DEATH OF THE BLACK-HAIRED GIRL By Robert Stone

death of the black-hair girl
Robert Stone wrote one of my favorite novels, Dog Soldiers, so it pains me to report that Stone’s latest novel–Death of the Black-Haired Girl–isn’t very good. For starters, the black-haired girl named Maud (who names their daughter Maud in the past 20 years?) is killed on page 127 of this 281-page book. From page 127 on to the end, the book explores the impact of the black-haired girl’s death on her father (a NYPD cop), her lover (a college professor), her therapist (a former nun), and her roommate (an actress). Dull, dull, dull. GRADE: C

16 thoughts on “DEATH OF THE BLACK-HAIRED GIRL By Robert Stone

  1. Steve Oerkfitz

    Loved Dog Soldiers but have been disappointed in his more recent stuff. Guess I’ll pass on this.

    Reply
  2. Deb

    I liked Hall of Mirrors, set in New Orleans in the early 1960s. Although published in 1967, it was remarkably prescient about the role right-wing talk radio would occupy in race relations in our country; but I must admit, I struggled to read several others of his. Also, I’m bothered by the title: if a female is old enough to have a lover and live independently of her parents, she’s a woman not a girl. The title makes it seem as if it’s about the death of a child.

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  3. Deb

    Btw, Maud, like Mabel, is making a comeback as a girl’s name–but it’s a recent phenomenon, so a woman currently in her twenties would be unlikely to have that name. In about 15 years, there’ll be a number of twenty-something woman named Maud. I believe one of Judd Apatow’s daughters is named Maud. Yes, my brain is filled with stupid trivia!

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  4. Jeff Meyerson

    I’d think it more likely if she were born in Ireland.

    I liked Stone’s early stuff too, especially DOG SOLDIERS.

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    1. george Post author

      Jeff, it seems incredible that the author of DOG SOLDIERS could have written such a weak book as THE DEATH OF THE BLACK-HAIRED GIRL.

      Reply
    1. george Post author

      Randy, Robert Stone has been writing novels since the 1960s. But I feel his early work is much better than his more recent work.

      Reply
  5. Steve Oerkfitz

    The film version of Dog Soldiers plays a lot on cable. Retitled Who’ll Stop the Rain. Its a pretty good film.

    Reply

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