Rating: Summary: The man can write Review: Tom Wolfe can flat out write. His unique style kept my interest for the entire 700+ pages. I did not want this book to end.Please, read this book for pure literary enjoyment.
Rating: Summary: Arrogant Review: It was with great anticipation that I purchased T. Wolfe's "A Man In Full". It was with disappointment that I put it down upon completion. For an author that refuses to acknowledge the existence of contemporaries in the genre of "journalistic literature" he would be well advised to have a look at Delillo. Such arrogance is amusing in the twilight of a career but not at the obvious end.
Rating: Summary: A great American novel it is not. Review: I read "A Man in Full" and "An American Tragedy" (Theodore Dreiser) back to back and the contrast could not have greater. One is a great American novel and the other is anything but. The last 100 pages of AAT were some of the best writing I have ever read. Dreiser certainly knows how to finish a good read. The last 100 pages of "A Man in Full" were -- well -- missing. Wolfe, who derides minimalist writing as a lack of nerve and asks "What has happened to the great American novel" hasn't a clue. Well the story is not totally without merit. Some character development is decent. Charlie Croker especially as it should be as he is the main character. Roger White II, the black lawyer, is also well done. Conrad Hensley is over done and not very believable. Some portions are actually pretty well done, but they seem like minimalist plots with no closure. I sense that Wolfe does not have the staying power to write the great American novel and he tires of the effort at the end (or whatever that was).
Rating: Summary: Could have saved 200 Pages and created a better ending. Review: Nothing like spending 700 pages on much unneeded narrative and then rushing to the conclusion because the book is too long. Not a likeable character in the book. Can anyone explain Page 228. The Cup trick performed on Charlie by his then mistress. Bonfire was great book and lousy movie. Maybe this will be lousy book and good movie.
Rating: Summary: Tedious Review: I found this book stupid and a waste of time
Rating: Summary: More than a book...this is "living tissue"... Review: This book and "Bonfire" rank with Dostoevsky... I am jealous of your love affair with the English language....My only complaint, Dear Tom.... I could not bear to be far from this morsel for very long and because of the sheer size of the volume, I found it somewhat difficult to slip into my bra! I cannot wait for your next one...so please don't make me wait such a long time....
Rating: Summary: loved it: rich characters and story, but lackluster ending Review: Best book I've read in years... Destine to be a classic... Picks a place in time and the all the cultures surrounding it and takes you for a ride... One down note, the ending sounded like the author got tired and had his second 'boy with boobs' wife write it....
Rating: Summary: A Big, Fat, Feast of a Book....A Seven Course Meal! Review: Having just finished this huge banquet of a book, I want only to sit and ruminate for a few days....a few flaws, but all in all, a very satisfying slice (chunk?) of contemporary Americana. Far too many deliciously witty bites to enumerate here, but something for everyone to chew on, sometimes uncomfortably so! My biggest disappointment was the dessert - the ending! For all the complexity in the preceding chapters, this ending was just a bit too spartan - wrapped up a bit quickly, a bit sketchily. Burp! Excuse Me! Time to get to my nearest DefinitionAmerica location and join up......
Rating: Summary: Ending killed the book. Review: The author spends hundreds of pages developing the characters that a reader might care about and then massacres the plot in the last chapters.
Rating: Summary: This is a fantastic and funny book. Review: Like Bonfire of the Vanities, this book makes very broad social observations that turn out to be very funny. Every line, from the violent rap tunes to the commentary of Peepgas, are hilarious. That life is about hassles is part of what this book reaffirms. My wife also enjoyed the book, and I suggest you read it slowly and savor every moment.
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