Rating: 
Summary: On the road across the U.S.
Review: "Ash Wednesday," by Ethan Hawke, is a novel about a young couple: soldier James Heartsock and his pregnant girlfriend Christy. They go on a journey that takes them from Albany to New York City, to Ohio, and to other places in the United States. But this young couple is on an emotional journey as well as a physical one.The talented Hawke has really impressed me with his work in film (particularly his stunning performance in the film "Training Day"), and with this novel he proves his talent as an American storyteller. Hawke had me gripped from his powerful opening chapter, in which Heartsock has to perform a difficult military task. Hawke's writing is marked by vivid descriptive language and intriguing characters--a number of his minor characters have almost mythic qualities. "Ash Wednesday" is a story of family ties and disruptions. A key theme of the book is growing up and making the transition to adulthood, and accepting the responsibilities that go along with this transition. Along the way Hawke raises a number of religious and spiritual issues. He deals with such issues as faith, ritual and grace; he seems to be asking if they are still relevant today--whether they can still bring meaning and joy to life. This is a thoughtful and moving novel.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Great Job.
Review: I was blown away by this book. I would rate it as one of the best books I've ever read. I think is captures the emotional cycles of marriage and parenthood as The Catcher in the Rye captured teen angst.
Strange that some people did not like it. Not sure I understand their points. I think it was a true to life, original, and well written story. But then again, hundreds of people said gave Catcher in The Rye a bad review. Again...Wow!
Rating:
Summary: Good enough
Review: I was intrigued to read a novel by Ethan Hawke and was very pleasantly surprised with his wonderful, believable use of dialogue. I felt the characters were so screwed up they wiped out any empathy I might have mustered for their situation, but there was so much thought put into this book, so many different ideas concerning our very being on this planet, that I set aside my dislike for the characters and enjoyed reading a novel with so much soul. An excellent actor and a much greater author than I expected. And he shares his beautiful first name with my son, so how could he possibly do any wrong?
Rating: 
Summary: Close, but no cigar
Review: As I read this one I could not get over the feeling that I was fooled into reading it. Yes, there's a good story somewhere beneath all the whining, posturing and falseness, but I just couldn't find it--no matter how hard I tried and no matter how much I like Ethan as an actor. At times, the book was actually a pain to read. A specific example involves a grating, melodramatic scene in which one character places pictures into a bag. (It's just plain BAD!) Another problem is that too many adjectives are strung together, such that you are forced to choose between them, and also the adverbs "slightly" and "lightly."
Some people say that what makes acting great is also what makes writing great, but they're wrong. Good writing requires much more structure, time, thought and just plain intelligence (and you don't have to look good to be a good writer). It's not simply a matter of putting yourself in a character's frame of mind and seeing what you come up with, and if it is, you should at least be able to tell what to keep and what to throw away. As I read the dialogue (and tried to ignore it when he interrupted the speech with superflous character actions) I found myself wondering how much Mr. Hawke got paid to write this story about a blithering, directionless young couple. I identified with Christy, and could see her as a real person, a worthwhile character, but most of the time, Jimmy's actions and dialogue seemed incongrous and inane. I just couldn't understand him at all.
People considering buying this book should think about the fact that it only got published because of Mr. Hawke's pre-existing fame. (I can't see another good reason. After some research on the author, I discovered that he was only writing it to fill the space between movie gigs! Some serious author he is...) There are literally 100,000 people out there who want to have books published in the way that Mr. Hawke has, and half of them could have done a much better job (because they would have had to try harder, and possibly would have wanted to.) I felt like giving up on this more than once. By halfway through, I could see it was going nowhere, and would reach no fufilling conclusion. It is simply a collection of random philosophies on life--wistful and irrelevant to boot. Thank God I bought it second-hand, for 90% off the cover price.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the time
Review: Hawke has proven himself not only as an actor but also as an accomplished author. The Hottest State, his debut novel was well written and set the standard very high for Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday lived up to The Hottest State and pleasently fulfilled expectations with a surprinsing amount of depth and insight.
Ash Wednesday is a true to life, coming of the ages, loss of innocence novel. Lenghty character development in the beginning of the book seems to drag on, but the book builds some momentum and finishes very strongly. There is a unique and interesting style that this book is written in, swapping back from the perspective of the two main characters. This adds a well deserved depth to the book. A well written book that is an easy and enjoyable weekend read.
Rating:
Summary: Melancholic, intelligent novel
Review: Well, I won't go too deep into the story, I guess much people almost know it all. And most good things other reviewers pointed I totally agree with, so I'll just add my impressions.
Christy and Jimmy are totally different people, and you can feel it very vividly. The narrative is alternated between the two, but the one narrating is always the one who is more peaceful. If Jimmy is too angry, Christy is narrating. If Christy is too happy and talkative, Jimmy is narrating. The one with more intense feelings - no matter what they are - is always the being observed and not narrating. And the narrator is always feeling very introspective, philosophical and contemplative.
The sad thing is that, if they're always alternating, it means one is always filled with emotion and the other is serene. They're just taking turns and never feeling the same at the same time, and that's sad, like they can't find each other.
Rating:
Summary: I could read it over and over
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the roller coaster these two characters paved. I liked how the author weaved the story through different lenses. I feel like I was understanding who Ethan Hawke wanted us to believe these people were and what the fiber of them was. Many pages wanted to make me cry, but fortunately a few lines later I would be made to laugh.
Rating:
Summary: A Novel of Surprising Sincerity
Review: Like most people, I was skeptical about Ethan Hawke's integrity as a writer. Nevertheless, I bought this book for my sister for Christmas because she had liked his other book, The Hottest State. Before I was going to give it to her, I decided to read it, at least so we could discuss it when she read it. I have to admit, I was greatly pleased and excited, not only about the skill of his writing, but the integrity and the content of the story he was telling. He writes a dual narrative between a couple on the verge of becoming something or nothing. The narrative never becomes confusing and each are given strong voices of their own. There's no attempt at giving one character or the other silly little mannerisms of speech to clue us in on who they are. I've read reviews that said the characters are 'unlikable' and I'd have to agree in the sense that they don't always do the right thing. Of course, I wonder how many of us would come off as likable characters. The truth is, the characters are young and pondering the issues that face so many of us as we embark on a maybe not so bright future. Issues of fate, god, commitment, parenthood, and failure are all significantly contemplated. But, the best thing about this novel is that it is a novel of questions that never gives any answers. Because, who ever has the answers to any of these things? The motive is, however, to ask the right questions and find suitable, inspiring reasons to believe in something. God, fate, love, marriage, yourself. I would recommend this book for it's thought-provoking narrative and it's flowing stories of two separate lives embarking as one.
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