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The Eighth Day
Thornton Wilder’s renowned 1967 National Book Award–winning novel features a foreword by John Updike and an afterword by Tappan Wilder, who draws on such unique sources as Wilder’s unpublished letters, handwritten annotations in the margins of the book, and other illuminating documentary material.
In 1962 and 1963, Thornton Wilder spent twenty months in hibernation, away from family and friends, in the town of Douglas, Arizona. While there, he launched The Eighth Day, a tale set in a mining town in southern Illinois about two families blasted apart by the apparent murder of one father by the other. The miraculous escape of the accused killer, John Ashley, on the eve of his execution and his flight to freedom triggers a powerful story tracing the fate of his and the victim’s wife and children.
At once a murder mystery and a philosophical story, The Eighth Day is a “suspenseful and deeply moving” (New York Times) work of classic stature that has been hailed as a great American epic.
In 1962 and 1963, Thornton Wilder spent twenty months in hibernation, away from family and friends, in the town of Douglas, Arizona. While there, he launched The Eighth Day, a tale set in a mining town in southern Illinois about two families blasted apart by the apparent murder of one father by the other. The miraculous escape of the accused killer, John Ashley, on the eve of his execution and his flight to freedom triggers a powerful story tracing the fate of his and the victim’s wife and children.
At once a murder mystery and a philosophical story, The Eighth Day is a “suspenseful and deeply moving” (New York Times) work of classic stature that has been hailed as a great American epic.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
About the author
Thornton Wilder
198 books486 followersThornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.
For more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornton...
For more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornton...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews
July 11, 2013
I don't often respond emotionally to fiction, but it's been a long time since I've read a novel that was simultaneously so wrenching and so pleasurable.
Thorton Wilder's last novel, the Eighth Day (1967), reflects many of the same themes as his much earlier (1927) Bridge of San Luis Rey: the unpredictability of human fate; the desperate instinct many of us feel to find providences in our lives and losses; the gap between the way others see us and our actual thoughts and emotional commitments. From the novel's first paragraph, Wilder launches - and then slowly, slowly deconstructs - the mystery of how a tragic murder came to pass. Yet, Wilder's real interest is less the mystery itself than the way the tragedy shapes members of both families. The deep beauty of the story rests in the way Wilder lets the tragedy be fully tragic - it is beyond justification, it can't be offset by later events or the passage of time. This is not nihilism. It's a world with suffering, nobility, and love; but even when people do terrible things to one another, Wilder undermines the idea of assigning moral blame. Here, the question 'why?' has an efficient but not a metaphysical answer.
Wilder seems to feel compassion for his characters, but the plot is starkly unsentimental, killing off a major character in a single, unexpected line - I kept hoping for the next hundred pages that I had somehow misunderstood. The tone of the writing is cool and ironic, even as protagonists are described approvingly as having 'no sense of humor', and sardonic comments are placed in the mouths of flawed characters. The title of the book - the eighth day as a symbol of a new age of greater human achievement -- is introduced by a character who, we are told, doesn't believe a word he is saying.
A key theme, made explicit late in the novel, is the artificiality of narrative. Wilder says, "There is only one history. It began with the creation of man and will end when the last human consciousness is extinguished. All other beginnings and endings are arbitrary conventions - makeshifts parading as self-sufficient entities, diffusing petty comfort or petty despair." [339] He rams the point home structurally: narratives end midstream. The loose ends reinforce Wilder's moral message: there is no arc of justice, no denouement that redeems what has gone before; there are only the choices and experiences each person makes as they happen. For me, this recalls the teachings of the Stoics: don't fear death; don't fear anything but failing to make the choices that are within your power to make well; cast aside negative emotions as much as possible, and live with a sense of wonder and goodwill, first towards your family, and more generally towards the world.
Finally, while this is an old man's last book, its main characters are almost all young (even the middle-aged characters are described as maturing slowly). Wilder is interested in the process of their maturation, not where they end up.
