent war trilogy, and although it is fiction, many veterans indentified with its authenticity. Jones' work was brought to a new generation as Terrence Malick filmed "The Thin Red Line" in 1998, an Oscar nominated work based on Guadalcanal
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Old Soldiers Never Die, April 8, 2010
This review is from: Into Eternity: The Life of James Jones, American Writer (Hardcover)
For my money, this is the definitive biography of World War II novel writer James Jones. I became interested in him again after an acquaintanceship with his daughter, the author Kaylie Jones. James Jones, I feel, was part of a "Second Lost Generation" of American expatriate writers who took up their buttresses in the Paris of the 1950s. Within a year of winning the National Book Award for his magnum opus "From Here to Eternity" and moving to Paris in the 1950s, on his heels was a young William Styron, winning the award the following year for his epic groundbreaking "Lie Down in Darkness." Others followed -- James Baldwin, Richard Wright, James Plimpton, Capote, Gore Vidal, Peter Mathiessen, Mailer, and others. So I re-read "Eternity". "The Thin Red Line", "Whistle", and also came to realize I had seen the screen treatment of "Some Came Running" with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. The Jones family saga is best covered by Kaylie Jones in her "Lies", as well as the film "A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries", in which she curiously expresses dissatisfaction with author Frank McShane's "Into Eternity". McShane, an esteemed biographer and commentator on Raymond Chandler (and editor of his letters and some notebooks) has drawn an important portrait of James Jones and the era and milieu in which he lived. One of the most touching scenes in this book is the curse of an entire family beset by alcoholism, and James Jones' father, a doctor, one day realizing he was too drunk to treat a patient, waited until he was gone. Then he took a little .25 pistol and put it below his ear and fired. He had to repeat it a second time. This book is a cornerstone on the life of James Jones, regardless of Kaylie's sentiments.
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