A toast to Ray Bradbury
“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” — Ray Bradbury
“Yes, summer was rituals, each with its natural time and place,” Ray Bradbury reminds us in Dandelion Wine, his semi-autobiographical novel celebrating childhood in the summer of 1928.
I was introduced to this magical book in middle school, back when I was old enough to appreciate its literary charm but still young enough to indulge in the simple pleasures of catching fireflies and playing flashlight tag on the lawn. Since then, I’ve made a ritual of re-reading Dandelion Wine every summer.
The book is so special to me, in fact, that it has a place of honor with other life-changing books on the shelf closest to my desk in my home office. The shelf also holds well-thumbed copies of Something Wicked This Way Comes (another Bradbury favorite) and several collections of Bradbury’s short stories.
Learning of Bradbury’s death at 91 earlier this week, I burst into tears, then revisited my favorite passages in Dandelion Wine. Once again, I was reminded of the author’s remarkable gifts. As one of his biographers noted, Bradbury was more than a good storyteller. He was an incomparable stylist and a disciplined craftsman. His prose is lyrical, singing directly to the heart.
Calling himself “a genetic enchanter” in his introduction to the reissued edition (1975) of Dandelion Wine, Bradbury makes no apologies for his nostalgia. And he always makes me wish I had the sort of front porch where neighbors and friends could gather on humid July nights:
“Sitting on the summer-night porch was so good, so easy and so reassuring that it could never be down away with. These were rituals that were right and lasting; the lighting of pipes, the pale hands that moved knitting needles in the dimness, the eating of foil-wrapped, chilled Eskimo Pies, the coming and going of all the people. For at some time or other during the evening, everyone visited here; the neighbors down the way, the people across the street….”
I’ve always believed that Dandelion Wine is the perfect antidote to the mindless distractions of modern suburban living. Even if you’ve read it before, grab a copy to enjoy in your favorite deck chair this summer — or on the front porch, if you’re lucky enough to have one. Mix yourself a pitcher of lemonade, or better yet, a glass of chilled white wine from your own cellar.
Cheers, and thank you, Ray Bradbury! — Cindy La Ferle
Cindy La Ferle
Throughout my career, I've worked as a book production editor, travel magazine editor, features writer, and weekly newspaper columnist. My award-winning lifestyles features and essays have appeared in many national magazines and anthologies, including Newsweek, Reader's Digest, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer's Digest, Victoria, Better Homes & Gardens, Bella Grace, and more. My weekly Sunday "Life Lines" column ran for 14 years in The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI) and won a First Place (Local Columns) award from the Michigan Press Association. My essay collection, Writing Home, includes 93 previously published columns and essays focusing on parenthood and family life.
14 Comments
Samantha Pattison
My front porch at the old house was a favorite spot of ours in the Summer too. I can’t wait to read this sweet book. I am going to grab a copy this weekend.
Cindy
Sam, you’ll love it. And I need to go back into the post and include a link to the book on Amazon. But it is available in all bookstores.
jill m. mackie
I also read of his passing and your review is very touching; I’m sure he’d be proud.
Cindy
Thank you, Jill!
Momma
I came to know Ray Bradbury’s magic late in life and have tried to collect at least a few of his works. It is sad to think of what we miss because we are “too busy”.
J. Conaton
Hi Cindy,
Dandelion Wine is also one of my favorites. His stories of growing up in small town Illi nois remind of growing up in small town Clawson.
Cindy
J. Conaton, I’ve often thought the same thing. We were lucky, weren’t we?
Sharon
My daughter wanted to know if there was a used book I wanted when she was traveling last fall, so I now have this story to read as summer begins. I wanted to read it after I read about it here, Cindy.
Cindy
Please report back after you’ve read it, Sharon!
Bridgette
This will be another book on my must reads this summer, thank you 🙂
Bridgette
And here is my opinion on most of the current reads….not so good. Nothing has grabbed me in quite awhile.
Several friends are reading 50 Shades of Gray. I think I’ll let those melt someone elses shelves 😉
Cindy
I’ve found some good ones. Enjoyed Anna Q’s new essays (see earlier blog post) and “The Paris Wife,” which inspired our book club to read Hemingway’s “Moveable Feast” … The memoir “Wild” looks good (just arrived in the mail), and I am eager to get to Alice Hoffman’s new one and another for book club called “The Tiger’s Wife.”
I am reading a couple of books on self-care for caregivers, for a story I am working on, so I am bit behind in my fun reading.
Rick Pressel
I enjoyed the part in the book, Dandelion Wine, where the old women was trying o explain to the kids that the picture of the young women was her. They scoffed.So timely…and timeless.
Cindy
Yes — Mrs. Bentley! I loved that chapter, too, Rick. Thanks for the reminder.