Thorton Wilder's last novel, the Eighth Day (1967), reflects many of the same themes as his much earlier (1927) Bridge of San Luis Rey: the unpredictability of human fate; the desperate instinct many of us feel to find providences in our lives and losses; the gap between the way others see us and our actual thoughts and emotional commitments. From the novel's first paragraph, Wilder launches - and then slowly, slowly deconstructs - the mystery of how a tragic murder came to pass. Yet, Wilder's real interest is less the mystery itself than the way the tragedy shapes members of both families. The deep beauty of the story rests in the way Wilder lets the tragedy be fully tragic - it is beyond justification, it can't be offset by later events or the passage of time. This is not nihilism. It's a world with suffering, nobility, and love; but even when people do terrible things to one another, Wilder undermines the idea of assigning moral blame. Here, the question 'why?' has an efficient but not a metaphysical answer.
Wilder seems to feel compassion for his characters, but the plot is starkly unsentimental, killing off a major character in a single, unexpected line - I kept hoping for the next hundred pages that I had somehow misunderstood. The tone of the writing is cool and ironic, even as protagonists are described approvingly as having 'no sense of humor', and sardonic comments are placed in the mouths of flawed characters. The title of the book - the eighth day as a symbol of a new age of greater human achievement -- is introduced by a character who, we are told, doesn't believe a word he is saying.
A key theme, made explicit late in the novel, is the artificiality of narrative. Wilder says, "There is only one history. It began with the creation of man and will end when the last human consciousness is extinguished. All other beginnings and endings are arbitrary conventions - makeshifts parading as self-sufficient entities, diffusing petty comfort or petty despair." [339] He rams the point home structurally: narratives end midstream. The loose ends reinforce Wilder's moral message: there is no arc of justice, no denouement that redeems what has gone before; there are only the choices and experiences each person makes as they happen. For me, this recalls the teachings of the Stoics: don't fear death; don't fear anything but failing to make the choices that are within your power to make well; cast aside negative emotions as much as possible, and live with a sense of wonder and goodwill, first towards your family, and more generally towards the world.
Finally, while this is an old man's last book, its main characters are almost all young (even the middle-aged characters are described as maturing slowly). Wilder is interested in the process of their maturation, not where they end up.
April 19, 2019
The Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder needs little introduction as he is unquestionably one of America’s greatest writers and playwrights. This novel is considered Wilder’s magnum opus and won the National Book Award in 1967. It was the last major work of his long career and was written when he was seventy years old.
This is an inter-generational saga set in a coal town in Southern Illinois around the turn of the 20th century. In the story Wilder draws excellent characters and creates a realistic milieu. The main character is convicted of murdering his boss and from the beginning we know it’s unlikely that he actually did it. A short while later he is sprung by a mysterious group while on his way to his execution. He escapes down the Mississippi River to New Orleans and then on to South America. Neither his family nor the victim’s family think he committed the crime either but he can’t contact them as a fugitive. Before we find out what actually happened that day at the shooting range and who sprung him from custody, we are given long chapter histories for several family members who are central to the story. It was an unusual order for the plot and probably only worked because Wilder was the writer.
There were many moments when this book felt like a five star read. I think in the end though Wilder, who was born in the 19th century, writes in an old fashioned way. So the book feels dated even though it was only written fifty years ago.
4 stars. This really is a masterfully wrought story.
Thornton Wilder needs little introduction as he is unquestionably one of America’s greatest writers and playwrights. This novel is considered Wilder’s magnum opus and won the National Book Award in 1967. It was the last major work of his long career and was written when he was seventy years old.
This is an inter-generational saga set in a coal town in Southern Illinois around the turn of the 20th century. In the story Wilder draws excellent characters and creates a realistic milieu. The main character is convicted of murdering his boss and from the beginning we know it’s unlikely that he actually did it. A short while later he is sprung by a mysterious group while on his way to his execution. He escapes down the Mississippi River to New Orleans and then on to South America. Neither his family nor the victim’s family think he committed the crime either but he can’t contact them as a fugitive. Before we find out what actually happened that day at the shooting range and who sprung him from custody, we are given long chapter histories for several family members who are central to the story. It was an unusual order for the plot and probably only worked because Wilder was the writer.
There were many moments when this book felt like a five star read. I think in the end though Wilder, who was born in the 19th century, writes in an old fashioned way. So the book feels dated even though it was only written fifty years ago.
4 stars. This really is a masterfully wrought story.
