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Summary: This Boy's Life- A Memoir
Review: Recently, for school, I read This Boy's Life- A Memoir, by Tobias Wolff. This Boy's Life, is a coming of age story following Toby from boyhood through prep school. The novel starts off in Florida with Toby, aka Jack, his mother Rosemary, and her boyfriend Roy. As part of an effort to start a new life and be rid of Roy, Rosemary and Jack move to Utah. However, in life, things don't always work out, and Roy followed them there.
Roy is a two-faced man. While in front of Jack he puts on a good face, but as soon as Jack leaves the room, he is yelling at Rosemary. Since there is no strong parental figure in his life, Sister James, a nun at Jack's school, tries to take on that role. Because Sister James cares for him so much, Jack begins to resent her too. He doesn't feel that he needs the care or attention.
Now, Roy is out of the picture again, and Jack and Rosemary are on their way to Seattle. Marian, a housekeeper, and Kathy, a secretary are now introduced to us as fellow borders in the new apartment complex. These two also recognize the real Jack, and they do what they can to help to keep him in line. These women also introduce Rosemary to Dwight, a well-to-do, well-dressed man from Chinook.
Eventually, once Jack and Rosemary move in with Dwight, he proves too good to be true. Immediately he begins abusing the two, both verbally and physically. After awhile, Jack gets sick of this and decides to get out, but not before fighting, acting out, and causing a lot of trouble.
What is Jack's plan for the future? To go to prep school. After all, his father and older brother did. The elaborate scheme he follows through with is amazing. And, it paid off. After stealing transcripts, writing recommendations, and even interviewing with an alum, Jack got into Hill.
His mother, Rosemary, was also able to get away from Chinook, and find a new job.
The story began in 1955, in Sarasota, Florida. They then ventured out to Salt Lake City to try for a better life. Roy followed along, and things went badly. Then Rosemary met Dwight, once she moved to Seattle. Her and Dwight got together, `fell in love', and she and Jack moved in with him and his three children in Chinook. All of this moving, love, abuse, and life, helped bring together the themes of the novel. The themes being hope, Toby always had it. He always new that his life could be better, and he took matters into his own hands in order to make things happen. Friendship is another big theme throughout the novel. You always need to have someone you can trust, someone you can depend on. Even though Jack didn't always hang out with the good crowd, they were always good, true friends.
This Boy's Life- A Memoir, is the perfect title for this novel, since it is based upon true life, and it is like Wolff is looking in on Jack's life, and having it be all too familiar. He follows young Toby through all of his ups and downs. I really liked this book, and I definitely recommend it. To find out if they ever really escaped Dwight, if their family ever got back together, and anything else, you are just going to have to read the book. - A.Corry
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Summary: "This Boy's Life" Book Review
Review: "This Boy's Life", By Tobias Wolff, explores the life of a troubled boy reaching maturity in the 50's. The novel is about a mother and son who move to Washington. Toby's mother remarries Dwight, also a divorced parent. Toby later finds out that his stepfather isn't all that nice. While living through a life of lies and deceptions, he meets role models influencing his life in many ways. Although the book may have some "slow parts", the book was interesting, and overall an entertaining reader. The way Tobias Wolff portrayed the younger version of himself was not as a hero, but in need of a hero. Toby was a wild kid when growing up, and did many crazy things. He forged checks, stole gasoline, changed his name to "John", wrote graffiti on walls, and stole money from people on his paper route. Toby does many more acts of insubordinate behavior throughout the story, each revealing part of his personality and that he wants to fit in.
Toby wanted his mother's satisfaction but did not want to disappoint her, so he would often lie to her. "I said I didn't do it. If he said he didn't do it, he didn't do it, my mother said. He doesn't lie." (Page 79) Even if his mother suspected him of lying, she wouldn't question her son's word, thus making it easier for him to get away with things.
