- Hardcover: 369 pages
- Publisher: Alfred a Knopf (Jun 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0375400214
- ISBN-13: 978-0375400216
- Product Dimensions: 24.4 x 16.5 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,143,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
In his fifth novel, the much praised author of Crazy in Alabama gives us the wild, comic, and ultimately moving odyssey of a 1970s folk-rock star, Ben "Superman" Willis.
Superman has been riding a wave of success in the years since the Beatles broke up and rock and roll wore itself out. But stardom is not what he thought it would be: the only time he's truly happy is when he's up in his plane, flying alone to the next concert, his son Ben Junior stashed at home in L.A., and his wife Alexa--a former Miss Southwest Louisiana--following along in a bus down below.
One night, after a show in El Paso, he flies head-on into the adventure of his life. A fierce thunderstorm, an emergency landing in Mexico, and some mind-blowing dope send him thousands of miles off course to a perilous crash landing on a beautiful, mysterious tropical island--a vision of Paradise, and, on the beach, a remarkable female apparition.
Back home, Alexa and Ben Junior are stunned by the news of Superman's disappearance. The out-of-this-world memorial concert at the Hollywood Bowl is no more than a brief distraction from the cataclysmic changes that occur when a man vanishes from the face of the earth. What they don't know, and what Superman will learn only slowly, is that he's very much alive, trapped against his will in a place where famous people go to disappear.
Gone for Good is the story of Superman's life on this island, a collection of famous and notorious people from all over the world hiding a terrible secret. It's also the story of Ben Junior's search for his father, and a spiritual exploration of the mysteries of celebrity, success, money, love, sex . . . and magic.
Superman has been riding a wave of success in the years since the Beatles broke up and rock and roll wore itself out. But stardom is not what he thought it would be: the only time he's truly happy is when he's up in his plane, flying alone to the next concert, his son Ben Junior stashed at home in L.A., and his wife Alexa--a former Miss Southwest Louisiana--following along in a bus down below.
One night, after a show in El Paso, he flies head-on into the adventure of his life. A fierce thunderstorm, an emergency landing in Mexico, and some mind-blowing dope send him thousands of miles off course to a perilous crash landing on a beautiful, mysterious tropical island--a vision of Paradise, and, on the beach, a remarkable female apparition.
Back home, Alexa and Ben Junior are stunned by the news of Superman's disappearance. The out-of-this-world memorial concert at the Hollywood Bowl is no more than a brief distraction from the cataclysmic changes that occur when a man vanishes from the face of the earth. What they don't know, and what Superman will learn only slowly, is that he's very much alive, trapped against his will in a place where famous people go to disappear.
Gone for Good is the story of Superman's life on this island, a collection of famous and notorious people from all over the world hiding a terrible secret. It's also the story of Ben Junior's search for his father, and a spiritual exploration of the mysteries of celebrity, success, money, love, sex . . . and magic.
From the Author
Advance praise for "Gone for Good"
PAT CONROY: "Mark Childress's new novel, Gone for Good, is wildly imaginative, entirely original, and as quirky as a tequila worm. It's drawn on a very large canvas and Mr. Childress, as always, stretches his enormous talent into new and amazing shapes. This book is part magic realism, part Peter Pan as told by Truman Capote to Antoine de St.-Exupery. And I expect his next book to be about polar exploration."
PAT CONROY: "Mark Childress's new novel, Gone for Good, is wildly imaginative, entirely original, and as quirky as a tequila worm. It's drawn on a very large canvas and Mr. Childress, as always, stretches his enormous talent into new and amazing shapes. This book is part magic realism, part Peter Pan as told by Truman Capote to Antoine de St.-Exupery. And I expect his next book to be about polar exploration."
CLYDE EDGERTON: "If you like rock and roll, rhythm and blues, jazz, bluegrass, circuses, state fairs, or volcanoes, then you'll love Gone for Good. And beneath the fine music, fabulous rides, and bright lights of this book run the warm currents of home and love. The magic of this book is that Mark Childress somehow does it all together.... Somehow Mark Childress has managed to both celebrate and criticize this, the craziest of all Ages, the Age of Celebrity."
FANNIE FLAGG: "Mark Childress's new book, "Gone for Good," proves once again that he remains one of the most original and imaginative writers of our generation."
ANNE LAMOTT: "Well, Mark Childress has gone and done it again, given us a novel full of heart and magic, poetry, and great good humor."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
Some of the most famous deceased people of the 20th century are not only alive, but living on a remote island enjoying Jimmy Hoffa's specialty, barbecue chicken. It starts out as a marvelous fantasy. But Childress's tale loses steam in the second half. The reader is just asked to accept too much of the improbable. Samuel Taylor Coleridge's concept of the "willing suspension of disbelief" is strained to the maximum here. The book is worth reading for the exercise in fantasy the first half provides, with the understanding the second half will be a let-down.
Format:Paperback
Have to say that I agree with the reviewer below - this book has taken a really unfair slam from some critics. It's brilliant and, in light of recent events, rather prescient too. I mean -- a famous guy disappears in his light plane and the media go nuts? Sound familiar? Read it and you'll have to enjoy it...
Format:Hardcover
I don't know why this book didn't get raves and leap to the top of bestseller lists. It's a brilliant combination of the Southern Gothic and the Latin American magic realist tradition. Twenty years from now people will look back in wonder at the lack of attention for this wonderful book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Waaaaaay Gone
I have read all of Mark Childress's books, and frankly I was disappointed. I know this was a fictional novel, but an invisible man? A flying man? Read more
Published on 18 Jun 1999
Gone for Good, and good riddance
Unfortunately, this book seems to be written with an eye toward Hollywood, not the reader. The author fails to create truly engaging characters, as he has in the past. Read more
Published on 16 Jan 1999
Sheer escapism fun. Another great book from Mark!
Mark Childress has never failed to entertain me. His latest effort is another fine addition to his catalog. His use of prose continually amazes me. Read more
Published on 13 Dec 1998
A disappointing read for Mark Childress fans.
The book starts off strong, as unique and fun as Childress's Crazy in Alabama. But by Part II, the plot seems to fizzle and the life lessons of Superman become much too... Read more
Published on 10 Aug 1998
How much fun can you really have?
Read it, love it, savor it. This book is really fun to read.
Published on 19 Jun 1998
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