Banana Rose

by Natalie Goldberg

The bestselling novel from the beloved author of Writing Down the Bones, Wild Mind, and Long Quiet Highway is now available in paperback for the first time.  With a half-million copies in print of her three remarkable books of nonfiction, Natalie Goldberg has inspired a generation of writers with her insight, humor, and empathy.  Subtly hilarious and achingly raw, her first novel Banana Rose has rewarded her devoted fans while attracting a whole new readership to her work.

Banana Rose is the story of Nell Schwartz, a Brooklyn-born Jewish girl who moves to the Taos of communes and sweet cedar smoke, transforms herself into Banana Rose (because she's "bananas"), falls in love with a horn player named Gauguin, and believes they can stop time if they just love hard enough.  It's also about Nell and Anna, a strange-eyed writer as lonely as the Nebraska farm where she grew up, whose kisses taste like raspberries and who teaches Nell what it means to be an artist.  But most of all, Banana Rose is about Nell's struggle with her own wild heart, with the demands of canvas and paint, with her family and faith, and with her irrepressible longing for home.

Genres: Fiction, Adult Fiction, Novels, Literary Fiction, Literature

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Natalie Goldberg lived in Brooklyn until she was six, when her family moved out to Farmingdale, Long Island, where her father owned the bar the Aero Tavern. From a young age, Goldberg was mad for books and reading, and especially loved Carson McCullers's The Ballad of the Sad Cafe , which she read in ninth grade. She thinks that single book led her eventually to put pen to paper when she was twenty-four years old. She received a BA in English literature from George Washington University and an MA in humanities from St. John's University.

Goldberg has painted for as long as she has written, and her paintings can be seen in Living Color: A Writer Paints Her World and Top of My Lungs: Poems and Paintings. They can also be viewed at the Ernesto Mayans Gallery on Canyon Road in Sante Fe.

A dedicated teacher, Goldberg has taught writing and literature for the last thirty-five years. She also leads national workshops and retreats, and her schedule can be accessed via her website: nataliegoldberg.com

In 2006, she completed with the filmmaker Mary Feidt a one-hour documentary, Tangled Up in Bob, about Bob Dylan's childhood on the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota. The film can be obtained on Amazon or the website tangledupinbob.com.

Goldberg has been a serious Zen practitioner since 1974 and studied with Katagiri Roshi from 1978 to 1984.

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like many other reviewers, I learned about Natalie Goldberg when I read her books on writing back in the mid-90's. I knew then about this book but never saw it anywhere and it wasn't until a few years ago when I discovered my favorite online used book store that I eventually ordered a copy.

I noticed that many other reviewers also came to this book after reading NG's writing books. And many were disappointed. Was I?

In a way. I suppose like everyone else I expected this novel to match the power of the author's non-fiction work. I did not expect to find myself completely annoyed with the very selfish main character Nell/Banana Rose. So many times she didn't care about what her friends were doing or saying, she just cut them off and turned the situations back to herself. It is hard to care about a main character that acts that way, even when you know that part of the reason for the story is to show the character maturing. But does Nell/Banana ever manage that? Does she ever become a 'real' artist?

I also did not expect myself to be so annoyed with the stiff dialogue. Very few conversations felt real.

Another annoyance was the maddening bits of detail thrown in when I least expected it. Once Nell went for a walk and stopped at the store for some gum on her way. "The gum cost twenty-seven cents." Is that really a relevant detail?

Sometimes I would just shake my head as I went along, but I will admit that I wanted to see how it all turned out, so I did keep reading to the end, even with the various aggravations popping up every few pages.

I have seen that NG has not written another novel. I'm not sure I would read one if she did, to tell the truth. But I do think I will dig up her books on writing and skim through them for old time's sake.

[Ruby Hollyberry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like another author who writes very very well when she writes about herself and about writing (Anne Lamott), Natalie Goldberg sucks at fiction. I love Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within and Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life with an unquenchable passion, just as I love Lamott's Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, and Grace Eventually : Thoughts on Faith. I read all these nonfiction books over and over with love and memorize bits permanently. But I cannot read any of Anne Lamott's novels to save my life, and Banana Rose is as bad or worse. These two chicks seem to live very firmly in ordinary reality in such a way that they only sound convincing when they are in fact telling the literal truth.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate Banana Rose. I kinda didnt like it , too weird, stilted conversations, rambling, flat emotions . It was almost as though the main character , Banana Rose , was off on the side of the action watching her own actions. The story of a Jewish New York city transplant to a New Mexico hippie community trying to break through as an artist was interesting enough for me to read to the ending. Yet. The ending was weird .

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like writing down the bones, but Banana Rose just left me cold. The old expression, "those who can't do, teach" comes to mind...

