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The True Bones of My Life: Essays on the Fiction of Jim Harrison | 
| Author: Patrick A. Smith
Publisher: Michigan State University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 1107714
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.4 x 1
ISBN: 0870136143
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780870136146
ASIN: 0870136143
Publication Date: June 2002
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| Customer Reviews:
Fine overview and analysis --- but VERY academic June 16, 2005
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It's great that there's now this critical overview of Harrison. It's also great that other books by and about him have come out recently---his memoir and the "Conversations." Altogether they're an amazing look at a wonderful writer.
(I have to note that in his "Conversations" Harrison repeatedly trashes the academic MFA system and bemoans the fact that a writer can't make a living unless he does something else---in Harrison's case, write screenplays. Do other prominent writers today express similar sentiments or is Harrison a stand-out in his candor in this regard?)
"True Bones" is a fine ruminating overview of Harrison's work. I'm greatly enjoying it (most of the way through). BUT! "Ruminating" implies way too much accessibility. It's extremely academic---intentionally so, but this isn't mentioned in the other reviews. It's almost impossible for a layman to read. I've read a ton of hard stuff and I can just barely manage this one. There are occasional standout paragraphs of direct clarity but most requires heavy digging. Be prepared! Complex, convoluted sentences ahoy!
I guess it also serves to introduce one to some of the values in academia today, such as in the essay that gives a postmodern analysis, but---hoo, that one was over the top. It doesn't give a hint as to WHY one would have such values, except that it, too, did have a few neat insights, again making it worth the work.
Still, it's great to see someone paying such close and literary attention to Harrison's work. And there are indeed insights in it throughout. I wrote this "Reader Review" mostly to note that it's a big effort, but well worth it. (I write, too, with wishes that academia would be more accessible.)
The scattered other reviews of Harrison's work are undoubtedly more accessible. But "True Bones" is sustained, in-depth and references many of those reviews as well as many other academic ideas, explaining and showing how Harrison works in light of them, even though the "light" of academia is a tricky thing and even though academia is a scene that seems out of touch---as Harrison himself often notes.
A must have for the serious Harrison fan... November 3, 2002
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This compilation of critical essays by Dr. Patrick Smith is the first full-length text to thoroughly examine the scope of Harrison's fiction. Smith's writing is clear and concise and offers itself as an intellectually rich and beautifully written companion to the work of a truly incredible contemporary writer. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the fiction of Jim Harrison. Thank you Dr. Smith!
Brilliant and insightful! July 8, 2002
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
If you care at all about Jim Harrison's peerless work and the timeless craft of writing, you will devour the emerging talents of Patrick Smith as he leads you through the rich world of Mr. Harrison's work.
Insightful analysis, thought-provoking attitudes and fresh reasoning pour forth from the new and credible voice of Dr. Smith, who demonstrates complete mastery of his subject matter. I applaud this long-overdue look at one of the great voices in fiction, by a new and worthy writer.
Bravo, Dr. Smith!
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