56 used & new from $0.01
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Anything Goes: A novel
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Anything Goes: A novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


14 new from $2.25 36 used from $0.01 6 collectible from $8.99

Customers Who Bought Related Items Also Bought

Toussaint Louverture: A Biography

Toussaint Louverture: A Biography

by Madison Smartt Bell
4.4 out of 5 stars (9)  $17.82
Master of the Crossroads

Master of the Crossroads

by Madison Smartt Bell
4.3 out of 5 stars (10)  $12.71
The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution

The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution

by C.L.R. James
4.8 out of 5 stars (25)  $10.85
The Stone that the Builder Refused

The Stone that the Builder Refused

by Madison Smartt Bell
4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  $11.53
Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution

Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution

by Laurent Dubois
4.9 out of 5 stars (9)  $15.12
› Explore similar items

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Pantheon; 1 edition (June 25, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375421254
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375421259
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,582,245 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #25 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( B ) > Bell, Madison Smartt

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Madison Smartt Bell
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Madison Smartt Bell Page
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Kurt Cobain was teaching me how to play "Lithium." Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
guayabera guy, gaucho hat, lonely avenue, red dreams
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
James Culla, Key West, Les Paul, Eight Mile, Myrtle Beach, Big Blondie, Neil Young, Stella Houston, Old Town, Bonnie Raitt, Ocean City, Woodland Street, Brown-Eyed Sue, Doc Watson, Duvall Street, Karmann Ghia, Mallory Square, Allman Brothers, East Nashville, New Year's Eve, Secret Heart, Tony Rice, Emmylou Harris, North Beach, South Carolina
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 14 books:
See all 14 books this book cites
 
15 books cite this book:
See all 15 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
Country Music by Irwin Stambler
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Anything Goes: A novel
46% buy the item featured on this page:
Anything Goes: A novel 4.0 out of 5 stars (5)
Master of the Crossroads
19% buy
Master of the Crossroads 4.3 out of 5 stars (10)
$12.71
All Souls' Rising
17% buy
All Souls' Rising 4.1 out of 5 stars (28)
$10.85
The Stone that the Builder Refused
15% buy
The Stone that the Builder Refused 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
$11.53
Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(4)
(4)
(3)
(3)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Subtle and poignant, September 14, 2002
"Anything Goes" drifts along, raveling out the thread of its story in a leisurely style that's at once engaging and attractive. Taking place over a year and in many locales, "Anything Goes" introduces us to Jesse, a disaffected and somewhat bitter young man traveling through his life as a member of a band called...you guessed it...Anything Goes. As a band name, the title [is bad].... But as a theme for the novel it works quite well.

Jesse, abandoned as a child by his mother and physically abused by his father, has become a man who doesn't expect good things from the world. As he matures throughout the pages of this book, he discovers himself in ways that are both subtle and poignant. This is a quiet story that stays with you long after you've read it...and I recommend giving it a read!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars good portrait of abuse, November 12, 2005
By Fred Zappa (Urbana, IL United States) - See all my reviews
I found this one very readable--the prose flowed right along. The handling here and there of racial issues was interesting, though I was disappointed to see another kind, decent, one-dimensional "magical black friend" helping out a white character at the center, such a typical American literary and cinematic device. But the protagonist isn't fully white, which is an interesting twist, but not one that really ends up going anywhere. Still, those quibbles aside, the movement of Jesse away from his father's abuse toward autonomy, and apparently toward forgiveness of his father, was very effective and honest. Nearly everything in this novel felt very real, and it taught me some things about making music too.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Growing Up., August 26, 2002
By A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Filled with themes of identity, family, and maturity, Bell's thirteen book takes place over a year, following a Nashville-based cover band as they travel down the eastern seaboard and up into Vermont, playing roadhouses a few weeks at a time. Jesse is their bassist, and for him, the ritual of being on the road creates a sense of security and family, since his mother abandoned him soon after birth, and his alcoholic father beat him all through childhood. Jesse is happy to follow the warm weather around, playing music, scoring occasional women, and then hanging out at band leader (and surrogate father figure) Perry's farm during the off-season.

This steady existence is skewed somewhat when Jesse's father shows up clean and sober, and looking for reconciliation. Part of this involves introducing him to a neighbor whose singing knocks his socks off. Soon enough, she's in the band, and they have great and greater success, all while Jesse struggles to identify his feelings for her and hers for him. Nothing earth-shattering happens in the book, but the relationships and issues are all captivating and feel true to life. Jesse 's mother was a Melungeon (a dark mysterious Appalachian people whose origins are unknown) and the band's drummer is black, allowing Bell to touch on racial identity issues here and there as the band drifts though white-trash venues all through the South. The towns, bars, and motels all spring from the page as real places, with history and grit to them.

Over the course of the year's cycle, Jesse comes to terms with his past, his heritage, and his future in a very non-soap opera way. This book could have easily drifted into sappiness (think Oprahish) and never quite does. The last portions get a touch heavy-handed, but never so much as to spoil the easygoing tone of the book. Musicians may especially enjoy this book as there is a great deal of language attempting to describe how Jesse feels about hearing and playing music, and how it infects his whole being. One last note, the first chapter originally appeared as a short story in the "It's Only Rock And Roll" anthology.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep in the Mind of a Rock N' Roller
This book is my first exposure to Madison Smartt Bell, and I'm impressed. The book begins with a debauched scene that, frankly, was too much for me, but I persevered. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Avid Reader

3.0 out of 5 stars Like being in a bar band without the late nights & hangovers
A mildly engaging story about a Southern bar band called Anything Goes told from the point of view of Jesse, the bands' 20-something guitar player. Read more
Published on February 27, 2003 by Cville Dad

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:











i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.



Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.