Had a Good Time: Stories from American Postcards

by Robert Olen Butler

Book Overview

For many years Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler has collected picture postcards from the early twentieth century-not so much for the pictures on the fronts but for the messages written on the backs, little bits of the captured souls of people long since passed away. Using these brief messages of real people from another age, Butler creates fully imagined stories that speak to the universal human condition. In Up by Heart, a Tennessee...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802142044
• ISBN13: 9780802142047
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Grove Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Had A Good Time by Robert Olin Butler

We did this in our book club The leader was the former books editor for Fort Worth Star Telegram. Everyone really liked the book. The short story our reviewer concentrated on was the one about the hay ride. We were told Butler had one of his students pull several antique postcards out of a box and he proceeded to write a story on each. He does not use outlines--lets the characters tell their own story. Good book and no two stories alike.

I'm keeping this one

If you feel like reading only two short stories and aren't willing to invest any more time, start with the hilarious "The Ironworkers' Hayride" and follow it with the heartbreaking "Carl and I." I went from outright laughter to downright tears in the space of a few minutes. Of course, if those are the only two stories you read in HAD A GOOD TIME, you'll miss the delightful "No Chord of Music," which could have been the story of my mother, whose first car ride in 1917 was equally exciting. You'd also deprive yourself of the engaging "Sunday," which somehow or other -- I don't see how Butler does it -- manages to make this series of short stories seem more like a novel. No, this is not STRANGE MOUNTAIN. I like this one even better.

Wonderful Bliss Transfered on Printed Pages

This is a fanciful book that illustrates the boundless bliss to be enjoyed when imagination is at work. Butler gives of himself to the world a treasure in this collection of short stories. A bonus is to be found by readers who can listen to the author read selected stories from the book at various public radio websites. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Postcards from a muse.

Mr. Butler has been visited by a divine muse. How else can one explain his inspired idea of writing the stories behind the antique postcards he collects? "Carl and I" and "The Ironworkers Hayride" are quite possibly two of the finest short stories ever written. The author is a master of this format and his book is a must-read for aspiring writers and postcard collectors.

Taking Calculated Risks on Behalf of Literature

Mr. Butler continues to experiment with new ways of looking at the world, at the people who enhabit his world. He doesn't write simply to give us the same old same old. He is taking chances on behalf of his craft. AND he's still very much in control of his powers. HAD A GOOD TIME, though not a perfect book, is another attempt by the author to keep going, to keep surprising himself with possibilities, to give his readers something different. For that and much more he gets my respect. I recommend people read and enjoy this new book regardless of what I or anyone else in these little snippets say. In my book, Mr. Butler is a brave writer for continuing to write from where it counts, where it is still vibrant and exciting. Writing from his intellect and heart. It's a winning combination.