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The Outer Edges
A romance Novel.
191 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
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Charles Jackson
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 10, 2020
Not nearly as good as The Lost Weekend. Very slow-moving.
In The Lost Weekend, writer Don Birnam was such an interesting character that his musings (often about art, music, literature) didn't becomes tedious. Also, there was a certain urgency to the plot: you knew Wick would be coming back at the end of the weekend, so you wondered how Don would manage to get everything back in order before Wick returned. The Outer Edges starts out well, as Aaron Adams leaves home on a beautiful morning, feeling that "today would be his." But then the novel rambles on and on, 5% action and 95% boring reflections on the part of many characters, most of whom aren't as interesting as Don Birnam.
It's interesting as a "slice of life" depicting New York City and suburbs circa 1948, but otherwise not very engaging.
In The Lost Weekend, writer Don Birnam was such an interesting character that his musings (often about art, music, literature) didn't becomes tedious. Also, there was a certain urgency to the plot: you knew Wick would be coming back at the end of the weekend, so you wondered how Don would manage to get everything back in order before Wick returned. The Outer Edges starts out well, as Aaron Adams leaves home on a beautiful morning, feeling that "today would be his." But then the novel rambles on and on, 5% action and 95% boring reflections on the part of many characters, most of whom aren't as interesting as Don Birnam.
It's interesting as a "slice of life" depicting New York City and suburbs circa 1948, but otherwise not very engaging.
October 19, 2020
It is a bright sparkling day in September 1948. The type you see in those widescreen brightly technicolored soap opera movies of the 50s A big pr firm executive looks forward to returning to New York from his one month family vacation. A neglected wife takes her husband to the train and anticipates her empty rest of the day. A warped young man walks in the warm sun, and sees a beautiful 1947 Town and Country station wagon, longs after this machine and then sees someone has left the keys in it...
If you are looking for a 1948 period piece featuring Westchester County (New York), this will more than satisfy. The problem is plot and characters and theme. The character vignettes are linked, unconvincingly, by a brutal crime. The lead character is a 38 year old pr guy who acts like a cad but, in the end, gets what he wants because he has an epiphany. Other characters are less fleshed out, but seem to be around to support a theme that the USA doesn’t deal with horrible crimes well. (I could be wrong on this — the plotting is a mess).
However, if you ever wondered about the romance felt by so many young men to a certain kind of vintage car, this might be the book that gets you to feel it. Much of the writing is of stunning quality. I just wish this worked as a novel.
If you are looking for a 1948 period piece featuring Westchester County (New York), this will more than satisfy. The problem is plot and characters and theme. The character vignettes are linked, unconvincingly, by a brutal crime. The lead character is a 38 year old pr guy who acts like a cad but, in the end, gets what he wants because he has an epiphany. Other characters are less fleshed out, but seem to be around to support a theme that the USA doesn’t deal with horrible crimes well. (I could be wrong on this — the plotting is a mess).
However, if you ever wondered about the romance felt by so many young men to a certain kind of vintage car, this might be the book that gets you to feel it. Much of the writing is of stunning quality. I just wish this worked as a novel.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews