King's Row

by Henry Bellamann, Jay M. Karr (Editor)

Only edition of KINGS ROW in print. No printings but KINGDOM HOUSE editions have a biographical and historical illustrated introduction. Contains map, town photographs, and stills and background on the Ronald Reagan film.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, American, Classic Literature

536 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

A native of Fulton, Missouri, Heinrich Hauer Bellamann was born on April 28, 1882. He was a serious student of music and studied both in this country and abroad. From 1907 until 1932, when he began to pursue writing full-time, Bellamann held administrative and teaching positions at several educational institutions including Julliard and Vassar. During these years, Bellamann wrote poetry and published three volumes: A Music Teacher's Notebook (1920), Cups of Illusion (1923), and The Upward Pass (1928). Although his poetry is today even less well known than his fiction, Bellamann is recognized by David Perkins in his 1976 History of Modern Poetry in which he ranks Bellamann with the serious minor poets who "adopted the mode" of the Imagists (p. 347). In 1942 Publishers' Weekly inaccurately reported that Bellamann was an author "new to the book trade" prior to the publication of Kings Row in 1940 (143:244). However, in addition to the three volumes of poetry already mentioned, four of Bellamann's novels were published before Kings Row. Furthermore, the range of sub-genre in which Bellamann experimented is quite surprising. In addition to Kings Row, Bellamann wrote two farm novels, a novel of manners, a social drama, a mystery, and a gothic romance. From 1907 until his death in 1945, Bellamann was married to Katherine Jones Bellamann of Carthage, Mississippi. Mrs. Bellamann herself was a novelist and poet and shared much creative work with her husband. In 1948, she completed Parris Mitchell of Kings Row, his posthumous sequel to Kings Row. She died in 1956. The Bellamanns had no children.

Reviews

[Robert Russin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Spring came late in the year 1890, and the fullness of its burgeoning heightened the seasonal disturbance that made unquiet in the blood. "

So begins King's Row, Henry Bellamann's wonderful novel that I am calling a lost American classic. Despite being a critical and commercial success on its release in 1940, leading to a film version with Ronald Reagan two years later, King's Row and the rest of Bellamann's works are largely forgotten today.

This is unfortunate, as King's Row is a novel that should be appreciated both for the skill of its construction and the richness of its ideas. It's an important novel from a cultural and historical context, and there's nothing else quite like it.

At first, King's Row almost seems as if it could pass as just another slice of small town Americana, no more daring or cutting than a Norman Rockwell painting -- a safer and gentler Peyton Place. However, as the story unfolds, it reveals surprising depths of darkness, using beautiful prose to reveal some very ugly truths about the human mind and the civilization that it creates.

There is a lot going on here. Over the course of almost 700 pages, we are given premarital sex (lots of it), mental illness, atheism, incest, sexual abuse, a mad doctor, a sadistic surgeon, and probably most scandalous of all, a same sex kiss! You would think that in 1940 this book would have been banned faster than a gay porn version of Jesus of Nazareth, thus solidifying its permanent place in cultural memory (an amusing fact that book banners never seem to grasp), but somehow it seems to have slipped under the radar.

Bellamann succeeds in creating a town that is believable and compelling, with a large cast of characters that initially seem like quiet players in any American small town. Fairly early on we are given the jarring and incongruous image of a nearby insane asylum that looms over the town both literally and figuratively. It is here that young Parris Mitchell aspires to work as a doctor one day. Parris is coming of age at a time when the field of psychology was in its infancy, and the study of mental illness was a new and exciting (and controversial) field. This clash of science and technology against religion and tradition not only works as a brilliant way of allegorically juxtaposing the coming of age of a generation with the coming of age of an entire nation, but also serves as a fascinating bit of historical fiction.

Contrasting sharply to Parris's quiet and studious nature is his best (and, often, only) friend Drake McHugh, a wild and carefree spirit that balks at the suffocating and narrow-minded restrictions of the day. Drake is probably the most fully realized character in this story, combining a thoughtless vitality with a surprising amount of empathy and concern for others, something not always present in many of fiction's great lovable free spirits. Bellamann uses these characters as a clever and interesting tool to bring us into this world. Through Parris's Apollonian lens we get to see the ideas and thoughts of the day, and through Drake's decidedly Dionysian filter we see actions, and the consequences of balking convention in small town America.

