Hard Rain Falling
Hard Rain Falling is a 1966 crime novel written by Don Carpenter. The novel was Carpenter's first published book, and follows the adventures of Jack Levitt, an orphaned teenager living off his wits in the fleabag hotels and seedy pool halls of Portland, Oregon.
First-edition cover | |
Author | Don Carpenter |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Crime novel |
Publisher | Harcourt |
Publication date | 1966 |
Media type | |
Pages | 336 |
Upon its release the book was heralded as a readable, grim, and masterful debut. "…a first novel . . . of remarkable quality, written with authority, detachment and an almost uncanny, deadpan intelligence," wrote Martin Seymour-Smith in The Spectator, adding "I have seldom come across a new novel in which such compelling readability coexists with such absolute seriousness of purpose and keenness of psychological insight."[1] Kirkus said that as a book "it's stringent, it's strong, and intensely alive."[2]
In 2009, the book was re-published by New York Review Books as part of their Classics series,[3] prompting positive reviews by The Washington Post[4] and The Independent.[5]
References
- Contemporary Literary Criticism - Vol.41: Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Today's Novelists, Poets, Playwrights, Short Story Writers, Scriptwriters, & Other Creative Writers. Gale. 1987. pp. 100-108. ISBN 9780810344150. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- Hard Rain Falling. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- "Hard Rain Falling". New York Review Books. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- Lipez, Richard (14 September 2009). "Book World: Review of 'Hard Rain Falling' by Don Carpenter". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- Tonkin, Boyd (13 November 2009). "Hard Rain Falling, By Don Carpenter". The Independent. Retrieved 18 June 2019.