The Falls in Around the World in 80 Books

Aug 29, 2009 John rated it did not like it

Shelves: nearly-thrown-in-disgust

My first JCO book and possibly my last. Some great ideas and stunning imagery, but The Falls got on my nerves pretty fast. Oates' pen tends to linger for pages (and pages and pages)on events that other writers would condense into one or two sentences. In particular, the play-by-play on hotel staff handling a woman whose husband just threw himself into Niagara Falls was excruciating. That Oates intermittently punctuates her descriptions by italicizing the mostly cliched inner thoughts of her char ...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Kathleen Valentine rated it really liked it

I thought this was an absolutely astonishing story. The writing is deep, and, though there were many times when I thought it seemed to go on a bit, I found myself still caught up in the rhythm of her astonishing prose. The central character, Ariah, is not a very likable character. On the first night of her honeymoon in Niagara Falls in the early 1950s, her new husband leaves their bed, walks to the Falls and throws himself over. Ariah finds the suicide note h left but destroys it without telling I thought this was an absolutely astonishing story. The writing is deep, and, though there were many times when I thought it seemed to go on a bit, I found myself still caught up in the rhythm of her astonishing prose. The central character, Ariah, is not a very likable character. On the first night of her honeymoon in Niagara Falls in the early 1950s, her new husband leaves their bed, walks to the Falls and throws himself over. Ariah finds the suicide note h left but destroys it without telling anyone. During the seven days that Ariah keeps watch as police search for his body, a young lawyer, Dirk Burnaby, keeps her company.

A month later Ariah is back in Troy, NY when Burnaby shows up, tells her he can't get her out of his mind, and begs her to marry him. She does and they move back to Niagara Falls where Burnaby grew up in a prominent and affluent family. Burnaby's devotion to his wife is both admirable and baffling. They have three children though Ariah is never sure if their first-born son, Chandler, belongs to Dirk or her first husband, however unlikely that may seem. Throughout the years she continually hears stories about the "Widow Bride," the sad young woman whose husband left her on their wedding night and "fell" into the gorge.

With three small children and a successful law practice, Dirk makes a difficult decision, he decides to take the case of a group of working class people whose lives are being ruined by mysterious illnesses. They all live in an area known as Love Canal. It is an unfortunate decision because it destroys Dirk's standing in the community, and eventually, his life.

The second half of the book is told from the points of view of each of their three children - Chandler, Royall, and Juliet -- as each seeks to find the truth of their father's life.

This is a deep, dark, extraordinary book in which the Falls themselves become as much a character within the story as any of the others. It is not a book for everyone but I found it mesmerizing and I'm sure it will haunt me for a very long time. ...more

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Nov 12, 2008 Carole rated it really liked it

An intersting peek at the history of the Love Canal and some wacky characters, which Oates is so adept at creating. This book seemed shorter in the reading than it was in reality. I wanted it to end differently.

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