To call this a coming of age tale is to place too narrow a restriction on what is actually a much larger story. Over the span of roughly two decades, we not only see characters grow and change, but we see a town -- and, indeed, a civilization -- going through a painful growth spurt. And, while some of it is expected (we can infer that the story of Parris and Cassandra, with their curiously Homeric names, will end tragically), occasionally there are sharp twists and turns that managed to surprise even me, a very jaded reader (I won't spoil anything, but there are some moments that would have made the likes of Poe and Lovecraft very proud).

This is a very philosophical novel, with some very large ideas and concepts written in prose that is elegant without being stuffy, and informative without being pedantic. There is both naivety and bitterness, beauty and tragedy, gentleness and brutality, and while it is clear that Bellamann himself was frustrated by much of small town society and its narrowness of scope, he presents a balanced enough viewpoint so that the novel doesn't fall into bleak condemnation of an entire culture. This was clearly the work of a brilliant mind, and if there is a flaw here it's that occasionally the characters all seem almost too smart, and have developed too deep an understanding of human nature based on their limited surroundings and experiences. Though, really, this a refreshing critique in light of how seldom one encounters this problem either in fiction or in real life.

Unfortunately, this novel has now gone out of print (I had to order mine from Amazon). If you can find a cheap copy somewhere, I highly recommend picking it up. It's my hope that by talking about this novel as much as possible and (and by being annoying enough about it) that I can help generate enough interest in getting it out into the world once again. It is too beautiful, smart, sad, tragic, and compelling of a story to be lost to antiquity, and showcases a fascinating period of American history that I think we could learn a lot from by studying in 2013. Rating: A

@robrussin

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time thirteen years ago I was enjoying my final weeks before beginning high school. One languid summer night, the film Kings Row was on Turner Classic Movies. Attracted by the early scenes of happy children running around a small town, most of them oblivious to its corruption, I made my parents change the channel so that I could borrow the book from the library before being spoiled.

It's the story of small-town corruption in c. 1900 Kings Row, a fictional place based on the author's hometown of Fulton, Missouri. The main character is Parris Mitchell, a bright, upper class orphan being raised by his grandmother, who is virtually broke. Parris is good-natured and loves spending time with his friends. Parris and his friends grow up over the course of the novel. The young characters don't have to look for trouble or make their own. Hardship inevitably finds everyone in Kings Row.

I polished off the last 10 pages of the book in my freshman Spanish class the morning of my first quiz, and I admitted even then to rushing through my work in order to finish the novel. The ending, to me, seemed to come out of nowhere, and I reread the pages for several minutes.

I didn't want to finish the novel at all. I can probably count on two hands the books I've been truly sorry to see end. I'm usually eager to finish one book in order to move on to the next, and I'm not a big rereader.

Kings Row I think I will reread sometime, especially now that I am older and have some understanding of psychology. I love the book. It became the second of three adult favorites I made during 8th and 9th grades (the others were A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith and How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn). I have not yet read any books as good as those three, but it doesn't stop me from trying.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

KINGS ROW was supposedly author Henry Bellamann's 'revenge' on the small American town in which he grew up. Sixteen years before PEYTON PLACE similarly riveted the attention of readers in record numbers, it peeked into the windows of the inhabitants of Kings Row to reveal their nasty secrets.

This novel is certainly in the category of what's known as a 'potboiler' - the ingredients include lusty teenage sex, adultery, implied homosexuality, sadism, incest and insanity. And a few other peccadilloes rear their nasty heads from time to time. Ah, human beings...

As it was the fashion in the 1940s to film blockbuster novels, Warner Bros. brought KINGS ROW to the screen in 1942 in a highly-sanitized version to meet the demands of the Production Code. It provided Ronald Reagan with one of his best roles, resulting in one of his best performances, and supplying him with the tag-line "Where's the rest of me?" which he used as the title of his first autobiography.

When KINGS ROW focuses on its characters and the relationships between them, it’s a very entertaining and engaging read; when the author starts psychoanalyzing his characters, or the human race in general, it becomes ponderous, dull and flabby. And at one point so many characters die within the space of a couple of weeks that it’s downright depressing (though the scenes leading to the death of Madame Eln – Parris Mitchell’s beloved grandmother) are quite touching.

8/23: Engrossing, but after 674 pages of innumerable deaths (including two suicides) and back-stabbing, you're glad to leave Kings Row. . .

[Creolecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Fred Kohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly wonderful book about turn of the last century small town America. I would unhesitatingly give it five stars if the homosexual character, who was otherwise sympathetically portrayed, was subjected to some of the mistaken prejudices of the age that seem ludicrous now: such with an overprotective mother that causes him to hate women. Bellaman has a way of writing the dialogue of both hicks and academics that makes them seem like totally genuine characters. He also tackles many subjects that were taboo at the time: homosexuality, interracial relationships, euthanasia, incest. The plot was interesting enough even without these subjects that it was made into a movie (carefully sanitized from the aforementioned controversies, of course). So, if we can thank Ronald Reagan for nothing else, we can at least thank him for playing Drake McHugh in this movie, and thus keeping what would probably otherwise be an old forgotten book in the public consciousness.

[BurgendyA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely an unforgettable,marvelous & enchanting tale. Kings Row is the first novel of Henry Bellamann that I've read and enjoyed so much. The time period,characters & plot captivated me beautifully with the ups/downs of the characters circumstances. Literally felt the growth & pains of Parris, and it really touched me.

I am so glad that I read Kings Row and thank Anne Rice for suggesting it. Since Anne Rice mentioned in a interview when Midwinter Wolves the second book of the Wolf Gift Chronicles and that she used Kings Row as her influence to her novel. So I would suggest this book and Anne Rice Wolf Gift novels.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot to like in this 80-year old book, especially in terms of social history. It's sort of a cross between Sinclair Lewis and Tom Wolfe, and is essentially a biting indictment of small Midwestern towns like Fulton, Missouri where Bellamann grew up. It is, however, also what other reviews have termed a "pot-boiler" and it probably qualifies these days for a number of trigger warnings.

Unlike Lewis' work, the town includes a full range of people -- there are Jews, Catholics, a significant Black population, two characters with limited intelligence, and one who is gay. This seems unusual to me for a book written in 1940. Bellamann avoids the anti-Semitism which can be seen in, say, Hemingway, but while acknowledging the existence of the Black population, the story reflects the prejudice of the era in which the book was written and uses negative epithets avoided in its description of Jews and Catholics. I was struck by the fact that even blue collar families which are financially challenged have Black servants. It is difficult to determine Bellamann's intention in insertion a character, Melissa, who is one-quarter Black and depicted positively.

Bellamann is a much more stylish writer than Sinclair Lewis, and there are lyrical descriptions of the world of nature. The characters are also much more complex, with their characters depicted with a deeper psychology that was typical of mid-2oth Century literature. Many really come to life. And while there are a whole lot of people in this book, Bellamann does a good job of writing in a way which enables the reader to keep them straight.

It's not surprising that the book became a major motion picture in 1942. I kept feeling that I was watching a contemporary TV serial, and a full year of one since this story is really a trilogy in a single volume.

But there are downsides. I could have done without the frequent chapters devoted to cosmology and philosophical discussions. But most of all the plot is wretchedly overdone. Every time things seem to be coming together something happens to upset the apple cart. There is just too much dramatic stuff in this saga; it reads as if Bellamann tossed in every kind of human frailty and psychological abnormality that he could think of. And, of course, the book is just altogether too long, though I have to admit that the story is told well enough that I just kept on going until the end.

If anyone else has the stamina to take this on, the book is available on Kindle for $0.99.

[Barbara VA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow - this was quite a read. I picked it up because I was such a fan of the 1940 movie that I watched because I am such a fan of Claude Rains and Charles Coburn. They were quite the characters in this portrait of small midwest town at the turn of the last century. This book really makes Peyton Place seem like Utopia! Parris is so well drawn and the education of an Alienist is fascinating. So many topics covered - incest, race, greed, religion, lunacy, homosexuality, prejudice, and even fanaticism. I am ready to move on to the sequel, Parris Mitchell of Kings Row and see if the town can possible redeem itself.

[Claudia Mundell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very old book...from 1940...long but intersting in that setting was Missouri. Capture small town life and the clearly marked lines of classes in the community. Author writes with wordiness marked by the times...but his nature descriptions are lovely. He uses seasons to move time along in the book and does it well. After the book, I watched the film...nominated for 3 Academy Awards in 1942.Ronald Reagan was one of main charactes, his portrayal of Parris Mitchell is known as his best acting performance.

