Starcarbon

by Ellen Gilchrist

With tender humor, brilliant insight, and an unmistakable narrative voice, National Book Award-winner Ellen Gilchrist returns to the celebrated Hand family and explores the world of complicated, simmering emotions, long the stuff of dreams and everlasting drama. A long, strange summer is about to begin. As tornadoes tear through America's heartland and the Soviet Union crumbles on television, Olivia de Havilland Hand finishes her first year of college and returns home to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to explore the mystery of her identity and her Cherokee heritage. But even in a landscape steeped in memory, beneath the maple trees that fed her oxygen as a girl or on the gravel road where she first learned to drive, Olivia is surrounded by an all-too-present tangle of lives and loves: her strong-willed but fragile sister Jessie's travails with a new baby in New Orleans; her anthropology professor's stormy affair with a fellow academic; her aunt's blossoming relationship with a poet in Boston; her lonely father's fear of losing his daughters; and her own newfound romance with her old boyfriend, Bobby Tree. In this complicated web of relationships, spread across the country, connecting past with present, each struggles to find peace and, hopefully, love. The result is a masterful work of storytelling and a brilliant contemporary romantic comedy. Out of this maelstrom of misunderstood mates, screaming babies, politically correct lovers, estranged teenagers, and overprotective fathers comes a poignant, keenly observed meditation on love.

Genres: Fiction, Literature, Literary Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

A writer of poems, short stories, novels, and nonfiction commentaries, Ellen Gilchrist is a diverse writer whom critics have praised repeatedly for her subtle perceptions, unique characters, and sure command of the writer’s voice, as well as her innovative plotlines set in her native Mississippi.

As Sabine Durrant commented in the London Times, her writing “swings between the familiar and the shocking, the everyday and the traumatic.... She writes about ordinary happenings in out of the way places, of meetings between recognizable characters from her other fiction and strangers, above all of domestic routine disrupted by violence.” The world of her fiction is awry; the surprise ending, although characteristic of her works, can still shock the reader. “It is disorienting stuff,” noted Durrant, “but controlled always by Gilchrist’s wry tone and gentle insight.”

She earned her B.A. from Millsaps College in 1967, and later did postgraduate study at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

She has worked as an author and journalist, as a contributing editor for the Vieux Carre Courier from 1976-1979, and as a commentator on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition from 1984-1985. Her NPR commentaries have been published in her book Falling Through Space.

She won a National Book Award for her 1984 collection of short stories, Victory Over Japan.

Reviews

[Lola · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't quite know what to make of this book. I've heard about Ellen Gilchrist for years, and expected something a little more polished. This isn't quite a stand-alone novel. Clearly its emotional resonance is most available to readers who have already become immersed in its long-time familial narrative stream.

There are a large number of somewhat appealing characters. It's lovely to read a book that sensitively portrays a large number of flawed characters without judgment or manipulation.

Nonetheless, I found the novel weirdly disturbing, a little off-key and disjointed. I put it aside, I picked it up I eventually finished it but felt as if I hadn't. I think it's intended to be realistic but it seems very unrealistic. There's something missing. The dialogue is stagy and grating. The writing strikes a musical tone somewhere between soap opera, family saga, literature, and tone-deaf romance novel.

Many of the characters talk alike, making emotional declarations and speeches rather than conversation. The statements are often inappropriately confessional, when you consider the audience, but none of the characters feel any self-consciousness. There's lot of boundary-crossing but it doesn't create problems. In one example, a older professor meets a young student at a cafe and instantly turns her into a bosom confidante. In another, an attractive boss's wife chatters about how horny she is in her husband's absence. Although she's talking to the lonely young hired hand, it's not a seductive move. Yet neither of them seems to feel this is TMI, which you would in real life.

There is more than one Extremely Selfless Mentor (several of them psychiatrists) who are always available for a long heart-to-heart at any hour (apparently without charge). There are also several different relationships where the characters are so crazed with lust they can't keep their hands off each other and say things like "I want to fuck you so hard," repeatedly. Again, it's not that this couldn't happen but there's a sameness to the dialogue that's kind of deadly when set against the attempts at thoughtful family interaction and character development.

I understand Gilchrist is known for her short stories, so this probably isn't the last Gilchrist I will attempt, but I'd be hard-pressed to recommend this author to anyone else based on reading this book only.

[Mike Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some was fun and interesting. Lots (and lots) of characters, so many that I got lost. On Kindle, I can’t enlarge the screen enough to see the character relationship tree. I read on, just the same.

Tyler can write stories, and she does flesh out many of her characters. I was tempted to go three-stars but being forgetful is my problem, so four stars instead.

The young couple at the center were great. I wish I’d heard more about the folks on he ranch in Montana, from where the young man emerged after having his life turned around up there.

I’m not averse to the “F-word”, but one couple seemed to me unlikely to use it as much as they did. It didn’t seem to me to fit their character. I won’t name the couple.

