Gods and Monsters

This novel is reminiscent of such films as SUNSET BOULEVARD and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE. The story concerns the last days of has-been director James Whale who in his prime had directed the films SHOW BOAT and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, among other hits. In 1957 he was a virtual recluse in his expensive Hollywood home, despondent after suffering a stoke. His death by drowning in his swimming pool was ruled an accident, but many years later, his former companion made public Whale's suicide note. From this grim material, Christopher Bram has fashioned a sweet and far-from-sentimental love story of Whale and his obsession with his handsome ex-marine gardener. There are a lot of surprises along the way, some of them hilarious, some truly disturbing. Once again Bram intermingles fictional characters with real people. In this volume Elsa Lanchester, Greta Garbo, Charles Laughton, George Cukor, Princess Margaret and Elizabeth Taylor make appearances. My favorite scene was when Whale takes his gardener to a lawn party thrown by George Cukor in honor of Princess Margaret. This is a great party scene worthy of Proust himself. Although the relationship between Whale and the gardener is a chaste one, it is nonetheless a love story. I found this a beautiful book with a lot of heart and humor. I laughed aloud several times. I liked this edition with its appendices and author's afterword. My only real criticism is that once again Bram has contemporary slang usage coming from the mouths of characters who lived in a previous era. I hope that if Bram writes another novel set in the past that he will have an expert go through the manuscript with him to correct this. But nonetheless, I really like Bram's writing and plan to read more of his work. Everything I've read by him so far has been very intelligent and entertaining. Four stars.

Christopher Bram does it again with yet another brilliant novel. The depth and the intelligence of this book and his ability to bring the characters so alive shows his ability as a novelist. If you only read one or a couple of books a year make it this one.Highly Recommended indeed.

In "Father of Frankenstein" author Christopher Bram presents a mesmerizing account of the last days of Hollywood (and British) film director James Whale. Bram's book provided the basis of "Gods and Monsters," a 1998 film which drew critical praise as well. Bram provides us with an insider's view of Whale's life--itself something of a horror story. His turbulent life--and lifestyle--haunted him until his death in 1957 (an "apparent" suicide). Of course, such things that Whale sufferedwere never publicized--or much acknowledged--while he was still alive. In this biography Bram seems to pull no punches, as he deftly presents the life of Whale that few outside Hollywood knew (his homosexuality, for instance), especially his background growing up in England, his experiences in World War I, and so on. Whether a fan of Whale (the classic films "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein" still have a following!) or not, the reader can expect a mesmerizingread--something out of "Time" magazine and not the "National Inquirer"! At times, however, it does resemble "People" magazine a bit, but Bram does not resort to bitchy sensationalism to carry the book. He gives us a very interesting--but not altogether revealing--look at Hollywood in the Thirties. ([email protected])

Bram brilliantly creates a sense of place, time, and states of mind, as he weaves a piece of luminous fiction that is spookily believable and profound. Time in this work is a fluid commodity, ranging from the 1950's to the turn of the century, reflecting the dreamy fugues produced by James Whale's stroke-affected brain, where memory has gone berserk. Nota Bene: Hollywood in the 30's has never been so beautifully captured in all its marzipan unreality as in this novel. Not incidentially, Bram's creation of Clayton Boone is a stunning achievement (just as Frankenstein is Whale's stunning achievement)--we explore the dark glass from inside and out, with all the foreboding, humor, and compassion that Whale put into his horror films. This work is a marvel and not to be missed! Just as a side note: Bram's use of the present tense in this slippery time travel is nothing short of a technical tour de force.