November 3, 2007
In the film Stop Making Sense, David Byrne interviews himself. He asks himself why he doesn't write songs about love. He replies that he likes to write songs about little things, like houses or chairs. "Love's kinda big. I wrote a love song once; in this film I sing it to a lamp."
What does that have to do with The Eighth Day? The Eighth Day is kind of big. It's a story that spans three continents and fifty years. It's not really about love I guess, fuck. It's about this one little slice of the human experience that acknowledges our existence and what we're supposed to do with the slice. It's an epic story, but it's so small.
What does that have to do with The Eighth Day? The Eighth Day is kind of big. It's a story that spans three continents and fifty years. It's not really about love I guess, fuck. It's about this one little slice of the human experience that acknowledges our existence and what we're supposed to do with the slice. It's an epic story, but it's so small.
January 16, 2021
Previously I had read The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder, which I enjoyed and found quite surprising coming from an American author in the 20th century. I thought it displayed an in-depth knowledge of another culture, far from the influence of America. The Eighth Day is a much different novel, much longer and focused on American families, societies and culture. The story opens in Coaltown, Illinois with murder, a trial, the sentencing of the accused to death and the miraculous escape of the accused to the great embarrassment of Illinois government and law enforcement officials. All of this is shrouded in mystery that takes the length of the novel to unravel. The story is really about the two families, of the man who is murdered, Breckenridge Lansing, and of the accused murderer, John Ashley. The novel moves back in time to provide the histories of the two men, their wives, how the two families end up in Coaltown and how the children are raised. However, the story also moves forward in time, post-murder, blending history and life unfolding.
The mystery surrounding the murder and escape quickly captured my interest. The mothers of the two families, Beata and Eustacia, were unique individuals; how they raised their children, both before and after the murder, tried to protect them and worked to keep their families together was central to the story. The story takes place in a variety of locations: Coaltown, Chicago, Hoboken, NJ, St. Kitts, Chile and Los Angeles; Wilder seems comfortable in each locale and narratively moves between them easily. The story is well-told and while the structure doesn’t feel new in any way, even for when the novel was published, it feels distinct enough from a straight narrative to add energy to the plot. In the end we are given some insight into what eventually happens to the different family members, as a kind of wrap-up. I always find this type of ending too tidy. The Eighth Day won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1968.
The mystery surrounding the murder and escape quickly captured my interest. The mothers of the two families, Beata and Eustacia, were unique individuals; how they raised their children, both before and after the murder, tried to protect them and worked to keep their families together was central to the story. The story takes place in a variety of locations: Coaltown, Chicago, Hoboken, NJ, St. Kitts, Chile and Los Angeles; Wilder seems comfortable in each locale and narratively moves between them easily. The story is well-told and while the structure doesn’t feel new in any way, even for when the novel was published, it feels distinct enough from a straight narrative to add energy to the plot. In the end we are given some insight into what eventually happens to the different family members, as a kind of wrap-up. I always find this type of ending too tidy. The Eighth Day won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1968.
November 26, 2020
Tai sodrus ir lėtas pasakojimas apie dvi šeimas. Apie tai, kaip atrodo iš šono ir yra iš tiesų. Jei norisi rimtos ir pamąstyti skatinančios knygos - ši Jums puikiai tiks.
Išsami apžvalga ir video: https://bit.ly/2J9NxKE
Išsami apžvalga ir video: https://bit.ly/2J9NxKE
December 15, 2019
This is an epic family saga that starts with a murder, a conviction and an escape. It weaves forwards then backwards and ultimately tells the story of the convicted man’s family, the victim’s family, the murderer and the victim. It is sweeping in its reach with much symbolism and spirituality without too much organized religion. This is not a who done it that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but a long and meandering story that is meant to be savored. Well worth the time and effort!
November 2, 2021
In a small Illinois town in 1902, a man is convicted of shooting his neighbor during an afternoon of target practice. While being transported for execution, a gang of unidentified men set him free. From the first pages, the reader is told that there is some doubt about his guilt. This is not a murder mystery; who is guilty of the murder is of secondary concern. Rather this is a novel about the impact of that conviction on the lives of those involved. Or more accurately, this is a novel that explores why life presents turns that often feel unjust, inexplicable, deeply painful. This is a philosophical novel and its pages are filled with dialogue between and within characters which ponder profound theological questions.
