Green Shadows, White Whale

Ray Bradbury, the current master of science fiction, narrates his semi-autobiographical novel of his visit to Ireland to work with director John Huston on the script of "Moby Dick." This fast-paced audio is a tour de force; Bradbury brings verbal images of Ireland to life with no effort at all. He also brings off the real life vocal style of Huston so believably that you think Huston came back from the grave to record this. The piece flows due to the author's familiarity with the text. While the packaging looks unprofessional, the audio work inside is more than exceptional. B.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

May 4, 1992
The title of this lighthearted, beguiling autobiographical novel is a play on Peter Viertel's White Hunter, Black Heart , which, like this book, dealt with the legendary director John Huston. This is Bradbury's comic account of his trip to Ireland to write the screenplay for Huston's adaptation of Moby-Dick . The movie itself is merely a background constant that anchors this series of vivid, ear-tingling vignettes and anecdotes. Bradbury describes his awed dealings with the erratic, eccentric and impulsive director, and his delight upon being accepted among the regulars at an atmospheric pub called Heeber Finn's. It's a great place to hoist a wee drop and listen to stories told in the best Irish brogue. Finn himself imaginatively tells of the time when George Bernard Shaw supposedly dropped into his establishment. Then there's the community's encounter with a ``willowy'' (read: gay) stranger and his crew of ballet dancers, a man who--to everyone's surprise-- proves to be no mean raconteur. Bradbury's prose is as vibrant and distinctive as the landscape in which these delightful tales are set. Illustrations not seen by PW.