Douglas Kennedy (1) (1955–)

"The Great Wide Open" by Douglas Kennedy is a sweeping, melancholic tale of Walt Muller, a disillusioned screenwriter in 1950s New York, haunted by his past and yearning for escape. When he unexpectedly inherits a small fortune, Walt impulsively abandons his stifling life, purchasing a one-way ticket to…Morrow, Ohio.

In this sleepy, rural town, Walt hopes to reinvent himself, shedding the creative frustrations and personal traumas that dog him. He buys the local cinema, The Morrow Picture show more Palace, intending to bring art and culture to the heartland. However, his idealistic vision collides with the realities of small-town life, forcing him to confront his own demons and the prejudices simmering beneath the surface of this seemingly idyllic community.

As Walt navigates the challenges of running the cinema and building relationships, he finds himself entangled in a complex love triangle, further complicating his quest for redemption and a truly authentic life. "The Great Wide Open" explores themes of identity, societal expectations, and the enduring power of the American dream, even when faced with harsh realities. show less

This is a smart and emotionally affecting novel that grapples with universals: love, loneliness, guilt. The author is unflinchingly honest in depicting a life-changing affair: a perfect example of l'amour fou. He also balances this against what might be called marriages of convenience, how people make decisions that are wise but still violate what they know to be the truth: I'll never love you as much as I loved _____. The book also probes how guilt motivates us. How a child is often the show more best product of a flawed relationship. The two main characters are wonderful and Kennedy's ability to hook a reader on narrative-driven fiction is quite powerful. The drawback is that this book is overwritten as if Kennedy wanted this work to be his admission ticket to the pantheon of "great writers." It is far too pedantic, and I found myself skimming dozens of preachy pages. Ultimately though, the tale's central affair, and its backdrop of Berlin in the Cold War, as well as the ideologically driven sadism of the East German security apparatus and their culture of informants make The Moment an unforgettable read and one that is highly recommeneded. show less

Thomas Nesbitt is an American writer, soon to be divorced, when one day a packet from Berlin arrives which bears the name of his former lover, with whom he had an intense but short-lived affair in the 1980s. This is the trigger for much reminiscing on Thomas's part, even before he plucks up the courage to open the package.

This has got to be one of the worst books I've read so far in my life: told in the first person, the narrator is irritating in the extreme, smug and self-indulgent, always show more having other people tell him what a brilliant writer he is. The book with its love story at its core is supposed to be emotionally affecting, yet I never cared for either of the main protagonists; what's more, the book is filled with contradictions, implausibilities and sheer preposterousness and pretentiousness, as well as cultural stereotypes and cliches, not to mention pages of tedious details which I personally find deeply patronising (examples: "I took the bright red cover off my Olivetti and popped up the the V-shaped stays that held the paper upright, then rolled a clean sheet into the typewriter and sat up in my chair, positioning the machine directly in front of me.", "It took just under two hours to retype the revised eight-page essay - which included the time needed to dab correction fluid on the paper and wait for it to dry whenever I made a typo." & "Petra placed the record on the long rod that could house up to four LPs. Then she pressed the requisite lever, the disc dropped down with a decisive thud onto the turntable and the tone arm automatically positioned itself over the edge of the record and lowered itself into the first groove."). The love scenes played out like a man's sexual fantasy, described in the worst kind of slush, and the dialogue between the two lovers, which should be familiar and intimate, only sounds terribly stilted. In short, I gave up just short of halfway through the novel as I couldn't bear the thought of having to waste another week or ten days on it, when I've still got so many good books on the shelf waiting to be read. show less

The Blue Hour is one of those novels that has it all. It has mysterious characters with hidden agendas. It has a kick-ass heroine who is put through all that life can throw at her plus more. It is set in an exotic locale that is romantic in its foreignness while simultaneously emitting an undercurrent of danger specifically because of its differences. The story itself is the epitome of a page-turner, as the heroine faces danger, uncomfortable truths, and uncovered secrets that rock the very show more foundation of her world. Just when you think the story cannot get any better, something occurs which throws both Robin and the reader into a cycle of doubt and wonder. It is unlike anything you have read or will read again, and sadly, not enough people will read this marvelous story.

Never one to shy away from tough questions and situations, Mr. Kennedy does not write simple thrillers. His stories have a depth to them that force readers to ask themselves the same tough questions asked of his characters. In The Blue Hour, he puts Robin through her paces as the main character. She faces unfathomable situations that would make a grown man weep. Yet, the truly intriguing thing about her is her motivations for her actions. While it may be easy to find fault with some of the insane things she does, Mr. Kennedy makes sure that readers cannot do so without first doing a little self-reflection.

After reading two of Mr. Kennedy’s novels, he became one of those must-read authors for me. Unfortunately, his novels are not ones I see reviewed very often in the online book world, and this truly saddens me. His writing is absolutely gorgeous, and his stories are faultless. The Blue Hour only confirms my opinions of his writing mastery. I only hope everyone else finally discovers him and loves his work as much as I do. show less