August 19, 2024
Di Thornton Wilder avevo letto diversi anni fa "Il ponte di San Luis Rey" e mi aveva colpito per l'originalità della trama e l'introspezione psicologica dei personaggi ma il libro che ho terminato di leggere ora è un bellissimo romanzo di ampio respiro che, ambientato negli anni a cavallo tra fine XIX e inizi del XX secolo, ha per protagonisti i "figli dell'ottavo giorno", quelli creati nella seconda settimana della creazione, per dirla alla maniera del dottor Gillies che, nel romanzo, pronuncia il 31 dicembre del 1899 un discorso agli amici che con lui festeggiano l'entrata del nuovo secolo, enfatizzando l'importanza del XX° che sta per iniziare, popolato, a suo dire, da umanità spinta verso un nuovo piano di sviluppo. Il romanzo prende le mosse dal misterioso e inaspettato omicidio del direttore di una miniera che sconvolge la vita della piccola comunità di Coaltown, piccolo centro minerario ma soprattutto di due famiglie legate da amicizia e da rapporti professionali, i Lansing e gli Ashley, e prosegue esplorando la vita dei protagonisti precedente e successiva al misfatto, raccontando le vicissitudini dei singoli, le loro difficoltà a inserirsi nel contesto sociale e umano della provincia americana bigotta e farisea fino alla conclusiva catarsi che libera il romanzo dall'alone di mistero e di inquietudine che lo aveva percorso. Ho letto forse il miglior romanzo di Wilder?
January 10, 2021
"Visi mes turime būti tokie, kokie esame gimę - kaip ir iš puodelio išmesti lošimo kauliukai - jie liks gulėti, kur nukrito."
"...kodėl pirmasis sniegas žiemą būna toks gražus... kaip muzika?"
"...kodėl pirmasis sniegas žiemą būna toks gražus... kaip muzika?"
August 16, 2010
This is one of my favorite books. Wilder wrote The Bridge of San Luis Rey when he was 29, exploring whether God plays a role in human society. 40 years later, he comes back in The Eighth Day to the same theme to ponder what it is to be part of the human drama. The eighth day, of course, is the day following the seven days of creation in the Bible, and is the time when Man must shape his destiny. All this discussion is tucked inside a murder mystery and a generational treatment of a fascinating family in central Illinois. The book contains one of my favorite quotes: "He was a link in a chain, a stitch in a tapestry, a planter of trees, a breaker of stones on an old road to a not yet clearly marked destination."
July 20, 2015
This is the story of two American families, living part by a murder of one father committed by the other.
The escape of John Ashley, the accused killer, on the eve of his execution, will show the distress suffered by both families. On the other hand, the author explores the American society by that time (in the 1960’s), showing all cultural and moral aspects of the main characters.
I should confess this was not an easy reading since for me it was a “dry reading” perhaps due the book’s structure. The murder mystery plays a small role in the book’s background.
This novel won the National Book Award in 1968.
3* The Eighth Day
TR The Bridge of San Luis Rey
The escape of John Ashley, the accused killer, on the eve of his execution, will show the distress suffered by both families. On the other hand, the author explores the American society by that time (in the 1960’s), showing all cultural and moral aspects of the main characters.
I should confess this was not an easy reading since for me it was a “dry reading” perhaps due the book’s structure. The murder mystery plays a small role in the book’s background.
This novel won the National Book Award in 1968.
3* The Eighth Day
TR The Bridge of San Luis Rey
June 29, 2012
Few have even heard of this under-appreciated, hard-to-find Wilder novel, and though it's not perfect, it's on my short list for the Great American Novel.
Want to read
January 17, 2025Recommended by Old Man and the Read in the video Best 77 books I've read over the past 77 years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zYZC...
October 1, 2021
Thornton simply does not miss.
A beautiful meditation upon the equally disconcerting and comforting mysteries of providence and history.
A beautiful meditation upon the equally disconcerting and comforting mysteries of providence and history.
