John Casey (1) (1939–)

This is the story of Mike Reardon, a lawyer in Virginia. He is happily married with two daughters he adores. He lives on seven acres and rents a cottage and a bungalow to people who have become close friends. Life is good.

And then a close friend commits suicide. HIs wife leaves him for her lesbian lover. And Mike runs for congress, which affects everyone's life.

This is an interesting story, told well. At times, it is so funny; at other times, very poignant. The characters are well developed. I found the book a bit slow at times, but never slow enough to lose interest in Mike and the others.… (mere)

Rhode Islander Dick Pierce suffers from a throat-strangling envy of the rich people who flock to his touristy seaside town of Narragansett every summer. His mistress calls it "class-rage." Money, or the lack of it, makes Dick an ornery man. Most of the time he is able to control his disdain for the wealthy nonsense, but every once in awhile his temper will flare. It is difficult for him, as a year-rounder, to make a back-breaking living as a commercial fisherman while watching his neighbors folic in the house his family used to own. With a wife and two sons to support Dick knows he needs to captain his own vessel to bring in a better profit. He can't make ends meet crewing for someone else. His saving grace is a 50-foot boat he calls Spartina he has been slowly building in the back yard. Now all he needs is an engine. Desperation to put Spartina in the water leads Dick down a dangerous path of foolish choices and regrettable actions. Drugs, adultery, theft. Nothing is off limits when a man is driven.
Confessional: I couldn't decide if I liked the main character.… (mere)

Almost certainly it would be better to have come to this after having read some of John Casey’s novels or short stories. He is probably a sensitive novelist. I suspect he is a good teacher as well, affable and constructive. But he isn’t a great essayist. And so this collection, though at times affable and constructive and sensitive to the real challenges that face writers, is not particularly helpful. In fact, where it succeeds best is when Casey moves away from the instructive essay and reflects upon his own life as a reader and as a writer. The essay “Childhood Reading” is delightful. It is filled with Casey’s early enthusiasm, his confusion with certain novels, and his pleasure in sharing a much-loved book with a close friend. He describes himself as a natural reader as opposed to a writer. But perhaps that is true for all writers. I also like the content (but not the form) of the final essay on mentors. Casey was lucky enough to have found a worthy mentor early in his career and wise enough to realize that mentoring is not just about instruction. If you are lucky, your mentor will point out something you’ve never seen before. Not unlike a friend.

I wish I could offer a stronger recommendation for this book. It isn’t pointless to read. Just not essential.… (mere)