This is a disjointed review. Sorry. Despite my four stars, I wouldn’t say, “read this book”>

[Esme · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was well written and vaguely interesting… I’m just not sure what the point was per say. Not my typical genre of fiction, however, so if this is something you might enjoy I definitely recommend taking a look.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author tells the story of three relationships during a time of self discovery as it relates to love.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is only one author whose books I absolutely must own: Ellen Gilchrist. I stumbled across her in my college library while browsing the shelves and ever since I have eagerly awaited each new publication. Primarily a short story writer, Gilchrist has also written novels, poetry and essays. Her books follow a sprawling cast of characters throughout their various families, hopes, loves, disasters, and triumphs. In Starcarbon, Ellen Gilchrist focuses once again on the Hand family. This Southern clan is spread all over from Oklahoma to Louisana, North Carolina to Boston, but the ties that bind them hold firm, the love they share burns fiercely and their loyalty to one another remains unrelenting. Focusing on a younger generation introduced in I Cannot Get you Close Enough, this novel tells the story of Olivia and her half-sister Jessie. Olivia returns to Oklahoma to spend the summer after her first year of college with her maternal grandparents, who raised her, and reconnects with her high school boyfriend Bobby Tree. Meanwhile, spoiled Jessie tries to make a success of her new marriage to immature King while they plan for the arrival of their first child. These two stories play out against the love affairs and various family relationships of an older generation of friends and family. I love Gilchrist’s characters, especially her feisty, sexy, demanding women and their ability to face the world head on and make the best of what they’ve got, even when that means letting go of the familiar and bravely taking on the world anew. I am particularly fond of this novel because Olivia, one of my favorite characters, spends the summer in Oklahoma which is where I grew up. It is not necessary to read Ellen Gilchrist’s books in any particular order and this novel is an excellent introduction to her characters and the world in which they live. Starcarbon by Ellen Gilchrist.

[Angie Kaelberer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could give 2.5 stars to this one, but can't really give 3, so 2 it is. I have read a couple of Gilchrist's short stories over the years, so some of the characters were a bit familiar, but it seemed like you needed to have read more of her work to really understand the characters and all the complicated family relationships (she does include a family tree, but I didn't find it until I was almost through with the book). The characters did stay with me and I wanted to know what happened to them after the book ended, but the dialogue she gave them was awful. I also didn't really understand the epilogue, except that it mirrored the first chapter, but with different characters that I don't believe had been mentioned in the book. Maybe someone who is more familiar with Gilchrist's writing could explain that to me. In all--it was OK, but I expected more, considering the author's reputation.

[Rebekkila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book with such high hopes, a lot of people really love Ellen Gichrist I will not be on of them. The story was interesting and I think I might have liked it if it was written differently. The story was about an extended family and the various dramas going on with the members of the family. Some of the characters spoke in such extremes that it started really getting on my nerves. I stopped reading about 100 pages from the end not because I didn't like the story, I just couldn't put up with the drippy dialog.

[Cathi95 · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Romantic fiction 1995) First, I didn't realize this was several books in a series, so there was constant "bringing up to date" going on. Second, the author's descriptions and background information were beautiful, which lured me into giving the book a shot anyway. Third and last, the conversations between the characters were so stilted that I found it actually painful and tried to skim over to get back to the glorious descriptions. Eventually, this wasn't working for me, so I gave up and did not complete this book. Maybe sometime I'll find the first one and give it a try.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Powerful characters. I really felt the love. I think it may have made me more loving, actually. She does do that annoying thing, thought, where she makes characters think long monologues bordering on the author's autobiographical soapbox. Like in soap operas where in order to explain the plot, the writers have characters talking to themselves in their room. But otherwise, good. oh, and a little cheesy.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gilchrist has lively women characters who are interesting, articulate, profane, funny, and irresistible. Olivia Hand is the featured one in this novel, and while she's no Rhoda Manning (but then, who is?), her love affair with her rodeo star boyfriend and her two families--one Cherokee, one Old South--makes for compelling reading. The novel ends, emphatically and symbolically enough, with a tornado and a horse rescue. Whew! Enough said.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this family story and happy to hear that it is part of a series. Beautifully written and the cultural tension for the young Hand daughters between being part of both a wealthy southern family and a much less well-off Midwestern Native American family really worked for me.

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently a continuation of a family sage of a large and sprawling family, this book held my interest for about 30 pages or so. Then the mundane dialogue and lack of action made me chuck this and pick up something else. Bland and boring.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I obsessively read Ellen Gilchrest novels. It's like the Sweet Valley High of yuppy literature that gets read on NPR.

[Jaimy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Gilchrist book, but still worth reading.

[Greta]

Another installment of the Hand family of Charlotte, NC and their kin in New Orleans. Should be good.

[Lisa]

Starcarbon by Ellen Gilchrist (1995)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

another great read, though not as compelling as Rhoda, Nora Jane, or Anna's Papers.

[Corkie Kendall · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not finish. Not the Ellen Gilchrist that I have loved in the past.

[Ann Macon-ellis]

mostly really liked but found it disjointed at times and it did not always feel real. it took me quite a while to read, not something I could not put down

[Arcoxson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love.

[Carolk]

Fascinating