Customer Reviews

Letters from America

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Although "Letters From America" was actually a series of articles that represents the only time in Rupert Brooke's life when he had a paying job,they
work well as a book. Written at a juncture in the poet's life when he suffered
from considerable emotional strain in his personal relationships, "Letters" is
his record of the world beyond England. It is perceptive,
elegant writing. Very personal, very interesting (not only
for its picture of North America in the early part of this century,
but also for its picture of Brooke, with all of his foibles and
prejudices).Had he lived through WWI, Rupert Brooke
could have been an outstanding prose writer, as "Letters"
suggests. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

A fascinating picture of North America in the first years of the 20th century seen through the eyes of a young Englishman from the establishment making a grand tour of America rather than Europe. It is in the tradition of 'travel books' of the period - his impressions of a strange land - and thus also tells us something about people of his class and country.

I had high hopes for this one as a travel journal of a young person seeing America for the first time sounded interesting. There were some interesting observations Brookes made, such as determining that New York was a "real city" after seeing trash and dead cats and dogs in the river lol. But for the most part, for me the book never really got above being mildly cute and entertaining. While Brooke does write more maturely as a young twenty something in the early 1900s than most would today, his overexcitement over his mostly mundane topics is distracting. Another disappointment was the Henry James intro. Much as I like Henry James, I felt like I read 1/2 the book just trying to get through that intro. Go ahead and glance at this one if you're not particular about what to read or if nothing else is around. Otherwise, there are much more rewarding books out there.