May 24, 2011
A book I have read more than once, although not recently, and which I think of fondly. It's hard to classify and some of the negative reviews may come from people expecting a specific kind of book that this is not. It introduces a mystery, but the events of the mystery are only catalyst for the bigger story, so the mystery is not presented in the classic way nor is it very hard to solve. The purpose of the book is bigger, investigating how people do behave and how they should. Wilder is better known for his famous plays, and his writing style as a novelist is not to every taste. I first read this amid Willa Cather, Hervey Allen (Anthony Adverse) and Thomas Wolfe (not Tom!) novels, with which this shares something in style and intent. Best read, I imagine, when you are in the mood for something that offers an intersting plot, but also observations to ponder.
January 14, 2021
1902 metais, vos prasidėjus vasarai, mažame angliakasių miestelyje Koultaune, Džordonas Baringtonas Ašlis nuteisiamas mirties bausme už Brekenridžo Lansingo nužudymą. Gabenamas į nuosprendžio vykdymo vietą, nuteistasis paslaptingomis aplinkybėmis dingsta iš traukinio.
Pradėjus skaityti šios knygos prologą - maniau, kad tai knyga ne man. Pradžia buvo itin sunki, susidarė jausmas, kad jau prologe papasakota viskas, kas susijęs su istorija, tad kam skaityti toliau? Vis dėlto, vėlesni knygos puslapiai atnešė daug įžvalgų. Šią knygą pavadinčiau filosofiška. Veikėjų dialogais ir apmąstymais autorius klausia daug įdomių retorinių klausimų.
Stilius
Šios knygos stilius buvo netikėtas, pasakojama vis iš kito ar kitų veikėjų rakurso, apimant daug metų. Veiksmas kiekviename skyriuje persipina, grįžta į praeitį, juda į ateitį, vėl grįžta į dabartį ir pan.
Knyga atrodo liūliuojanti ir man nepasirodė tokia, nuo kurios neįmanoma atitraukti žvilgsnio. Vis dėlto, žmogiškųjų vertybių klausimai buvo labai gražiai atskleisti.
Trys žodžiai apie knygą
Gėris nugali blogį
Pradėjus skaityti šios knygos prologą - maniau, kad tai knyga ne man. Pradžia buvo itin sunki, susidarė jausmas, kad jau prologe papasakota viskas, kas susijęs su istorija, tad kam skaityti toliau? Vis dėlto, vėlesni knygos puslapiai atnešė daug įžvalgų. Šią knygą pavadinčiau filosofiška. Veikėjų dialogais ir apmąstymais autorius klausia daug įdomių retorinių klausimų.
Stilius
Šios knygos stilius buvo netikėtas, pasakojama vis iš kito ar kitų veikėjų rakurso, apimant daug metų. Veiksmas kiekviename skyriuje persipina, grįžta į praeitį, juda į ateitį, vėl grįžta į dabartį ir pan.
Knyga atrodo liūliuojanti ir man nepasirodė tokia, nuo kurios neįmanoma atitraukti žvilgsnio. Vis dėlto, žmogiškųjų vertybių klausimai buvo labai gražiai atskleisti.
Trys žodžiai apie knygą
Gėris nugali blogį
November 11, 2011
I started The Eighth Day with high hopes of a 4-star or even 5-star read. The novel introduces 1 1/2 families worth of unusual but believable characters, all of whom are treated kindly by Wilder. But the book never really goes anywhere. Eventually we are forced to admit (uncle!) that this isn't a novel at all - it's a tract.
The title refers to the period of secular creation and the characters tiresomely demonstrate how family life freed from conventional religious and moral strictures creates secular saints. Wilder placed this story in turn-of-the-century Middle America (a transparent appeal to nostalgia) but he is clearly looking forward to the Age of Aquarius. How shameful it would have been for Wilder to realize that his gospel of modern mysticism with its emphasis on success, predestination, and praise is almost indistinguishable from Calvinism.
The title refers to the period of secular creation and the characters tiresomely demonstrate how family life freed from conventional religious and moral strictures creates secular saints. Wilder placed this story in turn-of-the-century Middle America (a transparent appeal to nostalgia) but he is clearly looking forward to the Age of Aquarius. How shameful it would have been for Wilder to realize that his gospel of modern mysticism with its emphasis on success, predestination, and praise is almost indistinguishable from Calvinism.
