Source of Light

The Mayfield Trilogy #2

by Reynolds Price

Here is the second volume of A Great Circle, the highly acclaimed Mayfield family trilogy, from one of America's literary treasures.Though a novel independent from The Surface of Earth, The Source of Light continues the saga of the Mayfield family, here focusing on Hutchins Mayfield, whose desire for self-knowledge removes him from his secure existence as a prep school teacher and takes him on a journey to Oxford and Italy to study and write. Hutchins comes back home for a family crisis but ultimately returns to England, where he achieves a maturity that enables him to cope with commitments, abandonments, and the creation of an honest personal agenda.In The Source of Light, Reynolds Price combines gravity and buoyancy, a mythic sense of the past with the mysteries of place, to forge an encompassing portrait of the strange and various world one travels through in the quest for self-fulfillment.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Reynolds Price was born in Macon, North Carolina in 1933. Educated at Duke University and, as a Rhodes Scholar, at Merton College, Oxford University. He taught at Duke since 1958 and was James B. Duke Professor of English.

His first short stories, and many later ones, are published in his Collected Stories. A Long and Happy Life was published in 1962 and won the William Faulkner Award for a best first novel. Kate Vaiden was published in 1986 and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The Good Priest's Son in 2005 was his fourteenth novel. Among his thirty-seven volumes are further collections of fiction, poetry, plays, essays, and translations. Price was a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and his work has been translated into seventeen languages.

Photo courtesy of Reynolds Price's author page on Amazon.com

Reviews

[Jim Greene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. I found I didn’t like a lot of the characters much. The second book of a trilogy & I didn’t read the other two. Don’t think that makes much difference. Expected better.

[John Findlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reynolds Price was an English professor at Duke when I was there as an undergrad in the late 60s, and I've always wanted to read one of his books. This book is actually book 2 in a trilogy about the Mayfield family, but it stands well on its own. Price has an almost poetic style of writing, that I found a little off-putting. Sometimes I just wanted characters to come out and say what they meant, as opposed to hinting at it in eloquent prose. The value of the book is in the character development, since there is minimal action. The protagonist, Hutchins Mayfield, is a well-rounded character, who somehow seems older than his 25 years. Yet he seems to be adrift and just going where the wind takes him, spending a year at Oxford while he tries to find himself. He needs to take a hiatus to deal with a family crisis, and then returns to Oxford. The cast of characters is very large, and I think the book would have benefitted from a chart showing how they all relate to each other; at times it was confusing. Many of them were quite interesting. Much of what we learn about them is due to the extensive letters that they exchange with Hutchins. I liked "The Source of Light" quite well, but did not love it. I think that reflects more on my own taste than on the book. A literature major, or a student of English or Roman history might have gotten more out of it. And I do think it might be an interesting book for a bookclub discussion.

[Brett Glasscock · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You're counting in the ravens to feed you apparently; they often renege."

a book seemingly written for only my tastes. perfectly plotless. an aching prose style; i'd read him write paint dry. all the hallmarks of "high" literature, but at the same time, extremely erotic, and every character is bisexual and obsessed with boners. literally made for me in a lab.

"We were happy and knew it. Shame on us for the rest."

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oddly, I found it tough to get involved in this one. It looked like another highly descriptive Southern writer I would love, but Price's writing, while sometimes vibrant, at times is self-consciously off-kilter. So Styron it ain't. A slightly more straightforward approach would have benefited this tale.

[Frandszk · Rating 5 out of 5]

didn't read the first book, so it took me a bit to get into this one. when i did, though, i enjoyed it immensely. perhaps a book better enjoyed in brief snatches over time, price's style was very gratifying to my tastes.

[Gary Branson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, overall, maybe a little better than the first.

[Michael Scher · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2

[Susan Ludwig · Rating 2 out of 5]

not a typical riveting RP, at least not for me

[Carol Royce Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This provided a different perspective of the Civil Rights movement not always depicted in story - that of the people trying to help the blacks in the south, and for that reason I liked the book. The story is of a girl, Sam (Samantha) who lives in Mississippi in the early 60s when the push to get black people registered to vote has begun, much to the dislike of many who believe in keeping the blacks in their "place." Sam's mother has recently been targeted by this group because she lectured at a black college, despite warnings that she should not. As a result they have become victims of the hatred spewing forth during this time towards the blacks and any who would support their cause. Sam has recently been given a camera by her mother's boyfriend, Perry, a photographer, and is being taught to look at what is there and to let the camera become an extension of her sight, and as she becomes better and better, she finds herself in situations of turmoil. This is a Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher nominee for 2011. A good addition to your collection of books on the Civil Rights movement, although there were times when the book became a bit slow.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the overall message this book sent: that people are all damaged in one way or another and that sometimes they should try to think how their actions will affect the others in their lives. But, kind of like life, it was a somewhat painful and confusing to wade through. I wasn't crazy about the way it was written, with no more than a page or two NOT broken into little chunks which always seemed to want to be heavy in their own rights, not just as a part of the whole.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think not such a great book. Yet, I do appreciate Hutchins' journey to maturity. We read lots of correspondence between Hutchins and his family members and friends. Everybody else writes better than Hutchins does, yet he he plans on becoming a poet. I didn't care much for Ann's letter-writing, either. I liked all of the elders in the book. The Source of Light reminds me of A River Runs Through It, which I prefer.

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know this was part of a trilogy when I read it, and I intend to go back and read the books chronologically at some point, but this novel also manages to stand on its own fairly well. The characters are interesting and well-drawn. Price gets the North Carolina and Virginia cadences and places just right. Thanks to my friend Carolyn for introducing me to the author.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and disturbing in many places. Since Reynolds Price passed away this winter and was held in high esteem at Duke, I thought it time to read some of his books. I wonder if it is somewhat autobiographical since he studied at Merton in Oxford and was a NC native son. It certainly was not light reading and delves into characters thoughts and actions that deeply affect others.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nowhere near as dynamic as the first book. The story lines that carried over from the first book stayed strong, but the new focus on the older youngest character was muddled and less than gripping. Even so, I'd have enjoyed it much more if I'd not had to skip 4 sections due to homosexual content.

[Alan]

I had forgotten how much I like Reynolds Price's writing. Not much happens. A dying father, Hutchins Mayfield goes to study in Oxford, his relationship with Ann works or doesn't. The plot is not the important part. His writing is beautiful and poetic. It's well worth a slow, careful read.

[Amy]

I caught this book in the wild, so that alone means it should at least be attempted (though this author and I don't have a good batting record.)

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar in character & style to its predecessor, The Surface of the Earth, except instead of spanning 3 generations, it focused on 10 months in the young (25) life of the third generation

[Michie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best novels I've ever read.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reynolds Price is probably my all-time favorite authour although I haven't read him in awhile.