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading books that once were celebrated and successful, but that, as the years pass by, have been (unjustly or not) forgotten, is an immensely pleasurable activity for anyone who loves taking literature’s hidden paths. It’s like discovering a lost treasure, even if the treasure, at the end, happens to be just made of cheap junk: the fun of the discovery is what remains. More than that, reading such books opens, often in a fascinating way, a window on another time: to find out what readers of a different era were obsessing about, what they were rushing to read, is always instructive, and it can teach us a lot. By what they say - or don’t say - and what they put a light on, those books, even when they’re not great, are quite revealing about society at a given moment. Reading Kings Row has been such an experience for me. A massive and controversial best-seller in the early forties, Kings Row was turned into a prestige movie in 1942 (it remains one of the best Warner Bros. films of the decade) and later gave way to a literary sequel. It is one of those titles that, after having imposed its mark on the culture of the decade, seems to have slowly faded from memory. As far as I know, it’s out of print right now. Is it an unremembered masterpiece? Not quite. But it is very good, it is worth rediscovering, and it isn’t as old-fashioned as one may think. Its author, Henry Bellamann, is savagely astute at depicting what hides behind the facade of some American myths, and he unveils a true modern sensibility, especially in his embrace of difference and in his rejection of moralistic judgements and conformism. The Kings Row of the title is a little Midwest city that we enter as the XIX century ends. Through the tale of a bunch of friends, whom we meet as children growing up in Kings Row and whom we follow into adulthood, Bellamann actually offers a stunningly somber and sometimes disturbingly realistic painting of tragic events that define what, at first glance, appears like an idyllic and quaint all-American town. In a way, Bellamann’s novel follows into the footsteps of Booth Tarkngton’s famous The Magnificent Ambersons. It also announces eviscerating, scandalous tell-all novels such as Peyton Place, that will come years later. Murder, incest, corruption, shady financial schemes, bullying, horrendous sadism are only some aspects of life in Kings Row. Racism, antisemitism, xenophobia, and sexism are the norm. Religious hypocrisy reigns, and patriarchy is the rule. Intense snobbery and social class warfare are unavoidable. Suicide and euthanasia are at some points the only way out. There are so many crimes committed in Kings Row that the young heroes at the heart of the novel are witness to, or are victims of, that it’s no wonder they all are deeply traumatized to some degree. The thing is, as melodramatic as the multiple plot turns and surprises may seem, they are actually perfectly believable, and they do brilliantly underline certain truths about the country, truths that remain intensely troubling to this day and that, obviously, infuriated Bellamann. The writer is also, and that is a welcome eye-opener, very frank and open about gender and sexuality. I didn't expect that from a popular novel of 1940. All the main characters, for example, have sex as young teenagers, and one of them is openly gay (although, as a victim of a bigoted society, not happily so). It appears that Bellamann was determined to lift the curtain on all that was, then, taboo or only talked about in whisper and with reprobation. He does that with gusto, and it is, for the reader, terribly satisfying. More than anything, Bellamann’s embrace of the outcasts, against the rest of society, is at the heart of his story, and that is what makes the book powerful to this day. The author adroitly shows us why those fierce – yet often shy, messed up, and complicated - outcasts, even when they’re doomed to unhappiness or worse, deserve our empathy, our understanding, our support, and our love. Some will survive, some will perish. Bellamann never judges them. On the contrary: you can feel that he wrote the book for them, and I imagine that he identifies as one of them. Similarly, he doesn’t hide his contempt and dislike for small-minded people who think they know best, who impose their bias carelessly, who manipulate others to their advantages, who gossip and slander, who use their power in nefarious ways, who destroy reputations (and sometimes lives). There is a shocking quality to Kings Row that is still, today, truly potent and right on target: some things haven’t changed that much in our society. If Bellamann is not as skilled a writer as the greats of his time, and lacks the genius of a Fitzgerald, to name one, he’s nevertheless excellent, and, in some occasions, more than that: his descriptions of the small town itself, of its population, or of the landscape as it changes with the seasons, are wonderful. He tends, though, to be heavy-handed more than once, hammering the reader with explanations and psychological analyses that can become repetitive. He flirts sometimes with the kind of purple prose that doesn’t really work, today, but thankfully, his talent overrules his weaknesses. His writing (and the book itself, for that matter) is not subtle. Yet the narration is wonderfully fluid, and despite its length, Kings Row is impossible to let down. There is, enveloping the succession of dramas and horrors that make up the plot, an elegiac, melancholy, even mournful, peculiarity to the atmosphere of the story that is beguiling and that elevates it. Bellamann touches upon some truly moving aspects of life in the course of his book. Kings Row is as persuasive and real in its depiction of small town America, as it is eloquent in a literary way, without necessarily being a benchmark achievement (and does it matter? no. A good book is a good book, period). Kings Row is an imperfect, sometimes dated novel, but it’s also complex and intelligent, beautifully progressive, and immensely enjoyable to read. The movie that was based on Kings Row is one of the classics of the Hollywood golden age. It is a beautiful film. It is, also, a testament to the insidious and maddening power of censorship: everything that deals with the sexuality of the characters, for example, has been completely eradicated in the film, or is barely hinted at. Even more tellingly, three of the most intriguing characters of the novel have entirely disappeared: the gay young man, a black young woman, and a Jewish girl. They are, sadly, completely absent from the movie. If that doesn’t say a lot, what does?

