Call number
Genres
Publication
New York: Orb, 2001.
Pages
256
Description
Have you ever loved a magical book above all others? Have you ever wished the magic were real? Welcome to The Land of Laughs. A novel about how terrifying that would be. Schoolteacher Thomas Abbey, unsure son of a film star, doesn't know who he is or what he wants--in life, in love, or in his relationship with the strange and intense Saxony Gardner. What he knows is that in his whole life nothing has touched him so deeply as the novels of Marshall France, a reclusive author of fabulous children's tales who died at forty-four. Now Thomas and Saxony have come to France's hometown, the dreamy Midwestern town of Galen, Missouri, to write France's biography. Warned in advance that France's family may oppose them, they're surprised to find France's daughter warmly welcoming instead. But slowly they begin to see that something fantastic and horrible is happening. The magic of Marshall France has extended far beyond the printed page...leaving them with a terrifying task to undertake.… (more)
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1980
Physical description
256 p.; 8.3 inches
ISBN
0312873115 / 9780312873110
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User reviews
LibraryThing member blakefraina
Thomas Abbey leads an undistinguished, unsatisfying existence. He teaches English at a boy's prep school, but is chiefly known as the son of a glamorous 1940's film actor. He bitterly resents this constant association but feels unable to escape it. For his entire life he's lived in the shadow of
Like Neil Gaiman , I am a huge fan of Jonathan Carroll, but of all his works, this novel has particular resonance for me. It suggests that our lives, our selves, even, to a great extent, our world, are largely products of our influence on them. That we are the authors of our own story; we collaborate with our histories to create ourselves and thus the past is as mutable as our relationship with it. The book is chock full of symbolism that deftly illustrates its twin themes of self-invention (e.g., Abbey is a collector of masks) and self-determination (e.g., his lover, Saxony, a maker of elaborate marionettes).
This is a vigorous, engaging read told in a naturalistic, matter-of-fact style that belies the tension and horror lurking just beneath the surface. The characters are well-fleshed out and human with relatable, believable motivations. And despite a shocking climax, at least the denouement allows Thomas Abbey to finally make peace with his past and even find ways to make use of it.
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his late father and their conflicted relationship. When he was a child, his greatest solace was found in the fanciful books of Marshall France, a reclusive writer who died at forty-four. One day, in an antiquarian bookshop, the doleful teacher meets an eccentric woman, Saxony Gardner, who is equally obsessed with France and together they travel to the writer's adopted hometown in Missouri to start work on a France biography. But almost nothing in the sleepy town of Galen is what it seems and slowly their idyllic existence turns into an inescapable nightmare. Like Neil Gaiman , I am a huge fan of Jonathan Carroll, but of all his works, this novel has particular resonance for me. It suggests that our lives, our selves, even, to a great extent, our world, are largely products of our influence on them. That we are the authors of our own story; we collaborate with our histories to create ourselves and thus the past is as mutable as our relationship with it. The book is chock full of symbolism that deftly illustrates its twin themes of self-invention (e.g., Abbey is a collector of masks) and self-determination (e.g., his lover, Saxony, a maker of elaborate marionettes).
This is a vigorous, engaging read told in a naturalistic, matter-of-fact style that belies the tension and horror lurking just beneath the surface. The characters are well-fleshed out and human with relatable, believable motivations. And despite a shocking climax, at least the denouement allows Thomas Abbey to finally make peace with his past and even find ways to make use of it.
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LibraryThing member joeltallman
Jonathan Carroll is brilliant and aggravating. This one didn't work so well for me. The concept advertises itself too early on, and the rest of the book doesn't have the suspense it might. I liked it; didn't love it.
LibraryThing member EJAYS17
The 2nd of the C's in the challenge.
To tell the truth I was not expecting to like this book. I actually winced when I saw Carroll's name on the list. I had picked up and put down a number of his books over the years. I looked at them and for some reason something about them always told me that I
Initially I felt that The Land of Laughs was going to bear out my misgivings. I didn't take to the central character of Thomas Abbey straight away, and considering that he's the narrator of the story that could have caused a problem. However after a few chapters I began to warm to him and started to enjoy his somewhat unusual way of looking at the world and his use of words.
