Everytime I think of Ray Bradbury, I think of science fiction and fantasy. But today I’ve read a novel that isn’t like the science fiction of “The Martian Chronicles” or the fantasy of “Something Wicked This Way Comes”, but is still quintessential Bradbury, “Dandelion Wine”.
It is the summer of 1928. And that year was a vintage year, especially for a growing boy.
Summer is many things; Green apple trees, mowed lawns, new sneakers, half burnt firecrackers, the gathering of dandelions and dinner made by Grandma.
And it is also a summer of sorrows and marvels, and also gold-fuzzed bees. A summer that is magical and timeless in the life of one Douglas Spaulding, remembered forever.
This is also another of his fix up novels (interconnected or loosely interconnected stories that put together as a novel), but instead of science fiction or fantasy that he known for, this one is a surprisingly different in the most pleasant way.
The setting in which the story takes place in is called Green Town Illinois. Green Town is based on Bradbury’s own hometown of Waukegan Illinois. The novel itself initially came into being with a short story of the same name written by Bradbury and publish in 1953, the novel wold be published in 1957. And, interestingly enough, the title refers to an actual wine made with dandelion petal along with some other ingredients. While also acting as a metaphor for the distillation of all the joys of summer.
This was the first book of the Green Town trilogy, along with “Something Wicked This Way Comes”, same setting but with a different plot and characters, and “Farewell Summer”. A really pleasant and fine novel.
by i-the-muso-1968
3 Comments
I remember being so disappointed by childhood and adolescence because of Ray Bradbury. I loved his books, and they’re so beautifully written! But I was a tween in 1982 and we were nothing like that. Looking back, it’s a vision of small-town America that maybe fits the 1950s, and even then has sort of a golden glow over it. I remember it being such a revelation to me when I read Stephen King’s “The Body” and recognized the experience a bit, or at least a bit more. But I had looked so forward to having that Bradbury experience, summer days like that and friends like that etc. and I was in this dead-end suburban and everybody was bored except the bullies and the main topic was General Hospital. (Two-thirds of my class skipped school for Luke and Laura’s wedding…)
Looking back, it wasn’t the book, I was just a bookish kid who had not yet figured out that the reason books like that exist is because life is nothing like that at all.
I loved this novel, reads like journal entries from this boy. I didn’t know this was a trilogy though, definentaly going to be picking up the other 2 soon!
I read this in middle school!