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| A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain: Stories | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Olen Butler
Publisher: Grove Press
Category: Book
List Price: $13.00
Buy New: $6.79
You Save: $6.21 (48%)
Buy New/Used from $4.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  (34 reviews)
Sales Rank: 51014
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0802137989
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780802137982
ASIN: 0802137989
Publication Date: May 10, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Made me feel like throwing up. January 15, 2007
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
I couldn't finish this book after readng "Fairytale." Misfit insecure Caucasian male falls for Asian stripper/prostitute after she listens to him talk about the odor of his sweat in the outdoor markets. I thought possibly this story reveals a lot about Olen Butler. He wrote about this relationship with such relish, he sounds to me like a P.C. Caucasian who is drawn in patronizing fashion to the "otherness" of Asian people and doesn't see them for what they are, just wants them to appreciate big strong white man. I thought it interesting that in the story the woman never mentions to the man that she already has a young son living with her mother. So she was not honest with him. But Olen Butler wrote about her as if this stripper/pros. was wonderful, the kind of wife any man would want. I shook my head and thought, "You have issues." Probably if she were Caucasian he would not want to get near her for fear of catching something. After this the other stories just did not appeal to me.
A fascinating look into the life of the mind January 2, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love books that delineate the complexities of human emotions and motivations, and this book is absolutely superb in that regard. The first story in the collection describes a man, recently widowed, who is forced to watch pornography. The desire he feels leads to carnal memories of his wife, which leads to horrific recollections of her violent murder.
I'm also always impressed by men who can write lucidly from a female perspective. My favorite story in the collection describes a woman taking care of her grandfather's parrot, and it fits love, resentment, obligation and death together so perfectly that I can't describe the plot without recounting the entire story all over again.
I read a few reviews here that complained that the author doesn't really "get" what it's like to be Vietnamese. This is my closest experience of the culture, so I can't judge either way. However, I didn't strictly see these stories as Vietnamese, so much as they were a study in internal monologue (I believe every story is told in the first person). More than anything, I identified with the author's sense of the human condition.
I was born after the Vietnam war, so I learned a lot from this book. It hadn't occurred to me that the South has a very similar climate to Vietnam, and I didn't know that many Vietnamese settled there (and I am left with the question: where is Vietnamese / Southern fusion cooking??). All in all, this is a fascinating, beautiful read.
So why only four stars? Because while I felt like I knew everything about the inside of these characters, I didn't get much of a sense of the outside. I didn't feel the horror of war, or the lush, clingy warmth of quasi-tropical weather. I have to admit I liked "Interpreter of Maladies", the Indian version of this book, better. That may not be fair, because "Interpreter of Maladies" was written after this one was, and may very well have drawn from it.
In sum: this book is an incredible look into the life of the mind. If you like that kind of thing, this is a must-read.
Terrible January 16, 2005
36 out of 56 found this review helpful
I am Vietnamese and I grew up in New Orleans during the 80's and 90's when the first waves were settling down there. I hate to tell this to everyone on this site but this book is the worst piece of fiction ever written. Like many books written by someone who does not belong to the culture that he writes about, the book takes great liberties with the imagination and presents the stories from the viewpoint of the writer and not the actual people. The Vietnamese characters in the book are portrayed as backwards, uneducated, and simple. Further, the stories are depressing and very few of the characters seem to have any success. If you actually grew up in New Orleans during the time that the Vietnamese Americans were setting root during the 80's and 90's, you would know that by and large, the community pulled itself from nothing to become quite successful. No real Vietnamese American thinks or acts like the characters portrayed in this book. I repeat - no Vietnamese American thinks or acts like the characters portrayed in this book. The book repeats many of the fallacies that I have noticed in other books written by predominantly caucasian male authors about East Asian Culture. There always seems to be 1) an asian prostitute 2) caucasian guy with asian bride 3) asian male in an emasculated role 4) asian people as backwards and simple. Quite sad. This book reminds me quite a bit of Memoirs of a Geisha, though that portrayed Japanese culture in a better light. By the way, the lady on which "Memoirs of a Geisha" is based and written about was quite upset at the author of Memoirs of a Geisha and did not feel that it portrayed her life or her thoughts in any way at all. Regardless, if you really want to find out about the Vietnamese American experience you should really read a book written by a Vietnamese American.
 Riveting in storytelling, with an amazing sense of actuality September 22, 2004
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
I was browsing through Pulitzer Prize winning books when I came upon this book. Admittedly, being a Vietnamese immigrant, I was very skeptical that a white man can ever capture the true experiences of the hardships of coming to America. I was quickly stunned at how some of the stories jumped right out of the pages and poured back into the back of my memories. It didn't seem like I was reading a fictional account of Vietnamese assimilation; it was more than that, it was as if I was reading into the history of my time in America. Most notably of all the stories in the collection is the story of the American soldier trying furiously to bring his Vietnamese wife and daughter to America. As you read through his letters and realize his intentions, you can't help but feel frustrated for this man. It is no surprise that this book was a Pulitzer winner. It is that good.
Stunning achievement July 20, 2004
9 out of 12 found this review helpful
This is a work of art. Read it and weep. Read it and touch the soul of the Vietnamese who lost their country and gained their humanity. Read it and savor language at its finest, writing that is poetic and powerful, spare and wispy.
All of the stories are masterful. Some are great ... stories that will offer more light and more meaning with every visit. This is one of the best books of the Vietnam experience -- a literary gift.
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