Thomas is a bored English teacher at an East Coast preparatory school (think of Dead Poets Society's Wellton), he's the son of a dead Oscar winning actor, and sees this as more of a curse than a blessing, he decides to take a sabbbatical to write a biography of his favourite author; dead children's writer Marshall France (the name of the book is actually France's best known work), it is at about this time that Thomas meets with fellow Marshall France fan, the quirky puppeteer Saxony Gardner. Thomas starts a relationship with Saxony and she sort of invites herself on his project, becoming his researcher.
Marshall France proves to be a mysterious character. What Saxony and Thomas find out about him is contradicted by others in his life, most notably his editor and his daughter. When Thomas and Saxony go to France's hometown; the sleepy, mid western hamlet of Galen, Missouri things start to get weird.
The town itself appears to be normal enough, although it and it's inhabitants seem to be stuck in a time warp. Judging by the references made to songs and TV shows in the book it's set in the late 1970's, but Galen seems to be permanently stuck in the 1950's. Thomas makes a number of references to things in Galen being like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. There's something unreal about the people themselves, they all seem to defer to Marshall France's daughter, the formidable Anna France, as if she controls the town. The creepiest thing for me was the preponderance of pit bull terriers. I like dogs, but pit bulls are just creepy. It's then that the reader realises they're in the middle of a very odd mystery.
It was a wonderfully written tale and kept me turning the pages to find out what it was about Marshall France, his daughter, the town and the stories he wrote. That was another great thing about The Land of Laughs, Marshall's stories. There are tantalising references to them and some of the characters in them and I found myself hoping that they were real books, so I could read them. I had to keep reminding myself that they weren't real, worse luck.
A fun and surprising read. It's always nice to get something out of a book you don't initially have a lot of hope for. I haven't read a lot else like it, but Jeremy Leven's wonderful and criminally underrated Creator (the book, the movie was a good try, but didn't hit the mark) deals with the same theme of fiction becoming reality, it came out at about the same time as well.
To tell the truth I was not expecting to like this book. I actually winced when I saw Carroll's name on the list. I had picked up and put down a number of his books over the years. I looked at them and for some reason something about them always told me that I
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wasn't going to like them.Initially I felt that The Land of Laughs was going to bear out my misgivings. I didn't take to the central character of Thomas Abbey straight away, and considering that he's the narrator of the story that could have caused a problem. However after a few chapters I began to warm to him and started to enjoy his somewhat unusual way of looking at the world and his use of words.
Thomas is a bored English teacher at an East Coast preparatory school (think of Dead Poets Society's Wellton), he's the son of a dead Oscar winning actor, and sees this as more of a curse than a blessing, he decides to take a sabbbatical to write a biography of his favourite author; dead children's writer Marshall France (the name of the book is actually France's best known work), it is at about this time that Thomas meets with fellow Marshall France fan, the quirky puppeteer Saxony Gardner. Thomas starts a relationship with Saxony and she sort of invites herself on his project, becoming his researcher.
Marshall France proves to be a mysterious character. What Saxony and Thomas find out about him is contradicted by others in his life, most notably his editor and his daughter. When Thomas and Saxony go to France's hometown; the sleepy, mid western hamlet of Galen, Missouri things start to get weird.
The town itself appears to be normal enough, although it and it's inhabitants seem to be stuck in a time warp. Judging by the references made to songs and TV shows in the book it's set in the late 1970's, but Galen seems to be permanently stuck in the 1950's. Thomas makes a number of references to things in Galen being like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. There's something unreal about the people themselves, they all seem to defer to Marshall France's daughter, the formidable Anna France, as if she controls the town. The creepiest thing for me was the preponderance of pit bull terriers. I like dogs, but pit bulls are just creepy. It's then that the reader realises they're in the middle of a very odd mystery.
It was a wonderfully written tale and kept me turning the pages to find out what it was about Marshall France, his daughter, the town and the stories he wrote. That was another great thing about The Land of Laughs, Marshall's stories. There are tantalising references to them and some of the characters in them and I found myself hoping that they were real books, so I could read them. I had to keep reminding myself that they weren't real, worse luck.
A fun and surprising read. It's always nice to get something out of a book you don't initially have a lot of hope for. I haven't read a lot else like it, but Jeremy Leven's wonderful and criminally underrated Creator (the book, the movie was a good try, but didn't hit the mark) deals with the same theme of fiction becoming reality, it came out at about the same time as well.
