Ray. [Paperback]

Barry. HANNAH (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ontario: Penguin; First Canadian trade paperback printing. edition (1981)
• ASIN: B002SLXM4U
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barry Hannah's Finest Hour, December 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Ray (Paperback)

Wow, this is really something. With only 113 pages, Barry Hannah's "Ray" from 1980 is hardly a novel (someone called it one long redneck poem), but it does not really matter, all I know is that it is wonderful. The story, if there is any, is about Dr. Ray who tries to make sense of his life in the South, tries to hold on to his wrecked marriage, while pursuing his desire, the vulnerable beautiful Sister (who reminds me of Faulkner's Caddy from "The Sound and the Fury"). The story is filled with grotesque O'Connor-like characters, a dark gallows humor, and an admirable sense of poetry and musical language. Barry Hannah is no doubt one of the most talented writers in America today, and although most of his other works are fiction on a very high level, none of them reach the heights where "Ray" soars as a lone eagle.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fasten your Seat Belt!, June 5, 2008

By 

Savvy-Suz "A Book holds a house of Gold." (Seattle) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ray (Paperback)

You can't help but find the anger, comedy, raw sexuality, confused emotions, and healing a fresh voice in American Literature.
Nothing is even remotely sugar coated in this fast paced novel.

Ray lives on the edge with a fanatic frenzy which borders on lunacy while possessing the steely nerves of an ACE fighter pilot.

Fasten your seat belt!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a short, more bitter than sweet, good read, February 27, 2004

By 

Azizi (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ray (Paperback)

Short enough to be a great "filler" book when you're between novels, Ray by Barry Hannah ends up being worth the read. It is written almost like journal entries of a man with enough rotten memory to be spilling his guts to a much-needed psychologist. This book is like the average southern man's Bible, filled with the honest greusomeness of every day life in a backwoods town. Loose women, alcohol, love, hate, murder, and death.
Ray, a doctor and war survivor, recaps on his life which consists of mostly adultery and drinking, injected with a few small crisis moments that keep the book interesting.
Very very honest, well written, Barry Hannah couldn't have verbalized the events in this book better!