Rating: Summary: At least I enjoyed the ride. Review: This attempt falls short of Bonfire, perhaps in the same way Atlanta falls short of New York. That said, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read that provides a laguh-out-loud ride. As others have said, when we arrive, we're disappointed (it's as if he ran out of paper), but that's not what this is about.
Rating: Summary: An easy, sometimes fun read, but at the end, who cares? Review: For those that are up for the challenge of a 700 page book, forget about this one and read any interesting 400 pager. This book leaves you with a feeling of 'who cares?' I can't be bothered to go any deeper on it.
Rating: Summary: Vastly entertaining (despite the ending) Review: Let's face it, fellow readers: the man can write. The characters are engaging and well-developed, his observations are timely, and the plot is exquisitely crafted. His sharp focus on American life at the close of our century makes this book a must-read. The "hype" promised drama, and Wolfe's own brand of social commentary - and "A Man In Full" delivered. The book doesn't describe scenes, it transports the reader to them (the Snake House, the freezer warehouse, the decaying neighborhood). The book doesn't introduce characters, it challenges you to say "I've never met or known anyone like this." It connect the reader to the character's fates. That said, it looks like I'm firmly entrenched in the majority with regards to the book's ending. "A Man In Full" was a page-turner up until the end. At some point in Chapter 29, I started thinking "That won't possibly happen". By the time I was into Chapter 31, I was repeating "No, No, No!" aloud. How I wish the story hadn't self-destructed at the end! Were the end not such a thrown-together afterthought, I would have given this book five stars without a doubt.
Rating: Summary: Very disappointing. Far too long and rambling. Review: I found this book very boring. The characters were all social misfits of various levels of society. At the end of the book Tom Wolfe had realised that the book was too long so he suddenly had to bring all the characters together, so the ending was all of a sudden there! It was very repetitive in the descriptive passages. I was so glad to be done with this book and I cannot find anything about it to praise.
Rating: Summary: Good for a fun read--nothing more Review: Say what you want, but this is no great American novel. The canvas is big enough, but the message and the observation lacks. While the Bonfire characters may have been flatter than a potato chip, the situations were hilarious and insightful because they were credible and real. Wolfe's insight provided images that I remembered 10 years after reading the book the first time around. But there was also a message concerning the future of NYC. This time around, the images are not as vivid. This due in part to the scope and length of the book. Characters appeared and disappeared without being ever heard of again, providing imagery or propelling the plot (why include them?) The Skeptics angle was too pat and made the novel feel like a Umberto Eco-for-Dummies rip-off. It is too bad that the message (race is the great political fireball in the US) got buried this time around. After all, it is a good message.
Rating: Summary: Read the first 9/10ths of this book! Review: Like some of the other readers have said, the ending isn't all that great. I found it to be kind of a let down after all the setup. But, the setup is the thing. It is brilliant. I would highly recommend that everyone read this book, but try not to get to angry at the ending.
Rating: Summary: Have you read Babbitt ? Wolfe's work is an update Review: Sinclair Lewis evoked a disturbingly similar emotion in "Babbitt", written in 1922. An interesting comparison of at least the 1920's to the 90's? Wolfe has done a reasonable update of Lewis' work.
Rating: Summary: Worth it if only to finish a 742 page book so quickly. Review: Being a native Atlantan, I pretty much had to read it out of curiosity. I also would have read it anyway, having enjoyed "Bonfire" a decade ago. Tom Wolfe's observations and descriptions are so vivid and evocative that you don't quite mind the occasional melodrama and the fact Wolfe feels compelled to include every last scrap of research he made for the book in the book, complete with sometimes almost patronizing explanations. That said, he gave a pretty accurate feeling of Atlanta, a city locked in a perpetual state of adolescent lack of confidence. Atlanta wants to be a big city but is scared of the negatives that come with being a big city. The story of Conrad Hensley was infinitely more compelling than the saga of Charlie Croker (which is also interesting, don't get me wrong), more than makes up for any shortcomings elsewhere in the story and would have made a fine 400 page book.Another Amazon reviewer here accurately compared the silly epilogue to the end of a "Scooby Doo" episode. I would definitely second that, and also compare it to the ridiculous lecture Simon Oakland gives at the end of (the original) "Psycho." Sometimes it's best to let the reader imagine how things turn out and who's better off. Okay, there's another editing suggestion, the epilogue could've been deleted entirely, leaving out the neat-little-wrapped-up-with-a-ribbon summations awkwardly delivered in unbelievable dialogue (it's a book, Tom, just narrate this if you must) and still have a hefty, respectable 726 page book.But really, a fine book, funny, insightful and thought provoking.
Rating: Summary: The ending was terrible Review: It was so flat out disappointing at the end
Rating: Summary: sleepless Review: It`s been a long,cold winter but what do I care. I`ve been reading this book, what more could you ask for.
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