Portrait of my Father by Lawrence Clark Powell (review)

Reviews 249 In “Manuela Gets a Letter,” Arnholz tells a traveling anecdote that might be patterned to fit many places in the country: “How many Santa Feans does it take to change a light bulb? Three: One to change it and two to talk about how good it was before it was changed.” It is the humor and the satire and the portraits that make these essays interesting, and it is Arnholz’s style that makes them good. In addition, the collection is durable and handsome, something the daily paper is not. Novelist Tony Hillerman writes the foreword for this book. He says the reader will like the author that speaks in these personal essays. Hillerman is right. And Arnholz is good at his craft. He is also a lucky man. JIM HARRIS New Mexico Junior College Portrait of my Father. By Lawrence Clark Powell. (Santa Barbara, Cali­ fornia: Capra Press, 1986. Ill pages, $15.00.) This is a strange book. Is it biography (of the author’s father) ? Is it an autobiography (of the author) ? Or is it perhaps a novel, or even a novella because of its short length? Obviously, it is based on the actual experiences of the author’s father, but it seems to have been “time-warped” into a compar­ able experience of the author. In any event, this reviewer was hooked after the first few pages, which is what a good novel is supposed to do. To most people who knew him, G. Harold Powell was a brilliant scientist, a pomologist who helped shape the citrus industry of Southern California. But to his immediate family, and particularly to his son Laurie, Powell was a mystery. He died when Laurie was still a youngster, leaving behind a number of unsolved puzzles. Not until fifty years after the man’s death did Lawrence Clark Powell finally begin to know his father. By now, young Powell was a distinguished man of letters in his own right. While staying in Paris, he came upon some letters and other documents revealing the truth about the elder Powell’s private life—and private affairs. G. Harold Powell, it appears, had also spent time in Paris. Thus, the novelization begins. Portrait of my Father was probably not easy to write, but it does flow in the author’s typically agreeable style. The scenes around Paris and other parts of France, and some of the dialogue, all reflect the author’s familiarity with that country. But, instead of trying to decide what kind of book this is, one should just let “the novelization begin.” GEORGE H. TWENEY Seattle, Washington ...