Customer Reviews

Mr. Blue

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I first read Blue when I was a young teenager, and the short novel's simplicity, purity, expression, and color all formed how I viewed the world for the rest of my teenage years. Like Christ, Blue.... who I believe manifests modern-day real-world Christianity, or perhaps even a contemporary St. Francis of Assisi imagery..... found God's colorful inspiration in the good and bad in the world that surrounded him.

Its a shame that Mr. Blue has gone out of print, and over the years I've taken pleasure in hunting down, buying and gifting copies of this wonderful book.

If only today's youth could be be inspired to love, laughter and service through a book as wonderful as Mr. Blue. If only today's adults could revel in making the wonderful dreams found in this book come alive....

I don't know how I got a hold of this book when I was between 8 and 10 years old, but I'm glad that I did. I lost this book many years ago (20+) but have never forgotten it's message, LOVE LIFE, because it's beautiful, not in spite of the bad, but sometimes because of the bad. If you can get your hands on this book, do so, you'll be glad you did.

Mr. Blue by Myles Connolly is that rare treasure of a book and story whose description triggers a need to obtain it. This 115 page, Loyola Press edition, novella got a mention in Fr. James T. O'Connor's wonderful book on the theology of the Eucharist, The Hidden Manna. What Fr. O'Connor said about this book intrigued me and I purchased it. It is a wonderful read.

Originally published in 1928 the book was written by screen writer and producer Myles Connolly. He is most famous for his connection with the classic films It Happened One Night and State Of The Union. He was also a devout Catholic and that shows in his story telling.

The main character, J. Blue, is the anti-Gatsby. He is a Jazz Age St. Francis seeking to divest himself of all things material and a saint of the streets who seeks out poverty to glorify God. Blue, who for part of the story lives in a packing crate on the roof of a skyscraper, sees the image of God in every man, especially the poor, and is in tune with creation. Where Gatsby sought to rid himself of his past and invested his life in social climbing, Blue seeks to lessen himself so that the glory of God will increase. Of note and interest is the author's describing Eugenics and the State in its most evil incarnation and eerily predicting Nazi religious persecuation and racial law. Remember, this book was published in 1928. Myles Connolly apparently had his finger on what was going on in the world. Sadly, some of what the main character J. Blue sees in his dream has come to pass.

This is a book every Catholic should read. It would make a wonderful book for parish discussion. Finally, it would make a great full-length movie. I say full-length because even though it is a novella Blue's dream, which he thought would make a great film, would take a full production to do it justice. Buy this book and pass it along to your friends, Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

This book was given to me by William Stringfellow, unquestionably the outstanding 20th century American theologian. Karl Barth called him that. Stringfellow was a laymen, a lawyer, and a prophet. His admiration for Jay Blue was exceeded only by his fidelity to Jesus Christ. Mr. Blue blew my mind. One of three best books I have read. I have no idea how my copy every left me. It's an incredible story about a sinful saint.

I was given this outstanding work as a gift by one of the most precious people that has ever touched my life. She told me that whenever we were together, Jay Blue kept popping into her head so she gave me my treasured copy. I've probably read the book 100 times and continually find peace, encouragement and delight. No author has ever had such a profound effect upon my life and those I love. Whatever the price - read it!

Mr Blue was my dads favorite book. 25 years ago, while I was away in the service, he suggested I read it. I went into a book store and ordered a copy. I have read it probably 10 times since then. I have been inspired by it and enjoyed it thoroughly each time. I see the edition of it I have selling for $$$. I wouldn't sell it for $$$$.! Like Jay Blue, dads been gone now for many years but I can still see his heart in this book.

I first read Mr. Blue in 1963. He changed my life. Myles Connolly's tale of one man who embraces life with a rare exuberance is so refreshing. Although written in 1928, this book refuses to die as successive generations pass on the story. Mr. J. Blue takes living what it means to be Christian seriously. Both funny and full of pathos, Mr.Blue is truly a Twentieth Century American classic.

I'm not ashamed to say that this book prompted my conversion to Christianity. If you read it, you will see why.

I taught English literature for twenty years before I picked up this book in a dentist's office. I was immediately captivated. Then I was heartbroken. (Saying goodbye to Mr. Blue is not easy to do.) The next step for me? I decided to follow in his footsteps!

I found an old copy of this book in the dollar bin at a used book store. It's the sort of little book that makes the best reading, brief and inspirational. Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Mr. God, This is Anna are other books of this sort. Not long novels, not perfectly written, but full of heart and soul. The really surprising thing about this book is that it's Catholic and from 1928, but it's not so surprising when you consider its inspirations.

Obviously, Connolly had read Chesterton, and the most exuberant of his books. He everywhere follows Chesterton's dictum in his novel Manalive: "At certain strange epochs it is necessary to have another kind of priests, called poets, to remind men that they are not dead yet." Mr. Connolly is such a poet, and Mr. Blue is such a man alive. Mr. Blue also refers to being God's spies. This is a line from Shakespeare's King Lear that Malcolm Muggeridge is also fond of quoting. Connolly also read Chesterton's best non-fiction book, Orthodoxy, and Mr. Blue both lives out "The Ethics of Elfland" and defends "The Flag of the World."

Not everyone has read Chesterton, but everyone has met someone who is part Mr. Blue (or is so themselves), and is happier and livelier for it. "It's a great mistake to think God is chiefly interested in religion," wrote Archbishop Temple. For anyone making that mistake, your penance is to read Mr. Blue.

Mr. Blue is one of those timeless morality tales that never gets old, as valid today as when it first appeared almost seven decades ago. A man at odds with contemporary culture, J. Blue nevertheless holds fast to his values and beliefs despite the trouble that causes him, and his optimistic faith sustains him through his collisions with our secular society, the last of which ends his noble life.

The narrator- both attracted to and troubled by Blue- tells the tale to keep Blue's short but meaningful life alive. There is the clear sense that the narrator's own life has been changed for the better for having known Blue, and by telling his story, we can be changed too.

There are some compelling similarities in Mr. Blue with a young adult novel recently published, An Audience for Einstein by Mark Wakely. In Wakely's book, the main character- the brilliant Professor Percival Marlowe- doesn't achieve the kind of nobility Blue had all along until the very end, when Marlowe makes a difficult choice that elevates him to the greatness he finally deserves. Both books challenge what it means to live a successful, worthwhile life in a world where values and principles are too often compromised for the sake of worldly gain.

Highly recommended.