Brass Pony: Two Novellas Two novellas by Marsh Cassady
| Click to read First Chapter previews of each novella: | |
 |
|
| To Ride a Wild Pony | Sounding Brass |
|
Reviewers' Comments:
Brass Pony: Two Novellas
Author: .Marsh Cassady
Recommended
Novella 1, To Ride a Wild Pony, tells the tale of 55 year old
artist Dennis Thompson and his long time partner, college professor Menolaus
Aradopolos. The pair have lived together in LaJolla, California for some
thirty years. During this time they have raised Men's son Boris from a brief
marriage during a jaunt to Europe, grown comfortable with one another and
faced many of the problems inherent in any long term relationship. Neither
is prepared for the toll aging will take upon the health of either. Men's
heart attack has caught them short and the pair, and Boris and his family
are now going to have to deal with this reality.
Writer Cassady has admirable credentials as a writer.
This particular work, Brass Pony: Two Novellas is a bit of
a breakthrough for him as he, in the first novella, To Ride a Wild
Pony, delves into the aging process and how it affects familial
relationships. In this poignant work, Cassady presents us with well developed
characters who are so amicable and fiduciary it is hard to comprehend they
are only the product of the fertile mind of the writer. Any of us who are
in a long term relationship can see our own dilemma as Denny and Men seek
to find answers and hope for tomorrow where there well may be none. Excellent
Read
Cassady's second offering, Sounding Brass, presents young 12
year old Martin O'Jenkins on his journey as a young homosexual during the
1940s when the lad had no notion that homosexuality even existed. The lad
knows only that living with his demanding parents is inadequate at best,
as he struggles to understand why or how the mysterious feelings he has toward
men in his life is affecting him. The novella is broken into 6 small chapters.
Martin is first presented as a pre-teen in June 1948. The work backtracks
to 1940 to introduce John O'Shaunessy, a troubled young man who is never
quite able to deal with the fact that his parish priest and his mother are
involved in a sexual affair. Police office Sam Holden and Claude Frazier,
partners who live together as ‘roommates' come to have influence upon
the O'Jenkin household. This was the San Joaquin Valley during the late 1940s
and early 50s.
The word gay had not yet begun to be used to designate
those men who prefer the company of their own sex, nor was any tolerance
for homosexual relationships to be found within the thinking of most of the
populace. O'Shaunessy's stint in the military ends in a POW camp, Martin
is befriended by Sam and Claude as they try to help the confused youngster
deal with his parents demands and lack of parental caring.
I found Sounding Brass to be harder to
read than To Ride a Wild Pony. Transitions from chapter to
chapter tended to be confusing on the first read. The first chapter, Learning
About Sex, ends with Martin sitting on his uncle's front porch. Chapter two
begins with Sam, the police officer, a brand new character with no prior
mention, facing a dangerous situation. Each chapter ended as abruptly as
the next began with a different time, place or character. However, as quickly
as I realized what writer Cassady was doing I went back, began again and
found the technique works well once you know this is how it is supposed to
be.
Sounding Brass left me with a very different
feeling, one almost of despair, as I came to end of the work, whereas
To Ride a Wild Pony left me feeling both life and death, health
and illness, are only bumps in our relationship when we care deeply for those
in our family. The characters found in Sounding Brass are every
bit as human and plausible as those found in the first novella. The writing
is vibrant, filled with rich expression and detail.
--- Molly Martin, Reviewer
-------------------------------
Novella Duet Is Mixed Pleasure
Reviewed by Elizabeth K. Burton
The Brass Pony is a duet of novellas that, each in its own
way, is a coming-of-age tale.
Ride A Wild Pony, the first work, explores
a middle-aged gay man's emotional upheaval after his partner and sole source
of support for 35 years suffers a near-fatal heart attack. The illness forces
him to confront the unassailable fact that he has never taken a chance that
might threaten his security, but that this choice has also prevented him
from learning what he is capable of.
Within the limits of the story's length, Dennis Thompson's
struggle to find his own sense of inner worth and accomplishment rings with
inarguable veracity. The main characters -- Dennis and his partner, Men --
are vivid and excellently defined, and the all-too-human dichotomy of their
feelings for each other is handled deftly. Dennis's struggle as he comes
to grips with Men's mortality and the prospect of having to provide for himself
for what would really be the first time in his life is presented with insight
and understanding.
However, those length limits lead directly to the novella's
one drawback, which is that far too much back-story is supplied in dialogue,
which unsurprisingly makes that dialogue seem awkward and unnatural. Given
Mr. Cassady's unquestioned writing ability, it is unfortunate he didn't expand
this story into full novel length and allow himself more leisure to explore
his characters.
Despite its minor flaws, however, Ride A Wild Pony
is by far the better of the two offerings. The second,
Sounding Brass, attempts to tell the story of a young
gay man coming to terms with his life and his sexuality during the late 1950's
and early 1960's in western Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, Mr. Cassady tries
to cram too many issues into the space provided, so that the action leaps
back and forth among too many characters and too many time frames. This is
unfortunate, because Sounding Brass is a potentially fascinating
story that never quite comes to fruition. Martin, the young protagonist,
is a victim of child abuse in a decade when such abuse was accepted as
"discipline," and its victims had nowhere to look for help. Keeping the novella
more focused on his struggle not only to understand and accept his sexuality
but to find some sense of self-worth would have resulted in a far more powerful
and compelling story.
-----------------------------------
| Paperback 6" x 9" 211 pages |
USA |
Canada |
Overseas |
| $14.95 Plus Shipping and Handling |
Also for downloading as an e-book:
Price: $8.00 for each format for entire book (both novellas) [For separate
purchase, see below]
(Acrobat)(Text)(Rocket)(Rich
Text)(Intnet)(Wrd)(WrdPerf)(MSRead)(PRC)(Hiebook)
------------------------------------
Price: $4.00 for the Novella, To Ride a Wild
Pony
(Acrobat)(Text)(Rocket)(Rich
Text)(Intnet)(Wrd)(WrdPerf)(MSRead)(PRC)(Hiebook)
----------------------------------------
Price: $4.00 for the Novella,
Sounding Brass
(Acrobat)(Text)(Rocket)(Rich
Text)(Intnet)(Wrd)(WrdPerf)(MSRead)(PRC)(Hiebook)
For reading PDF files, download the free Acrobat Reader from the Adobe site here:
e-Book Links:
|