[Geoff Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two of my favorite nonfiction writers are Anne Lamott and Natalie Goldberg. Their voices are conversational, engaging, and unique. When reading their essays, I often feel like I'm listening to a familiar friend full of charm and insight. They inspire me.

Unfortunately their attempts at fiction do not have a similar effect. Goldberg's Banana Rose suffers from a first-person narrator that comes off as self-absorbed and shallow, often providing irrelevant details that manage to make both food and sex boring while also trivializing the death of a loved one (this isn't a spoiler, as the death is revealed in the prologue).

Do we really need to know the phone numbers of three different people? Do we really need descriptions of lovemaking so clinical that they risk pushing the reader toward abstinence? Do we really need to know the color and make of the car she drives to visit her friend in the hospital or which street she turns on to get there? Your friend is in the hospital, for crying out loud, show some emotion.

The story lacks energy and focus, the dialogue is largely expository and devoid of wit. Fungible cardboard characters flit in and out of the thin plot for no apparent reason. If you forget who someone is, don't worry; chances are it doesn't matter anyway.

Overall, this was a very frustrating read. I'm both proud of and angry with myself for finishing it.

[Carla Stafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the description in this book-it seemed appropriate to me that a painter/hippie would describe her emotions using color descriptions and nature metaphors. I think I struggled with the straightforward simplistic nature of Banana Rose's character. This may be consistent with her hippie ideals-but her ability to easily accept monumental events in her life...or at least to describe heart wrenching experiences in a passive voice-was difficult for me to relate to on a personal level. Portions of Banana Rose dragged on for me-but not so much that I regret reading it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. I read it in two days. The imagery and the feelings are so real.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly abysmal; I was embarrassed for Goldberg. Notice she's never published another novel...one presumes I was not the only one who hated it.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bananna Rose by Natalie Goldberg left a love wound in my heart. A most excellent reading experience.

[Helen Kingman · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite novels.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished reading Banana Rose by Natalie Goldberg for one of my book clubs. I honestly cannot recommend this book. The book has a good premise (hippie girl tries to find herself and becomes a real artist in New Mexico) but the author does a terrible job fleshing out the characters. They are not believable and the dialouge rings false. The dialouge feels very contrived and artificial.
Almost every chapter (sometimes every paragraph) had a sentance that just made me say "Ugh!" For example, from page 187..."After my mouth had been kissed to the color of plums and the shape of Italian tomatoes and my body was a pregnant fruit, Anna stood up." The book is filled with visuals like that one that just feel yucky to me.
Another thing that annoyed me about the book was that the author had her name and the title of the book printed across the header of each page. Why?
I thought the story was decent but I just hated the writing.

[melydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like, I suspect, most people who read this book, I picked it up out of a love for Goldberg's books on writing, most notably Writing Down the Bones. In those books she emphasizes freewriting and original detail far more than standard stuff like plot, character, and revision, and it is quite evident in this debut novel. Nell is a hippie living near Taos, New Mexico; this is the story of her journey to becoming an artist. The language is vibrant and the metaphors unforgettable, but the story and dialogue often fall flat. Nell is a total brat for about the first half of the book, which was long enough that I didn't really care much what happened to her by the end. That said, I cannot overemphasize the gorgeousness of the prose. Sure, the story is about Nell, but mostly it is a love letter to New Mexico. It made me long for the desert. Hopefully Goldberg's later novels have improved character and story without losing the fantastic imagery.

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goldberg's books on writing have been a guiding force in my own writing for a few decades. It's funny to see her tips so clearly spelled out in her novel, Banana Rose. Unfortunately the novel suffers a dearth of emotional connection underneath the frequent, specific description and the main character's spontaneity.
I really wanted to like this book more. I liked the character, though she felt at a remove. The book is about a romantic relationship and a friendship, and it struck me that only the friendship felt emotionally authentic. Close female friendship more authentically emotional than hetero LTR? Draw your own conclusions, I have.

[Cdrueallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd listened to Natalie Goldberg's audio CD on Zen and writing and enjoyed it, so when I saw Banana Rose in the used bookstore, I couldn't resist. Would her fiction live up to her writing instruction? It did. An enjoyable look at the wild hippy life of a New York Jewish girl. The writing is fresh and vital, transporting you to the world of Banana Rose and her lover/husband Gaugin. If I had a complaint, it would be that Banana remains painfully naive and without a trace of the political theory that inflamed the 1960's. The result of too much Zen?

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

25 years later and I still love the heartwarming and heartbreaking sides of this book. I’m normally a nonfiction reader but broke my trend as I found an almost new copy of this in a giveaway library. My original copy was loaned and left in someone’s packed home (I think). Natalie’s description and journey take the reader on an unlikely trip through places, feelings and relationships. Take a chance on Banana Rose. NSFW or those not ready for some description of sexual encounters. Enjoy.

