Mercoledì delle ceneri può essere riassunto così: Jimmy e Christy (o Christy e Jimmy) si amano, punto. Si potrebbe dire solo questo del romanzo di Ethan Hawke o forse si potrebbe aggiungere che oltre all’amore viene raccontata la scelta di un ragazzo e di una ragazza di sposarsi e diventare una famiglia. Perché non è che la famiglia “la si fa”, come spesso orribilmente si dice, ma la famiglia la si deve far diventare e diventare è un verbo Bello ma terribilmente spaventoso perché include un mutamento che non si può prevedere e chi lo può sapere se il dopo sarà altrettanto Bello come il presente che in quel momento successivo sarà ormai il passato.

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Of all the books I've read, loved and put on my favorites shelf Ethan Hawke has written two of them.
Literally the only author that I've read one of their books, thought it was amazing, and tried another and it was just as amazing.
He's a literary genius.
HOW DOES THIS ONLY HAVE A 3.28 RATING.
Please Ethan, write more books. I need more books like this in my life.

Enjoyable road trip adventure about a boy who realises he is in love with the girl who he just dumped and goes awol fromt eh amry to take her on a trip to prove it

Excellent character development! Ethan Hawke really knows how to reach the core of human feelings. I have always enjoyed his acting career, so thought I would try one of his novels.

A very human story.
And I say human because in this novel Hawke makes it possible to believe what's happening; it feels real.
Jimmy is an immature 30 year old soldier in the US army who decided to enrol because he didn't know what to do with his life after his father committed suicide. His life is a complete mess; he has no direction, no perspectives, no motivation. Except for Christy.
Christy has had a tough life, estranged from her father, a politician and womaniser who doesn't seem to connect with her needs, she decides to flee at 16 to get married to an alcoholic. She is divorced at 22 and she knows what to expect from life.
But when Christy and Jimmy meet, they can't help their mutual attraction. What seems to be only a sexual relationship becomes something deeper than none of the two could have ever imagined.
They hate each other most of the time, but the love each other more.
Scared of facing responsibility and of his own feelings, Jimmy leaves Christy, who is pregnant without him knowing it.
And that's the starting point of the novel. Christy going back home to Texas, alone and pregnant, and Jimmy, realising he is a piece of "shit" and that he has abandoned what he most treasures, so he decides to leave the army to chase Christy and ask her to marry him.
The chapters move from Jimmy to Christy's point of view; and one of the things I liked most about this novel is the way the characters think and talk about their life, their fears, their beliefs. And how they don't agree most of the time, but somehow that makes them even closer.
This is a story about love, friendship and life, not the kind of sweetened life we find in romantic stories, but the tough life we have to live and endure every day.
Ethan Hawke has proved that, apart from being a brilliant actor, he can also write and make you feel deeply.
Recommended.

It’s been some time since I read this but I absolutely loved it when I did. I’ve always been an Ethan Hawke fan but his writing felt like his writing. Maybe it was a ghost writer but this was well before the days of every celebrity needing to be in every medium. It was just a road trip book about lost Gen X-ers so it was a great read for me. I think I was in college or just out of when it came out, which helped. I do want to read his other books. We will have to see if it’s still something I like.

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"I don't want somebody to stay with me just because he promised to do so eighteen years ago or whatever. He should stay with me because he wants to, because he loves me and believes that being with me is what he needs most deeply. An awake, conscious life, that's all I really desired."

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I read The Hottest State about a year and a half ago, and instantly fell in love with Ethan Hawke's writing. He immediately throws you into whatever tangled web of love he's writing about, and you become attached to the characters instantly. Ash Wednesday is no different. It packs a punch from beginning to end, and you have no idea how things are going to end up. Minds change, roads and scenery change, and you are rooting for these two people to make it work and figure out themselves and their life together. I found a lot of myself in Christy's character, in how she does or does not handle her relationships, and in the person she wants to be for herself. I felt one way starting this book, about the state of their relationship and whether they should be together or not, but by the end I just wanted them to be able to make it, and to make each other happy. Because at the end of the day, isn't that what we all want?

