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Rating: 
Summary: The simple and powerful anti-war parable of James Thurber
Review: I came to James Thurber's classic "The Last Flower: A Parable in Pictures" by a path that I suspect others have followed as well. The first time I "saw" Thurber's story was when it was animated as part of the climax of Jack Lemmon's 1972 film "The War Between Men and Women." When I saw it I was struck by the similarities to the protest song "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", which offers a similar cycle, but you have to keep in mind that Thurber's work dates from 1939, the year that World War II started, and the song was written around 1956 by Pete Seeger and later expanded by Joe Hickerson. I had always assumed that there had to be some sort of connection between the story and the song, but Seeger was actually inspired by some lines in the novel "And Quiet Flows the Don" by Mikhail Sholokhov that came from a Ukranian folksong. However, even this dead end connection evidences the universality of Thurber's story which is one of the most powerful anti-war statements ever created, made all the more powerful because of its eloquent simplicity. Thurber wrote and drew "The Last Flower" on his favorite yellow paper at the Algonquin Hotel and it is considered the favorite of his twenty-six books by both the writer and his wife Helen. The book was an immediate success with Albert Camus translating it into French and its message seems even more relevant given the events that have happened since the end of World War II. James Thurber was a writer who offered wistful and ironic insights into the human condition and while he might be better known today for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" but if we are putting things on an interplanetary probe to represent human accomplishments and for some reason we are only restricted to one work by Thurber or only one anti-war message (in addition to Picasso's "Guernica" painting), then it would have to be "The Last Flower." To quote E.B. White, who gets the final word on this one because I could never hope to improve upon it: "Of all the flowers, real and figurative...the one that will remain fresh and wilt-proof is the little flower...on the last page of that lovely book."
Rating:
Summary: The simple and powerful anti-war parable of James Thurber
Review: I came to James Thurber's classic "The Last Flower: A Parable in Pictures" by a path that I suspect others have followed as well. The first time I "saw" Thurber's story was when it was animated as part of the climax of Jack Lemmon's 1972 film "The War Between Men and Women." When I saw it I was struck by the similarities to the protest song "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", which offers a similar cycle, but you have to keep in mind that Thurber's work dates from 1939, the year that World War II started, and the song was written around 1956 by Pete Seeger and later expanded by Joe Hickerson. I had always assumed that there had to be some sort of connection between the story and the song, but Seeger was actually inspired by some lines in the novel "And Quiet Flows the Don" by Mikhail Sholokhov that came from a Ukranian folksong. However, even this dead end connection evidences the universality of Thurber's story which is one of the most powerful anti-war statements ever created, made all the more powerful because of its eloquent simplicity. Thurber wrote and drew "The Last Flower" on his favorite yellow paper at the Algonquin Hotel and it is considered the favorite of his twenty-six books by both the writer and his wife Helen. The book was an immediate success with Albert Camus translating it into French and its message seems even more relevant given the events that have happened since the end of World War II. James Thurber was a writer who offered wistful and ironic insights into the human condition and while he might be better known today for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" but if we are putting things on an interplanetary probe to represent human accomplishments and for some reason we are only restricted to one work by Thurber or only one anti-war message (in addition to Picasso's "Guernica" painting), then it would have to be "The Last Flower." To quote E.B. White, who gets the final word on this one because I could never hope to improve upon it: "Of all the flowers, real and figurative...the one that will remain fresh and wilt-proof is the little flower...on the last page of that lovely book."
Rating:
Summary: #1 book of all time
Review: This book had the most impact on my 1940s and '50s childhood. I grew up with it, looked at it time after time, pondered it, felt it. Who said "A picture speaks a thousand words"? James Thurber had a wonderful silent way of reaching the heart. I recommend this book to all parents with children, and to all grown-ups. Of everything I have ever read or seen, this is my #1 book of all time! Please have it out on your table always!
Rating:
Summary: The Last Flower
Review: This book is extremely powerful, i just by chanced stumbled upon the story in a literature book today and it was an experience i will probably remember for the rest of my life. The simple, spare way that Thurber presents his point jars the reader to the bone and makes him tremble with fear, yet inspires him to create art and laugh and sing. This is probably one of the greatest works humanity has every created, a true treasure for child and adult.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Flower
Review: This book is extremely powerful, i just by chanced stumbled upon the story in a literature book today and it was an experience i will probably remember for the rest of my life. The simple, spare way that Thurber presents his point jars the reader to the bone and makes him tremble with fear, yet inspires him to create art and laugh and sing. This is probably one of the greatest works humanity has every created, a true treasure for child and adult.
Rating:
Summary: More Relevant NowThan Ever
Review: This treasure of humanity was practically a Bible and also a constant "coffee table" book in our household when I was growing up in the late 50's and 60's. This is one of those rarest of books that will simultaneously break your heart and make your spirit soar. It only offers (see Thurber's dedication to his daughter) "a wistful hope" - but it will inspire you to nurture every ounce of genuine hopefulness you can muster.
Rating:
Summary: More Relevant NowThan Ever
Review: This treasure of humanity was practically a Bible and also a constant "coffee table" book in our household when I was growing up in the late 50's and 60's. This is one of those rarest of books that will simultaneously break your heart and make your spirit soar. It only offers (see Thurber's dedication to his daughter) "a wistful hope" - but it will inspire you to nurture every ounce of genuine hopefulness you can muster.
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