A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays by Mary McCarthy

A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays Reviews

• 
  Stewart

  A terrific introduction to McCarthy, with a range of essays (theater reviews, literary criticism, memoir, journalism) that reveal a cold eye, a merciless critical stance, and a formidable b.s. detector. (Cf. McCarthy 19s infamous bitch slap of Lillian Hellman on The Dick Cavett Show: 1CEvery word she writes is a lie, including 18and 19 and 18the. 19 1D)
  
  There are several theater reviews of now-classic productions -- The Iceman Cometh, Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire -- that I angrily disagree with. The anger probably stems from the fact that she argues her points so sharply. Suffice it to say that lyricism and heightened language in the theatre is, to McCarthy, anathema, phony sentiment. She has a much keener appreciation for the 1Ckitchen sink 1D dramas of John Osborne. She writes a wonderful, admiring review of The Entertainer which, amazingly, manages to omit mentioning Laurence Olivier, whose portrayal of Archie Rice is the stuff of theatrical legend. But then McCarthy is not looking to effuse over actors and performances. I suppose it's possible that she hasn't seen the productions at all - that she's simply critiquing the text. In which case, she misses the entire point of the theatre. McCarthy seems unmoved by the theatre, really 13 it 19s not her thing, which is one reason her theater criticism irks me. If you 19re a theater critic and can 19t get jazzed about the original Streetcar, perhaps you should be looking for a transfer to another department.
  
  I warmed to her literary criticism. She writes shrewdly and eloquently about Pale Fire, Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina (she 19s pro) and without sorrow or pity about Salinger (she 19s con). She gives us a fascinating critical assessment of the state of the novel (in 1960), catching hold of an essential transition in the sort of novel people used to write and what they are likely to write in the future. She gives us a compelling memoir about her experiences amongst the Communist-heavy New York intellectual circles of the 1930s, her even-handedness even more striking considering it was written during the hysteria of the (Sen. Joseph) McCarthy era. Her journalistic pieces are also quite good, her essays on Vietnam and Watergate especially, and one can 19t help but speculate about McCarthy 19s influence upon Joan Didion.
  
  Don 19t turn to McCarthy if you 19re looking for raptures a la Alfred Kazin, but sometimes something sour is just what the palate craves.
• 
  Ms. B

  A collection of essays from Mary McCarthy, author of
  The Group. Even though it took me a few months to read this, I enjoyed reading her take on the plays and novels of her time. Essays of interest from a historical perspective and/or as a primary source include chapters 22, The Home Program from 1967 about Vietnam and 27, Notes of a Resident of the Watergate from 1973 about President Richard Nixon.
• 
  Sarah

  Sharp, in every sense of the word. My favorite essays were "The Fact in Fiction" and "My Confession", but just about all of the pieces had something to recommend them. Even when Mary McCarthy was reviewing a play I haven't seen, it was pretty fun to read the exceedingly pointed barbs she was usually throwing at it! She also had interesting perspectives on America, generally quite astute though I disagree with her on some points. The depth and quantity of material didn't exactly make this an easy read, but I found it thought-provoking and worth the effort.
• 
  Brandie

  This is a lovely collection of essays written by Mary McCarthy.
  
  It ranges from reviews of plays to books to politics to travel. McCarthy definitely had an interesting take on life and literature.
  
  I really enjoyed reading many of the essays. Some I couldn't connect to because they were reviews of plays I haven't seen in any form, let alone the form she saw. But I did appreciate her views and appreciated how she often was able to weave several things together in her writing.
  
  Overall, I felt like my time reading this was well spent and worth it!
• 
  Laurie

  What an incredible mind!! Read it once but, the likes of me, should go over it one or two more times.
• 
  Doris Raines

  WHAT AND INTERESTING BOOK.
• 
  Holly Colbert

  Rory Gilmore Book Challenge Book #26
• 
  Darinda

  A collection of essays by Mary McCarthy. A variety of topics - theater, literature, politics, etc. Critical and sharp.