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146th out of 287 books
—
117 voters
First Light
In a novel of extraordinary resonance and power, Charles Baxter takes us backward through the lives of Hugh and Dorsey Welch, a brother and sister born and raised in a small Michigan town. We meet them as adults - Dorsey , an eminent astrophysicist, Hugh a quiet unassuming Buick salesman in their hometown - and discover their pasts: difficult marriages, dark and destructiv...more
Hardcover, 286 pages
Published
September 8th 1987
by Viking Books
(first published 1987)
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An interesting novel. I decided to read it based on a recommendation from someone in an online book group. They said it was remarkably well written, especially in how he developed his characters. It was pretty good in that sense, but throughout most of the book I found the characters to be less than believable.
They didn't mention the novel's central device, though, which is that it's written in reverse. It begins at the death of the main character (Hugh), and moves backwards in time, chapter by...more
They didn't mention the novel's central device, though, which is that it's written in reverse. It begins at the death of the main character (Hugh), and moves backwards in time, chapter by...more
Came to this novel because it was on Jodi Picoult's reading recommendations and I'm always interested in books that another author recommends. The main big deal about this book is that it is written in reverse and that made me curious.
This was the author's first novel; pior to this he was known for his short stories and each one of the chapters in this book could really be a short story in itself. The first chapter is actually the end - it is the present day when the brother (Hugh) and sister (D...more
This was the author's first novel; pior to this he was known for his short stories and each one of the chapters in this book could really be a short story in itself. The first chapter is actually the end - it is the present day when the brother (Hugh) and sister (D...more
Sep 24, 2011
Stephen Phillips
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who wants an introduction to Charles Baxter
Everything on earth is what it is and something else. Everything gives off a signal. Most people never hear any of it. Their ears are closed. You have to listen with your whole body, everything in your soul...and to everyone you know, and all objects, everywhere. You can break your soul trying to hear.
I was struck by this quote near the end of Charles Baxter's first novel, First Light. In the scene, one of the protagonists, Hugh, is offered advice by his father after accusing him of being distan...more
I was struck by this quote near the end of Charles Baxter's first novel, First Light. In the scene, one of the protagonists, Hugh, is offered advice by his father after accusing him of being distan...more
I was in a field practicum where our professor enjoyed incorporating literature with our lessons on psychopharmacology and therapy, but he never went over it. In the middle of the story, I doubted my patience in finishing it, but I read the entire book and really really tried to figure out its relevancy to our course. Unfortunately I never did. I tried to go into it with an open mind, I really did, but it was painstaking to get through. I found the narrative thread (done in reverse chronological...more
Dorsy, her son Noah, and her husband Simon (who doesn’t like to use maps) are driving from Buffalo, New York to visit Dorsy’s brother Hugh, who lives with his family in their parent’s old house in Five Oaks, Michigan. Dorsy moved to California and became a successful astrophysicist while Hugh remained in the same town his whole life and became a car salesman.
Charles Baxter goes back in time with each chapter of this novel to show how very different the lives of siblings Hugh and Dorsy can be…fro...more
Charles Baxter goes back in time with each chapter of this novel to show how very different the lives of siblings Hugh and Dorsy can be…fro...more
The first chapter of this book introduces you to a brother and a sister in their forties who are celebrating the Fourth of July together, along with their families. There is some tension between the siblings, but they also obviously have a lot of affection for each other. The secret of that tension and affection is revealed in chapters that unfold in reverse chronological order. So, the second chapter is about the sister and brother just days before they meet for the Fourth of July. It follows t...more
I've readother novels by Charles Baxter and they were fantastic. However, though this story is not terrible, it can be a bit monotonious when reading about Dorsey and her affair with Carlo Pavorese. His rantings are so drawn out that halfway through reading, I was skeptical about my patience in finishing the book. I struggled through and I am glad I did, because the end is far better than the middle. I would not recommend this novel, but would very much refer readers to his other works, such as...more
I read this because Charles Baxter taught creative writing at the U of MN while I went there. I never actually took one of his classes, but his name was familiar to me.
