The bestselling novel from the beloved author of Writing Down the Bones, Wild Mind, and Long Quiet Highway is now available in paperb...
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reviews
Feb 04, 2008
Cdrueallen
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I'd listened to Natalie Goldberg's audio CD on Zen and writing and enjoyed it, so when I saw Banana Rose in the used bookstore, I couldn't resist. Would her fiction live up to her writing instruction? It did. An enjoyable look at the wild hippy life of a New York Jewish girl. The writing is fresh and vital, transporting you to the world of Banana Rose and her lover/husband Gaugin. If I had a complaint, it would be that Banana remains painfully naive and without a trace of the political theory th
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Apr 14, 2010
Philippa
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I was very excited to read this book, as I count Writing Down The Bones as one of my all time favourite books and was intrigued to read some of Goldberg's fiction, to see how she puts all those gems of writing inspiration into practice.
It's an interesting story she tells here - and I have visited New Mexico and adored it, and found the descriptions of the landscape in the novel very authentic and evocative. I found Nell/Banana Rose a bit irritating as a character though - her naivet More...
It's an interesting story she tells here - and I have visited New Mexico and adored it, and found the descriptions of the landscape in the novel very authentic and evocative. I found Nell/Banana Rose a bit irritating as a character though - her naivet More...
Apr 23, 2011
Steve
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This is the kind of book you read in social work school, and write a paper to psychoanalyze the main character, Banana Rose. These days I think about affect regulation. Banana Rose, was an interesting character. I could see that her relationship was doomed, somehow, but not the way it ended. I think her true love was Taos. I liked her sexual poety. I liked her Jewishness and her experimental attitude towards life. Goldberg's writing was clear and smooth, gave you a sense of place from Bou
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May 23, 2008
Alison
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This was the first Natalie Goldberg I ever read and I totally fell in love with it. The book follows Bananna Rose as she deals with love, friendship and life after the hippie-era in Taos, NM. It's pretty artsy and a lot dirty hippie. I love it.
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Jul 13, 2011
Tracy
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At first I didn't think I would like this book but I decided to give it a try and I ended up enjoying it. A book about being a hippie and then trading that lifestyle for becoming a regular everyday person and realizing that you really don't like being a regular person.....I don't think I could live as a hippie....I could probably intigrate some of their ways into my lifestyle....I like electricity and running water too much to give it up....there are some sad things that happen along the way and
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Oct 21, 2008
Hope
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Like Anne Lamott, I like Natalie Goldberg's autobiographical works much better than her fiction.
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May 03, 2008
Laura
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This is a great book. I read it in two days. The imagery and the feelings are so real.
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Sep 11, 2010
Ruby
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Like another author who writes very very well when she writes about herself and about writing (Anne Lamott), Natalie Goldberg sucks at fiction. I love Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within and Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life with an unquenchable passion, just as I love Lamott's Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, and Grace Eventually : Thoughts on Faith
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Jul 19, 2008
Frmaselli
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I just finished reading Banana Rose by Natalie Goldberg for one of my book clubs. I honestly cannot recommend this book. The book has a good premise (hippie girl tries to find herself and becomes a real artist in New Mexico) but the author does a terrible job fleshing out the characters. They are not believable and the dialouge rings false. The dialouge feels very contrived and artificial.
Almost every chapter (sometimes every paragraph) had a sentance that just made me say " More...
Almost every chapter (sometimes every paragraph) had a sentance that just made me say " More...
Jan 31, 2009
melydia
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Like, I suspect, most people who read this book, I picked it up out of a love for Goldberg's books on writing, most notably Writing Down the Bones. In those books she emphasizes freewriting and original detail far more than standard stuff like plot, character, and revision, and it is quite evident in this debut novel. Nell is a hippie living near Taos, New Mexico; this is the story of her journey to becoming an artist. The language is vibrant and the metaphors unforgettable, but the story and
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Dec 03, 2010
Cherie
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A- I wanted to LOVE this like I've adored her nonfiction books, but I got irritated at the crazy narrator at time, at the implausibility of it all. Still, good read, really interesting. Realistic portrayal of how love can die. Also, I really enjoyed how she represented the deep love the narrator has for New Mexico...connecting to a place is something not everyone does.
