a good scent from a strange mountain review
Never mind that the only reading light I had was the dim glare of outdoor lighting because by then, I was transfixed. They are the stories of Vietnamese refugees, written in first person by Robert Olen Butler, a white American. This book makes me want to be a writer; it makes me wish I had written that perfect sentence I had just read. “I can speak these words and perhaps you can see these things clearly because you are using your imagination. I feel bad giving this book only one star since it won the Pulitzer, but I did not like this book at all. Fantastic book. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, A wonderful collection of bittersweet stories. room for boredom in your life? Ho Chi Minh smoked Salems and he wants to keep them as a shrine. I had been transported to another world and I only realized this once those gigantic Southern bugs started to land on my page and I heard the faint whimper of my dog as she stared at me through the sliding glass doors—probably wondering what in the world I was doing sitting outdoors without her. As in all short-story collections, this one is fairly irregular with some stories seeming more like doodles and others running a little long but this collection is generally very, very good. The Vietnam War continues to play itself out in fiction, autobiography, and history books, but no American author has captured the experiences of the Vietnamese... Free shipping over $10. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. However, I found one or two to be good, but not great. A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain is Robert Olen Butler's Pulitzer Prize–winning collection of lyrical and poignant stories about the aftermath of the Vietnam War and its enduring impact on the Vietnamese. That is why it is very important to pay special attention to some facts from the author’s biography in order to make a good analysis of the literary work and to compare and contrast the Catholic and the Buddhist as required in the essay. -- George Packer, The New York Times Book Review "Butler writes essentially, and in a bewitching translation of voice and sympathy, what it means to lose a country, to remember it, and to have the memory begin to grow old. Prime members enjoy Free Two-Day Shipping, Free Same-Day or One-Day Delivery to select areas, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, and more. Depressing, too, as some naysayers have complained, which does seem to limit their appeal to some. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. bed, in the dim light from the open shade. They are the stories of Vietnamese refugees, written in first person by Robert Olen Butler, a white American. I'm thrilled that his new book returns to the ways America became connected to Vietnam. This page works best with JavaScript. Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide). While a few of the stories read more like retellings of myths, they are still so unique and melodic that I give this a 5. A stunning book made even more stunning by the fact that the writer is non-Vietnamese. Oddly, the story that had the strongest and most-likely-to. In THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien he has a short story about the young enemy soldier that he killed by throwing a hand grenade at him. Because it deserved the Pulitzer, that's why! Published LibraryThing is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers It just reeks of uncomfortable colonialism. Publisher Henry Holt and Company Place of Publication New York Date published 1992 nobody thinks in language this choppy, and though ESL speakers might not speak as eloquently in English, it doesn't mean their thoughts are disorganized and choppy. A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain is Robert Olen Butler’s Pulitzer Prize–winning collection of lyrical and poignant stories about the aftermath of the Vietnam War and its enduring impact on the Vietnamese. it was also just boring and it felt like a chore to read. Thought of it again this week while reading. 3.0 out of 5 stars Review for Audio Version Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2007 Yes, A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain won the Pulitzer, so I had to get it. Robert Olen Butler is the author of 12 novels and six short story collections, including A The politics of the Vietnamese refugees continue after they have arrived in America, as their new home country looks to deal with the newly Communist united Vietnam. It involves a grandfather, slowly dying, and seeing the vision of Ho Chi Minh , with whom he worked and lived. New York: Henry Holt & Company. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. After the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, more than three million refugees fled … "A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain is remarkable for how beautifully it achieves its daring project of making the Vietnamese real. A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain. Robert Olen Butler's lyrical and poignant collection of stories about the aftermath of the Vietnam War and its impact on the Vietnamese was acclaimed by critics across the nation and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993. There's a reason this won the Pulitzer. Then that is the book that deserves a solid 5 stars. Robert Olen Butler's lyrical and poignant collection of stories about the aftermath of the Vietnam War and its impact on the Vietnamese was acclaimed by critics across the nation and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler (1992, Hardcover, Revised edition) at the best online prices at eBay! If you don't mind downbeat, and love great writing, you should enjoy this strong, consistent, thematically linked collection. Written in a soaring prose, Butler’s haunting and powerful stories blend Vietnamese folklore and contemporary American realities, creating a vibrant panorama that is epic in its scope. Even as the light purple hues of dusk shifted into night, I sat still, completing this book. His first books earned good reviews but meager sales, until he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, a startling collection of interconnected short stories told from the Vietnamese perspective. $19.95. The short story where Butler writes his character as a cheap, two-bit Vietnamese hooker with the awkward stereotypical English one might expect from a recent war victim is just too pathetic for me to swallow. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages that interest you. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain : Stories by Robert Butler and Robert Olen Butler (2001, Trade Paperback, Reprint) at the best online prices at eBay! Those books make the stereotype about Vietnamese people in the mind of Americans becomes stronger. It showed me that the Vietnamese people are very spiritual. The writing felt like it was put through a strainer to become stiff and bland. Butler weaves themes and phrases from one part of a story throughout the rest of the story to perfection. "A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain" is the final story. I have to disagree strongly, especially about the long story, "The American Couple." Start by marking “A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain” as Want to Read: Error rating book. The first edition of the novel was published in 1992, and was written by Robert Olen Butler. © 2008-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, See all details for A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain. You pinned at some unanticipated place stayed with me over the years should this! Disagree strongly, especially about the long story, `` the American couple. Free download or read online Good..., home, cultures, and even those were bearable n't realize was! Languages including English, consists of 269 pages and is available in Paperback format were bearable Need... 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