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The Architecture of Snow
One of the great literary mysteries of the twentieth century concerns J. D. Salinger. In the mid-1960s, the revered creator of The Catcher in the Rye suddenly stopped publishing and withdrew from public life. In David Morrell’s haunting “The Architecture of Snow,” an author similar to Salinger submits a manuscript after a four-decade absence. Why has he abruptly resurfaced? What caused his long-ago disappearance? When editor Tom Neal embarks on a search to a remote New England town, he uncovers the disturbing truth behind a tragic mystery that changes his life in unimaginable ways.
48 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
9 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
David Morrell
216 books1,665 followersDavid Morrell is a Canadian novelist from Kitchener, Ontario, who has been living in the United States for a number of years. He is best known for his debut 1972 novel First Blood, which would later become a successful film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. More recently, he has been writing the Captain America comic books limited-series The Chosen.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 22, 2016
This is my third time reading this story and, while it has important things to say, it is not as good as I remembered. The beauty, warmth and sadness I remembered are all there, but the pace is a bit rushed, the themes of a new, worse era in publishing both bitter and desperate.
In the character of the reclusive author, there are parallels to Salinger, of course, but also to Morrell, which does add poignancy. The lamenting of changes in the industry also reflects him, as well as the feelings of many readers, but they are presented too harshly, overbalancing the delicate story. I remembered this as a novella, and a great one, but it is only a decent short. At a greater length, this could have had room to breathe, to grow, but as it is, it's a missed opportunity.
This is still worth a read, as the moments of beauty are there, and the message will ring true for many readers, but said message comes across a little strident. With a little more room, the balance could have been found, but this is what we have, and we should still read it. Please don't pirate it, I don't think the author would appreciate the irony.
In the character of the reclusive author, there are parallels to Salinger, of course, but also to Morrell, which does add poignancy. The lamenting of changes in the industry also reflects him, as well as the feelings of many readers, but they are presented too harshly, overbalancing the delicate story. I remembered this as a novella, and a great one, but it is only a decent short. At a greater length, this could have had room to breathe, to grow, but as it is, it's a missed opportunity.
This is still worth a read, as the moments of beauty are there, and the message will ring true for many readers, but said message comes across a little strident. With a little more room, the balance could have been found, but this is what we have, and we should still read it. Please don't pirate it, I don't think the author would appreciate the irony.
December 7, 2013
I loved this little book. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer!!!
January 3, 2015
Cool little story about the editor who finds Salinger after so many years
August 4, 2017
Morrell has penned a tale that tackles a host of intriguing subjects. These are all housed in the premise of a reclusive J.D. Salinger-like novelist. Years after acclaim and tragedy a manuscript arrives at a New York publishing house. This touches off a promising quest that ends up covering the loss of publishing's soul, the joy of writing, and what events and people make the muse. It is twinged with melancholy resembling the end of a spectacularly vibrant New England autumn.
The author fits in some fine lines like "Marketing is more important than the content." And "I keep hoping that corporations will realize books are not potato chips." And "Writing can be a form of meditation." This short story was read by me on a day that alternated between drenching downpours and baking sun. That weather was the perfect accompaniment to the pace and tone of the narrative.
My small critique is the content needed longer treatment. The story satisfies but both events and the speed of the telling make it seem almost dreamlike. That robs the subject matter of some of its truth. Still, it was a welcome gift for someone like me who writes but is yet to be a writer.
The author fits in some fine lines like "Marketing is more important than the content." And "I keep hoping that corporations will realize books are not potato chips." And "Writing can be a form of meditation." This short story was read by me on a day that alternated between drenching downpours and baking sun. That weather was the perfect accompaniment to the pace and tone of the narrative.
My small critique is the content needed longer treatment. The story satisfies but both events and the speed of the telling make it seem almost dreamlike. That robs the subject matter of some of its truth. Still, it was a welcome gift for someone like me who writes but is yet to be a writer.