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LibraryThing member ehines
A lot of what Carroll does here have become cliches of Borges- and Kafka-influenced novels, but he was writing in the late 70s, well before magical realism became fashionable. There's more here than appears on the surface--one wished there were more on the surface actually. Not more narrative, but
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illustrations, maybe? Definitely not a disappointment even with the buildup Carroll's cult gives it. But definitely not a novel to which I have a definitive reaction right away. Read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member StarofSophia
As the lowest rating for this book, I feel like it's my duty to let everyone know why!
For me, there was not enough return for the creepiness of the story. Yes, it had a great twist at the end, yes it was well written in it's way, yes I felt for the main character ... but. It was largely
The most apt description of this book was actually in the book itself, like driving down the road, and you pass a cow pasture, you just roll your window up and keep driving until you are through it, what else can you do?
For me, there was not enough return for the creepiness of the story. Yes, it had a great twist at the end, yes it was well written in it's way, yes I felt for the main character ... but. It was largely
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predictable, more of a showcase of the bizarre than a cohesive story. The whole thing left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn't look at that breed of dog for months without shuddering!The most apt description of this book was actually in the book itself, like driving down the road, and you pass a cow pasture, you just roll your window up and keep driving until you are through it, what else can you do?
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LibraryThing member finchesghost
This has one of the most satisfying endings I have read in a while. Carroll does a great job establishing a mood and exploring the power of the written word. One really does not know where this novel is going until well into it when the fantasy aspects set in . Defintily a worthy read.
LibraryThing member woodge
My first Jonathan Carroll book. Won't be my last. Fun and odd.
LibraryThing member wishanem
Comedians don't tell jokes about flying on airplanes because those jokes are inherently funnier than any others. They tell those jokes because they spend a great deal of their time in transit.
When authors write stories about authors who are struggling to write, I find it just as tiring as yet
This book's plot was slow, and focused on an English Teacher's attempt to write a biography of his favorite author. If you're an author, and have struggled to write something you cared about a great deal, then you might enjoy this story.
I didn't.
I had already passed the 2/3 point in this book when the plot finally began to pick up. Even then the plot moved forward in fits and starts. The climax of the book was actually exciting, but the payoff was too small to justify the slog that preceded it.
It didn't help that I didn't sympathize with the characters. The protagonist is a self-centered jerk with no real redeeming qualities (other than a love of books). I believe many of the supporting cast are actually deliberately two-dimensional, but that doesn't make them any less irritating to read about.
When authors write stories about authors who are struggling to write, I find it just as tiring as yet
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another joke about airline food (or the lack thereof, amirite?) Ugh.This book's plot was slow, and focused on an English Teacher's attempt to write a biography of his favorite author. If you're an author, and have struggled to write something you cared about a great deal, then you might enjoy this story.
I didn't.
I had already passed the 2/3 point in this book when the plot finally began to pick up. Even then the plot moved forward in fits and starts. The climax of the book was actually exciting, but the payoff was too small to justify the slog that preceded it.
It didn't help that I didn't sympathize with the characters. The protagonist is a self-centered jerk with no real redeeming qualities (other than a love of books). I believe many of the supporting cast are actually deliberately two-dimensional, but that doesn't make them any less irritating to read about.
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LibraryThing member salimbol
Jonathan Carroll's intriguing first novel manages to be both magical and prosaic at the same time, blending increasingly dark fantasy with the mundane details of his protagonists' lives. I particularly like how he refused to sentimentalise his characters, ever, and how the mystery was carefully
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unfolded. The narrative may have lost a little steam in its final third, but the ending was cruel and satisfying at the same time, if a little abrupt, and I think this is probably one of the best books about the power of stories and authors that I've read. Voice of our Shadow, another Carroll, is sitting in my 'To Read Very Soon' pile, and I'm looking forward to it! Show Less
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
This book is delightfully Hitchcockian. It starts as just a normal story of a bored man deciding to write an autobiography of his favorite author. Some of the facts about the author don't quite add up, and when he goes to Galen, Missouri, the author's home town, the town and its inhabitants seem
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creepily normal... and then things gradually get very strange. Nothing is revealed until very late in the book, so even though the events of the book are very mundane, the suspense makes this a page-turner. Show Less
LibraryThing member kathleenw
This is one of my all-time favorite books, which I've now read at least 15 times. After this first introduction into "Carroll-world", I've felt compelled to read every other Carroll book as soon as it's out. I don't follow any other author this way.