There were many people in his childhood that shaped his personality. Toby's mother was a hero for him because she stuck by his side throughout all the trouble he got in. Parents play a major role in their children's personality because they are an example to their kids. If Toby's mother didn't have such a big heart that she did, Toby would have gotten into more trouble than he ended up in. A person that shaped his personality in a negative where all the kids that caused trouble with him. Most of the time it was there ideas, and he just followed through with them.
This book backs up the idea that role models influence children's lives, both good and bad. Toby got into trouble many times throughout the novel, yet he is carefree and happy at the end. Every book has its boring pages, and I admit that this novel also has some. Tobias Wolff summarized his life magically in this novel and I would recommend the novel to anyone who likes to read about comical issues teenagers' face.
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Summary: ACCURATE TRUTH
Review: <br />(...)<br />This is an accurately told book regarding the hard life that some children must go through. The lack of actually having a normal childhood. This is a great book, very emotional<br />Also recommending: Nightmares Echo,Bastard Out Of Carolina,Running With Scissors<br /><br />
Rating:
Summary: ACCURATE TRUTH
Review: (...)
This is an accurately told book regarding the hard life that some children must go through. The lack of actually having a normal childhood. This is a great book, very emotional Also recommending: Nightmares Echo,Bastard Out Of Carolina,Running With Scissors
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Summary: A Journy through Life
Review: America is said to be the land of the free. This freedom provides a wide variety in the ways that people choose to live their lives. Everyone has a different and unique family situation. Dysfunctional families exist all over the nation. "This Boy's Life: A Memoir", by Tobias Wolff, puts you in the shoes of a young kid growing up in a dysfunctional family. The main character in the story is the author Tobias Wolff in his childhood. In an effort to escape his abusive father, Toby and his mother move from Florida to Utah to try to get rich from uranium. In Utah, Toby makes friends with the trouble makers at school and becomes a master of deception. As the story progresses, Toby struggles with his identity. He wants to be the son his mother expects him to be, but he can't stop lying and stealing. Later in the story they move to Washington where Toby's mother remarries a man named Dwight, who also turns out to be abusive. And the cycle continues.
This story is told very true to life. Wolff tells his story very well so that even if you do not live in a dysfunctional family, you can still understand the harsh situation that people are in across the country. Some families only have a mother, others only a father. Whatever the situation may be, unless someone has lived in a situation like this it is hard to imagine what life might be like in a single parent dysfunctional family. In the book, Wolff gives a child of a unique family situation a voice, and brings his story to life. Wolff tells the story well enough that you understand emotionally, what Toby is going through. Throughout the story, Toby is met with some common conflicts a lot of people encounter during adolescence. How many people can say they have never in some way lied, stolen, or questioned their identity? Not very many. The book is a journey through Wolff's life, but at the same time it's a journey through a lot of people's lives.
This book reminded me of some very valuable life lessons. It reminded me that difficult situations like Toby encountered are not punishments or barriers, but rather character builders. In the story, Toby learned to cope with the absence of his father, and he also learned to search for positives in a world full of negatives. I think most people would agree that situations like Toby's only make you a stronger person. Living and experiencing pain and bad luck, you learn to deal with the things that life throws at you. Your experiences and make you who you are. I think Toby learned a lot from what was happening around him. For him, growing up in a dysfunctional family, I think showed him what he didn't want to turn out to be.
The story ends with Toby and his friend Chuck driving in the car singing along to the radio. Toby had been through a lot, and was still in a tough situation, but for the first time he seemed happy. He had let go of all of the things that were happening to him, and he learned to overcome his situation. This ending sent a very powerful message to me. It reminded me that no matter what life throws at you, you always have hope, and you can always move on.
I think this is a great story because it deals with real life issues. This book is about life, the good and the bad. Though this is a very depressing story, I found this book to be very inspiring.