Mar 18, 2009
Frances
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I'm a big fan of Natalie Goldberg's writing books. I even had the pleasure to study with her last fall. I enjoyed this book, but there were just some things about the main character that bothered me. I can't exactly say what. It was worth it to me, though, especially since I had the chance to meet the author.
Feb 14, 2011
Renee
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I'm still digesting this. It certainly held my attention and the author has good technical style. But the story was a bit unconnected. It was also a bit ... cliche. Well, the characters (who were difficult to really buy and their relationships with each other even less so) were cliche. It was interesting, though, and worth reading.
Mar 17, 2009
Alohadudenyc
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ok... will this book change your life? maybe... maybe not...
will it be a great read? absolutely! natalie goldber's semi-autobiographical novel is a book that i've read many, many times. i love her.
will it be a great read? absolutely! natalie goldber's semi-autobiographical novel is a book that i've read many, many times. i love her.
Dec 23, 2008
Katrina
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I think I partly loved this book because I was in the same age and life situation (kind of) as the main character. I read it again every four years or so though, and I still like it.
Jan 28, 2009
Kelly
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"Above us a waterfall... we felt the sun on our backs, and we slithered over rocks as we joined our juices together as a wide, shallow river." (pp85)
Sep 22, 2007
Mycala
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I would really have preferred to give this two and a half stars, but that option isn't available. I adore Natalie's books on writing -- Wild Mind and Writing Down the Bones are staples on my shelf -- and her writing is vivid and wonderful. But she mentions writing this book in Wild Mind, I think it is, and a friend points out to her that the book has no plot. It's really loosely based on her own life, and I guess I would have had a better opinion of it had I gone into reading it that way rath
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Jan 20, 2009
Karena
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Descriptive and well-written, this book made me want to move to the 4-corners region of the southwest.
Dec 17, 2009
Alyssa
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Natalie Goldberg's books on writing are among my favorites, so perhaps my sights were set too high on Banana Rose. It is with guilt that I give this 3 stars. So much of the story is still vivid in my mind, the images linger...yet, for some reason I was let down when I read it.
Nov 02, 2008
Bob
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I look at the West with romantic eyes, and that probably helped me overlook the shortcomings of this novel. I identified heavily with the main character. The best moment for me was near the end, when she crosses back into New Mexico after a long time away.
Jul 21, 2008
Lydiaohlydia
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I love Natalie's books on writing. I wanted to see how the woman who motivates the world to write actually writes.
I liked the way she writes, but the story was kinda boring. It was her first novel. Perhaps I'll try a newer one?
I liked the way she writes, but the story was kinda boring. It was her first novel. Perhaps I'll try a newer one?
Aug 17, 2007
Dawn
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loved natalie's detailed writing, the setting (read after i first arrived in colorado, and the scenery wasn't so foreign) and the characters/plot. a really enjoyable, beautiful read (2004/05?) (5 *'s)
Feb 23, 2010
Avocados
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I loved the character development in this book but the story itself was a totally bummer. It was all death and divorce and unhappiness. I will consider reading something else by Natalie Goldberg.
Jan 04, 2008
Mary Ann
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This book was a disappointment to me--I had previously read Ms. Goldberg's books about learning to write, and that is where I feel her strength lies. Still, I admire her for branching out.
Sep 13, 2010
Elizabeth
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Since I read this book in high school, it has consistently been the book I most identify with. I've reread it several times, and, yep -- still my favorite.
Jul 03, 2008
Lisa
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Truly abysmal; I was embarrassed for Goldberg. Notice she's never published another novel...one presumes I was not the only one who hated it.
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Jun 26, 2008
Emily
rated it:
I really like writing down the bones, but Banana Rose just left me cold. The old expression, "those who can't do, teach" comes to mind...
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Mar 05, 2008
Julie
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The concept of someone travelling across country, kinda-hippy like didnt appeal to me at first but it was a well-told story, great narration
