That Old Cape Magic
by Richard Russo
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Book Reviews of That Old Cape Magic
Book Review: Finding a use for fart-hammer
Summary: 4 Stars
Richard Russo, a writer of considerable talents, has crafted a careful story about a foundering marriage, two difficult and occasionally abusive families, and the enduring character of love. Russo writes so skillfully that the story does not seem careful, but a close examination of the text will reward the reader. One could also read this as a light and enjoyable summertime book. It works either way.
Russo certainly knows his way around the cumulative sentence, building them with free modifiers, drawing the reader onward into greater and more interesting detail, delivering a clear and satisfying story. He develops the main characters slowly, interspersing stories about their past into the action, until you are fully involved in their lives. They aren't always smart or kind, but you will end up caring about them.
Jack, the main character, spends a lot of time and energy struggling with the legacy of his parents, a pair of college professors who never achieved the recognition they expected. Their towering egos and arrogance make them a natural target for some of the author's wicked humor, although Jack's mother gets in a lot of good zingers herself. They were dreadful parents, and although Jack tries to repudiate them, he finds to his mounting horror that he has failed to chart a wholly different course through life. This failure factors heavily into his marital distress. You will spend several happy hours finding out what happens. Highly recommended.
Book Review: Not too much magic here ...
Summary: 3 Stars
I had not read any of Russo's work when I picked this up, but knowing the positive opinion many have of his previous work, I was expecting a thought provoking and deep journey for the individual characters and for their marriages. I was very disappointed. I suppose if you enjoy meandering and very subtle family dramas, with characters who spend much of their time being bored and feeling sorry for themselves, you may enjoy this novel. Mostly, I felt like I didn't really get to know any of the characters with any depth including the protagonist until the very end of the book, and frankly he was never particularly likeable. Marital and family difficulties are at the heart of the drama with lots of family of origin dysfunction at the core of things, yet, I never felt like Russo properly explored the other characters in the novel, particularly that of the wife. I never felt as though I had the chance to know her except as a mostly silent and sullen character. There was humorous repartee between the protagonist and his dead mother, an acerbic intellectual snob, and she became the only character I grew to like, despite and maybe because of her outspoken disdain for most people and places. ( I loved the line about "ambiguous pronouns".) At the very least I expected to wallow a little in nostalgic and sentimental references to the beauty of the Cape, and found for the most part, even that missing.
If you really LOVE Russo, give it a go, otherwise, its pretty flat.
Book Review: Not my cup of tea
Summary: 1 Stars
I read little fiction these days, but my wife liked this book and thought I might (because it lampoons academic types, though very gently), so I read it. A blurb by a guy named Andrew Egan of Forbes magazine on the back of the jacket on the hardback says, in part [blurb of a blurb], "A brilliant work, and yes, a great [not "the great"] American novel." Wow! Many, many years ago in high school we read American novels by John Steinbeck, Sinclair Lewis and Earnest Hemingway (and others I'm sure, but can't recall specifically 50 years later). Unfortunately, those writers' works are the ones by which I judge "great American novels." To the point, it is not clear what this book was about, or what it had to do with "Cape [Cod] Magic" other than to sell copies to northeasterners whose Cape Cod experiences are meaningfull to them -- and rightly so -- and who believe this book might say something to say to them. I guess "not." The "Cape Magic" has nothing to do with the Cape itself, but rather with relationships that have Cape attachment but could have had attachment anywhere else, too. The characters are all underdeveloped, unsympatetic, and, to be judgmental, I admit, stupid. (Or, is it I that are stupid?) And there's no story -- no reason to keep reading, except the hope that something will happen, which it doesn't. Maybe the movie will be better. By the way, my wife also reports that this book is not as good as Russo's "Empire Falls" and "Bridge of Sighs."Book Review: That Old Cape Magic--not enthralling
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a dedicated and loyal fan of Richard Russo, having read everything by him I could get my hands on. However, I must say that his last two, Bridge of Sighs and Old Cape Magic were not up to his usual standards. I caught glimpses of the "old" Russo in his riff on the sign in the bar in Cape Magic, but something was missing from the book.
Those who have read his short stories will recognize Cape Magic as the extension of an idea from his short story, "Dog," which explores the loneliness of a young boy, only child of cold, preoccupied college professors. Sound familar? The problem was that he took the idea of the short story and did not take it far enough. We met the man who was the boy in "Dog," who, after begging for a puppy for years, finally got his wish when his father brought home a very old dog given to him by one of his peers. The old dog was not what he expected (it died the same day they brought it home) The short story was better than the book in that you could really feel the loneliness and anomie of the child. I was glad I had read the short story because I could see what the distant, detached parents had done to the man they boy was to become. Also, the book was rather short compared to his past works, and I got the feeling that he just sorta ran out of gas. I am glad I read it, and will, of course, read anything further that he writes. But I think his other books set in New England really show off his talent as a regional writer.
Book Review: Hmm . . . another meaningful bridge
Summary: 3 Stars
Since reading Straight Man, I have eagerly anticipated the release of each new Richard Russo novel, and That Old Cape Magic was no exception. The danger in anticipation, of course, is that the real thing just might not live up to your expectations. Following Bridge of Sighs and Empire Falls is no easy task, either. Can you guess where this humble review is headed? Yep, I was a bit disappointed in TOCM. Not overly so, and it's still a fine book and a very good story, and Russo still does his amazing job of capturing the essence of fascinating, but somehow still believable characters. His delicate mixing of humor and tragedy is still strong. His ability to get the reader into the scene is amazing, and he writes the marital argument better than anyone, I think. This book was missing some of the more comedic foils in Russo's other books, but he's still drawn together an impressive cast. So what's wrong with the book? Maybe it's just a bit short. Maybe there was more story to tell. That was the feeling I came away with. If you are already a Russo fan, by all means, pick it up and read it; it's better than 99% of the other novels on the shelf. If you are new to Russo, however, save this one for later. Go back to Nobody's Fool or The Risk Pool or the Pulitzer Prize winning Empire Falls. Solid three stars for now, but I reserve the right to come back and bump it a bit after I've reflected for a while.