Product Description
The final work written by Richard Brautigan before his death in 1984, this novel tells the story of a man trying to come to terms with the death of a friend. It walks a fine line between fiction and memoir and, while discussing themes of lost love and suicide, is also strangely positive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

An original work that should not be missed
For those to whom good prose and a daring, outlandish author are admired, this is thoroughly enjoyable, with delightful characters and a plot line you cannot guess at. It is fairly short but unique in its style. You won't be disappointed by this jewel.

The experiment that failed
I was not familiar with Richard Brautigan at the time I picked up both 'The Hawkline Monster' and 'Trout Fishing in America', but as he was shelved with Beat writers like Kesey, Wolfe, Burroughs and others, I thought his work would be worth a try.I had every intention of reading both books right away, but as often happens, they lingered, unread, on my bookshelves for years.Until recently, that is, when I finally cracked open "The Hawkline Monster".

Brautigan, from what I've been able to gather, has a reputation as a post-modernist author, and while I'm probably not familiar enough with all the nuances of the term, I really can't see why, based solely on 'Hawlkine'.If there is a subsection of Post-Modernism that depends on using four letter expletives as though they'd been bought in bulk for a discount, then I might agree that 'Hawkline' is Post-Modern.Or maybe a type that requires its characters to jump in the sack on the least pretext - then 'Hawkline' would also qualify.Maybe I'm prudish, but I don't think so - I strongly believe that all parts of language, human anatomy and human behavior are fair play in the novel that uses them to advance the depth of character or move the plot forward.I just never felt 'The Hawkline Monster' did any of that.

And the real shame of it is that, for the first third of the book, I was interested and pulled along by the setting and the characters and the allusions to the plot still to come.Brautigan presents the reader with two hired killers, and brief as their sketches are, convincingly paints them as professional, yet likable, men who I'm interested in following.The gunmen Greer and Cameron, after returning from a failed contract job in Hawaii, are approached by a stunningly beautiful girl, dressed as an Indian, who gives them 5 thousand dollars for an as yet undefined job.Curious, they follow the girl, Magic Child, as she leads them to first through Central County, then through the town of Billy, and lastly to Hawkline Manor in a remote area known as the Dead Hills.

The novel quickly establishes several different tacks the story could take: There is the feud between cattle and sheep ranchers ala the Lincoln County War, the imposing sheriff of the town of Billy, who looms as a possible threat, and even the dead man that Cameran sees who he is sure is a man he'd known back in Billings.Any and all of these mis-directions sound more interesting than what does happen, which just seems foolish to me.At Hawkline Manor, the gunmen find out that Magic Child has a twin sister, and that their father had moved to this remote location to further his experiments.They believed his experiment had gotten out of control, had turned on him and killed him, and was now 'haunting' them.The two gunmen are then contracted to kill the 'monster'.From that point, the novel descends into silliness and unbelievable leaps, as Brautigan tries to shift the point of view from the gunmen to the 'monster'.

Perhaps the Post-Modern tag comes from these shift in point of view, or else maybe the story is a representation of Monsters of the Id, but either way, as an experiment in fiction, it didn't work for me.I really felt as though this book was another example of the early 70's mindset that to curse and write about sex was daring and new.At that time, it probably was, and I don't necessarily think it was a gimmick used by Brautigan to sell books, but that doesn't necessarily make me like it, either.I'll still read 'Trout Fishing in America' someday, just to see if Brautigan's reputation was built on something more substantial than what I found in 'The Hawkline Monster'.As it also looks like a quick read, at least it won't take me very long to find out.

The Hawkline Monster - imagery goes on forever
It was over 25 years ago I read 'the Hawkline Monster', and -like 'Jitterbug Perfume' by Tom Robbins- it has 'haunted' me all these years, years filled with reading hundreds and hundreds of other books from classics to sci fi to suspense to fantasys, each trying to out do the last with inventiveness and quirks.Yet despite the strength of many of them, even today the Hawkline Monster always nonchalantly steps through with a memory unique and all its own.I am looking for another copy now - the last mysteriously disappeared long ago.I can't wait!

Eccentric brilliance
If Salvatore Dali, Erik Satie, Ernest Hemingway, The Marx Brothers, Edgar Allan Poe and Sam Peckinpah ever collaborated on a work of brilliant eccentricity, then Richard Brautigan's bizarre, playful and throughouly entertaining novel The Hawkline Monster could have resulted from such a marriage made in surrealist heaven.

As the subtitle suggests, The Hawkline Monster is a gothic western loosely set at the turn of the twentieth century near The Dalles Oregon. It concerns two moronic hit men cut of silent film comedy cloth, a set of spinster twins harboring deep sexual desire, an aged "Lurch" like butler and an "Id" monster of imagined horror. And this is just scratching the surface of Brautigan's finest novel.

Brautigan is an aquired taste. One can easily apply the adjectives "elliptical", "ambigious" and "pretentious" when describing his work. Granted too, the short story and the poem were always his strongest format.

But Brautigan is never boring. His prose while fearless if a bit reckless never fails to paint unique images. Yes, while it is true that Brautigan frequently comes off as a prepubescent boy writing to stimulate his bubbling loins, he does balance it with a sincere ability to turn a phrase and capture a moment that could only exist in a fevered imagination. Brautigan was a unique voice now tragically silent.

It also passes a unique piece of criteria I have for any good book. It has to be read. This book is not filmable in any way. Thank God for that. Far too often, authors write with lucrative film rights dancing in their eyes. It is sad, yet strangely fortunate that Brautigan died before major prepackaged film deals completely nearly crippled the written word.

For those who enjoy taking literary risks without any guarantees, The Hawkline Monster comes highly reccomended. It is a fun, haunting and one of a kind way to spend a dark and stormy weekend.

