I saw a performance of this play and it was very disappointing. As far as I'm concerned, this play is unfinished and predicates itself on ideas that fI saw a performance of this play and it was very disappointing. As far as I'm concerned, this play is unfinished and predicates itself on ideas that frankly require much longer in running time to adequately discuss and digest. It creates stereotypes of women and doesn't nearly go far enough into exploring the ideas about egoism, altruism and the mystery of human consciousness. It wraps up far too neatly and the characters are not sufficiently rendered for you to care about. For a man of Stoppard's stature, it is quite disappointing to come across a piece of his work that relies on contrivances and doesn't nearly spend sufficient time in delving into the nature of human consciousness. This is a case where Stoppard bit off more than he could chew and tried to encapsulate a "hard problem" in a little over 90 minutes and doesn't leave you feeling sated. Hard to believe that Cary Perloff, who has been director of ACT for more than 20 years somehow found this play to her liking. She blew it and should have found this play to be unfinished, requiring of additional rewrites. Shame on Stoppard for passing off a work that is unworthy of his reputation and makes crass generalizations of character types. ...more
I very much enjoyed Jeff Hobbs story about the life of Robert Peace. It was well-written, which made it a joy to read. I feel I came away very much unI very much enjoyed Jeff Hobbs story about the life of Robert Peace. It was well-written, which made it a joy to read. I feel I came away very much understanding the type of man Rob Peace was, at least the manner in which he is portrayed by Hobbs. I keep thinking that Peace was a potential Obama, meaning he had sufficient intelligence and skill to have become a great and inspiring leader. He was that to many of his friends. It was most painful to recognize how impossible it was for Peace to extricate himself from the circumstances in which he found himself in. Feeling he had to go back and sell marijuana one more time in order to make sufficient money to help his mother, friends, and himself. I would have liked to have known Rob Peace but then I know he would have kept my friendship at a distance, the same way in which he kept Hobbs at a distance and not letting him into his inner circle of very close friends.
I'm fascinated by the socio-economic issues at play in examining Rob's life. I think Rob's story very much needs further discussion on the national stage. We need a discussion about ethnicity, being black in the United States, being incredibly smart, and how that both distinguishes and hinders oneself within the larger black community, especially a poor black community, like the one Rob Peace sprang from. I feel Rob's definition of nigger and brother is an important one and merits larger discussion in the public sphere. I guess someone like Cornell West has been raising this discussion for some time now. I wonder if Cornell read this book? He should.
African Americans need to learn about the life of Rob Peace. ...more
This was my second time reading Maugham's grand opus on existentialism. What is the purpose of life? Why are we here? What makes for a meaningful lifeThis was my second time reading Maugham's grand opus on existentialism. What is the purpose of life? Why are we here? What makes for a meaningful life?
Nonetheless, I came away somewhat disappointed when compared to the first time I read this novel some 30 + years ago. When I first read it, I was thoroughly absorbed by Maugham's writing style and insight into human affairs. I was satisfied with the ending and it served as a great preliminary introduction to Eastern and/or Indian mysticism.
Reading it a second time, I was slightly less impressed. I believe this has to do with the fact that I didn't like the style of Maugham's writing. He wrote long-winded sentences that in today's fiction just don't read well. I found myself forced to reread certain phrases because I felt he was trying to stuff too much description when it wasn't needed. He also wrote too many empty phrases describing a character's physique or reaction to a particular situation. Descriptions of Larry's smile, for example, just fell flat for me. This novel is essentially one long conversation between the author and the principal characters. There's no action in it at all.
What I always loved about Maugham was his observations about humanity. And this novel includes some prescient ones. His observations about marriage, morality, God, were just as validating to me as the first time I read them. I believe Maughm was gay. I think it's because of Mr. Maugham's sexual orientation that he's able to express such discernment into heterosexual relations.
I love this story not just because it focuses on one person's search for the meaning and purpose of existence but how Maugham uses as a backdrop the contrast between the "gay" 20's with the Depression 30s as a way of reminding the wealthy that they too are not immune to the unpredictability of life's economics. Of course, noblesse oblige saves the day for Isabel and Grey, thanks to charming but snobby, Uncle Elliott.
I also like how much Larry actually learned about himself from his sojourn to India. He gained tremendous acuity about human consciousness and spirit, something Isabel was never interested in. And in the end, each character finds what they are looking for. It's a very satisfactory conclusion. I also did not recall that the second to last chapter is really where Mr. Maugham shines as he delves into Larry's pursuit of Indian mysticism. You could really skip everything that precedes this chapter and just read it as a stand alone. From this chapter you would learn everything you need to know about Larry's quest for meaning. It was this chapter that introduced me to Brahmanism.
My only quibble, again, has to do with Somerset's writing style. I don't think it has aged well. I love the 1946 movie version of Razor's Edge. It sorely lacked specifics about Larry's sojourn into India and that remains the weakest part of the film. Otherwise, the acting is uniformly excellent. ...more
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