Hamilton Stark: A novel

by Russell Banks

Hamilton Stark is a New Hampshire pipe fitter and the sole inhabitant of the house from which he evicted his own mother. He is the villain of five marriages and the father of a daughter so obsessed that she has been writing a book about him for years. Hamilton Stark is a boor, a misanthrope, a handsome man: funny, passionately honest, and a good dancer. The narrator, a middle-aged writer, decides to write about Stark as a hero whose anger and solitude represent passion and wisdom. At the same time that he tells Hamilton Stark's story, he describes the process of writing the novel and the complicated connections between truth and fiction. As Stark slips in and out of focus, maddeningly elusive and fascinatingly complex, this beguiling novel becomes at once a compelling meditation on identity and a thoroughly engaging story of life on the cold edge of New England.

Genres: Fiction, Novels, Contemporary

309 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Russell Banks was a member of the International Parliament of Writers and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous international prizes and awards. He has written fiction, and more recently, non-fiction, with Dreaming up America. His main works include the novels Continental Drift, Rule of the Bone, Cloudsplitter, The Sweet Hereafter, and Affliction. The latter two novels were each made into feature films in 1997.

Reviews

[Melinda Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave it 100 pages, it didn't get any better,I gave up on it :(

[Richard Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book from one of my favorite authors. On the one hand, it is a brilliantly crafted novel with impactful writing and a uniquely original take about catching a narrator who is putting together a book about his friend.

This friend is a New Hampshire pipefitter, the father of one daughter, and a five-time divorcee. He's cruel, mean, ungrateful, and a slob who only sees the world the way he sees the world. You cannot influence him on anything, out of principle.

Without anybody to cheer for in this nove-in-a-novel, Banks hypnotizes with a whodunit for a man whodeserveit. And it's Banks' gift for prose, characters, and places that keeps us turning the pages.

"Wait," you say. "That sounds like you like it?"

Not exactly. I like all that I mentioned, but not anything else. I can learn from it, study it, and praise Banks again for his craft. But compared to his other books, I don't care for this character, fascinating as he is. I don't care about his daughter or five wives or mother or junk piled up in the field. I don't care for the narrator much, either.

So, while it's a great portrait of an unpleasant man, that's all we're left with. As such, it's almost a variety you don't see in other Banks books. The author knows what he is doing, and by doing it, you're aware of his existence behind the narrator. So, really, maybe it's me. I prefer to forget about the author and immerse myself in the characters as I have done with almost every other Banks book. But here, I could never break through the barrier of this being a "tell me" book because that is what it is.

No matter. There is still plenty to learn here, and I remain a Banks fan. Maybe you will feel this way too.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young Russell Banks (this is his second novel) plays narrator and point of view games and gets a bit precocious to the book's detriment in "Hamilton Stark." While this portrait of a cantankerous New Englander has Banks' already outstanding way with words going for it, the author is trying too hard to prove his mettle. Banks writes a novel about another man writing a novel based on a real person, with the man's daughter also writing a novel about the guy. Simpler would have been better, though I'm sure a lot of people admire the approach (probably more than they like the story).

Banks is a little too big for his britches here, in my opinion. He starts the history of Hamilton Stark with a good dozen pages about the history of the area, starting with glaciers! Dull. Rather than getting us inside the story, Banks gets us inside Banks and just how talented he is as a relative newcomer. Which, yes, he is, but he improved greatly later, when he let his originality and skill serve the stories much better. This one's an occasionally admirable but frustrating failure.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am slogging through this on principle, it is a Russell Banks novel and I paid for it. Beyond that, no other reason. It is my least favorite of his novels I have read so far. Story has not grabbed me, did not care for the format cared nothing one way or the other about any of the characters in the book. Listening to it on audible, only 30 minutes left. Will be glad when I am done.

[ann dana · Rating 1 out of 5]

For some reason this book would not download from my library. Is this Amazon's doing?Been reading some bad stuff about their meddling!!!

another problem with a too big company? Shoddy merchandise, constant returns etc. That's the norm consumers are fed up!! Stay out of Libraries

[Vincent Mollica]

❤️

[Steve Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty odd one. In a good way. Lots of male/female stuff.
I did a video about it

https://youtu.be/7SwsdT22Vhc?si=HTWcP...

[Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now THIS is what I come to expect when reading Russell Banks. Banks, when he is at his best, tells stories of the relationships between incredibly flawed humans. While the "hero" of the work is the irascible miscreant, Hamilton Stark, the story is actually about those who would dare to love or admire such a person and whether such a person deserves such love and admiration and if those who would do so are in the wrong for doing so. Hamilton Stark also seems to derive from a point in Banks' career where he believed he needed to take stylistic in his writing, perhaps believing the story telling was not strong enough to stand on its own, as it would in his later works. The stylistic chances that don't pay off in Family Life, do pay off here (things such as four chapter fours and a chapter with a giant footnote that in a normal novel would be a chapter on its own--but in context they both work.) Definitely a must read for those wanting to get to know the works of Russell Banks.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this novel, Russell Banks has gone on to write other books filled with characters who are difficult, hard to understand people. Cloudsplitter (about John Brown) and Darling (which features various murderous types) come to mind. This earlier book about a fictional character, Hamilton Stark, though, might be among the worst protagonists ever written about. On the surface, Hamilton comes off as the result of damage done in a fraught family situation. The tragedy of Hamilton seems to be that he feels no compunction to stop the chain. One is not sure if Hamilton is damaged or just emotionally lazy. As miserable a character Hamilton Stark is, Banks presents the facets of his story well, if not completely; the things not said echo through this book. The things explicitly said come through powerfully.

Not an easy read, but one worth doing.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually I really like formal innovation, in particular in prose since it is so unusual in that genre. So I admired this book, but I didn't actually like it at all. And it's not because the main character(s) are so unappealing; I don't think that's a particularly useful reason for liking or disliking a book. I guess I disliked the book because the tone never varied, even when the form did. And I have to wonder: is that maybe not a strength, that in the face of formal innovation a consistent tone was achieved? Doesn't that keep the book unified when the form of the chapters keeps being so cleverly manipulated? So I guess my reason for not liking the book is not a particularly useful one either....

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Banks is an interesting writer, to say the least.

This novel is about a novelist researching the life of Hamilton Stark to write a fictional accounting of Stark's life (????). Stark is a pipe welder who kills his own father, kicks his mother out of her own house, has a bad relationship with his one daughter, gets married five times, and lives his life by checklists and exactly as he wishes. An interesting although very unlikable character.

Banks seems to try all kinds of prose writing techniques throughout the novel. It is hard to say what the overall storyline really is and probably will not be memorable over time.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rather experimental novel explores the life of local New Hampshire manly-man Hamilton Stark. No one seems to like him except the narrator, who obviously likes him way too much. Begs the question: if someone is a total jerk does that mean they have found a unique and worthwhile philosophy for living, or are they just a jerk?

[Monkey King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Banks is the best. i would never read a book like this but his writing is so good that I could not stop. I have to admit it took me a few months to finally get going on this one but once I started to get deep it was good. Again Banks brings amazing characters to life and though it gets a little confusing at times, the story is pretty straight forward.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this story. Mr. Banks experiments with POV and style.

For me, Banks's other novels (Continental Drift, Affliction, Rule of the Bone, The Sweet Hereafter) resonated with me. I am still glad I read this early book of his.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

a character study, the meta author realizes his hero is no such thing

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Great developing character story related to mankind.

[Ruth Vanderhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vintage Banks. Don't reaad him if you want something cheerful or uplifting! But he's a fine wordsmith.

[Amy Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was written in a creative way, but apparantly I dont find "A." nearly as fascinating as the author did.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strange format for such a heartfelt novel. Even though I read it years ago quotes from this book still haunt my thoughts occasionally.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not one of Banks' best. Ostensibly a book about writing a book, it ends up seeming like a send up of authors who fall in love with their characters, no matter how loathsome.

[Pete Camp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Banks' best but still a good read. He is such a superb author his books never fail to entertain. Unique story and concept.

[Nigel · Rating 2 out of 5]

a haunting character study that promises a lot more than it actually delivers. It seems to be one long build-up that never really takes off. Mesmerising at times but irritating at others.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

wonderful concept