[Susie Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled on this book in my moms huge collection.. through research I discovered it is out of print. How fortunate I am to have a hard copy! This book will remain in my library. I put it right up there with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Topics of loyal friendship, love, small town dynamics, psychology, philosophy, science, religion, forces of good and evil … this book was full of thought provoking chapters. I didn’t want it to end.

[Patricia Vaccarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1940, Kings Row is out of print and hard to find, which is surprising for a book that was hailed in a movie trailer as the best book of the year. The movie version, released in 1942 with an all-star cast, included Robert Cummings, Ann Southern, Charles Coburn, Claude Rains, Betty Field, and former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. In fact, it has been suggested that this film is considered to be Ronald Reagan’s finest work before he later ventured into politics.

Until recently, I had not heard of either the movie or the book. I learned of Kings Row during one of those deep dives on my phone late at night, where one fascinating fact leads to another. I am interested in historical fiction, especially stories that capture a sense of time and place, the paradox of beauty and tragedy, and the dark underbelly that rears its ugly head in stark realism. From this standpoint, Kings Row does not disappoint.

Author Henry Bellamann was widely criticized for writing Kings Row. His detractors claimed he was taking revenge on the small town of Fulton, Missouri for his unhappy childhood. Defining Kings Row as autofiction matters not. Kings Row paints a portrait of small town life from the 1890s through to the early Twentieth Century, where corruption, brutality and perversion are exposed for the world to see.

Some critics of past yore have placed Kings Row on the same literary shelf as Peyton Place. Author Grace Metalious wrote about three women in a small town in New Hampshire who are coming to terms with both their identity and sexuality. Kings Row protagonist, the handsome young Parris Mitchell, is musically gifted, sensitive and refined, a profoundly deep thinker, worldly beyond his years, and bound for medical school in Vienna. Orphaned as an infant, Parris is being raised by his grandmother, the strong willed and stoic Madame Marie von Eln, who recognizes her grandson’s intellectual curiosity, integrity and compassion for all people, even those far less fortunate and often undeserving.

Like Peyton Place, Kings Row has many complex characters who are also coming of age, exploring their identity and sexuality. The difference is in Kings Row, terrible, terrible things, mindboggling tragedies, happen to good people. The sinister town medical doctor, Dr. Gordon, amputates both legs of his daughter’s love interest, Drake McHugh, in a deliberate sadistic act of moral punishment. Drake McHugh is not Dr. Gordon’s only casualty. The extent of his rampage is not fully discovered until long after his death.

Along with incest, homosexuality, racism, classicism, mental illness, and prejudice against the disabled, there is no shortage of cruelty in this small town; but for all of its human failings, the setting is lush, full of rolling hills, pastures, creeks, wildflowers, and pastoral light slanting between the leaves of noble trees. Every season under the sun has its own unique beauty that dresses a scene for endless seduction.

Characters come and go, all of them bound by the roots that they share in common with having grown up in Kings Row. Even the characters that leave the town are compelled to return in an endless cycle of seeking one’s own redemption—that redemption can only be found by once again going home. As Parris Mitchell notes, “The human mind works as a whole-it moves all at once, the whole machine, like an engine on rails.” Mitchell lived in Vienna for five years and loves Europe’s culture and sensibility, and yet, he will never seek home anywhere else on earth than in the town that first formed who he is and who he is still becoming.

Kings Row is small town Americana at its finest. Events unfold at the same slow rhythm as baseball. Just when things are moving so slowly that a reader loses patience, an event as earth shattering as a grand slam forever alters the lives of the characters. Yet the book’s long passages of philosophical diatribe are exasperating. Pages and pages of monotonous dialogue might enhance the realism of the time period, but they should have been cut and polished, and integrated more cohesively within the context of the book’s narrative. Too much philosophical ranting, excessive dialogue, and long rambling chapters are serious flaws, yet not enough to destroy the book’s integrity as a masterpiece; nonetheless, it is a flawed masterpiece.

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[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic story of small town with many dark secrets, old but very readable

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time. I've read it twice and thought I'd add it to my list. Probably hard to find a hard back copy.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a boring book, I do wish the author had done more to make it more interesting.

