Native Stone

by Edwin Gilbert

Kirkus Reviews Copyright (c) VNU Business Media, Inc.:
The central theme of architecture will recall Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, but here there are three careers to follow as the men establish themselves in their profession. Rafferty Bloom, Irish and Jewish, Abbott (Abby) Austin, proper and inhibited Bostonian, and Vincent Cole, a local New Haven product and not above advancing himself by any means, meet at Yale, go their individual ways after ...
Vairāk graduation, and, with the death of Abby's architect uncle, form a partnership in Taunton, Conn. Vince has married Troy, Abby's improper Bostonian sister whose insistence on integrity causes the breakup of the firm -- and her marriage; Abby's marriage to Nina, who had carefully planned on it, ends in divorce with her crack-up over men and sex; Raff, on his own in a more isolated town in Connecticut, has the young minister, Stringer, champion his unorthodox design for a new church, against vicious opposition, physical tests and community upheaval. Vindication comes when the New England Arts Festival awards is given to the church -- and when Troy and Raff are able to face their love squarely. A meticulous blueprint reveals the many aspects of architecture: -- the training; the practical experience in big and small firms and towns; as a business and as a social adjunct. It contrasts architectural precision against personal muddling; and dots the i's and crosses the t's explicitly. The information here perhaps outweighs the characterization and emotionalization.

Genres: Contemporary

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[Oskars Kaulēns · Rating 4 out of 5]

cienījami un pieklājīgi. stāsts par jaunu arhitektu vēlmi izsisties un atstāt sava ambiciozā rokraksta pēdas pilsētu vaigukaulos. vienīgi mazliet par daudz uzspēlētas drāmas un cilvēcīgas (no)ņemšanās.

[Gramatnieks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about this book. It is about all the important things - about the path that you choose, about principles that you follow, about friendship and love. Nothing special, really. But I do find myself reading it all over again every two or three years. I love the backgraounds, the plot and the heroes, they all support my own understanding of what is right and wrong.

[Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grāmata par arhitektūru. Dzīves - draudzības, pieaugšanas, lielo un mazo izvēļu un, protams, mīlestības arhitektūru. Arī par arhitektūru kā profesiju un arhitektu pasauli. Skaists, dzīvs un ievelkošs stāsts.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who could have guessed that a relatively obscure 469-page novel from 1956 about Connecticut architects could resonate so deeply some 70 years later? It’s tempting to compare Edwin Gilbert’s “Native Stone” to TV’s “Mad Men,” and the comparison would be a reasonable one — both shine a light on young, career-focused men in the middle of last century competing with one another, landing clients (and women), and trying to figure out who they are and what they stand for. (In fact, the first Gilbert book I tracked down and enjoyed, “The Hot and the Cool,” treads similar ground among a group of young-buck jazz musicians.) But whereas “Mad Men” devoted much of its storytelling energy to capturing the zeitgeist of its era, the themes of “Native Stone” feel more timeless, its three main characters exploring the bounds of creativity, male friendships, and what it takes to balance the desire for artistic expression with the need to earn a living. “Native Stone,” with its richly drawn characters and a New England setting that author Gilbert clearly loves, is more than a period piece with mid-century charm — it’s an enduring tale worth seeking out.

[AnitaK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Секрет очарования этой книги для меня не совсем ясен, но перечитываю её с подросткового возраста и она ничего не теряет (в отличие от, к сожалению, многих).
Нормальный такой социальный реализм- Америка начала, что ли, 60х. Трое друзей-архитекторов- из разных слоёв общества, разной степени одаренности, с разными целями и взглядами. Фоном- немного сурового капитализма (по теме- типового строительства). Немного истории архитектуры и реалий того времени. Немного идей- во что верили молодые архитекторы того времени. Немного разнообразного неравноправия Америки 60х.
И много- отношений и любви.
Очень всё немудряще, если вдуматься.
Но она очень качественная, прямая, без претензий, очень человечная и в ней нет ни грамма никаких игрищ. Она напоминает лучшие образцы советской литературы, но только тут всё же больше реалистичности, человечности.
Жаль, но вообще больше не переведен автор.

[Elizabete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! After reading you will really want to become an architect (or marry one). Amazing book