Ray Bradbury: Dandelion Wine (1977, Perfection Learning Prebound)
Unknown Binding
Published July 10, 1977 by Perfection Learning Prebound.
The summer of '28 was a vintage season for a growing boy. A summer of green apple trees, mowed lawns, and new sneakers. Of half-burnt firecrackers, of gathering dandelions, of Grandma's belly-busting dinner. It was a summer of sorrows and marvels and gold-fuzzed bees. A magical, timeless summer in the life of a twelve-year-old boy named Douglas Spaulding—remembered forever by the incomparable Ray Bradbury.
Dandelion Wine is unique amongst the works of the popular author Ray Bradbury, in that it provides us with perhaps the clearest insight into the thoughts and feelings of the author. The book was published in 1957, perhaps over twenty years after the era which it is about, thus providing an inevitable theme of nostalgia throughout the book. The principal character, Douglas Spalding, and his brother Tom, encounter a series of adventures which are described in a crafted and distinguished manner to provide a philosophical tone …
The summer of '28 was a vintage season for a growing boy. A summer of green apple trees, mowed lawns, and new sneakers. Of half-burnt firecrackers, of gathering dandelions, of Grandma's belly-busting dinner. It was a summer of sorrows and marvels and gold-fuzzed bees. A magical, timeless summer in the life of a twelve-year-old boy named Douglas Spaulding—remembered forever by the incomparable Ray Bradbury.
Dandelion Wine is unique amongst the works of the popular author Ray Bradbury, in that it provides us with perhaps the clearest insight into the thoughts and feelings of the author. The book was published in 1957, perhaps over twenty years after the era which it is about, thus providing an inevitable theme of nostalgia throughout the book. The principal character, Douglas Spalding, and his brother Tom, encounter a series of adventures which are described in a crafted and distinguished manner to provide a philosophical tone throughout the book. The narrative is enriched by the experiences of individuals such as Leo Auffman, who attempts (unsuccessfully) to construct a 'Happiness machine'. Overall, the book provides a nostalgic sense of childhood and an understanding of the beauty of the world and all its features; in this way, it appears to be Bradbury himself reminiscing on his past. Douglas has similar traits to those Bradbury has later in life identified in himself, strengthening this interpretation.
Shelving this for now. I'll probably return at some point.
Dandelion Wine is a coming of age story, infused with the magic of childhood. It's about that first discovery and sharp awareness of being alive, and the attempt to relish every day of the summer. But that sense of life always comes with its twin shadow: the realization of mortality, the experience of loss, friends leaving, and the death of someone you love. What's at stake is to always reaffirm that first sensation of life. For this a new kind of magic is needed: the ethics of passing over the help your received onto others. Summer will be gone but we can preserve the wine of summer in bottles to help us through the winters to come. This is our mundane act of creation that sustains life in all its mystery.
Such delightful prose!
Before today, I had read 3 Ray Bradbury novels. Based on those books, I decided to divide his works into 2 camps: Best Shit I Have Ever Read and Martian Chronicles Redux.
Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes both fall into Best Shit I Have Ever Read. The Martian Chronicles make me wonder how that boring book came from the same mind as the other 2 books.
Today, I finished Dandelion Wine. And before I got to end, I knew what camp it was going in - Martian Chronicles Redux. It didn't enthrall me. It didn't wow me. It didn't transport me to a wonderful place. It was just there. I am amazed the man who churned out Dandelion Wine also wrote Fahrenheit and Something Wicked.
However, my love of Ray Bradbury is unchanged. So please enjoy this tribute to his greatness...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1IxOS4VzKM