He's a fantastic writer. First Light has so many vivid characters - no one's forgettable, and everyone seems real. The narrative structure of the book - reverse chronology - is a bit kitschy, but I appreciate that he didn't take the predictable route of alluding to and then revealing awful childhoods. Hugh and Dorsey actually had...more
He's a fantastic writer. First Light has so many vivid characters - no one's forgettable, and everyone seems real. The narrative structure of the book - reverse chronology - is a bit kitschy, but I appreciate that he didn't take the predictable route of alluding to and then revealing awful childhoods. Hugh and Dorsey actually had...more
I finished this book at 11 o'clock at night, and as a result I couldn't sleep without medication.
I mean this as an ultimate compliment, this book stuck with me in a way I haven't experienced in years. The narrative continually works backward, which shifts the focus of the book away from the plot (we know how it ends) to the characters. Beautiful story.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.
I mean this as an ultimate compliment, this book stuck with me in a way I haven't experienced in years. The narrative continually works backward, which shifts the focus of the book away from the plot (we know how it ends) to the characters. Beautiful story.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.
The story gave me the perspective of an older male sibling's unique responsibility to look out for the younger ones. The backwards approach to the timeline also brings a reminder of the adult is the product of the child and the sum of his life experiences.
When I started this book, I said, "Wow, finally a good one." My previous two readings were bummers. Anyway, the more I read, the more I wondered the author's point. The writing itself is excellent. It's the story's time line that bothered me.
"What if the universe is in an infinite process of expansion and contraction, like the bellows of an accordian being played through the creation time, it's obliteration, and it's recreation?"
"I may be getting too old to stalk and discover the elusive banality of truth."
"I may be getting too old to stalk and discover the elusive banality of truth."
I really like the way this author writes. This is a very tender family story that is told in retrospect.
Mar 06, 2012
Lisa Hayes
marked it as to-read
Author Jodi Picoult named this one of her "made a difference" books in O magazine.
This slim novel is fantastic. I will read everything this writer writes.
May 30, 2010
Kristin
marked it as to-read
Real Simple recommendation by readers. (short-stories)
Spoiler: This book moves backwards.
Like all Charles Baxter books
Mar 06, 2012
Kathryn
marked it as to-read
recommended by Jody Picoult
I must read everything Charles Baxter has ever written.
Nice.
This rating reflects the excellent writing--I didn't necessarily love it but I appreciated it. Very character driven, it retraces the lives on a brother and sister and the things that drive and define their relationship. It literally goes backward as each chapter details an earlier incident than the last. It was satisfying and in satisfying at the same time.
I was recommended this book in reference to my own work, which I now see is a huge compliment. I wanted to spend more time with all these characters. The reading is so natural yet not shallow, structured in reverse time so we end with the brother and sister unit meeting for the first time. Hugh, Dorsey, Simon, Noah, physics, love, reading people.
A novel that moves backwards in time, from present to past, to tell the story of Dorsey Welch, an astrophysicist studying the origins of the universe, and her brother Hugh. Hugh remains in the small-town house where they were born, while Dorsey travels to California and becomes a wife and mother as well as a successful scientist.
I've been trying to decide if this is book is a 3 star or a 4 star. I wasn't really in love with this book while I was reading it, although I do find myself thinking about certain scenes and sentences after I finished reading it for quite sometime. If you like "atonement", you might like this one too.
El estilo de este autor, sencillo y plácido aunque con una narración hacia atrás en el tiempo muy curiosa, en esta novela se centra en la relación entre hermanos con todo lo que eso implica. Muy recomendable
Feb 27, 2008
Karen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-book-club-favorites
One of my favorites. We start at a point in time in a relationship and then the story is told backwards through time to reveal how the relationship evolved.
Had a good books conversation with a fellow at a garden party last year and he recommended it.
It's no Feast of Love, but it'll do a decent impression of it on a long, boring train ride.
A beautiful, lyrical, and tender novel. Baxter is one of the best novelists writing today.
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Charles Baxter was born in Minneapolis and graduated from Macalester College, in Saint Paul. After completing graduate work in English at the State University of New York at Buffalo, he taught for several years at Wayne State University in Detroit. In 1989, he moved to the Department of English at the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor and its MFA program. He now teaches at the University of Minnes...more
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