November 21, 2020
titular sentence:
p13: It was a novel called The Architecture of Snow.
A very haunting piece that's all too true.
They
They betray
I'm your only true friend now
p13: It was a novel called The Architecture of Snow.
A very haunting piece that's all too true.
They
They betray
I'm your only true friend now
May 31, 2020
My eyes welled...
It’s a very sad and emotionally charged story.
I could not have agreed more with “Publicity has become as important as editing. Marketing is often more important than content..”
Publicity has become as important as editing. Marketing is often more important than content. - Loc 61
In the profit-obsessed climate of modern publishing, manuscripts needed to survive the focus groups of the marketing department. If the books weren’t easily promotable, they didn’t get accepted. - Loc 94
It’s a very sad and emotionally charged story.
I could not have agreed more with “Publicity has become as important as editing. Marketing is often more important than content..”
Publicity has become as important as editing. Marketing is often more important than content. - Loc 61
In the profit-obsessed climate of modern publishing, manuscripts needed to survive the focus groups of the marketing department. If the books weren’t easily promotable, they didn’t get accepted. - Loc 94
May 9, 2020
A stunning tale of publishing, fathers and sons, and a Shangri-La.
January 7, 2015
An ode to Salinger (and a shot at the book biz) Every once in a while you come across a little gem. This novella is one & ironically, that is also its plot.
In the introduction David Morrell writes about J.D. Salinger & his influence. Not just his prose but the mystique that grew around him after he withdrew from the world at large.
What follows is a short story about a reclusive author named R.J. Wentworth who wrote a seminal novel in the early 1960's. It was universally lauded, turning a shy former schoolteacher into an international celebrity. Even Hollywood came calling & bought the rights to one of his lesser works. The movie was a dismal failure.
(And when you read the passage describing how the movie men "improved" the story, you'll know why. It's hilarious...and sadly, probably apt.)
Tragedy followed & Wentworth withdrew to a small town in Vermont. He never published a thing after 1966.
In present day, Tom Neal is an editor for a huge publishing conglomerate in NYC & has been tasked with cleaning out the office of Sam Carver. Sam was an editor for one of the last independents. It eventually succumbed to progress & was swallowed by Tom's company. Sam became redundant. He promptly gathered a few personal items & stepped outside into the path of a bus.
He nurtured many great authors in his time, including Wentworth. Tom finds an unread typewritten manuscript among Sam's papers & takes it home to read. It's wonderful.
The author is unknown but Tom champions its publication to the marketing committee (another humorous conversation). Too small, they say. No global scope, no potential for movie rights.
But Tom has an ace. He's convinced the author is really Wentworth & sets out to find the great man.
It's the beginning of a life changing journey. What follow is his account of tracking down Wentworth & learning the truth behind his seclusion. And how in the process, he becomes a free man.
This is a beautiful little story & one that may resonate with some authors out there as they struggle to get their work published. It's about people who read to savour how words are put together & those that live to exploit them. And how, sadly, editing is being supplanted by marketing.
It's a touching tale that illustrates how meeting the right person, even very briefly, can change your life. All written by the same guy who wrote "First Blood" & "Rambo".
Go figure.
In the introduction David Morrell writes about J.D. Salinger & his influence. Not just his prose but the mystique that grew around him after he withdrew from the world at large.
What follows is a short story about a reclusive author named R.J. Wentworth who wrote a seminal novel in the early 1960's. It was universally lauded, turning a shy former schoolteacher into an international celebrity. Even Hollywood came calling & bought the rights to one of his lesser works. The movie was a dismal failure.
(And when you read the passage describing how the movie men "improved" the story, you'll know why. It's hilarious...and sadly, probably apt.)
Tragedy followed & Wentworth withdrew to a small town in Vermont. He never published a thing after 1966.
In present day, Tom Neal is an editor for a huge publishing conglomerate in NYC & has been tasked with cleaning out the office of Sam Carver. Sam was an editor for one of the last independents. It eventually succumbed to progress & was swallowed by Tom's company. Sam became redundant. He promptly gathered a few personal items & stepped outside into the path of a bus.