THE DETAILS⇣
⇢ 3 ✰STARS✰
⤏ WRITTEN & NARRATED BY ETHAN HAWKE (THE ACTOR)
⤏ TWO POV'S
⤏ REALISTIC MIXED WITH A SORT OF PULP FICTION
⤏ SOME GENUINELY HEARTFELT MOMENTS
⤏ LENGTH OF AUDIO - 7 HOURS, 10 MINUTES
⤏ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

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MY THOUGHTS⇣

This book is full of moments, heartfelt ones, juvenile ones, and some that are just scattered with rambling delusions. When you put all these moments together you are left with a story that has heart and even depth...when you dig deep enough. The problem is it's a real challenge to grasp anything long enough to dig deep enough...his thoughts fly by and he's on to another. It really made it difficult to connect.

At its core, this is a story of a young couple coming to grips with impending parenthood and marriage. Filled with rambling reflections on everything to do with life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.

Rating wise...this was the most hurt by the lack of a second narrator for Christy's POV. Why did he think he could narrate both characters...I don't know...obviously he was good for the part of Jimmy...but he crashed and burned on Christy's part. It was disappointing...I feel like he could have easily gotten an actress to narrate the heroine of the story.


BREAKDOWN⇣
Narration Rating ⇢ 3½ STARS
Plot ⇢ 3/5
Characters ⇢ 3.5/5
The Feels ⇢ 3/5
Pacing ⇢ 2.8/5
Addictiveness ⇢ 2.7/5
Theme, Tone or Intensity ⇢ 3/5
Originality/Believability ⇢3.8/5
Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ⇢ 2.5/5
Romance/Chemistry ⇢ 3.5/5
Ending ⇢ 3.3/5
Summation ⇢ 3 STARS

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Un amore litigarello on the road.
Non male.

"C'è un punto in fondo al mio cuore dove mi sento in comunicazione con tutte le cose, non solo con gli alberi, con l'erba, con i cani, ma anche con i palazzi e con le scale, con i sassi e con i marciapiedi. È un posto dove regna un silenzio mortale e credo di non averci mai fatto entrare nessuno, anzi probabilmente anche volendo non ne sarei capace; un posto che è sobrio quando il mio corpo barcolla ubriaco, una coscienza alternativa che è immobile come un'antenna sintonizzata su qualche altra parte della galassia. Era questa parte di me che volevo portare al nostro matrimonio, un punto centrale di equilibrio da cui far partire i miei giuramenti. Immaginavo che quell'antenna segreta mi mettesse in comunicazione con l'eternità, qualunque cosa sia, e che fosse la parte di me che soltanto Christy percepiva e amava. Era la stessa parte senza tempo in lei che volevo sposare. Ma nell'oscurità di quella stanza di motel mi resi conto che, sposato o no, nessuno avrebbe mai potuto conoscermi del tutto: la parte più vera di me sarebbe rimasta sempre isolata e sola. Ero incapace di esprimere quella mia cazzo di fede limitata, e anche se ci fossi riuscito, l'avrei racchiusa in una definizione così melodrammatica che avrei finito per banalizzarla."

Well, I read it and felt inclined to TAG Hawke on Instagram, which may reveal my inner dorkiness. Or, it might reveal how this book--surprisingly--evoked a strong and unexpected response.

I read THE HOTTEST STATE a million years ago. It was pretty mediocre.

Tried this . . .

I gotta admit: 5 stars! It's uber-generational, so be forewarned. It's also filled with the angst and religious preoccupations that haunted fans of REALITY BITES. No joke.

He was compared to Salinger by a reviewer that I read, and, um, yeah. Fine by me! Dated? Maybe, but I don't care. Impressive descriptive writing (New Orleans descriptions). Insightful, authentic, underrated!

Great writing, but the characters were not likable. I was curious about their life, but I wasn't deeply moved by them.

A riveting read that's fresh and vital and funny. Jimmy Heartsock is a young soldier who breaks up with girlfriend Christy Walker only to propose marriage to her eight days later. The story alternates between the narratives of ambivalent and haunted Christy and the rambunctious but earnest Jimmy. The two drive across America via New Orleans and the craziness of Mardi Gras stopping for an express wedding and some pregnancy woes.

I have no idea whether the story is autobiographical or not (and I don't particularly care) but it's very hard not to picture Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman in the leading roles. Somehow my brain put that image in place and it kept chiming with every chapter.

However it's the thoroughly original and distinct voices of the two characters that kept me reading. Christy is cool and dispassionate but at the same time neurotic. Jimmy is rash but a ball of energy. Somehow the chemistry between these two work and somehow Hawke makes the detail and humour intensely joyful. Totally recommended.