[Michael David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was born in 1988.

When I was in pre-elementary, shows like Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210 were popular, although I was never able to enjoy them. First, they aired way past my bedtime, and second, I wouldn't have been allowed by my parents. I just had an inchoate attraction to the scantily-clad women featured in the advertisements, and that was it. I was a lot older when I realized that it dealt with the controversy and hypocrisy of people in high society.

These series are known as 'soap operas.' Although they have become less popular nowadays with the rise of 'reality TV,' they still have some clout in the TV ratings, especially during the mornings. Among the earliest examples of these 'soap operas,' however, was Peyton Place which was derived from a book written by Grace Metalious in the 1950s.

Kings Row was written even before that: it is probably the prototypical 'soap opera' novel before that term even became popular. It is a panorama and coup d'oeil of the eponymous town of Kings Row, and it ably criticizes the vapidity and hypocrisy pervasive in any small town or city that prides itself on 'propriety' and 'morality.' It was written by Henry Bellamann at the tail-end of his life, and was a sort of exorcism against his ostracism in the town he lived in. It was his revolt against a town that was manners without, and empty within.

The novel is, most definitely, an enjoyable read. Only Gone with the Wind rivals it in terms of sheer readability, as I was able to read through the entire novel in a single day. It is, however, not a masterpiece because it has multiple flaws. The succeeding paragraphs will be my apologia as to why it remains little less than a masterpiece.

First, the novel is too unfocused and diffuse that the author utilizes the unnatural artifice of plays: abrupt breaks in the flow of the story just occur, and the story jumps from one person to another. Although Parris Mitchell is arguably the central character of the novel, he still disappears from the town for years and the shift to Randy Monaghan and Drake McHugh was jarringly written. Contrast this with Gone with the Wind, one of the candidates for the Great American Novel. In its 1200 pages, it is undeniable that Scarlett O'Hara is the novel's central character. The Civil War, and the vicissitudes of America that parallel Scarlett's life is always seen from the lens of Scarlett and her actions. Because of this the reader remains rooted and anchored to the story no matter what occurs because the novel doesn't waver with its focus on Scarlett.

Second, as a medical doctor, I find that its treatment of psychiatry was juvenile and asinine. Sometimes Bellamann relies too much on psychopathy to drive the plot forward that he sometimes stretches the realm of believability. I just have a hard time believing a person as rooted as Dr. Alexander Tower could actually succumb to incest (although I don't discount its possibility), or Dr. Gordon being undetected as a sadistic surgeon through all those years. Granted, while psychiatry was still at its formative stages during the 1940s, I just find the thinking of those 'villains' hard to believe.

Finally, the homoerotic nature of the novel was at times awkwardly funny. For example, maybe it was Bellamann who actually wrote Ennis del Mar's character:

Drake McHugh: All right, kid. You go whenever you want to. There's nothing holding you now.
Parris Mitchell: Except you.
Drake: Aw - shucks!' (p.256)

I WISH I KNEW HOW TO QUIT YOU, DRAKE! Jack Twist, is that you?

Jamie was much as he had always been. He looked no more than sixteen, Drake decided. His face was as soft of contour and as warm and lovely in colouring as ever. He was incredibly good-looking...

Drake slapped the horse with the reins, and half-whistled under his breath. He would not have liked for anyone to know just what he was thinking at that moment, or how Jamie actually made him feel. (p.286)

PROTIP: Jamie is a guy!

I think that with some editing, Bellamann could have removed the homoerotic context because he leaves Jamie to rust anyway in the second half of the novel. Somehow these scenes made me think that he just wanted to be as edgy as possible despite the fact that his novel was already good without it. I'm not against homosexuality in the stories I read, I just think it's treacly in this novel.

Despite all these misgivings, however, Kings Row is a great novel. It offers a good insight to American life back at the turn of the twentieth century and is also a scathing indictment towards insincerity. It's not a novel that will be enjoyed by most people nowadays, but it's a great novel for those who enjoy well-written character studies (and a bit of psycho-mumbo-jumbo).

[Denise Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parris Mitchell is an orphan who lives in Kings Row, MO, with his “grandmere,” Madame von Eln, during the 1890’s. Madame is a widow who runs a nursery business and is raising Parris to speak French and German as well as English. He also studies piano under a gruff German, who is also the pastor of the local German church.

Parris is an outsider, but develops a close friendship with Drake McHugh, another orphan who is being raised by his aunt and uncle. Where Parris is reserved, Drake is outgoing. Parris is cautious; Drake follows the rules. Their qualities balance each other. But in many ways, Drake is as much—if not more—of an outsider than Parris.

