Pasadena

Rating:
Summary: Splendid Saga Of Pasadena From A Native Son
Review: "Pasadena" is a splendid novel which affirms David Ebershoff's talent for writing great fiction. It is a far different novel than his critically acclaimed - and popular - literary debut "The Danish Girl"; one still worth the time of a devout reader of contemporary fiction. Ebershoff's latest novel is a sprawling epic which covers almost the first half of the 20th Century, focusing on the shattered lives of Linda Stamp, her father Dieter, and the two men she falls in love with; the mysterious orphan Bruder and the equally enigmatic Captain Willis Poore. Ebershoff tells a compelling yarn about Pasadena's rapid rise from a frontier haven to wealthy Easterners to a surburban city soon to be engulfed by Los Angeles, as seen through the eyes of these four protagonists. And yet, as splendid as Ebershoff's writing is, it did not quite captivate me as much as China Mieville's "The Scar" (Although Mieville's novel is fantasy, it too also tells a compelling saga about dysfunctional characters.). Still I am sufficiently impressed with Ebershoff's latest tale to grant it five stars; it is among the most compelling works of contemporary mainstream fiction I've come across.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed
Review: Although this novel is meticulously researched and presents an unscathing (and very honest) depiction of Pasadena old society, the love story dominates rather than any real history of Pasadena. And I feel its necessary somewhere to acknowledge Emily Bronte for said love story. Pasadena is Wuthering Heights, but in Southern California at the beginning of the twentieth century. And that being mentioned nowhere, not even in any of the reviews I have read, it took me by surprise. However, I read it in one day, could not put it down. It just didn't live up to my expectations as historical fiction.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Sad Story
Review: I wanted to enjoy this book but ultimately found it way too depressing. In this book, everything that is wonderful and good and successful eventually gets torn down and the is usually tragic. Loves lost, fortunes destroyed, lives ruined. Naturally life is full of tragedies, but there are times you wish that Pasadena would at least touch on a few positive themes.

The heroine of the book (if you can call her that) is Seglinde Stumpf who soon becomes Linda Stamp and eventually Lindy Poore during her short, tragic life. Well before her premature death she gets to see the ugly side of life that includes the drowning death of her mother, the duplicity of her father, poor treatment from the men she loves, the death of her brother and the overall malaise of a once grand city.

Overall, the writer is talented and he does bring the feel of old time Pasadena and Carlsbad to life for the reader. The characters are complex yet interesting enough to keep you hooked even if the flow of the events is sometimes hard to follow.

I would recommend the book to people from Southern California who have an interest in Southern California's history, but could be of limited interest for others.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: This book, despite its length is a fairly quick read with accessible prose. I picked up this book because I live not far from where some of the novel takes place.

Overall, I found the book enjoyable. It is a tragedy on a grand scale. The book does suffer in its middle stretch from a fairly plodding pace. I commend the author for his research which reflects in his enlightening historical details.