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The SPRING
 
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The SPRING [Hardcover]

Clifford Irving (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)


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Book Description

August 8, 1996
From the author of Final Argument and Trial comes a story about the residents of a tiny Colorado mining town with a remarkable secret to protect from outsiders. When his in-laws are charged with the murder of an older married couple, Dennis Conway finds his efforts to prove their innocence met twith hostility, silence, and violence.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A simple, fabled premise?the existence of a Fountain of Youth?supports this modest suspenser from Clifford (Final Argument). The age-conquering waters here flow in a spring located thousands of feet above Aspen, Colo., their existence known only by the several hundred denizens of the town of Springhill. To avoid arousing the suspicion of outsiders, the townsfolk have entered into a pact to die voluntarily at the age of 100. The plot, which revolves around a murder trial arising from the discovery of the bodies of two of the Springfield dead, lays bare the inevitable kinks in so apparently practical and civilized a social contract. The intensely rural setting, reminiscent of that of The Shining or Deliverance, helps to cultivate a low-level tension, as do small but disturbing incidents like the disappearance of a cat or an anecdote about a woman's decapitation by avalanche. More melodramatic frights erupt at appropriate intervals. Irving drives his narrative from the fantastic to the realistic and back again, playing a game that's sure and steady?but one that's safe as well. Fans of risks in horror or suspense won't find them here.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The hamlet of Springhill nestles high in the Colorado Rockies. Residents are bursting with health, but they guard a secret: they grow old very, very slowly...and they decide when to die. When Manhattan attorney Dennis Conway falls in love with Springhill's mayor, Sophie Henderson, he and his two children move in with her. He's charmed by her parents, Scott and Bibsy, and by Harry Parrot, the town drunk/artist, but curious about the Water Board, an entity that wields great power over the townsfolk. When his in-laws are accused of illegally assisting in the suicide of two friends, he agrees to represent Bibsy. The secret (easy to guess, but who cares?) is revealed, and Dennis endangers his family to save someone whose time is up. Irving (The Argument, S. & S., 1993) delivers a parable about aging and euthanasia that's spare of prose and thoroughly creepy; book discussion groups will love it. Recommended for all libraries.
-?Laurel A. Wilson, Alexandrian P.L, Mount Vernon, Ind.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 8, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 068481076X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684810768
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,551,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clifford Irving is the author of twenty published books, half a dozen of them New York Times best-sellers, including "Fake!", "Trial", "Final Argument", and "Tom Mix and Pancho Villa", and several screenplays. His most famous book was the hoax "Autobiography of Howard Hughes" which brought the billionaire out of seclusion and landed the author in three U.S. prisons. He traveled three times around the world before most people living in it today were born, and was recently the subject of The Clifford Irving Show at the Cine 13 theater in Paris. Yet he may be one of the last professional people on this planet who has no cell phone.

The New York Times Book Review said: "Clifford Irving is a born storyteller." The L.A. Times called him "a master." In 1986 William Safire named "Trial" "the novel of the year." "Fake!" is the super-sophisticated tale of the most successful art forger of the 20th century, a gay Hungarian whose Picassos and Matisses hang in art collections worldwide. Many people believe the Hughes autobiography caused the Watergate break-in and the downfall of Richard Nixon.

In mid-December 2011, Clifford's oldest son, Josh, a computer geek, will create a unique publishing event. Twelve of Clifford's books, published and unpublished, will be made available simultaneously on Kindle. And soon you'll find the author on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. (Josh twisted his arm.)

He was born in Manhattan, went to the High School of Music & Art and Cornell University, lived for nearly two decades on the Spanish Mediterranean island of Ibiza, has been married more times than he cares to think about, has three grown sons, has lectured worldwide on subjects as diverse as the art market and the justice system, counts among his finest achievements earning a draw against the chess champion of Spain and 25 years ago driving in the winning run in the annual Artists v Writers Softball Game in East Hampton, NY.

He now lives with his Aussie wife in the Colorado Rockies, on the edge of a forest where he cuts firewood, paints, tends his flower garden, is regularly stumped by hard sudoku puzzles, and is writing a memoir called "Around the World in 80 Years."


 

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Sleeper, August 28, 2003
By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The SPRING (Hardcover)
I'm a fan of Clifford Irving's work, so bear that in mind. This is not his best book but it's good enough to be better than almost anything on the best-seller list today. It's an imaginative and action-filled story of a "fountain of youth" in modern Colorado near the mountain resort of Aspen. The characters are solid and real. The atmosphere, including a great scene of an avalanche, is excellent. I found its philosophical underpinnings worthy of consideration. The writing is crisp and elegant, and I finished it in three sessions. You can't go wrong with this Irving.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A little hoaky, but good reading, May 4, 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: The SPRING (Hardcover)
I like Clifford Irving and enjoy all his books. I always look forward to his next work. Recommend readers get ahold of his previous works. They are good
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars an underrated novel by a fine writer, September 19, 2006
This review is from: Spring Pb (Paperback)
Some people view this as Clifford Irving's least successful novel. That said, he is such a fine writer that "The Spring" is still considerably superior to most other contemporary novels and/or thrillers. It's a remarkable story about a community in Colorado that has discovered -- and successfully hides, until the story starts -- the Fountain of Youth. Springville is in the vicity of Aspen, but don't hunt for it; it's a fantasy by this wonderfully imaginative author.

I won't spoil the tale by telling you more. It's atmospheric, tense, and, usual, Irving paints compelling and sympathetic characters. And, as usual, he writes crisp and yet evocative prose. The snow scenes, particularly the avalanche, are remarkable. Sol Stein, in "Stein on Writing," holds this author up as a master of point of view -- and he's right.
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