He nurtured many great authors in his time, including Wentworth. Tom finds an unread typewritten manuscript among Sam's papers & takes it home to read. It's wonderful.
The author is unknown but Tom champions its publication to the marketing committee (another humorous conversation). Too small, they say. No global scope, no potential for movie rights.
But Tom has an ace. He's convinced the author is really Wentworth & sets out to find the great man.
It's the beginning of a life changing journey. What follow is his account of tracking down Wentworth & learning the truth behind his seclusion. And how in the process, he becomes a free man.
This is a beautiful little story & one that may resonate with some authors out there as they struggle to get their work published. It's about people who read to savour how words are put together & those that live to exploit them. And how, sadly, editing is being supplanted by marketing.
It's a touching tale that illustrates how meeting the right person, even very briefly, can change your life. All written by the same guy who wrote "First Blood" & "Rambo".
Go figure.
November 16, 2016
Normally I don't review single short stories, but I had to make an exception for David Morrell's "The Architecture of Snow." In this gem, Morrell uses J.D. Salinger's withdrawal from the world of writing and humans to give a loving farewell to the golden days of publishing. The way publishing is being run now, we are all the poorer for it.
Samuel Carver is a legendary Maxwell Perkins-type figure in this story, renowned for being the editor of the fabled R. J. Wentworth, an author who stopped writing and has been a hermit somewhere in Vermont for several years. But when Carver dies, Tom Neal is given the task of cleaning out Carver's office and therein he discovers a recently delivered manuscript. Neal reads it and is enchanted. He's also convinced that it was written by Wentworth.
When he informs his superiors, millions of dollar signs start flashing before their eyes, and they immediately send Neal to Vermont to take care of all the legalities they need from Wentworth. What follows is a beautifully written and bittersweet tale of the love of books and words and humanity itself. It's one of the best short stories I've ever read.
Samuel Carver is a legendary Maxwell Perkins-type figure in this story, renowned for being the editor of the fabled R. J. Wentworth, an author who stopped writing and has been a hermit somewhere in Vermont for several years. But when Carver dies, Tom Neal is given the task of cleaning out Carver's office and therein he discovers a recently delivered manuscript. Neal reads it and is enchanted. He's also convinced that it was written by Wentworth.
When he informs his superiors, millions of dollar signs start flashing before their eyes, and they immediately send Neal to Vermont to take care of all the legalities they need from Wentworth. What follows is a beautifully written and bittersweet tale of the love of books and words and humanity itself. It's one of the best short stories I've ever read.
April 14, 2016
The Architecture of Snow by David Morell features a NY book editor with a bit of a mystery to solve after he receives a brilliant manuscript with no return address. Once he guesses that the new work was created by a legendary and reclusive writer, life-changing wheels are set in motion.
The critically acclaimed author of First Blood tackles the myths surrounding a writer like J.D. Salinger while skewering the book trade. The unavoidable melancholy surrounding the characters creates a bit of a down note, but the short story is clever and moves right along.
The critically acclaimed author of First Blood tackles the myths surrounding a writer like J.D. Salinger while skewering the book trade. The unavoidable melancholy surrounding the characters creates a bit of a down note, but the short story is clever and moves right along.
August 27, 2012
Just before you jump into this book, its worth reading the forward, why David Morrell wrote the book. Very interesting. Its also worth mentioning ths is a "Short Story". I had hoped there were a number of others to follow, but alas no. So if your a faster reader than me, most probabaly. this will take a couple of hours.
February 29, 2016
Loved it! I thoroughly enjoy this author's writing style - clear, visual and emotional. This particular subject, the writer's life, has always intrigued me and his approach in this short story is delightful!
January 9, 2017
A bittersweet read I felt empathy for the editor's turmoil in his job, and would love to hang out with Mr. Wentworth! I wish it would have been longer too.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews