Broke Heart Blues

I am a huge Joyce Carol Oates fan and have read so many of her books. I usually love her books (some more than others) but I was not pleased with BROKE HEART BLUES. The book takes place during the high school years of a certain class and continues until that class's 30th reunion. The focus is on one particular student, John Reddy. I did not find the cost of characters to be interesting and there were far too many to keep track of. Additionally, I was not fascinated by John Reddy as everyone in the book was. It was a struggle to finish the book. But I will continue to read Ms. Oates's books despite this one.

Broke Heart Blues by Joyce Carol Oates is a recommended celebration of high school notoriety and obsession. Originally published in 1999, it is being re-released on 10/1/24.

The novel unfolds over three parts to tell the story of John Reddy Heart, mainly through the eyes of others. The first part covers his arrival in Willowsville, NY, from Las Vegas, at age 11 in the 1960's, and the murder he commits when he shot his mother's lover. Each chapter is told through the point-of-view of a different classmate but what they all discuss is a circular repetition of the same lore of John Reddy. The second part follows the adult John Heart and is actually more interesting. The third part returns to the former classmates now at their 30th high show more school reunion where they all return to acting like adolescents.

The first and the third parts of the novel are a struggle to read and develop any kind of engagement with the chorus of anonymous voices. The second part is the only compelling part of the narrative with any kind of a plot. It has been said that the point of the novel was to capture how our imaginations create our own reality, which I can see, but I also believe it failed to do that.

Apparently this was one of JCO's favorite novels. I found most of the narrative incredibly boring, tedious, and never understood the endless nostalgia for high school exhibited by her characters. Did none of these characters actually grow up? According to one of her characters, "After high school in America, everything's posthumous." This is simply not true for most people.

This is a novel where it is best to understand what you are about to read before you start it. Thanks to Akashic Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via LibraryThing. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
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11/21/2025 What a slog! I mean, I'm a little over half-way and I just finished a paragraph that went on for 18 PAGES!!! I appreciate what JC is trying to do, but, man, she could have found a more efficient, reader-friendly way to do it. I'm into the second part and plan to finish the book, but I needed to vent these frustrations before I carried on. More to come.

11/23/2025 Whew! Finally done...not sure what that was all about but, on the hole, I didn't really care for it. JC spent waaaaaay too long in the first section, much of it rambling and run on. She built up the John Reddy murder mystery (which really wasn't much of a mystery) to then just let it drop with a shrug of the shoulders later on. The second section about John Reddy as show more an adult seemed pointless and out of place. Why include this under-developed snapshot of his current life. We (sorta) get the reveal about what happened but, again, if you were half-way awake (which I admit would be tough) during the first part, you should have figured out already. Also, I don't have much time for recalcitrant non-communicative adults. They get the awkward relationships they deserve.

The final part was the best. Touches of humor and satire about folks who feel HS is the best part of their lives and who long for those days again. JC should have made the first part of the book about as long as the last part (leave out all the John Reddy stuff, actually) and she would have had a nice tight commentary on high school perceptions and reunions.

Overall, I can't recommend this book to anyone. The best thing about it was the '59 Caddy on the cover....man I wanted one of those bad when I was in high school! show less

First let me say that I am a big Joyce Carol Oates fan and have loved everything of hers that I have read. Until now. I have mixed emotions about Broke Heart Blues. Part of the problem for me is the cast of characters - way too many - I couldn't begin to keep them straight. I think Ms. Oates enjoyed writing the book perhaps a bit too much. As she noted in her afterword, it is "her valentine to the intoxicating nostalgia of high school in Williamsville, New York, from which [she] graduated in 1956." There is also a murder mystery bubbling beneath the surface, involving the mythical Heart family, centered on the charismatic son, John Reddy Heart. The long first section, including the fixation of the girls and boys on John Reddy, the show more murder, and his trials and punishment, is a kaleidoscopic witches' brew, at times gripping and at times overly detailed, busy, and repetitious. The second section focuses on John Reddy long after the dust has settled on the high school events. It was, for me, the most effective and beautiful part of the book. The third section, describing the most incredible high school reunion imaginable, I could have done without. So, for me, this is a book that I loved at times and hated at times. And certainly it is a book I will not easily forget. show less

In a portrait of upper middle class American suburban life in the 1950s, the author draws from her own high school friends and experiences. The novel centers around John Reddy Heart, an eleven year old who comes to town and, as he matures, becomes a rather mysterious combination of Elvis Presley and James Dean and someone who becomes the obsession of his high school mates.

Although I usually appreciate Oates’ writing, I found this story tedious to read. Through most of the book, there was no plot, just adults (who never seem to grow up) reminiscing about their high school years. Also making it difficult to read, were the lengthy paragraphs (some going on for pages at a time) and the never ending use of parentheses.

I have read about twenty Carol Joyce Oates books over the years, and some I have really liked, and many others I have not. Yes, she is very wordy, and I feel this book could have been shortened, but that's just her style. Of the three chapters, I enjoyed Mr. Fix-it and Thirtieth Reunion the most, but Killer-Boy was too repetitive. I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. It was interesting to read the Afterword, where the author reveals some very personal details about her formative years.

When eleven-year-old John Reddy drives a salmon-colored Cadillac into the small town of Willowsville, New York, it heralds the beginning of a change that will last for decades among its residents. His passengers include his glamours mother, Dahlia, two siblings, and an eccentric grandfather. They are headed to an upscale neighborhood where Dahlia has been given a house by a wealthy man in their native Las Vegas.

As John Reddy grows into adolescence, what follows is John Reddy's effect on his high school classmates. Girls swoon at the sight of him, and he is sought after by boys for his athletic prowess. Grown men fear him and their wives become coquettish in his presence. A tragedy of enormous proportion occurs with John Reddy at its show more epicenter, followed by a statewide pursuit of the legend that becomes John Reddy.

The effect of John Reddy is told by numerous classmates over the course of many years. The classmate are all parts of the normal high school cliques - some are brainy, some are popular, some are nerds. Their development into adulthood follows their paths at reunions and other gatherings. John Reddy is always there in spirit and in their memories.

This is a reissue of one of JCO's favorites. The afterword by her is as interesting as the story of John Reddy. I am grateful to LibraryThing and the publisher to review this book by one of my favorite authors. show less