The Passion Artist [Hardcover]

John Hawkes (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Harper and Row (1978)
• ASIN: B0012GAZ0Q
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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2 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Grotesque and unpleasant, January 1, 2009

By 

Cecil Bothwell "Author of "Whale Falls: A... (Asheville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Passion Artist (Harper Colophon Books) (Paperback)

Hawkes' novel about a man whose obsession with women seems trapped in pre-adolescent ignorance is dark, disgusting and tedious. It is prettily written by an author with a good grasp of language, but it is a story that entirely fails to engage. There are no characters with whom to identify, no plot that draws one in, no sympathetic emotions aroused. Were it not a very small volume, and were Hawkes' reputation not highly touted, I would have quit the book early. But I slogged on and can only blame myself for the waste of time.

I hasten to add that as a writer and reader I have no problem with exploration of sexuality, with dysfunction, with examination of obsession or with dark and difficult subjects. I don't expect every novel to be full of sweetness and light and I don't shy away from difficult subjects or profundity. But this book is ugliness dressed pretentiously as art, and it doesn't simply fail the smell test, it really stinks.