Rating: 
Summary: Superb Fiction!
Review: This story of contemporary life in Atlanta Georgia is satire at it's best! In a humorous way, it pokes fun of just about everything. Listening to the tape version was a treat because David Ogden's Stiers voice blended perfect tonal cadence with just the right splash of condescending blue-blood snobbery. The story lines seemed so completely separate (each one, though, interesting by itself) that I wondered how in the world they would come together into a coherent whole at the end. But come together they did and in a most satisfying way. Recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Impossible to criticize unless you are Updike
Review: I wish all books were half as interesting and well written as this one. As in The Bonfire of the Vanities there are multiple stories going on here. The setting, Atlanta is one more character as New York City was in Bonfire. There is the successful businessman, son of the South, throphy wife . . . the Master of the Universe?, as clueless as his counterpart. The black major who facing reelection redecorates his office with Yoruba art from Nigeria. < I must be blacker than thou?> Roger Too White? a black uppity businessman? Hunting quayle? Crash and burn? Racism and the influence of race, and the subleties of racism within blacks. If you like funny, witty dialogue go no further. If you want to learn about the complexities of Atlanta, and its geography, and what that means to everyday life, read this. I think this might be a notch below Bonfire, but not by much. Hey! And you'll laugh your head off.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This novel surpasses Bonfire of the Vanities and ranks with the Right Stuff as the great American novel. This is one of the most entertaining and informative novels of contemporary America I have ever read. Tom Wolf is THE man!
Rating: 
Summary: Let's look down our nose at those horrible people
Review: Mr Wolfe has played me for a sucker - and at full price in hardcover. He seems to me to epitomise the very things he tries to satirise - give them what they think they want, puff it up with some clever quips, poke fun at turns of speech, give it much publicity and sit back and rake in the greenbacks. You do feel conned about 100 pages from the end as previously mentioned. But the part that sits least well in my view is the superior tone. Mr Wolfe doesn't seem to like much about any of his characters and it shows. Mr Wolfe may now be living off a reputation established a while ago. This book is a big let down and lightweight fare.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent novel, start to finish
Review: If you're tired of the "novel-lights", try this one on for size. I was absolutely hooked by Chapter 2 - The Saddlebags, and finished the 800-page novel in a week (a work week). This one is much better than "Bonfire...", which I didn't find that memorable.This novel is worth the paperback price if all you do is read the second chapter about a bank's "workout" session with a debtor. Saddlebags, indeed! All the poo-poo'ing about the abrupt ending makes you think that these people wanted even more! Excellent characters and the reader gets an in-depth understanding of what REALLY makes them tick, all political correctness aside. If you're looking for a whodunnit, or a fast-paced plot, don't get this one. This book is for people who LIKE TO READ.
Rating:
Summary: Waow!
Review: Exciting book! Wolfe has a unique style that brings an incredible realism. Our century has moved fast and this book as well as the Bonefire of Vanities shows us a very interesting cross section of our society. When you open this book, be sure that you have 12 free hours ahead. You won't be able to close it.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay read, but why all the fuss?
Review: Although I am not a big fan of Wolfe, as an Atlantan, I had to read this book to see what all of the fuss was about. Thankfully, Wolfe's portrayal of upper-crust Atlanta is not compatible with the town that I know and love. His characters are overboard and extreme, which would be okay except for the fact that I really didn't care what was going to happen to ANY ot them. That should not be the case in a book that is over 700 pages long. A Man in Full is a decent read but nothing terribly original or spectacular. I guess you should read this book if you are a devout fan of Tom Wolfe, otherwise skip it and pick up something a bit more off the beaten path.
Rating:
Summary: Good 'til the last drop...the next-to-last drop, at least.
Review: As an Atlantan, I must say this book describes the elitist attitudes of much of this city so accurately! Not only that, Wolfe has made an extraordinary effort to accurately and historically portray the city and its figureheads. An earlier reviewer thought this book was disparaging to African Americans. I completely disagree; I felt that it showed the cynicism and hypocricies of the upper-class white "good 'ol boys" in a viciously clever, cutting way. The scenes of life in prison were astonishing; although one tends to sometimes get mired down in Wolfe's descriptions of things and his occasional wordiness, such an accurate portrayal of the sordidness of incarceration (or as I imagine it!) was painted. Overall, I highly recommend this book. I read it while in college, and believe me, it is a page-turner. It is, however, extremely difficult to hide during boring classes because of its sheer size (plus, I had the hardcover edition). If you want a cynical portrayal of "how things really are" in Atlanta, then you can take this book for the gospel truth. The ending, however, leaves much to be desired and seems a little overboard.
Rating: 
Summary: Mover over, Margaret Mitchell
Review: So Tom Wolfe delivers uncanny descriptions of modern-day American life that are humorous and often dead on. But he's proven again why he'll never be a great novelist. Banality lurks around every plot thickener.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: Never before have I seen the power of the written word put to such effective use. From beginning to end, Tom Wolfe has written a masterpiece of contemporary American fiction that leaves the reader craving for more. Thank you Tom Wolfe for making me rediscover the pleasure of a well written and crafted book. (Incidentally, I am burning all my copies of John Grisham's books)
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