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320th out of 349 books
—
180 voters
Alfred and Guinevere
by
James Schuyler,
Harry Zohn , John Ashbery (Goodreads Author)
One of the finest American poets of the second half of the twentieth century, James Schuyler was at the same time a remarkable novelist. Alfred and Guinevere are two children who have been sent by their parents to spend the summer at their grandmother's house in the country. There they puzzle over their parents' absence and their relatives' habits, play games and pranks, m...more
Paperback, 126 pages
Published
November 30th 2000
by NYRB Classics
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Jun 07, 2008
Karl Steel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of the editing in Malick's Days of Heaven + The Young Visitors
Recommended to Karl by:
Stoop Sale + the publisher itself + my own bourgeois striving
Shelves:
postmedieval_fiction
Compulsively readable, suitable for the dinner table, this camp novel is set largely in the dialog of two children, a young boy and his (presumably) 14-15ish sister. Are children naturally campy? After all, can't we say that camp is a funny (or wry? or deliberate: and if deliberate, strike the previous suggestion) version of the uncanny? And what's more uncanny, and prone to sensations of uncanniness, than a child?
A representative bit, when Alfred wants to add something to the letter Guinevere i...more
A representative bit, when Alfred wants to add something to the letter Guinevere i...more
There's a wonderful rhythm to the language that never feels affected. Another notable and less discussed virtue of Alfred and Guinevere is how nuanced and well presented the darker elements of the adult world are, not fully comprehended and processed through the eyes of the pre-adolescent characters.
Nov 24, 2009
Amber
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Salingerites
Recommended to Amber by:
Foyles
Shelves:
read-adult
Schuyler has a perfect ear for the thoughts and speech of real children. How could this self-described "jolly, overweight" middle-aged man so perfectly capture what it feels like to be a 13 year old girl? Amazing.
An interesting little novella from 1958. The protagonists are two young siblings. Their interaction reminds me some of Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird.
bah.
Fans of Schuyler's poetry (and J.D. Salinger's short stories) might enjoy this short novel about brother and sister from the city who spend a summer at their Uncle's in the 'burbs. What's For Dinner? seems like a more fully-formed work (whatever that means) than this book, but it was a light, funny read that made me smile on the beach (beach not included with purchase of book).
This is maybe a 3.5 star book. It's quite enjoyable, and the author really pegs the voices of these two precocious children. Reading passages from Guinevere's diary often felt a little like looking back at my own adolescent diary.
Nov 12, 2007
Bradley
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people
Shelves:
jackson-heights-book-club
This is a sweet book about childhood and disillusionment. James Schuyler writes from a kid's perspective in an authentic and compelling way. It's subtle, funny and heartbreaking at the same time - reminds me of JD Salinger!
Charming and sophisticated. A view of adult affairs through the eyes of two precocious children (the title characters). Am homage to James's What Maisie Knew. Should I have liked it more? It's slight.
SImple, light and breezy. Much LIke his poetry. But when I say light I am referring to the way it reads. This doesn't mean the book has no profundity.
This is more a novella than novel. It's funny in the right places, and just ambiguous enough to please Henry James.
Cute short kids story, but with adult undertones... incredible at being simple, and leave you guessing.
Basic story of two children-a quick read, but not that memorable. NYRB.
May 14, 2013
Michelle
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May 09, 2013
Leona
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Apr 20, 2013
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Mar 26, 2013
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Mar 10, 2013
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Mar 03, 2013
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