Bradbury's FAREWELL SUMMER

[Orsino]

According to the afterword, this "sequel" is actually the rest of Dandelion Wine, the part the publisher insisted on cutting. Fifty-five years later, Bradbury says, it's finally ready to see the light of day.

It's gorgeously written. There are moments of incredible beauty as the author shows us a Doug Spalding who is growing up. At fourteen, he is becoming aware of what growing up means, and he precipitates a war with the old men who run Green Town. Continuing a theme from Dandelion Wine, the old men are an entirely alien species.

It's nice to see Bradbury prove once again that "magical realism" doesn't have to mean "originally written in Spanish." There's nothing much overtly supernatural here--mostly just the wonder of childhood and the mystery of life. And girls. Doug discovers girls.

I was just a little let down by the ending....





































At the close of the book, an old man lies either dying or coming to accept the inevitability of his death, and has a cozy little farewell with an invisible friend. I thought I knew who this friend was, and the final paragraphs confirm it, as the teenaged Doug Spalding has a similar get-acquainted chat with...his penis. Or his libido. Or something. The writing is beautiful and suitably oblique, but the subject matter elicits a chuckle that (I think) detracts just a bit from the rest of the lovely novel.

It's a short read, but well worth it.

[Forkboy]

1. He may be an idiot politically, but the man can write.

He captures that wistfulness of childhood better than anyone else I've read. And of course the Martian Chronicles started my life long love of all things sci-fi, and took this little boy to places I still dream of going.

I'll have to reread Dandelion Wine before reading this one. I haven't read it in over 20 years.