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Summary: Tolstoy was right
Review: For those who like the Tolstoy addage about "unhappy families," you'll want to read this stellar Tobias Wolff novel. Jack Wolff is a boy who has one unusual life. He smokes, drinks, vandalizes, and steals. That is, however, until he is forced to move from Seattle to Chinook, with his new step-father, Dwight. Dwight turns out to be an abusive drunk, who will change Jack's life forever. Full of twists and turns, this is one fascinating read and should not be overlooked. Would also recommend another great book I've come across: "The Bark of the Dogwood." Equally as entertaining
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Summary: A sad story so well told that it uplifts and entertains.
Review: Having read "This Boy's Life" I now will read everything else that Tobias Wolff has written. A powerful tale of a young boy's life as he goes down the rough path that has been experienced by many a boy victimized by divorce and subsequent poor choices that parents and ex-parents make. Mr. Wolff's clarity of recall of the events of this story and his understanding of his and other's actions and motives combine to put us firmly in his shoes and to experience many of his tales as if we were there. I highly recommend this book to all, particularly if you as a young man experienced the negative effects of your parents divorce and their subsequent poor choices with carreers and/or relationships.
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Summary: Tolstoy was right
Review: I really enjoyed Reading this book.The reason i enjoyed this book is because of the pace and it helps my vocabulary.I imagine the characters as people I know them or are friends of mine.When I read I start to understand the problems the characters are going though and the problems their facing in life. I recomend this book to people because it is a wonderful book to read.If you read this book and you didn't like it wasn't for you.If you decide to read this book but ,you wasn't sure my review will help you understand that this is a good book.I promise to you that you will be disappointed if you read This Boy's Life.
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Summary: Better than the Movie- a good read
Review: I was compelled to read this book after watching the movie recently on HBO. Since I liked the movie, I knew the book would even be better and would shed more light on the characters and this book did. The movie has skipped a lot of parts and have repackage the story to fit a cinematic format, but nevetheless, I thought the movie did a pretty decent job in adapting it to screen.
The book starts out with ten year Wolff and his mother stuck on the side of the road because their car has overheated again and while waiting for the engine to cool off, they witness a truck going over a cliff because it has lost its brake. The beginning is allegorical of their story as they struggled thru abusive men, poverty and self doubt. But once in a while Toby and his mother would have some happier times although brief and few. I admire how Wolff never second guess what happened between his mother and the men whom she had relationships with, including his own father. He just gave enough details that you have to come up with your own conclusion. It isn't a really a happy book and at times you feel an overwhelming pity for Toby and his mom and wished things would be better in the next chapter but it never really did. Their lives was a constatnt struggle. The only thing that seem to hold them is each other and the perpetual belief that something better is around the corner. It's funny how we tend to have this sweet, nostalgic picture of the 50's of a sturdy, working dad, mom in the kitchen getting the meal ready and strong, gorgeous, all american kids that say "awh shucks" and "gee Wally" a lot. I think "This Boy's Life" was how things really were for a lot of single,poor women and their earnest little boys. I love reading this book, I started it in the morning and finished it by the next afternoon, this is always a hallmark of a good book and a good author. I hope you read it and enjoy it as well.
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Summary: A Life on the Wild Side
Review: If ever you've wondered what it's like to be an adolescent boy caught between an irresponsible father and an abusive stepfather, here's your chance. In reading this book you become the boy and see life through his eyes. You live the consequences of a well-meaning mother who makes predictably poor choices in the men in her life. These choices leave her son adrift, confused and rebellious, unsure of where he belongs. He sets out to be a wise guy; a tough masking the uncertainty he feels. His stepfather, Dwight, masking his own demons and insecurities, also sets out on a mission--to drive Toby (alias Jack) down to his level. It's to Toby/Jack's credit that he doesn't want to stay down and that's enough of an edge. Instinctively using the creative license of his absent father, he finds a tenuous way out--enough of a break to set him on a better path. Most boys in this situation don't make it. I know. My brother didn't make it. This story is an honest picture of the lives of too many divorced women and their children. (I also recommend you read Geoffrey Wolff's "The Duke of Deception" for the other half of this family saga.)
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