In Tall Cotton

Rating:
Summary: Summary
Review: Hulse has written a modern masterpiece. His command of tone and mood and language is stunning, and he recreates the turmoil, turbulence and uncertainty of the Great Depression with absolute authority. Readers can see this ragtage family in their dusty jallopy crossing the country in search of opportunities. At the center of the story is Carlton (Totsy), a young boy who comes of age at a time of turmoil for himself and his family. As he explores his place in the world and his budding sexuality, he finds pleasure, amibiguity and heartbreak at every turn. This is one of those few books that you never want to end. I demand a sequel! Do you hear me, Mister Hulse? I demand a sequel!

Rating:
Summary: Homo-erotica meets the Depression
Review: It was a good enough novel in itself, but there is much more worthwhile literature out there. Many parts of this book make one feel dirty and ashamed to be reading it around one's family, but perhaps such strong feelings (good or bad) is what makes a story great. I would be weary about letting children around this book and the description on the back cover is a bit misleading. Most of his "childhood experiences" are homosexual in nature, which was not what was described on the back. It was an interesting story, however, but just know what you are getting into before reading it. The characters are very well done and the historical value is relevant. Some of the characters may be all too real, but the development of the book is good also.

Rating:
Summary: Homo-erotica meets the Depression
Review: It was a good enough novel in itself, but there is much more worthwhile literature out there. Many parts of this book make one feel dirty and ashamed to be reading it around one's family, but perhaps such strong feelings (good or bad) is what makes a story great. I would be weary about letting children around this book and the description on the back cover is a bit misleading. Most of his "childhood experiences" are homosexual in nature, which was not what was described on the back. It was an interesting story, however, but just know what you are getting into before reading it. The characters are very well done and the historical value is relevant. Some of the characters may be all too real, but the development of the book is good also.

Rating:
Summary: Homo-erotica meets the Great Depression
Review: It was an okay book as far as the aspects of history go, and was also helpful in helping one understand what may happen to children with homosexual tendencies in a discovery to accept oneself. The biggest problem that I had was that the description on the back side of the cover was quite misleading. This book is very sexual and explicit in nature, which is not mentioned when you pick the book off the shelf at the bookstore (or online store). It's worth a read if you are interested in the topics, but I would recommend other books rather than this one because there is simply better material out there.

Rating:
Summary: Homo-erotica meets the Great Depression
Review: It was an okay book as far as the aspects of history go, and was also helpful in helping one understand what may happen to children with homosexual tendencies in a discovery to accept oneself. The biggest problem that I had was that the description on the back side of the cover was quite misleading. This book is very sexual and explicit in nature, which is not mentioned when you pick the book off the shelf at the bookstore (or online store). It's worth a read if you are interested in the topics, but I would recommend other books rather than this one because there is simply better material out there.

Rating:
Summary: Vivid and literary tale that rises above the typical
Review: This book inspires mixed feelings. It presents a detailed, engaging story of what it was like to grow up in the Great Depression and is populated by memorable events and characters. Over the course of the story the narrator, nicknamed Totsy, goes from being 10 years old to 14. The author does a great job of showing how Totsy's way of looking at the world gradually changes as he goes from youngster to teen. We also get to know his family very well, especially his older brother, Junior. These are two brothers who care for one another deeply, something the author communicates to us not merely by asserting as much, but by showing it through realistic dialog and artful descriptions. Junior's clear-headed approach to life provides a realistic counterpoint to Totsy's more sensual one, and there is genuine love between them.

The writing captures so many details of life during those difficult times that as you read you can't help but to be amazed at the hardships that such families endured. At the same time there are moments of great joy mixed in with the setbacks, lending an additional sense of realism to the story. Structurally the book begins with what we can tell is a horrible circumstance in the boy's life, then immediately goes back in time to tell what happened in the years leading up to it. Finally, as the book draws to a close, the author returns to the opening scene in the context of everything that has come before. The accumulated insights and sense of the characters makes what seemed horrible before just absolutely devastating in the retelling. The short, final sentence of the book -- an exact repeat of one that we encountered within the first few pages -- lands like a blow to the stomach. It is really quite an astonishing effect.

That said, there remains the fact that the book does present some detailed sexual scenes. Totsy's partners run the gammit from girls to boys to male adults. The encounters with Totsy's young cousin and friends involve a sense of play and occasional tenderness, while the ones with adults center around Totsy's confusion, shame and humiliation. The author clearly wants us to understand the horror that Totsy feels over what is clearly molestation of the most debasing sort, yet when you consider that the scenes have been rendered with such lurid detail you have to wonder if there's a more subversive agenda involved. I have no problem with sexual content when it adds meaningfully to a story, but here I have to say that the dissonance brought about by such scenes detracts from what is otherwise a truly great book.

The cover photograph on the edition of this book that I read is also completely misleading. Nowhere in the story do we meet any character who even remotely resembles the young man depicted. I can only attribute the choice of cover art to a misguided marketing ploy. Better to include a picture of Totsy and Junior together, for in the end it is their relationship as brothers that makes the book truly soar.


Rating:
Summary: Dust Bowl Discoveries
Review: This historical novel focuses upon the life of a young migrant during the Depression. His personal odessey and discovery are the "meat" of the story-line, which is rich in historical color and detail. His accounts of Arizona during the '30's makes one relish the equally well described relief which is offered. An engrossing book, which satisfies, and leaves the reader yearning for more about the hero.

Rating:
Summary: A Fine Novel
Review: With its beautifully-etched characters and superbly rendered sense of time and place, In Tall Cotton is one of the better coming-of-age novels I've read. It's not without some cliches (and whoever decided upon that cover should be shot!), but at its best it's heartbreaking and highly evocative.

Rating:
Summary: A Fine Novel
Review: With its beautifully-etched characters and superbly rendered sense of time and place, In Tall Cotton is one of the better coming-of-age novels I've read. It's not without some cliches (and whoever decided upon that cover should be shot!), but at its best it's heartbreaking and highly evocative.