Rating: 
Summary: A lot of lather, a not-so-close shave.
Review: Mr. Wolfe treats us to a sprawling yarn about the New South delivered in his patented hyperbolic style. His "new journalism" experience and obsession for sartorial elegance (and abhorence of the sloppy) spice up his descriptions of characters and their surrounds. He is a man's writer, offering insight and humor from the male's disadvantage between the sexes. His female characters, though outwardly stronger in spirit, are, however, weakly probed, lacking any real depth. Parts of the novel are gripping, including prison scenes that strike at the visceral level. He has clearly done his homework, describing in marvelous detail such arcana as a lendor bank's "workout" session, a stud stallion's sexual throes, and jive dialog direct from cellblock one, each working neatly into his multileveled story. It is truly a socio-economic tour de New South. I only wish Mr. Wolfe, as in his Bonfire of the Vanities first novel, would not be so eager to turn believable events into unbelievable farce.
Rating: 
Summary: Attempt at Satire Achieves Only Insult
Review: Like the protagonist, I grew up in south Georgia and went to school at Georgia Tech. The territory is familiar. Wolf captures much of the flavor of this life. He ruins all this with an air of smug superiority that fails to achieve satire and results in unbelievable insult. There is not a single character in this book who is admirable on the whole. He can keep the money, but I would like to retrieve the hours spent reading this misguided attempt at God knows what.
Rating:
Summary: a novel of stereotypes doing stereotypical things.
Review: The final sentence in the book is: "I'll be back," portending (god forbid)a sequel. I loved Bonfire of the Vanities, and on reading the first chapter of A Man In His Full, I was a bit disquieted, but looked forward to a long read which would sweep me away like Bonfire did. It was certainly a long read but it was disappointing. Even the good chapters such as the dinner party at the quail house proir to which the guests were entertained by the mating of two thoroughbred horses, could have been written better. (I've seen thoroughbreds mate, and some of the more interesting details were omitted.) There were enjoyable parts and several good laughs, but they were scarce. The business dealings were portrayed as being extraordinary, but they were in fact fairly routine. If you're seeking high caliber, fast paced business writing you're better advised to read Barbarians at the Gate. I expected better.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed all 700 or so pages
Review: A man in Full is a overwelming in size and in content. The characters were very colorful and believable. I always like when an author wraps up issues in the end especially in such a creative way. I was alittle worried when I read a couple reviews that wrote the last 200 pages were bad. Don't believe it! I thought it was great.
Rating:
Summary: Author got tired of writing and finished fast with epilogue.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this novel until the last chapter and epilogue. Unfortunately, Tom Wolf got tired of this novel and finished up the story with a wrap-up in the epilogue. I would really have loved to continue the saga and understand what really happened to these people. For instance, what could have posessed Martha to marry Peepgas?
Rating: 
Summary: Hope it is made into a movie
Review: Once I started this book I couldn't put it down. I wish it didn't have to finish at 742 pages. The only thing that was a little weak was the ending. The book rises to the climax and then falls flat. Nevertheless I recommed reading it especially if your in Atlanta.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but little more. Over-hyped, and underwhelming
Review: This is not a thoroughly likable book. It's not a "must read" that I would urge upon my friends. If asked, I guess my recommendation would be "it couldn't hurt." It's entertaining, and Wolfe has genius. Readers of Dickens or Trollope will generally agree with the notion that genius plus entertainment equals artistry. (Readers of Tolsoy or Balzac understand that character, plus genius, plus heart equals Art.) Wolfe had the chutzpah to compare himself to Honoré de Balzac (as did John O'Hara, for other reasons.) Thanks to Balzac I know much more about paper making, notes of hand, banking, provincial government, furniture collecting and a myriad of other things than seems absolutely necessary. Wolfe does this as well, and (at least in comparison to Balzac in translation) his descriptions of minutiae are as complete, wide ranging and readable. This is Wolfe's great talent, it is the locus of his artistry -- the nature of refrigerated warehouses, prisons, horse coitus, the work-out department of huge banks, interior decoration and clothing, clothing, clothing in minute detail. But Wolfe lacks heart, Balzac had the heart of France in his breast. The problem with "A Man in Full" is that with the possible, and pallid exception of Conrad Hensley (and owing to some of the sympathy we feel for an old bull past his prime, for Charlie) I don't really care about these characters. Not in the way I cared about Phineas Finn sitting in jail, nor the just (but heartbreaking) comeuppance of Lucian Chardon (de Rubempré). These characters have no substance, no blood, no childhoods. Imagine the shallow Peepgass in the hands of Henry James, or Phillip Roth, or John O'Hara -- we would have the full depth of his shallowness. We would find the man loathsome, and we might even wonder if there wasn't some small part of ourselves in the little bug. A Man in Full is just barely a novel. It is a novel in the sense that a Ludlum page turner is a novel. The structure is identical -- many disconnected short takes (in Wolfe's case very long and detailed, short takes) leading a bunch of archetypal people and events to a conclusion. If Wolfe's men are ultimately disappointing, his women are little more than cartoons. They are lifeless. He came close with Charlie's first wife, Martha, and then abandoned the effort. The "invisibility" of the first wife, despite her millions, (a latter day version of the fate of Lady Windemere) is fertile ground for fiction. It is not as if Wolfe didn't take a stab at it with Martha, but her portrait never rises above journalism. Not very good journalism, at that. When he works as a journalist in Right Stuff and Acid Test he is describing and reporting on real women, created by God, tempered by life. In his fiction he is describing the products of his own imagination -- unfortunately imagination is his weakest literary possession. For all of that, I enjoyed this book. It has an addictive surface sparkle, it is highly informative, and there are some scenes -- the collapse of Santa Rita, the breeding in the horse barn, the killing of the rattlesnake that linger agreeably in the mind. But it ain't a great novel. And it's not "literature." It misses by a mile.
Rating: 
Summary: Wordy, dull, and unimaginative
Review: This book is no "Bonfire of the Vanities". His description of every piece of furniture in a room as if it makes any difference only makes it longer. The description of the lawns in Buckhead as "great green breasts" is trite, high school caliber writing. The realizations he learned after his heart surgery and the stoic philosophy are interesting, but certainly nothing new. That was my last Tom Wolfe book, period.
Rating:
Summary: What a meal!
Review: The characters are so real & intriguing; I want to track them down & get the rest of their story. Thank you Tom for illustrating that all people are made up of good & evil constituents. The ingredients of life are in this book, and Mr Wolfe is a prodigious chef.
Rating:
Summary: A Mediocre Tom Wolfe is better than ....
Review: A lot of the reviewer's of this book are complaining about content and plot follow ups. The bottom line is, Tom Wolfe can write. It may not be upto the 'Bonfires', but what is? I read every single word in this novel. Buy it.
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