I came in from work today and there was a box setting on the entry table from Amazon. I knew what it was, my copy of Bradbury's new book that I had ordered in February. I promptly opened it and read the opening passages. Then I reread those new yet familiar poetic words again about three times. I can't wait to finish it but at the same time I don't want it to end. Thank's Ray!!!

Postscript; I'm now on chapter 5 and I am astounded that you are in this B-Two er or maybe it's B-One....now I'm confused, either way he saw fit to resurrect Braling. I also noticed his tribute to his Aunt Neva, the mad maiden aunt in the attic.

Postscript II; Whoops.

Postscript III; I know this is obsessive on my part but in approximately three fourths, at least, of the Bradbury stories and books I have read, I encounter the word "murmurs" in some form being used. It has to be one of his favorite verbs, I know I'm partial to it too for some strange reason. Already I have encountered it twice in the new book, on page 29 and 66. Just an observation.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rocket,

So far, there are glimpses of Bradbury charm in the new Farewell Summer. A couple examples:

"Doug stopped crying. [after a bad dream.] He got up and went to the mirror to see what sadness looked like and there it was, colored all through his cheeks, and he reached to touch that other face, and it was cold." (p. 13)

"He [Braling] clutched faintly at his chest as if he were a Swiss watchmaker concerned with keeping something running with that peculiar self-hypnosis he called prayer...Nights when he feared his heart might stop, he set a metronome ticking by his bed, so that his blood would continue to travel on toward dawn." (p. 17-18)

He doesn't seem to have lost his touch for glimpses into a person's life. The style still seems to glisten . . .

Your so right Mr. Dark. Some of the greatest books I have read or music that I have heard for the first time takes several, sometimes many samplings of it before truly realizing the depth, beauty, and power it beholds. I think that holds true of this book. One of the best descriptions of Bradbury's amazing works was put forth on this forum by none other than Dandelion. "He starts by opening a window with the story already going on and when it ends, the window closes and the story continues." That may not be verbatim, but that's the gist of it. Thank God he opened the window again at the Spaulding home. His awesome descriptive pros and metaphores have not diminished one iota through the years. Some of my favorite parts to his stories are as that window opens in the beginning. Such was the case in Dandelion Wine, The Halloween Tree, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. So far, here are some of my favorite parts.

"So flowered flakes and railroad track together turned to moulderings upon the rim of autumn."

"But now all was the fixed blue lost twilight which sparked each stone with light specules where fresh yellow butterflies had once rested to dry their wings and now were gone."

"The freckled leaf-shadows passed over his liver-spotted hands. They fitted, for a moment, like a jigsaw and made his hands look muscled, tanned, and young."

There was another phrase which I couldn't find that said something about looking at a cloud and it never being another one like it here and now or any other time in the universe, but it stands out after having read it like many of his metaphores do while thinking randomly about them later.

Once again, I'd just like to say, THANK YOU RAY BRADBURY FOR THIS FINE AUTUMN GIFT, WE TRULY LOVE YOU!!!

I love the implied comparison between Braling's metronome-inspired heart and Doug's laughter. The metronome is mechanical and fixed. There is steadiness, but no life. Doug's laughter is spontaneous and alive. For Bradbury, life needs to be spontaneous. It is how he describes his writing. Things are not typically plotted out, they "write themselves". The development of the stories are spontaneous, and thus, alive. I think one of the lessons of Bradbury is the power of life of the spontaneous over the steady, but dead beat of a dead metronome. Life has to be alive.

I am wondering what all of you thought of the last chapter when Calvin Quartermain is lying in bed and realizes that his "friend" is back only to leave, apparently once and for all? Then young Doug has a "wakening" of his new friend.

On a recent phone call to Ray I asked him about this and was amazed at his answer.

What was his answer?

And what was the question?

Read Biplane's post.

Yes, what was his answer?

Lovely and enticing review of "Farewell Summer".

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/booksmags/bal-id.b...l=bal-artslife-books

My question to Ray in regard to Calvin Quatermain's "Friend" returning and then, just as suddenly, leaving, if that was something that I had to look forward to. His response was "That in about 40 years I would experience that as well." Well in forty years I will be 102, so it will most likely happen sooner, but I thought it was quite interesting that Ray would allude to such a topic, and then to follow it up Doug's finding his new friend, "a friend for life."

Anyone else with a thought on this?

Thanks Biplane. Next time you speak with Ray, ask him about the word "murmur". I encounter that word from his earliest writings on up through Farewell summer, its peppered in his stories. In Farewell Summer alone, I think it is used at least eight to ten times, maybe more. In one of the last few pages, it is used twice on the same page. Maybe he doesn't even realize it, but it would be neat if he did have something interesting regarding it. I like talking about words and origins and such. Ray is one of the best word magicians around.

Great article Lake, thank you.

Thanks Robot, but you didn't answer my question!

But I did answer it on the other thread where you asked it as well, A Note On Farewell Summer. That said, I think you mean on this thread what I thought personally about it, sorry 'bout that. At first when I read it I was kinda shocked but then it occurred to me that it is a natural function and it was gutsy for Ray to put it to print. It is such a driving force in nature to propagate, look at the dandelion seed, or those seeds that have burrs that stick to your shoes and socks when hiking in the woods, or any living thing. The flower particularly is a good example of the life and death scenario, and the fragility and beauty of that cycle. Why not that kind of seed as well. It's nothing more than another in a long line of symbolic metaphors. The end of one thing spurring the beginning of another. When a star dies going supernova, the remains coalesce and becomes a star nursery. Our whole universe is based on a cycle of death and rebirth over and over again and again to infinite eternity. The wheel within a wheel, ring within a ring. Another element coarsing through the story and life as well is love. It is saying to me to love and relish not only each other but everything and every second of being alive because of the very brevity of life. There literally is no time to hate...

Very well put. I tried calling Ray yesterday to ask him about the word "murmer" but he was gone. I will try to do it today.

I just off the phone with Ray (12:00 Noon California time) and he said, in reference to word "murmer", that he does not "intellectualize" what he writes. His muses and his mind just takes off and he writes what comes out. He said that he uses the word "ramshackle" quite a bit but he has never asked himself why.

He also said that F451 is being produced as a play in Oregon and that two novels are due out in Spring--Levithan 99 and Somewhere A Band Is Playing.

Again I mentioned that it is all of his book signings and getting out to see his fans that are keeping him young. He also said that writing a story every morning is helping as well. I asked him if we all could look forward to another collection of stories someday and he said resoundingly "yes." That is also when he mentioned the two other books coming out as one volume.

Ray sounded great and, as usual, thanked me for calling. I kept hearing a pause like he had a call coming in so I said good-bye to him.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: biplane1,