They Are Ruining Ibiza

by A.C. Greene

Expecting paradise but finding a tourist trap, stodgy 62-year-old academic Charles Martyn, author of a dull but ubiquitous book about the American novel, can't help but be disappointed by his return to the Mediterranean island of Ibiza after a 20-year absence. He has come back to Ibiza with his 36-year-old second wife, Susan, to search for his estranged son, Ledyard, who has been eking a living selling paintings to tourists. Ledyard keeps evading them, however, while insecure Charles behaves so boorishly toward the lively, beautiful Susan that their marriage quickly becomes a cringingly painful mystery to the reader.

123 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1998

About the author

A.C. Greene (Alvin Carl Greene, Jr.) was an American writer — important in Texas literary matters as a memoirist, fiction writer, historian, poet, and influential book critic in Dallas. As a newspaper journalist, he had been a book critic and editor of the Editorial Page for the Dallas Times Herald when JKF was assassinated, which galvanized his role at the paper to help untangle and lift a demoralized city in search of its soul. Leaving full-time journalism in 1968, Greene went on to become a prolific author of books, notably on Texas lore and history. His notoriety led to stints in radio and TV as talk-show host. By the 1980s, his commentaries were being published by major media across the country. He had become a sought-after source for Texas history, antidotes, cultural perspective, facts, humor, books, and politics. When the 1984 Republican National Convention was held in Dallas, Greene granted sixty-three interviews about Texas topics to major media journalists. Greene's 1990 book, Taking Heart — which examines the experiences of the first patient in a new heart transplant center (himself) — made the New York Times Editors Choice list.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is very forgettable.