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For Kings and Planets
by
Ethan Canin
From the celebrated author of The Palace Thief and Emperor of the Air, comes this stunning novel about the relationship between two very different men. Orno Tarcher travels from a small town in Missouri to New York City to attend Columbia University, where he begins a new life feeling unsophisticated and insecure. He soon strikes up a friendship with Marshall Emerson, a ...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
October 1st 1999
by Picador
(first published 1998)
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I didn't know a thing about this book when I picked it up, which is nice: no baggage. I think I checked it out because Sarah Haskins said she liked it in an interview and I pretty much take book recs wherever I can get them (if the recommender seems intelligent, that is). So anyway, allow me to load some baggage on you in case you're interested in reading it.
Apparently Canin has a thing about midwestern straight men and charismatic others who draw the stolid ones into their orbit. Th...more
Apparently Canin has a thing about midwestern straight men and charismatic others who draw the stolid ones into their orbit. Th...more
Boy, I tried with this one. I love Canin's short stories (and I feel like I should read Emperor of the Air again as a palate-cleanser), but this one just left me cold. I read about 100 pages then set it aside in frustration for a couple of weeks, then gave it another 50 pages to get interesting, then decided life is too short to read books that bore me.
Perhaps it was because I had such a bad experience with The Cheese Monkeys -- which has a similar "sheltered Midwesterner's lif...more
Perhaps it was because I had such a bad experience with The Cheese Monkeys -- which has a similar "sheltered Midwesterner's lif...more
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In Canin’s novel For Kings and Planets, he examines the friendship of two very different young men trying to find their way in the world. Marshall is a brilliant mind, but he suffers from a penchant for self-destruction. His torn relations with his father have him channeling his genius towards acute destructiveness. Marshall’s wounded soul is balanced against the wandering spirit of Orno, an intelligent, hardworking scholarly type. Their friendship is bridged by the women they love, the families...more
Hardly an aphorism, For Kings and Planets rehashes the age-old parables about wealth, status, lineage, and regionalism, and yet Canin does pretty well standing on the shoulders of giants, here. His language isn't as lyrical as the bookjacket suggests, but he does have beautiful moments. Most of his strongest writing is in sentences that aren't vividly limned, but succinct and smart, encapsulating the worlds he's trying to describe.
The book's plot obviously rests in its characters, n...more
The book's plot obviously rests in its characters, n...more
This is one of those books that's so gorgeously written that I'm going to like it no matter what the subject matter is. In For Kings and Planets, a small-town Missouri boy moves to New York City for college, and on his first day there meets a fellow student whose powerful personality draws him into his orbit in spite of their differences. The whole thing is perhaps a somewhat typical coming-of-age story that doesn't do a lot to challenge stereotypes about wide-eyed rural Midwesterners vs. world-...more
A really fine novel, with marvelously complex characters, always surprising, always inscrutable, yet always believable characters I really cared deeply about. It's a pretty simple story, but full of surprising turns that always bring a new revelation about the meaning of character. In the end, it's another coming-of-age story, but a very unusual one because of its focus on character. It's a celebration, in some ways, of good old-fashioned midwestern virtues of sturdiness & diligence, loyalty & d...more
I love to read Ethan Canin's writing. This novel, however, didn't enchant me like some of his other novels and short stories. I had a hard time relating to the characters, even though Canin takes care to give you a rich, multi-layered understanding of their complexities. The protagonist is a college freshman when the novel begins. The story tracks his friendship with another college student from a different economic class, following their history through the next 8 years or so. I was disappointe...more
I'm still basking in the glow of reading this book. Trying to decide if it was more "Great Gatsby" or "Oryx and Crake." Either way, I loved it.
Maybe after some time passes and I think more about the book -- instead of the nostalgia it inspired in me -- it'll lose a little luster. But isn't that what a good book is supposed to do? Make you reflect on your own life and ponder your choices and where you're headed?
"For Kings and Planets" isn't a ...more
Maybe after some time passes and I think more about the book -- instead of the nostalgia it inspired in me -- it'll lose a little luster. But isn't that what a good book is supposed to do? Make you reflect on your own life and ponder your choices and where you're headed?