[Pam Bustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another to add to my Weeping Goodness shelf.
This one hold the light.
Thanks Natalie Goldberg for bringing us this story.

I see by the reviews that this one really divides people - they love or hate it.
I love it.

Recommended to ....
Anyone who has loved deeply and lived through it
Anyone who has lost a friend
Anyone who has been to New Mexico and ... Yearns to return.

Go easy ~p

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Anne Lamott, I like Natalie Goldberg's autobiographical works much better than her fiction.

[Melly · Rating 1 out of 5]

D:

[Book2Dragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I prefer her non-fiction, truth be told. Nothing against the book, but i was bored.

[Harley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been wanting to read this book for years and I finally did. I fell in love with the creative works of Natalie Goldberg more than 25 years ago. I have read Writing Down the Bones 4 or 5 times. I was rereading Wild Mind for the third time when I started reading Banana Rose. I have read two of her memoirs and her book on painting.
In many of her books on writing, Goldberg talks about the importance of detail in writing. And she practices what she preaches in this her only novel. She builds the story through attention to detail. I know some people have been disappointed with this book. I was not. I think she did a great job of telling the story. I liked the character of Banana Rose.
Not much happens in the story. We move from one day in Banana Rose's life to the next. The book is framed by the death of a friend. Goldberg discusses the writing of Banana Rose in the book, Wild Mind. She admits that the main criticism of her editor is that the book has no plot. In the rewrite, she added a slight plot, but don't expect great movement.
If you choose to read this book, go slow and absorb the details. The enjoyment is in the details. And read Wild Mind along side it.

[Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that I've been to New Mexico, I can read this book. Twice I'd started, and while the prologue stayed with me, I felt too critical of it. A month after going out West, I see Taos, New Mexico with different eyes. I spent hours driving through the desert with my family. In the City of Rocks in southern New Mexico, I spent time hiking to the tops of boulders and looking to the horizon across the desert. BANANA ROSE is a beat novel all about the hippie commune in Taos and what it was like for Nell to leave it for love. Hippie literature differs from the mainstream in that it both wanders and is episodic, and Goldberg's novel is no exception to this style. What Goldberg offers, instead, is intimacy. I loved this book, and I'm sad, thinking about the trip I took last month; I wish I could do it all again. Maybe one day, I will.

[Christa Grosvenor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure I was going to love this book when I first started . I had read three of Natalie’s writing books prior to this one . I felt it was time to read the novel she mentioned so much in Writing Down the Bones . I felt that it started out kind of slow but I very quickly fell in love with all of the characters and even the pace of writing . I felt that I could read about the characters forever . If the book never ended I would be content . The way I cried at the end of this book is undignified. 😂😂 I had to hide my face because I ugly cried so hard . I loved this book more than I thought I could and can honestly can not wait to devour everything ever written by Natalie . ❤️❤️❤️

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as 12-13 year old, picking it out at the library because the cover looked cool. It still rings in my mind as a transformative book 30 years later. It was the first time I encountered bisexual characters, which I could relate to and needed that touch stone in my small town. The struggles of love, searching fir yourself in a new place and what it means to be an artist resonate with me still. I definitely still recommend it for young adults as the inner struggle is the primary point of view and young adults tend to be focused on as well.

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although several reviewers have panned the writing style in this book, I found the voice of the protagonist, Banana Rose, interesting in a way that made me care about what would happen to her. She is a hippie, living in Taos, New Mexico, who meets Gauguin, a man who quickly becomes the love of her life. The book is filled with the ups and downs of her life over the next few years as well as the lives of several quirky friends. Very tangential in style in an enjoyable manner.

[Virginia Pulver · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline, which seemed to be quite autobiographical, despite the disclaimer, is compelling. Frankly, I was put off (or perhaps disappointed) by the lackluster dialogue. Having lived in Santa Fe, Denver and in the upper Midwest (among about 15 other areas), I was drawn in by Goldberg's observations about them and the people who live there.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this probably 20 years ago. I don't remember much about the plot but I do remember easing into the story and loving the characters-wanting them to be in my life for longer than the pages of the novel.

[Amy Yuki Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really gets into a certain hippie sensibility more than anything else I've read. It doesn't stereotype or flatten. It doesn't exaggerate. It's about a person experiencing the world from her point of view, and I really enjoyed it.

[Jo Heckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book! A growing up story that s riveting. A must read!

[Juliann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every word of this book. A random find at the used book store turned into a tale that spoke to me. Reading it again now!

[Rebekah Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic. Moving. Deep. Though the ending was perfect, I was still sad when it was over. Farewell, Banana, you messed up broad! 😉