Ray Bradbury's semi-autobiographical novel Dandelion Wine was written in "patches" from 1946 to its 1957 publication. This "extension," arriving almost 50 years later, might be viewed as a fitting conclusion to that intermittent process. Readers who grew up sharing up the boyhood of Douglas Spaulding can now cast nostalgic eyes back on his maturation and on a courthouse clock that refuses to stand still.... A masterpiece revisited and completed.
Publishers Weekly
This poignant, wise but slight "extension" of the indefatigable Bradbury's semiautobiographical Dandelion Wine picks up the story of 12-year-old Douglas Spaulding in October of 1928, when the warmth of summer still clings to Green Town, Ill. As in his episodic 1957 novel, Bradbury evokes the rhythms of a long-gone smalltown America with short, swift chapters that build to a lyrical meditation on aging and death. Playing at war, the imaginative Douglas and his friends target the town's elderly men, and the outraged 81-year-old bachelor Calvin C. Quartermain attempts to organize a counterattack against the boys' mischief. Rebelling against their elders-and the specter of age and death-Douglas and his gang steal the old men's chess pieces before deciding that Time, as embodied by the courthouse clock, is their true nemesis. The story turns on a gift of birthday cake that triggers Douglas and Quartermain's mutual recognition: "He had seen himself peer forth from the boy's eyes." Soon thereafter, Douglas's first kiss and new, acute awareness of girls serves as the harbinger of his inevitable adulthood. Bradbury's mature but fresh return to his beloved early writing conveys a depth of feeling. Look for a Q&A with Bradbury in the Aug. 21 issue. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
A follow-up to Bradbury's 1957 novel, Dandelion Wine, this Tom Sawyer-meets-Peter Pan novella is creepier than the first book but retains the elegiac tone and lovely descriptions of 1920s boyhood. In the author's note, Bradbury says he had planned to publish Farewell Summer as part of Dandelion Wine, and it works best as an extension of that book, giving more plot and substance to what was mainly a collection of reminiscences. Doug and Tom, the brothers from Dandelion Wine, have gathered together an army of neighborhood boys. They plan to wage war against some of the town's old men, believing that if they win, they will never have to grow up. They try various tactics-fasting, stealing the old men's chess pieces, destroying the town clock-but ultimately, of course, there is nothing to be done, and time moves pitilessly on. A sequel nearly 50 years in the making will surely find interested readers. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/06.]-Jenne Bergstrom, San Diego Cty. Lib. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Bradbury has yet another lesson to share about growing up and growing old. It's Oct. 1, and the boys of summer are fighting one final battle. Brothers Doug and Tom Spaulding are squeezing the last bit of their freedom out of every day, but school is upon them. Apart from time and the change of season, their primary enemy is Calvin Quartermain, gray-haired member of the school board. And then, with one burst of gunfire from a cap pistol, Doug finds himself the leader of a revolution. For the boys and their sidekicks, it's a revolution against growing up. For the opposition, it's a war against growing old. Skirmishes begin, with both sides suffering casualties in one form or another. Doug and curmudgeonly Quartermain are decades apart in age, but they have a common heritage. The small-town setting is really just window-dressing for the two main characters. The Civil War looms large in this story, framing each section, with Doug carrying the bulk of the narrative. Like Peter Pan, he is the boy who doesn't want to grow old. He's haunted by strange dreams, feelings he does not understand. In his mind, all he can do is lash out at the world. For Quartermain, the battle of wits is a challenge to his manhood. He has the most to lose. In an afterword, Bradbury reveals that this novel was originally part of Dandelion Wine (1957). There's a young boy inside every old man, and Bradbury is no exception. A thin work, heavily reliant on dialogue, but one that serves as an intriguing coda to one of Bradbury's classics.
From the Publisher
[B]eautiful imagery and well-crafted prose.” — Chicago Sun-Times
“An intriguing coda to one of Bradbury’s classics. ” — Kirkus Reviews
“Creepier than [Dandelion Wine] but retains the elegiac tone and lovely descriptions of 1920s boyhood.” — Library Journal
“A touching meditation on memories, aging, and the endless cycle of birth and death.” — Booklist
“Poignant, wise...Bradbury’s mature but fresh return to his beloved early writing conveys a depth of feeling.” — Publishers Weekly
“Bradbury remains a master of inspired storytelling . . . The long-awaited, rewarding conclusion to an American classic.” — Rocky Mountain News
Chicago Sun-Times
[B]eautiful imagery and well-crafted prose.
Booklist
A touching meditation on memories, aging, and the endless cycle of birth and death.
Rocky Mountain News
Bradbury remains a master of inspired storytelling . . . The long-awaited, rewarding conclusion to an American classic.
Booklist
A touching meditation on memories, aging, and the endless cycle of birth and death.
Chicago Sun-Times
[B]eautiful imagery and well-crafted prose.
JUN/JUL 07 - AudioFile
Ray Bradbury is one of America's great science fiction writers, and FAREWELL SUMMER is the relatively brief but highly enjoyable sequel to his 1957 novel, DANDELION WINE. The story focuses upon a mock war between the young and the old in Green Town, Illinois, as well as the sexual awakening of young Doug Spaulding. Robert Fass brings the story to life, using a enlivening mix of emotion and enthusiasm that helps the book seemingly fly by. Fass's distinct characterizations are particularly memorable, especially young Spaulding, who focuses his energies on the town elders and on old man Quartermain, who tries to teach Spaulding and his friends a lesson, only to discover that he may learn more than they do. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine