Beneath Buddha's Eyes (Hardcover)

~ Tony Anthony (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anthony offers a journalistic spin on the horrors of the Vietnam War in his evocative but somewhat familiar debut novel about a pair of romantically involved reporters trying to expose a corrupt U.S. officer. Reporter Peter Hill narrates the story in a series of flashbacks framed as sessions with his therapist. His account begins when the army reporter meets a gorgeous civilian colleague named Kate White, who works for UPI. The two journalists find themselves trying to break a story about the double-dealings of Colonel Broward, a base commander and former lover of White's who is using the local Vietnamese forces to assist him in a series of clandestine, illegal activities. Kate's persistent investigation ignites Broward's violent temper, and when Hill steps in to defend her he gets sent off on a suicide mission down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Anthony convincingly captures the eroticism of the affair, but his writing is uneven. Crisp, tight scenes are interspersed with more stilted ones, such as those between Peter and his therapist. War cliches surface on a regular basis, particularly in the corruption subplot. Anthony's decision to reunite Kate and Peter after the war adds an unexpected element to the plot, but it also makes for some hesitant, awkward scenes as the author ties up the narrative loose ends. Anthony, a former war correspondent and Stars & Stripes contributor, shows promise, but on balance this debut is a clunky one.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Gutsy and sometimes as grisly as war itself. -- The Dallas Morning News

Tony Anthony's account of what he learned under fire inspires us all to take control of our lives, to move -- John Gray

Tony Anthony’s account of what he learned under fire inspires us all to take control of our lives, to move -- John Gray

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Welcome Rain Publishers (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566492521
• ISBN-13: 978-1566492522
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,900,052 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing, catches you in a web of surreal memories, November 16, 2002

By	Lee Fleming "wordsilk" (Norwalk, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Even though this book is not perfect, I rate it five stars for several reasons. The first is that I could not put it down once I started it--few books grab me that way.

The second is that the story's main characters, Peter and Kate, caught me in a way that made me care what happened next and, even more telling, makes me want to know more about what happened to them, especially after the Vietnam War ended, and what will happen to them. Peter and Kate seem like real people rather than vehicles for moving the plot along.

The third reason is that it's a good book. When Peter was on an insane mission to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, for example, I saw what he saw, sensed the strangeness of the landscape, the wrongness of the mission itself. He uses words to paint an Hieronymous Bosch vista of Vietnam during the war. Although I will never truly understand what it was like there during the war since I was not there, the author is able to describe his experiences well enough for me to identify with him, to feel the outrage that he felt and the greed and corruption and insanity, to feel his sense of helplessness and hallucination at times, to feel the relief that he felt when he escaped from it for a while, and to understand the love he felt for Kate.

I also like the way the story is told, in impressions, memories juxtaposed with today, limning the truth of how people really do try to work through traumatic events and try to make sense of what happened. There are many truths in this book, for Vietnam Vets especially I suspect, but also for anyone in recovery. I'm impressed with the way Tony Anthony did not preach or proclaim but said, in essence, "This is my story and these are my truths. Nothing more, nothing less."

There are some scenes in the book, such as a session Peter has with his therapist near the end which, when I read them, seemed jarring and out of place. But the reasons they were included fell into place for me without my really thinking about it much--they do fit and they do say something and part of what makes this a good novel is that it's left for the reader to discover more than is apparent on first read.

The book would benefit from the touch of a good editor to smooth out some of the scenes that did not work as well as they could have, and would benefit from some plain old copy editing to catch continuity and punctuation errors. But once into the book, the flaws are unimportant. It's a novel that will linger in your thoughts.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars POETIC VIETNAM NOVEL, December 9, 2002

By A Customer

TONY ANTHONY HAS AN EVOCATIVE WRITING STYLE THAT MAKES YOU FEEL AS IF YOU ARE REALLY SEEING THROUGH HIS EYES. THE STORY IS OBVIOUSLY BASED ON THE REAL EXPERIENCES OF A SOLDIER IN VIETNAM WHO HAS A RARE GIFT FOR WORDS. HOWEVER, IT'S NOT JUST A POETIC VISION. THE BOOK IS FULL OF PLENTY OF ACTION. IT'S LIKE RAMBO WITH FEELINGS. ANYONE WHO LIKES WAR STORIES AND GOOD WRITING SHOULD CONSIDER THIS BOOK.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beneath buddha's eyes, October 7, 2004

By	Lou (Bethel, CT USA) - See all my reviews

I really enjoyed this book. It gave a personal insight into a very dark time in the US. It shows how we survive and how we are scarred, and the lingering questions that attach themselves to ourselves, no matter our circumstances.
Keep writing Tony!