Kings Row is divided along social lines, but also by length of residence. Since Madame has been there from early days, she is well-respected and accepted by the older townsfolk. Newer residents see her as foreign and don’t understand.

The novel follows the two boys, primarily, although there are several characters who play important roles as the story progresses. Kings Row changes as the years go on, with the novel ending in the early 1900’s. Secrets and scandals are hinted at and are gradually revealed as Parris and Drake mature and come to better understand themselves and the world they are in. Parris spends several years studying in Europe (Vienna, specifically) and sees Kings Row with new eyes.

A much easier read than “Some Came Running,” which could be located in post-WWII Kings Row. All the prejudices of the early-1900’s are displayed, including liberal use of the “n-word.”

This novel was made into a movie with Bob Cummings as Parris and Ronald Reagan as Drake. Much of the drama had to be toned down or changed due to the Hayes office; however, Many critics consider Reagan’s portrayal of Drake to be his finest performance. “Kings Row” was also his favorite of his movies.

Not a quick read, but good for anyone looking to settle into a different world.

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.0

This book takes a lot of reading, it's both a pleasure (and on some occasions in the book's first half) a slog to get through. But I'm glad I stuck with it, it's worth it in the end.

It looks at the town Kings Row circa the 1890's into the early years of the 20th Century.
Two of the main characters are Parris Mitchell and his life-long friend Drake McHugh.
Parris is a quiet natured well mannered boy who is orphaned and lives with his grandmother. He acquires from his upbringing a good education, gift for languages, and eventually trains to be a doctor, doing some of his studies in Europe. Drake, who is also orphaned is more down-to-earth, isn't quite so well educated but is due to receive an inheritance when aged 21. But bad luck haunts Drake concerning his inheritance and a later accident and unfortunate encounter with the sadistic Doctor Gordon prove to make life difficult for him.

But Parris and Drake are only two of many characters in this huge, 674 page book. There is a huge cast of characters that I won't list in detail here who make the town what it is. The people of Kings Row possess the frailties and faults that are a feature of society overall. There is good and bad in the people of this town, and there are those who can show respectability on an external front but have unsavory secrets that are best kept hidden. The author doesn't doesn't have any hesitance to reveal these secrets and many subjects, including sadism, incest, and - daring for the time that the book was published - inter-racial affairs and homosexuality.

The book's first half unfolded slowly and there were some dull patches where the author seemed to be wordy and waffled on a bit. But the novel's second half seemed better, when he spent more of his time getting on with the story. It would be hard at times to put the book down.

It's been called by some the forerunner of PEYTON PLACE, and indeed there is a character called Peyton living in the town. One sentence, "They turned into the wide-parked grounds of Peyton's place" made me think of writer Grace Metalious. I wonder if she read this book some years before writing her own small town bestseller, PEYTON PLACE.

This book is worth reading if you can find a copy. Some of the features herein that made the book controversial at the time may seem quaint or ho-hum to readers today. But it's still an eye-opener, and only natural that the Hollywood movie adaptation cut things things back and sanitize some of the book's more sordid details concerning the folks of Kings Row.

[Karen Boblett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was Henry Bellamann's best seller and in 1942, a movie was made from the best selling novel that starred Ann Sheridan, Robert Commings and Ronald Reagan as Drake McHugh. Movie critics said that this was Reagan's best performance. He said it was one of his favorite roles.

The book is about a small town, probably in the Midwest and the main character, Parris Mitchell. The story takes place starting in 1890, where Parris' mother dies at his birth and his father dies while he a very small child. He is taken care of by his European grandmother. In many ways, he is telling the reader of his own life in this small town in Missouri, about the people who lived there and the main character's dreams of being a doctor. Was Bellamann really telling his own story through the characters in the book and how the town affected him. It is a work of fiction but the novel and movie proved to be controversial in the small town of Fulton, Missouri where Bellamann grew up.

I found the story to be very interesting and well written. I think if you grew up and lived in a small American town you would recognize some of the characters Bellamann has in this book --or recognize yourself.

[Jeanne Cosmos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested in the concept of true friendship & of loyality. I also looked forward to reading about life choices and life narratives of the characters. All very 'universal'.
Unfortunatly, the writing and attempt to dig in wasn't as readily - all that - as it was quite dated. The language and dialogue - too much - simple in terms of the era it was written in..if that makes sense.
I am more engaged with fast paced plots or deep introspetive works- this had neither.
The sensibility of the author was authentic - it just didn't translate to the 21st century.
Glad I have the book & I took another look & read it again. My last read was when I was 16-17 yrs old & a romantic & impressionable teen...so, this read - wish it grabbed me similarly- but it didn't.