LibraryThing member hairballsrus
Creepy. Wonderful. Bizarre. Unforgetable. My first encounter with Carroll and the start of a long relationship.
LibraryThing member HippieLunatic
Bizarre and intriguing are two of the most accurate descriptors I can think of for Carroll's work, The Land of Laughs. I can't wait to pick up more by this author, who seems to have a great grasp on character development, but is able to pair it appropriately with a fun and unique storyline.
Thomas
Thomas
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Abbey's growth within the book was solidified in me in the final paragraphs of the epilogue, as either madness or genius is hinted at. Either way, his character has changed, making the time spent in Galen, focusing on the life and achievements of his favorite author come full circle, as the student becomes the master. Show Less
LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
Thomas Abbey is the son of a famous actor/director who lives in obscurity as a school teacher on the west coast. His favourite books are the works of a deceased children's books author who lived the life of a recluse in an obscure Missouri town. Thomas and his new girlfriend, Saxony decide to
This was a slow-burner, taking some time to build up to a great conclusion. Its one of those conclusions where you spot a twist coming from a way off and sit back feeling that you have it all figured out and when the twist does occur, you smile smugly thinking about how you knew that was going to happen. And then out of nowhere comes another, even more fiendish, unforeseen twist that really sets your hair on end. A great ending which just leaves one imagining all the possibilities that could come after.
I read the fantasy masterworks edition of this book and while there were some issues with the book (some patches seem particularly stilted - possibly the fact that this was the author's first book showing) overall the ideas here are great. Its a book where the fantasy is understated - almost more of a magical realism, or horror book, where the supernatural aspect is under the surface for 3/4 of the book and only starts to emerge slowly.
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embark on a mission to write a biography of the late great Marshall France and head out to his hometown of Galen to conduct research on the hero they both have loved since childhood. However all in Galen is not as it seems...This was a slow-burner, taking some time to build up to a great conclusion. Its one of those conclusions where you spot a twist coming from a way off and sit back feeling that you have it all figured out and when the twist does occur, you smile smugly thinking about how you knew that was going to happen. And then out of nowhere comes another, even more fiendish, unforeseen twist that really sets your hair on end. A great ending which just leaves one imagining all the possibilities that could come after.
I read the fantasy masterworks edition of this book and while there were some issues with the book (some patches seem particularly stilted - possibly the fact that this was the author's first book showing) overall the ideas here are great. Its a book where the fantasy is understated - almost more of a magical realism, or horror book, where the supernatural aspect is under the surface for 3/4 of the book and only starts to emerge slowly.
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LibraryThing member isabelx
"The Land of Laughs was lit by eyes that saw the lights that no one's seen."
Schoolteacher Thomas Abbey goes to the small town of Galen Missouri with his girlfriend Saxony, hoping to persuade the daughter of a famous children's author to let him write an authorised biography of her father. Another
Schoolteacher Thomas Abbey goes to the small town of Galen Missouri with his girlfriend Saxony, hoping to persuade the daughter of a famous children's author to let him write an authorised biography of her father. Another
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fantasy story in which nothing fantastical happens until the half-way point, with another socially inadequate male protagonist who does not know how to relate to women at all. I am sensing a common theme to Jonathan Carroll's novels now that I have read three of them, but they do have original and very interesting plots so I'll carry on reading them. Show Less
LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
Thomas Abbey (son of the famous actor Stephen Abbey) and his “colleague” Saxony visit the town of Galen, Missouri, to get information for a biography of their late but beloved children’s book author, Marshall Frank. The information about Frank that Thomas gets from publisher David Louis is
Carroll’s style of writing never ceases to amaze me. This book is intelligent, subtle, and yet easy to read. The author’s sardonic sense of humor makes reading this tale so much fun. I love the sense of intrigue, of not knowing what surprise the next page will bring, since Carroll’s writing often involves surreal situations. Keenly perceptive of how people react to one another, the author displays a good command of general psychology. So many of the author’s thoughts are noteworthy that it’s a must to savor this book slowly. Since I love to read, and this book is about an author and books, my enjoyment of the subject matter was even more enhanced. This one’s a keeper.
