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The Suicide Run: Five Tales of the Marine Corps
Before writing his memoir of madness, Darkness Visible, William Styron was best known for his ambitious works of fiction–including The Confessions of Nat Turner and Sophie’s Choice. Styron also created personal but no less powerful tales based on his real-life experiences as a U.S. Marine. The Suicide Run collects five of these meticulously rendered narratives. One of them...more
Audio CD, 0 pages
Published
October 6th 2009
by Random House Audio
(first published 2009)
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If you are looking for tales of glory and honor extolling the Marine Corps this book is not for you. If you are looking for: short stories that vividly capture the heat and humidity of the South in summer while training for war; what it feels like to be young and wanting to get laid before you make the final sacrifice; feeling bitter that you didn't get to taste combat but relieved you didn't; and dealing with what to do with yourself after a war and learning how to not say the f word in normal...more
Picked this one up by chance, and was blown away by the writing. Probably because I had never heard of Styron before, and guessed this was just some ex-Marine looking to fill his retirement by writing war stories. Nope, definitely an impressive author. The stories were rich and artistic, while keeping a good pace and holding the reader's interest.
My only complaint is that the last three stories were so connected it seemed more like a short novel, which unfortunately ended prematurely. Also, the...more
My only complaint is that the last three stories were so connected it seemed more like a short novel, which unfortunately ended prematurely. Also, the...more
Five short stories about Styron’s experience in the Marines in WWII and the Korean War. Very competent case studies with some good insights. Great description of a soldier on the eve of an assault who has conceived the ultimate coward’s way out, which was probably a coping mechanism. There were some unresolved issues, such as the reference to his relationship with a woman during his time training for WWII (the Suicide Run). I read this during my time with Rob in Columbia at the Residence Inn aft...more
When news of William Styron’s death came in November of 2006, some of us who had loved his writings for decades but who had never known the man himself felt a distinct sense of anticlimax, as if the announcement were a mere redundancy—an unnecessary reconfirmation of something we had already known for a very long time. After all, Styron the man departed this world not too long ago; but Styron the writer had already left the building many years earlier.
Writing was never easy for William Styron. H...more
Writing was never easy for William Styron. H...more
I've read some prior raving reviews about the book and I feel I might not be in the same league because I found it hard to keep on reading the book and forcing my self through it.
I gave the 3 stars since The Suicide Run chapter was funny and His father's house Chapter was very interesting moral issues for the era that I enjoy, but I'm sorry I wasn't connected at all.
I gave the 3 stars since The Suicide Run chapter was funny and His father's house Chapter was very interesting moral issues for the era that I enjoy, but I'm sorry I wasn't connected at all.
I bought this because I'm about to move to Port Warwick in Newport News, VA, so I'm excited to read his stuff. I liked this because my husband is a newly commissioned second lieutenant as is the main character in many of these stories. "Suicide Run" wasn't the violent story I thought it would be but the actuality of it was kind of funny and touching. Glad I've finally started reading his stuff--next I'll have to read "Sophie's Choice," maybe while sitting in Styron Square.
I've read some prior raving reviews about the book and I feel I might not be in the same league because I found it hard to keep on reading the book and forcing my self through it.
I gave the 3 stars since The Suicide Run chapter was funny and His father's house Chapter was very interesting moral issues for the era that I enjoy, but I'm sorry I wasn't connected at all.
I gave the 3 stars since The Suicide Run chapter was funny and His father's house Chapter was very interesting moral issues for the era that I enjoy, but I'm sorry I wasn't connected at all.
I'm not a war story buff, and I've never read anything by Styron before, but clearly I was missing out. The stories were riveting. Styron's characters have depth that is missing in most short stories, and the stories themselves are self-contained gems with picturesque prose. He inspires me to write.
Excellent stories of what it is like to serve in the military - though he didn't like the life much himself when he was in. Of course, the Korean War was not a great time to serve. Easier to read, and oddly more upbeat than "Sophie's Choice" or Confessions on "Nat Turner."
I was going to give this one 3 stars, as I admired the craft of the first three stories but found myself only mildly engaged. But the beautiful, vivid "My Father's House," apparently the beginning to an unfinished novel, is one of the best short stories I have ever read.
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While not my favorite Styron work, it was an enjoyable and quick read. My only criticism is that the stories seemed to not quite reach their conclusion. Of course since they were published posthumously...
Great great writing. There are three long stories here, all early works. I like them better than some of the longer things I've read. Just terrific.
5 tales of the Marine Corps, the best being the opening section of an abandoned novel, 'My Father's House'. Wish he hadn't abandoned it.
Charming and engrossing with an edge since it took place during WWII for the most part.
realities of soldiering.
Before I read this, I thought it was just a set of pieces connected vaguely by the marines theme slapped together to make sure Styron was an earner even from the grave. Well maybe it is, but it isn't just that. The first story on the theme of marines-as-one-big-prison (written with compassion for the people in it) connects oddly well with the other pieces written decades later. Good stuff.
This is a memoir, and has little of direct combat stories. Styron's writing is superb, and this book encouraged me to want to read other works of his. The stories are unveven in terms of interest, but "The Suicide Run" is hilarious.
A terrific book in an understated way. Nothing earth shattering but I felt like I was there through it all. Sparse of word, deep in significance. I'm gonna continue reading more of him. I thought Sophie's Choice was excellent
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William Styron (1925–2006), born in Newport News, Virginia, was one of the greatest American writers of his generation. Styron published his first book, Lie Down in Darkness, at age twenty-six and went on to write such influential works as the controversial and Pulitzer Prize–winning The Confessions of Nat Turner and the international bestseller Sophie’s Choice.
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Jul 11, 2010 10:01am