"For Kings and Planets" isn't a ...more
Another great book from Ethan Canin. It tells the story of a young man from Missouri who comes to NYC in the fall of 1974 to start college at Columbia. He becomes best friends with a guy from NYC and later becomes involved with that guy's sister. The book follows their lives into mid-adulthood, touching on issues such as how people from very different worlds come together and whether they can really ever know each other, how you find your place in the world, and are we all destined to become ...more
Coming of age story about, Orno Tarcher, a midwestern farm boy who moves to NYC to attend Columbia. There he comes into the orbit of Marshall Emerson, an intense and devilishly entertaining boy from Manhattan. Orno gets involved with Marshall's family and learns their family secrets. In the process, he learns about himself and about what is important in life. It is somewhat overwritten, especially in the beginning. I found it a likeable read about interesting characters and with a decent amount ...more
Orno tarcher is originally from Missouri but later arrives in New York. He feels disadvantage and misunderstood by his parents who wants him to make the right choices and consider the values they taught him. He attends a prestigious university where he meets Marshall Emerson; charismatic man from a worldly family and the two form a friendship. One is bent on destruction, and the other one is passive about life and the career they want to make from themselves. Tensions between rivalry, friendshi...more
The Great Gatsby redux, but Orno is no Nick Carraway. Somehow Orno never quite comes to life; his voice and sensibility feel too much like the author rather than like the somewhat pedestrian character he has created. The book was well-received when it came out in the late 90's, but after a hundred pages the plot became predictable, and the attempts at suspense were resolved too soon and too glibly.
This is one of those books that pops into my head occasionally. I recently thought of it again when re-reading the Great Gatsby. There is a similar play of midwest against east coast in this book. I really enjoyed reading about a midwestern character who I recognized in so many ways from my own family's heritage.
I agree with some of the other readers that Ethan's writing wasn't as "magical" as some of the short stories of his I've read, but I did enjoy his ability to bring the characters to life. I was pulled along by the hope that Orno's marriage would work out and not be sabotaged by Marshall.
Not a novel -- literature -- of the highest order -- recalls Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Hemingway. A beautiful book about the struggles of being ordinary.
After having read America America and now For Kings and Planets I have to say I am definitely a Dr. Canin fan. While not as good as America America in my mind, this novel has a lot of the same attributes that I love in fiction -- smart characters, a compelling story and a literary writing style.
I'd put Canin in the same category with Richard Ford, Richard Russo, Michael Chabon and that ilk. This novel, written ten years before America America, definitely showed the promise that would...more
I'd put Canin in the same category with Richard Ford, Richard Russo, Michael Chabon and that ilk. This novel, written ten years before America America, definitely showed the promise that would...more
First of Canin's books I've read. I agree with the blurb. The story line is simple but he made it facinating.
Young people of different classes meet and their lives unfold. Similar to America America.
I really liked the writing, especially the beautiful city/landscape descriptions. For that reason I would like to read something else by this author. That being said, I did not love this story. It was a slow start followed by undulating cycle of angst, poor choices and love. The ending was half and half - messy and neat. Not satisfying at all.
"Hardship made character, Hardship broke character; That was the paradox."
I got this book from my voice teacher who was cleaning out her library. She said it was "okay", and I took it home. While the prose is beautiful, everything felt so gravely serious...and not much happens. I'm probably not the intended audience for this book because I have a hard time with anything gravely serious or seriously literary. The 91 pages I did read featured gorgeous descriptions of New York City, but it's not enouch to keep me hooked for the remainder of the novel.
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Beautiful writing. Pointless and somewhat predictable story.
Mallorylnelson1
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One of my favorite books of all time.
A reread from years ago. Love Ethan Canin - maybe one of my favorite authors. It was like reading something brand new!
While I thought the writing in this book was very good, not a single character was likable.
This book made me cry. Literally. It's power is in character development. Nothing unique about the narrative structure or themes. Boy meets boy, boy falls in love with boy's sister, problems ensue. But what a boy. Canin's reading at ODU Lit Fest promises to be a treat. I hope to get a review copy of his new novel (due out next spring) to read / review for Port Folio Weekly.
signed & inscribed by author
I loved this book about two boys who meet in college and stay in and out of touch for many years. It shows the different paths they took based on the experiences they had in college (and also in their childhoods which are briefly explored.) It was a very beautiful book which I sent to my brother to read.
When a friend handed me this book, they compared it to The Great Gatsby and I remember thinking...sure, whatever. But the themes that Canin wrestles with in this book are similar, they are updated, and he's more emotionally available. This was a book I simply could not put down.
Really good, even on the second read. I picked it up originally because the author went to my high school and I felt some sort of loyalty. But was glad I did, and glad enough to read it again. A solid read with beautiful writing.
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Ethan Canin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He received early encouragement for his writing from a teacher at his prep school, the bestselling author Danielle Steel. A graduate of Stanford University, he received a master's in fine arts from the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop before shifting gears to enroll in Harvard Medical School. Canin continued to work as a physician as he wrote and publ...more
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