Interesting but a bit too "trashy" for my tastes
Well, I have heard all of my life that the thinking man's cult author is Brautigan. I finaly decided to search him out, and all I could find was the Hawkline Monster, which seemed like a good place to start, since I thoughtthe idea of a western horror story would be novel indeed.

What I foundwas a purposeful use (over-use) of the F--- word, lots of sex, and a run onof weird events. It seems like a story that COULD have been expanded on, orleft alone.

I want to hesitate in calling this trash, it is not. I myselfam more inclined to stay away from such a book, so don't take my word forit. But, for those of you looking for existentialism, horror, and characterdevelopment, look elsewhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Mayonnaise
"Trout Fishing In America" is a delightfully disjointed (pun intended) book that still challenges our sense of form of the traditional novel. Richard Brautigan is such a distinct author, using semantic simplicity and childlike imagination to look with constant wonder at the world."Trout Fishing In America" was a product of the 1960s.Reading it over 40 years after it was written offers a perspective of appreciation.Like some of our best-loved authors like J.M. Barrie or James Thurber, Brautigan fully transports us to a place in his mind filled with creativity and imagination.My favorite story is 2-pages long, titled "Worsewick."It's about a guy and his girlfriend making love in a hot spring amid algae and dead fish.Brautigan combines the whimsical and imaginary with the poet's eye, making the everyday seem magical.To give an idea of the wonderful images he uses to describe unusual situations, his story concludes, "My sperm came out into the water, unaccustomed to the light, and instantly it became a misty, stringy kind of thing and swirled out like a falling star, and I saw a dead fish come forward & float into my sperm, bending it in the middle.His eyes were stiff like iron."This is an unusual novel such about boys writing "Trout Fishing In America" on the backs of first graders or the exploits of Nelson Algren.Brautigan was in top form with this brief little gem, perhaps a bit dated now, but shining like a jewel nevertheless.Enjoy!-- Oh yes, and like his book, I've always wanted to end a review with the word "mayonnaise." ... Read more

Product Description
Lee Mellon believes he is the descendent of the only Confederate General to have come from Big Sur and is himself a seeker after truth in his own modern-day war against the status quo and the state of the Union. This novel is set in 1957, and was the late Richard Brautigan's first to be published. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Into the Rabbit Hole
Brautigan's excellent novel is definately worth the quick read, and then worth a second read to catch all his language play. Having grown up near Big Sur, this book was particularly funny as I believe Lee Mellon is still in residence there.

Brautigan's description of drugs, drinks, frogs and the commas of Ecclesiastes are all done in a straight forward style that made me laugh out loud.

One of my favorite paragraphs: "He broke the seal on the bottle, unscrewed the cap and poured a big slug of whiskey into his mouth. He swallowed it down with a hairy gulp. Strange, for as I said before: he was bald." A great read.

lee MELLON as iCON hell
BRAUTIGAN AT HIS BEST, in his use of humor IN an ABSURDIST NEO NINETENTH NERVOUS CENTURY VENTURE INTO THE TWENTETH CENTURY COINAGE SQUALOUR,in an ARCADIANIAN LIKE GARBAGE HEEP HANG OUT FOR SQUATTERS, everwhere 1950sARSONIST guierilla condederate idealist/relic, confronts conspires aghast in stumble bumble berry bush brambble,ICON AS HELL STALLION MELON DEAD DRUNK eXpire hearFIRE TILT TIRE echo, footsteps leading back past fast,TREADMUTATED SURREAL.ABSOLUTE ABOMINATIONTHE GHOHSTS OF THE PASS MERGE WITH THE REGRET OF THE NEAR AND DIRECT PRESENT IN FOLKLORE, LEGEND IN PROISE by the ocean in BIG sur,

Rollicking Good Fun!
If there's one thing the world lacks, it's a good supply of well-written, funny-as-heck books. Luckily, aside from A Confederacy Of Dunces, we have this little gem. The characters are drunks, druggies, skanks, prostitutes & nutzoids. The pace is brisk and the imagry vivid. Most of it seemed to be part of my own life, but just where do you find weed that's so potent that 4 people smoking 5 joints stay high for well over 2 hours?! If you want to spend a day or night having a good laugh over a great book, pick this one up. You'll laugh out loud. And as Martha Stewart says...."It's a good thing".

Frogs, Dynamite, and Prostitutes - Brautigan at his finest
If you read nothing else by Richard Brautigan, read "A Confederate General From Big Sur."Mere words are inadequate to properly describe this book, and the majesty contained within. Brautigan, master of thesimile, is at his finest as he spins an off-beat tale containing (thoughnot restricted to): frogs, dynamite, prostitutes, booze, and a man namedLee Mellon.Forsaking all possessions and the amenities of"civilized" life (a notion nearly inconceivable these days), LeeMellon and the narrator, Jesse, embark upon an adventure in a place calledBig Sur.An adventure not only in the physial sense, but in themetaphysical as well.Reading Brautigan in the context of our times, it ishard to imagine how the audience of the 1960's embraced his work.Whilehis works may, to us, appear strange at times, we have grown accustomed tosuch eccentricities.But in the 60's it was fresh and new.One can onlyspeculate if we have somehow missed out on some aspect of Brautigan byhaving read his books 30 years after they were written.But the mere factthat his work stands the test of time is a testament not only to his books,but to the man himself.But, alas, i stray from the topic of this missive. You want my review?It's a damn good book.Now go and read it.

Hard-core entertainment for one and all!!!
Where to begin?Despite the foreshadowing of brautigan's abandoning ofmodern American society (He's out in the mountains of Idaho as we speak,putting his mack on some female hikers or else shivering alone in a bear'scave), this book also is funny.I like it.There's some aligators inthere and that made me laugh because i think that aligators are funny. ... Read more