SPOILER--> The book becomes weird when the bull terrier Nails talks to Thomas one night and says “The fur. It is. Breathe through the fur.” It turns out that the dogs were all once people and that all of the dogs and people in the town of Galen’s lives were scripted by what Marshall wrote. This starts fading after Marshall dies, but the initial fading of fate reverses when Thomas Abbey begins writing Marshall’s biography. How ingenious! How weird!
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much different in a bizarre sort of way from the information gleaned from Saxony’s previous research and from what both learn from visiting the author’s surviving daughter Anna. Carroll’s style of writing never ceases to amaze me. This book is intelligent, subtle, and yet easy to read. The author’s sardonic sense of humor makes reading this tale so much fun. I love the sense of intrigue, of not knowing what surprise the next page will bring, since Carroll’s writing often involves surreal situations. Keenly perceptive of how people react to one another, the author displays a good command of general psychology. So many of the author’s thoughts are noteworthy that it’s a must to savor this book slowly. Since I love to read, and this book is about an author and books, my enjoyment of the subject matter was even more enhanced. This one’s a keeper.
SPOILER--> The book becomes weird when the bull terrier Nails talks to Thomas one night and says “The fur. It is. Breathe through the fur.” It turns out that the dogs were all once people and that all of the dogs and people in the town of Galen’s lives were scripted by what Marshall wrote. This starts fading after Marshall dies, but the initial fading of fate reverses when Thomas Abbey begins writing Marshall’s biography. How ingenious! How weird!
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LibraryThing member theballisflat
already one of my favorite books, the reread after so many years just reminded me of why I like this book above so many others
LibraryThing member revslick
somewhere between urban fantasy and twilight zone is Jonathan Carroll's The Land of Laughs. fanboy delight...
LibraryThing member amberella
I got this book for a buck and it opened my eyes to the world of Jonathon Carroll. Bizzare is the only word to describe Carroll.
LibraryThing member pussreboots
Interesting book, just as good as Wooden Sea. It reads like the horror version of Big Fish (if the movie were renovelized).
LibraryThing member AliceaP
I'm not even sure where to begin with my review of The Land of Laughs. From the very beginning, I was unsure of where the story was headed and not in a "wow this is going to be a really interesting journey"kind of way. The introduction of the main characters threw me off as they weren't necessarily
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relatable or even likable. If you're like me it's very difficult to really get into a story if you feel completely separate from the characters who are your eyes and ears in the narrative. However, it started picking up speed around 100 pages in when I figured out where the story was headed. The author has a flair for description and he knows how to get you on the edge of your seat. Of course, figuring out the author's plan meant that I knew what the ending would be less than halfway through. :-/ Conclusion: It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read but it was also far from the best. Show Less
LibraryThing member KittyCunningham
When I start dreading reading a book, it's time to give up on it. Half way through and it was still wandering. And I don't like the main character. He's a jerk.
LibraryThing member nillacat
I have never hated a book so much. No completist, I have abandoned books I was not enjoying. But this left me feeling betrayed. I felt it was flawed; about two-thirds of the way through it changed pace awkwardly, a rapid escalation of the fantastic in a rushed exposition. But I continued reading: I
Which is a shame, because White Apples and The Wooden Sea were excellent. Or at least I remember having loved them, tho’ I think they also had dire elements of existential terror. Land of Laughs was his first novel, a novel about a first time writer and perhaps full of the fears of a first time writer perhaps laughing at his own fears.
People who like dark shocks will like it.
Disrecommended.
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wanted to spend more time with the characters, whom I liked and cared for, and I wanted the conclusion. I had some ideas, and was willing to be surprised because I thought the author was on the same emotional arc he had induced in me. But he wasn’t. A rapid descent into paranoia and horror. I threw the book in the trash after turning the last page. I’ve never done that before. I found something pleasant to do to distract myself from the hurt and disappointment. Later, on reflection, I thought he might have been telling the story of the protagonist’s descent into madness. But that would have made the book merely banal. I think it was meant to be true fantasy. In which case, it is bad: disappointing and hurtful. Which is a shame, because White Apples and The Wooden Sea were excellent. Or at least I remember having loved them, tho’ I think they also had dire elements of existential terror. Land of Laughs was his first novel, a novel about a first time writer and perhaps full of the fears of a first time writer perhaps laughing at his own fears.
People who like dark shocks will like it.
Disrecommended.
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