July 3, 2018
"I don't believe in miracles, but I couldn't exist if I didn't feel that things like miracles were happening all around me"
I never thought I would finish this book! Fortunately, I have and am glad. And am glad that am still able to read. Of course, Thornton Wilder was right when he said what he said in the quote above. He was also right about so many other things he talks about in this book which looks at the history of two families whose paths cross at a significant time in their lives. Then it takes a very dangerous turn after John Ashley shoots Mr. Lansing.
I have always been a fan of Thornton Wilder. My love for his works started with 'The Bridge of SunLoius Rey" which won him a pulitzer prize. I then read "Our Town" which was just as brilliant. This is my third book and I have a fourth which I must now hasten to read. He writes well with wisdom and understanding of human nature. He can be philosophical and quite educative on certain key aspects of life such as property and social justice.
I never thought I would finish this book! Fortunately, I have and am glad. And am glad that am still able to read. Of course, Thornton Wilder was right when he said what he said in the quote above. He was also right about so many other things he talks about in this book which looks at the history of two families whose paths cross at a significant time in their lives. Then it takes a very dangerous turn after John Ashley shoots Mr. Lansing.
I have always been a fan of Thornton Wilder. My love for his works started with 'The Bridge of SunLoius Rey" which won him a pulitzer prize. I then read "Our Town" which was just as brilliant. This is my third book and I have a fourth which I must now hasten to read. He writes well with wisdom and understanding of human nature. He can be philosophical and quite educative on certain key aspects of life such as property and social justice.
September 13, 2009
An interesting character study with a tangential storyline. Mr. Wilder gets too caught up in the sound of his ponderous prose style for this to be an easy or pleasurable read. He should have listened to himself when he wrote in this novel:
The few serious books he had looked into seemed windy, slow-moving, filled with padding...
This story could have been a quarter of the size and made a better novel.
The few serious books he had looked into seemed windy, slow-moving, filled with padding...
This story could have been a quarter of the size and made a better novel.
August 8, 2014
The story is great, however the writing style is not very engaging, it keeps you distracted, and skipping pages because it goes on and on and on. There is some great thoughts in it, but you keep continue reading it out of obligation.
June 23, 2010
there's such a thing as "too epic" in scope I'm afraid. Interesting conceit but iffy execution. Lots of half-baked pseudo-losophy as well.
July 30, 2021
Ci sono libri che a volte e' difficile leggere pur avendo tutto per agganciare il lettore. Uno di questi e' a mio modo di vedere il presente lavoro di Wilder. C'e' il mistero di un delitto commesso, c'e' la fuga del presunto colpevole. Ci sono i personaggi molto ben delineati e interessanti, ci sono i paesaggi americani e le note di colore su comunita' umane agli antipodi terrestri. C'e' la notevole abilita' tecnica e letteraria dell'autore; tutto insomma, forse troppo. Tutto e' programmaticamente "costruito" ma al tempo stesso troppo lacunoso e frammentario per poter prenderti veramente, per costringerti a continuare la lettura. Provate anche voi....
February 16, 2023
Šiame romane aprašoma 19 a. pabaigoje - 20 a. pradžioje Amerikoje gyvenusios šeimos istorija. Ji nepatiks veiksmo mėgėjams, bet jeigu jums patinka mintimis nusikelti į autoriaus vaizduojamą aplinką, pajausti žmonių vidinius išgyvenimus, tuomet ši knyga jums. Autoriaus plunksna nejučia mus vedžioja po aprašomą pasaulį ir kuklų (galbūt ir savo paties jaunystės?) 30-ies metų laikotarpį, kol galų gale pasijuntame pažįstantys visą pagrindinio veikėjo šeimą, kiekvieno jos nario būdą, svajones ir pasirinktą kelią, įveiktus sunkumus. Aprašoma šeima iš tiesų yra nepaprasta: būdami dugne jie išlieka orūs, viską ko imasi atlieka nepriekaištingai, daugiau klausosi nei kalba, nes bijo ką nors nuostabaus praleisti, tačiau nepasiduoda išorinei įtakai, turi savo pasaulėjautą, žino kuriuo keliu turi eiti dėl šeimos, dėl savęs, kad išpildytų save ir nepakeistų/nepamestų savasties - ir taip jie prikausto aplinkinių žvilgsnius bei širdis. Ši istorija rami kaip upės tekėjimas su keletu bangų, tačiau aistrų jos nekelia ir ne tokia jų paskirtis, per jas tiesiog atsiveria skirtingi tos pačios upės vingiai, per jas įgyjamas brandumas ir atskleidžiamas žmogiskasis kabinimasis į gyvenimą, kai ištrinamos visos ribos "negaliu", "nepajėgiu", "nemoku"...
