Jacob Ericson is a shy, enigmatic, and somewhat inept ranch hand who works for crotchety Professor Carter and his crippled daughter, Sharon, on a ranch in California's Mojave Desert in the 1920s.
One day he learns that his hands possess the mysterious gift of healing, a gift he uses to cure animals (whom he adores). Sharon (whom he also adores) then persuades him to heal her.
When he successfully cures Sharon, his gift is quickly exploited and the boundaries of his charm and naivete begin to stretch. First he offers his healing powers for free at a church in Los Angeles - where Jacob has gone after Sharon, who fled her father and the ranch to pursue her dreams of stardom. Jacob and Sharon cross paths when they work for the same pair of exploitative showmen. Jacob stays with the seedy stage show only because Sharon is close by.
It is when Jacob's gift is recruited to heal Earl Medwin, an eccentric, ailing young millionaire, that the love and security for which he has worked so hard begin to collapse.
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Review:
This collaborative effort between Aldous Huxley and Christopher Isherwood, from a film project they were contracted to write in the late 1930s, was discovered in a trunk at Huxley's estate by actress Sharon Stone, who was researching the author's work for a film based on one of his short stories. Jacob's Hands is a novella-length film treatment for a script about a ranch hand who, after learning that he has the gift of healing, becomes disillusioned when he discovers that mending a broken body does not always heal a tormented soul. The slim volume proves both mesmerizing and moving, and the use of the present tense lends an air of innocence and mystery to the story, while the book's emotional undercurrents and passions stir up deeper, troubling responses. Jacob's Hands is a complex, disquieting modern fairy tale unlike anything else by either author, and a fascinating artifact of their Hollywood careers. --Michael Bronski
About the Author:
Aldous Huxley is the author of several classics, including Brave New World and Chrome Yellow. Among Christopher Isherwood's many books are The Berlin Stories, which was the basis for the musical Cabaret, and The Memorial.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherSt Martins Pr
- Publication date1998
- ISBN 10 0312194676
- ISBN 13 9780312194673
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages141
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Rating