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Evelyn's Reviews > Green Shadows, White Whale

Green Shadows, White Whale by Ray Bradbury
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really liked it
Read 2 times. Last read September 12, 2020.

In 2015 I had an unexpected trip to Ireland after years away and one epiphany of that trip was the Bohemian thread that runs through the culture, even during the most conventionally Catholic periods of the twentieth century. So many different visions of Ireland here. At times the novel was a bit whimsy-heavy and at other times the mix of absurd humor and Irish-specific detail conjures Flann O'Brien. I don't know how often Bradbury wrote in this particular vein, but another factor adding to the intrigue is how he blurs memoir, novel, fantasy-- referring to himself, Huston, Ricki and others by name. Kept thinking about The Things They Carried (although for the most part a very different kind of novel). Melville and Moby Dick are of course hugely present. The edition I found is not here but "a novel" is at the center of the cover. There are some gentle forays into the supernatural, multiple ghost stories woven throughout. (Just found that youtube has the short film made of "The Banshee" story in which Peter O'Toole plays the Huston character-- a story that Bradbury positions as some major score-settling with Huston). Bradbury was obsessed with his experience in Ireland and with Huston/Moby Dick-- he wrote stories but it took him decades to put this together. One journalist says he was inspired to write on this scale after reading Kate Hepburn's memoir of making The African Queen. GREEN SHADOWS may not capture the Irish the way Bradbury so clearly wants to--but really enjoyed this book. nevertheless. Highly recommend Anjelica Huston's account of her childhood remarkable to look at the big picture of Huston's life and work at St Cleran's (her sister Allegra also wrote a compelling memoir). I especially like Huston's article in Vanity Fair-- more than I liked her actual memoirs if memory serves. May be an excerpt from the memoir, but quite perfect.
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September 12, 2020 – Finished Reading
September 14, 2020 – Shelved

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