Green Desire, A

by Anton Myrer

Two brothers, as different as night and day: one, charming and ruthless, buys his way into Harvard, Wall Street, and high society; the other brother remains by his mother's side and makes his way to the top without the influence of money or prestige.

Raised in separate worlds, these brothers are bound by a bitter rivalry for riches and power, but mostly, for the exciting, wildly captivating woman they fight all their lives to possess, a woman whose passion for one destroys her love for the other.

Their story consumes an American century, spanning decades of splendor, struggle, upheaval, and war. It's an absorbing saga of innocent dreams and green desire corrupted by gilded temptation.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Family

580 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 1982

About the author

Anton Myrer, who died of leukemia in 1996, was a best-selling author whose themes were America's loss of innocence and the use and abuse of power. He is particularly remembered for The Last Convertible (1978), a summation of the American experience during and after World War II, and for Once an Eagle (1968), which traces the life of a regular Army officer and his family from before World War I to Vietnam. Orville Prescott, in The New York Times wrote of Once an Eagle: "Myrer is a superb story teller....who cares about the narrative and is a master." The Army War College Foundation, which is republishing the novel this year, describes it as "a perceptive study of the profession of arms an a chilling overview of armed conflict... Myrer forces us to smell and feel the battlefield as well as hear and see it."

Myrer also wrote Evil Under the Sun (1951); The Big War (1957), of which one critic wrote, "I doubt if it is possible to come much closer... to an American War and Peace"; The Violent Shore, (1962); The Intruder: A Novel of Boston (1965); The Tiger Waits (1973); and A Green Desire (1981). The Library has copies of all eight novels in much-read first editions and, in the case of six of the eight, in leather-bound volumes recently donated by Mrs. Myrer.

Born in Worchester, Massachusetts, Myrer grew up in the Berkshires, Cape Cod, and Beacon Hill -- all settings for his novels. A 1941 graduate of Boston Latin School, he interrupted his education at Harvard after Pearl Harbor to enlist in the Marine Corps and spent more than three years in the Pacific. He rose to the rank of corporal, took part in the invasion of Guam, and was wounded. He returned to graduate from Harvard magna cum laude and subsequently lived on the Cape, in Portugal, and at the time of his death, in upstate New York where he received books by mail from the Library

All who have read Myrer's novels know the strength and passion of his moral vision.

by Barbara H. Stanton

http://www.nysoclib.org/notes/notes4-...

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well-written, but not my kind of book.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this years and years ago, and although it's not great literature, for some reason it's a paperback I've never given away and I've read more than once, maybe even more than twice. The author also wrote The Last Convertible and Once an Eagle, and they sit with this one on my shelf as comfort reading when I'm stuck and don't feel like delving into something new. I wish I knew what it was that makes them different for me than other books of their type, but I don't.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s a grand novel by Anton Myrer, the author of the amazing The Last Convertible, which I read back when I was in college (and then again years later), and Once an Eagle, which I haven’t read but will. A Green Desire is a traditional-style novel with larger-than-life characters and a gripping plot that takes the reader through two World Wars, the 1929 stock market crash, the Great Depression and beyond. Past tense, doesn’t jump around in time, with round, memorable characters. I recommend.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very last page of my tatty second-hand copy was almost illegible as more than half of it was missing, but luckily it didn't spoil my enjoyment of this saga of two brothers locked in deadly rivalry.

[Ginny Thurston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as an informative saga about the period from 1911 to 1948...right before I was born. It follows two brothers with different natures and the woman they both love. It covers both world wars, the 1918 pandemic, the roaring 20’s, the crash and the following depression. It tells a lot about what influenced my grandparents and parents...even though they lived in the South as opposed to New England where this book takes place. It is really symbolic about the types of people who have built this nation today...those who make and build and produce as opposed to the CEO’s who use them to build their empires....certainly relevant to the 21st century as well.

[Jennifer Morefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great family saga. I enjoyed it. It was a bit long but otherwise fascinating. It is a family story about the evils of money and how it can destroy lives. I was happy to read it. It was among my mother's books that were left in her house when she passed away. A worthy read IMHO.

[Sandy Menke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an old book but I have vowed to read 100+ of my hard bounds. This one did not disappoint...a good old family saga, although quite different than many, had me captive through most of the book The story will stick with me a long time.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1983. A saga of a life long bitter rivalry between two brothers for power, money and the love of the same woman.

[Mcpee Bhosha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lively characters most people will relate with being the hardworking Tip. Good read.

[Diane Giel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous writing, great insight and understanding.

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a roller coaster of emotion and character, illustrating the evolution of the trio of protagonists over the course of the most tumultuous decades of the twentieth century. The three protagonists are somewhat elevated figures, but far from legendary, each with clearly defined strengths and equally apparent flaws which enhance and contrast with each other in fascinating and engaging ways. Despite the seemingly insurmountable rifts between them, the occasional high moments create a small but desperate hope that, however unlikely, a happy ending is possible...which makes it all the more painful when it comes crashing down.

4⅔/5 (A), a strong exploration of character and half a century of American history.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 1 out of 5]

An epic (562 pages) tale of Tipton and Chapin Ames, two brothers whose lives take such different, yet intertwining paths. The story begins in 1911 and takes the reader through the end of WWII. We also met Jophy Gaspa, the Portuguese girl who consumes the love of both boys and causes the tragic ending to this tale.

Again, another mess of a good beginning and ending with a cumbersome and poorly-edited middle. I found the constant Portuguese references annoying and irrelevant to the plot. The ending is fittingly melodramatic and the plot typically con trigged. Much of it read like a "guy book" but no guy I know would read this long of a book to get where it takes you.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anton Myrer was a great storyteller. Throughout this novel, I kept thinking...this is not going to end well. And, at each phase of the story, it did not. Yet Myrer's talent and skill keep you involved and give you hope. It's a novel about temptation, corruption and choices. It's an American story - from the 20's through both world wars - of the rich and the poor; of power and money. A very good read.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. A romantic and tragic tale of two brothers in competition for the same girl, while proving themselves based on conflicting interests in a world of wealth, status, and poverty, honor and morality, and family obligation.

[Cws]

F Myr

[Debra]

Stephen King recommended per Lilja's Library 1/10/06 Stephen's Picks.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two brothers love the same woman.

[Sarka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Myrer book. Took me some time to get into the story but then it read very well.

[Klaudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Anton Myrer's writing; his sense of place is so compelling. I didn't like this as much as "The Last Convertible" but it was still an evocative and wistful read.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

RDC-M V 2 1982, 11/87. A Green Desire, Anton Myrer. A saga of life-long bitter rivalry between two brothers for money, power and the love of the same woman. Okay.