- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Hutchinson; 1st edition (27 April 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0091802105
- ISBN-13: 978-0091802103
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.5 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 751,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
On Green Dolphin Street
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Fans will recognise Sebastian Faulks' focus on characterisation, historical context and the emotional power of his narrative in his new novel, "On Green Dolphin Street". Yet, in tone and setting, the story of one woman's attempt to face down death in the Cold War years marks a new departure for this bestselling novelist.
It's 1959 and the presidential battle between Kennedy and Nixon is heating up. Just as the country stands between two men so does Mary van der Linden, the wife of a British embassy employee in Washington and lover of political newspaper reporter Frank Renzo. All three are damaged by their experiences of war; death and decay are everywhere: through the men's memory of war, Mary's dying mother, van der Linden's declining health and the readers' knowledge that in only a few short years Kennedy will be dead and Nixon disgraced.
Previously, Faulks has described in bloody detail the horrors of the trenches and the brutality of the battlefield. Here he comments on the hollowness and politics of war and the human cost. With the personal mirroring the political so closely, the inevitability of the doomed love affair at the centre of the novel hardly inspires one to great heights of empathy. Consequently, the characters' fervour often falls flat:
"He raked his fingers through her hair, down to the skull, as his body filled hers. All the way, he thought, I will go all the way, till I find her; and with her head between his hands he too let out a cry, because he felt pity for her soul."
Faulks, whose previous novels have included bestsellers Birdsong and Charlotte Gray, has the capacity to sweep his readers up in his historical sagas and excels in his unflinching treatment of war. Unfortunately, the switch here from the battlefield to the political arena is not as compelling and, considering he is writing about one of the most exhilarating periods in US history and its most exciting city--New York (something Douglas Kennedy captured far more successfully in The Pursuit of Happiness), On Green Dolphin Street simply does not leap to the same heights as his earlier novels. --Alex Freeman
Review
'A real page turner... superbly done... another winner', Sunday Telegraph .'Faulk's fans will not be disappointed in this suspenseful tale', The Times .'A faultless depiction of time and place... the plot performs like an elegant melody', Observer
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In limpid, beautiful English Faulks describes the sights and events in a number of cities (New York, Washington, London, Moscow, Saigon) through the eyes of, and as a mirror for, the feelings of his protagonists, principally his heroine Mary van der Linden. The theme of the atmosphere of a place reflecting the passions of the observer has not been done as well since Elizabeth Bowen, and the reader (well, this one, at any rate) is drawn in to and overwhelmed by the emotional conflicts of the characters. The writing, characterisation, dialogue, plot (and its resolution) make this a fit successor to Faulks's previous novels. I am not sorry to have to disagree with some of the previous reviewers!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I cannot believe the negative reviews this wonderful book has received. Perhaps I lack background, as this is the first Faulks novel I have read, but I thought it was wonderful. Evocative of the era, full of texture and vivid descriptive prose; I could intimately feel the cold air of Moscow, the cosy claustrophobia of Cold War America, the homely comforts of England... A fantastic read.
I for one would LOVE to see a film of this novel, if anyone wants to make it! So long it was exactly as the book, changing nothing (especially the wistful ending), and it would be a classic in the traditional 'French' film genre, IMHO.
Highly recommended, especially if you enjoyed books like 'Chocolat', 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' and 'The Unfortunates', a real asset to the modern fiction lover's bookcase.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book marks a departure for Faulks from his last two novels in the French triology which were so sucessful in stirring empathy in the reader. "On Green Dolphin Street" sees Faulks tackle a love story set against the political race for the US presidency between Kennedy and Nixon.
Many of Faulks' usual ingredients are present in this book: focus on a love story, intense characterisations and well researched historical details. The problem with the book was the historical context he has chosen: Faulks fails to recreate the sense of change which the US was undergoing in the late fifties/early sixties and he relies too heaviliy on the poignancy which the reader's hindsight brings to the fate of Kennedy and Nixon. The fact that Faulks harks back to WW2 and Vietnam in the recollections of the two male lead characters suggests that even he knew that political battles are no real substtiute for physical warfare as a setting for a love story.
I finished the book not caring about the fate of any of the three main characters, largely as a result of the curiously dispassionate description of their feelings.
Faulks does succeed in depicting well New York of the era and the description of Mary's reactions to the death of her mother were very moving - and if only for that reason it is worth a read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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I am usually a fan of Faulks and was looking forward to this book. However I found it really quite tedious in parts and was left at the end with a feeling of "So what? Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Woods
Faulks Fans Will Enjoy
As a fan of Sebastian Faulks I enjoyed this book. However, it is not up to the high standards of Birdsong (his masterpiece), Charlotte Grey or The Girl at the Lion D'Or. Read more
Published 4 months ago by planner
One of the Finest Books I've Read
I am an avid reader and this is one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure to read. I found it gripping from beginning to end. Read more
Published 7 months ago by heatherncurtis
UNINSPIRED so far!
I haven't finished this yet, and to be honest I am not sure that I am going to bother!! I REALLY don't feel "in touch" with any of the characters, at least one of whom I rather... Read more
Published 9 months ago by J. Baxter
Skilled, readable but somehow dispassionate
This is the kind of book where you admire the author's skill but end up wondering why someone was inspired to commit the story to paper in the first place, especially given how... Read more
Published 11 months ago by H. Johns
On Green Dolphin Street
Can this be called an historical novel? Depends how old you are? But I guess so, since it recaptures an era from the past. And captures it very well. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Gee
Excellent Prose - slightly disappointing characters
Sebastian Faulks gives good prose but the characters, although three dimensional, are a little unbelievable in their actions. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Rebecca Clee
An unsatisfying read.
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Birdsong and Charlotte Gray, I was looking forward to another Faulks epic. Read more
Published 18 months ago by peak canary
Beautifully written
If you are a fan of Sebastian Faulks's writing then this one is another winner. The careful way in which he unfolds his characters and develops them using a backdrop in history is... Read more
Published 19 months ago by A. Thacker
Gripping
Against the backdrop of the 1960 Presidential election, fought by John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon, a weary English mother embarks upon a clandestine affair with a newspaper... Read more
Published on 15 April 2010 by Captain Pugwash
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