The Green Hat
Michael Arlen
1924
Around 230 pages
I've been tantalizingly close to the 300 milestone for awhile now, and I'd like to seal the deal. The only problem is I'm not really looking forward to these next few entries. Maybe they will surprise me. Magic Mountain surprised me.
The Green Hat was a widely read book when it was first released, but now you would be hard pressed to find anybody who's heard of it. I suppose its popularity largely came from the novel being "provocative" and now we aren't so thirsty. It's a somewhat forgettable tale about Iris Storm, a woman who presents herself as somebody of easy virtue.
Our narrator is fascinated by Iris Storm in a way that I certainly wasn't. I found him to be a little flowery, occasionally funny, and a tad moralistic. I'm also not a big fan of the Great Gatsby-like style, where everybody is called "darling" and drinking and driving.
Not terrible, but didn't make a big impression.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Adapted to screen, with Greta Garbo playing Iris.
Catapulted Michael Arlen into celebrity status.
UP NEXT: Billy Budd by Herman Melville. This novella proves Melville can be succinct when he wants to be.
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