Ir pasaulyje yra nesuskaičiuojama gausybė šeimų, visos su savomis istorijomis be pradžios ir be pabaigos:
Apsidairykite aplink save į visas puses - užkopkite aukščiau, dar aukščiau - ir pamatysite, kad už kalvų slypi vėl kitos kalvos, kitos lygumos ir kitos upės.
Ir pasaulyje yra nesuskaičiuojama gausybė šeimų, visos su savomis istorijomis be pradžios ir be pabaigos:
Apsidairykite aplink save į visas puses - užkopkite aukščiau, dar aukščiau - ir pamatysite, kad už kalvų slypi vėl kitos kalvos, kitos lygumos ir kitos upės.
June 17, 2014
I was perhaps expecting too much from this book. Whether or not I was, the book was a disappointment--big time.
It started out fine and dandy. Two families whose lives (deaths) intertwine. Went on fine and dandy for a little over half the book. And then--and then it took a nosedive into:
Pages and pages and pages of exposition regarding the meaning of life.
Pages and pages and pages of exposition regarding the meaning of youth.
Pages and pages and pages of exposition regarding the meaning of old age.
It may have even delved into exposition regarding the meaning of exposition, but by this point, I had had my fill and started skimming to find out how the story ended. It ended ok...not great, but just ok.
As far as Mr. Wilder is concerned, I think I'll just pass from now on.
It started out fine and dandy. Two families whose lives (deaths) intertwine. Went on fine and dandy for a little over half the book. And then--and then it took a nosedive into:
Pages and pages and pages of exposition regarding the meaning of life.
Pages and pages and pages of exposition regarding the meaning of youth.
Pages and pages and pages of exposition regarding the meaning of old age.
It may have even delved into exposition regarding the meaning of exposition, but by this point, I had had my fill and started skimming to find out how the story ended. It ended ok...not great, but just ok.
As far as Mr. Wilder is concerned, I think I'll just pass from now on.
August 30, 2011
I guess I understand now why critics were for the most part so hard on Eighth Day. The book just doesn't seem to work, to come together in any meaningful way. The machinations of the story are just too contrived, to false to function as readable fiction. Wilder's philosophizing I do find rather more enjoyable, unlike the professional critics who mostly hate it. I do love Wilder's works, and I wanted so very much to enjoy this book, but whatever Wilder was trying to achieve, I couldn't grasp. I'll come back to the book later, 5, 10 years from now perhaps, and maybe it will make sense to me then. In the mean time, I would rather go back and re-read the Ides of March, his earlier and far superior novel.
July 10, 2018
A murder mystery where the murder mystery is background. It is about two families. One father is accused, tried, and convicted in the fatal shooting of the other. He escapes just days before his execution and moves to Chile under an assumed name. His family is destitute without him. Eventually all is revealed, but the longer this goes on the less believable it becomes. The son of the convicted murderer makes a name for himself as a newspaper writer and his daughter becomes a famous singer. Well written with fleshed out characters, I just didn't believe at least half of what I read. To be a great novel it has to suck me in and make me believe.
September 28, 2011
I slogged through this book because so many people had such nice things to say about it. As it turns out, I liked it better than I thought I would. First off, this is no fast-paced mystery, although in the end a mystery is solved. Most of what happens in this book happens inside the heads of the four protagonists. The author goes to great lengths to explain the peculiarities in each character. Some action happens but mostly it is about things happening and why they happen (at least why the author believes they happen).
March 5, 2008
There was a lot of good stuff in here, but overall, it was too much, too ambitious, I thought. This reminded me of East of Eden: a great writer in his waning years trying to write that one last masterpiece. Like East of Eden, I found it longwinded in many places, ponderous, self-important, too much. Although there were many parts of this I like and admired, I eventually got tired of it, and it was getting tedious to read near the end.
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