[Ellie Wyatt · Rating 2 out of 5]

i’m not sure why there is so much love for this book. maybe if you’re someone who likes a story so depressing you’ll want to slit your wrists after you’ve finally finished it, then you will love this. i cannot recall a single positive thing that happens in this shit hole town full of awful disgusting people. i still give it two stars because despite the horrible story, it was still very well written, and i liked how it followed the boy through childhood to adulthood and after. can’t say i actually enjoyed one second of this 600 page guide to depression though. one of the rare cases where i prefer the movie!

[Janis Nowak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one will stay with me.

In Anne Rice's final interview she mentioned how she admired this book. Of course I was intrigued. Like most big (big like in many pages) novels, it took me some time to get into. But once I did - it grabbed me. Set in the early 1900s. Published in 1940. Yet - still so relevant. It is a coming of age novel. A political novel. A love story (on many levels). It addresses prejudice, greed, values, religion, spirituality, nature, progress, human relationships, generosity, and more. The writing is exquisite. The story is compelling. Now I want to watch the movie.

[Jesse King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a monster to complete. It is seperated into 6 or so books each spanning a different periods in King's Row history. Most of the focus is on Parris and is mostly from his point of view throughout the book and occasionaly we read from Drake's perspective and some of the other characters time to time. The story was rather depressing with multiple elements revolving around death and the dark depths some of the characters go. It is a rather raw story and suprising coming from 1940, however this makes the story relateable to a lot of life struggles people go through and the fact that I live in a small town just like King's Row.

[Lori Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does anyone else love historical fiction? This book was adapted into a film starring Ronald Reagan in 1942. Heart wrenching tale of kids growing up through adulthood in Kings Row around the turn of the century. Think East of Eden-ish. There's murder, suicide, sadism, bereavement, psychiatry, music, and more! Beautifully written although the author, as I think is indicative of that time, leaves the reader to use their imagination in certain circumstances - which I both love and also dislike but none the less this has been on my to read list a long time and I’ve finished it! if you like the genre or books adapted into movies, I highly recommend!

[Andrew J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt classic

This is or should be a classic of American iterature, like works of Cather and Dreiser are.
I bought this on kindle, being out of print and also easier to read amid cataract surgery. As an admirer of the movie, I found the book and enjoyed the richness it held beyond what a Hollywood film could present - while also enjoying the anticipation of connections between the book and film. Coming towards the end of the story, they diverge, in ways that are understandable for the limitations if cinema. With that typical, solemn sense of loss ending a long novel, I readily ordered the sequel.

[Dennis Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished Kings Row by Henry Bellamann, a 1940 novel set in a small midwestern town at the turn of the twentieth century. It was made into a movie of the same name in 1942, and was Ronald Reagan’s most memorable roles as an actor. I’m not sure how I found this book and truthfully it was a little tough getting into it at the beginning but I found the journey worthwhile. King’s Row is Bellamann’s best known work and is considered a superb “coming of age” story.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange read. Always verging on being a good book, and then, nothing.
The author touched on many important topics, but then dropped them all after a few pages. Incest, sadism, insanity, murder, homosexuality, it's all there, but only briefly.

Most of the book is taken up with taxing philosophical rants and dull everyday people type of scenes.

I can see why this made a big splash when it came out, but it hasn't stood up well over time.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a turn of the century Peyton Place. 20th century that is. I’d call it Settlers Gone Wild. Really beautiful and lyrical reflections throughout this epic story of small town life with other characters’ stories meandering in and out. Appalling stories and sweet stories. Some are funny and many are horrific. And the author tells each one leaving much to the imagination. I’d reread. And I don’t reread.

[Maggie Kagin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kings Row was my favorite movie at one time, so I’ve wanted to read the book for years. It was easy to read, but I did skim a lot because it was wordy and descriptive, and I didn’t want to spend forever reading a 600+ page book. Fair warning, it does have dark themes with a lot of adult (and bizarre) content and language, as well as frequent use of a racial slur (my edition is from 1941, so maybe later editions edit it out).

[Brendon Fehre · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I have had the pleasure to read in a long time, extremely detailed (so a lot of reading) but well worth the time spent getting to the end. An enjoyable story about friends (and enemies), with some shocking twists set in a small fictional town in middle America around the turn of last century.