That Man Cartwright

by Ann Fairbairn

extremely rare,very good condition

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published June 1, 1970

About the author

Ann Fairbairn (Dorothy Tait) was best known for "Five Smooth Stones," but also published two other books: a biography of New Orleans jazz clarinetist George Lewis, whose tours she managed, and a 1970 novel, "That Man Cartwright". During the 1930s she was involved with the WPA project as a writer. She worked as a riveter in the shipyards in San Francisco during World War II. In the 1940s she worked in Bakersfield for a newspaper and also a radio station. She lived for many years in New Orleans and died in Monterey, California.

Reviews

[Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book months ago at a used book store when I was searching for Ms. Fairbairn's other novel, "Five Smooth Stones." Looking at the cover art, I was certainly skeptical given it's rather risqué illustration that this book would be some sort of romance novel with a male lead who is quite the playboy. However, the description suggested otherwise so I bought it. After reading the book, I have no idea who concocted this cover art because the book centers on a guy who inherits a newspaper and the difficulties he faces in telling non-biased news.

What I thought was remarkable about this book is that it was written 50 years ago and a lot of the political themes and ideologies that are expressed are still prevalent and in the foreground today. One example is the ultra conservative leaders of the town who want to control the paper in order to dictate the content. When Cuff comes in and puts his "liberal" spin on things (i.e., accurate news), subscriptions start getting canceled and rage begins to flow. I liken it to the present-day phenomena of rampant attempts to engage in book banning.
The other part that I found comical and so incredibly spot on is a suggestion that the unions intentionally sprayed people who were on strike with pesticide for the sole purpose of blaming the growers. It read like a lot of right wing rhetoric surrounding the events of January 6.

This was a long book and required a great deal of commitment to get through it, but I'm glad I did.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a kid, Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairbairn was a solid favorite, written in the '70's. Fairbairn only wrote three books in her lifetime. Even though I believe THIS book, That Man Cartwright, is now out of print, I found it on powells.com.

Fairbairn weaves the plight of the migrant farm worker into a solid story, filled with idealism, union organizing and the plight of migrant workers that is as timely today as it was back in the '70's, the setting of this particular story. It is even more relevant as our country struggles to define how to treat those with no voice in our country, the immigrants.

Fairbairn was a solid writer. She passed away in the late 70's. I love how she treats conversation in her stories, so casual and realistic, seamless and unobtrusive.

I feel fortunate to have been able to locate and read this book, like the circle is complete.

[David Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

i must admit that I am a sucker for the looooong mass markets from the sixties and early seventies. From Advise and Consent to Hurry Sundown to Hawaii, I eat 'em up, relishing each page and the wonderful writing that goes on and on without a thought to printing costs. Re-reading Ann Fairbairn's second novel is not only an aesthetic delight, it is a strong, well thought out novel of civic concerns of its time-- and one I love dearly. Ms. Fairbairn only wrote two novels but they are of the highest quality of a time when people wrote long novels, stories you could completely lose yourself in, stories that stayed in your mind throughout your day, characters you were sincerely concerned about, both centered on cultural upheavals of a time that is now in the past-- at least, somewhat. If you enjoy a "dated" mass-market indulgence, you can't do much better than Ann Fairbairn.

[Charles C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

another exceptional read by this author, wish she had written more

[Julie Strahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, Love, love this book. I read it when the kids are little and have re-read it several times. Powerful book about faith, compassion, hope, social justice, purpose. Very hard to find.

[Roseann Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book as a teenager loved it. Have read it several more times as an adult. Every time I discover something new. If you can find a copy this is a must read.

[Shirley Freeman]

Like Five Smooth Stones (one of my favorite novels), That Man Cartwright was written in the 1970s so it has moments of 'datedness'. I read it back in the 70s and decided to renew my acquaintance nearly 50 years later. It tells the story of a 34 year old New York ad man who inherits a central CA newspaper in the mid 1960s. Cartwright planned to sell the paper but when he consults his doctor about persistent headaches, the prescription is for a change of scenery and a break from his job and marriage, so he heads to CA to check out the newspaper. From the minute he arrives, he is embroiled in controversy and enmeshed in the lives of the community. His life suddenly has great purpose as he finds himself on the side of the farmworkers, the grape boycott, farmworker unionization and a potential strike. He finds deeper friendships and new love but this is mostly a political novel, not a romance, in spite of the cover. It's disconcerting to read the novel in our current political environment of intolerance for the people who provide so much labor in our economy. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[Mary Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of two books by this author, both oldies but still goodies. Both changed my life when I was a young girl with only a vague understanding f what it was like to be an oppressed person. while this is not as good as Five Smooth Stones, it is a window into the migrant worker struggles of the late 10960s. What's disturbing is how a lot of the paranoia and rhetoric in the book is still out there in new and not so new forms, and how far we still have to go. Both books suffer from preachiness and some awkward writing but the characters have stuck with me for over 40 years and so has my commitment to social justice, which predated these books but which was influenced by finding an accessible window into a world I didn't know a lot about. This book suffered also and very specifically from the writer's apparent antipathy toward the late 60's women's movement, which is odd since she is a woman and her main women characters are career women. Maybe this did represent a certain viewpoint for older women in that era. But it does damage the book and given the author's humane view of mexican farm workers, people of faith, African Americans, and alcoholics, it's kind of odd. I guess we all wear blinders. Still the story of the migrant workers, crusading newspaper people, caring men of the cloth and fighting lawyers is pretty compleeing even after all this time. There's a ice love story and some sweet dogs too. Something for everyone.

[Lesley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've had this book for about 5 years and finally decided to read it. I don't know what took me so long as I really enjoyed Five Smooth Stones by the same author. After 100 pages, I decided it is going into the swap pile.

This book, now about 46 years old, needed some DRASTIC editing! 793 pages! REALLY. OK, it's a small, very yellowed paperback that sold for $1.50 (those were the days) but that's no excuse. I have NEVER read (or attempted to read) a book with so much extraneous detail! I really do not need a full page describing exactly how the poodle's tail is cut and how he dances around with his leash and why he is named Victor Hugo. I do not need to know the entire dinner menu. I do not need to know that Cartwright's wife is wearing a cucumber green silk blouse and matching slacks that cling or swish or whatever. Or how the wind sighs.

I know that buried in this book somewhere is a really great story about the fights for truth in reporting, for civil rights, decent living conditions for farm workers and all the other evils of the 1970's. But I'm not going to wade through all the effluvium to find it.

[Denise L Jenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of Fairbairn's great characters -- including one familiar to those who read Five Smooth Stones. Another absorbing story.