Rating: 
Summary: All plot, no characters
Review: Some of the worst character development I have encountered in a "major" novel. At the end of 740 pages, I had to ask myself, who are these people? The book was a page turner and held my interest, but the characters were caricatures.
Rating: 
Summary: Wolfe's social commentary is dead-on
Review: Tom Wolfe is undoubtedly our most masterful social commentator. He nails Atlanta/the South/the late 1990s with the same precision and fervor with which he nailed NYC/Wall Street/the late 1980s in Bonfire. I took this book on vacation with me and I loved every minute that I spent reading it (with the limited exception of the ending, which I agree was a bit farfetched and not up to the rest of the book)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!
Review: When I first tackled this book, I was a bit worried. I have never read Tom Wolfe before and 742 pages is a long book. Am I ever glad I did however! The book illustrates beautifully the two sides to America, blue collar and white collar. Although Wolfe goes to extremes, it is a rather interesting portrayal of the two parties. The vivid depiction of prison life is great. There is no sugar coating involved. The workout session made me laugh out loud. I found myself bursting out laughing in some parts, cheering in others, and grimacing as well. Regardless, I could not put this book down and finished it in a five day period. A great book and the highest possible recommendation!
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful except ending is weak
Review: Quite vivid, wonderful prose; characters generally drawn quite well except no depth to any of the female characters (one small effort to provide depth to main protagonist's ex-wife Martha); One feels abandoned at the end, as though the author yielded to publishers demanding that it be finished. Even with faults, worth reading, and better than most out there. (By the way Tom, it's Lexis and Nexis, not Lexus & Nexus for the computerized legal research - there was even a lawsuit over that one.)
Rating: 
Summary: Rough Start, Stong Middle, Poor Finish
Review: Tom Wolfe dishes out another American novel on a grand scale, providing just the sort of social commentary one expects. Unfortunately, Wolfe sets up his readers to be disappointed with this work. Wolfe paints a detailed picture of his subject, Atlanta real estate developer Charlie Croker, and of those whose paths will cross Charlie's as he struggles to salvage his financial empire and his soul. The level of detail is almost oppresive for the first 300 pages of the book, as the reader searches in vain for plot development. Finally, the plot begins to move and the characters come to life, but the enjoyment is short-lived as the end of the book approaches. After having engaged the reader in the lives of his characters, Wolfe produces a brief and tidy ending that leaves the reader wondering why Wolfe bothered to tell us so much about them. Perhaps if the publishing industry were willing to actually edit the works of its star authors, Wolfe would have been told to put a bit more follow-through on his literary swing.
Rating:
Summary: Too Mellow
Review: It is a good book, but it lacks the cutting edge and the brilliance of "Bonfire Of Vanities". The beginning was good, but then I got disappointed. Is Tom Wolfe getting old? The end is just too darn mellow. It is not a conclusion, but a sort of fading away.
Rating:
Summary: Not Up To Wolfe's customary standards.
Review: I didn't take the advice of the reviewer in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ("save your money. wait on the paperback") I bought this huge novel in hardback and managed to wade through it. I had become acquainted with Wolfe from "The Right Stuff," which I considered as good a book as I had ever read at the time, and his initial novel "Bonfire of the Vanities," of which many people formed an impression about a good book from the deplorable movie made from it. "Man in Full" doesn't approach either of those works. What has happened to Wolfe in the years since "Bonfire"? Has he lost the Right Stuff? In his latest work he seems to find the Southern dialect (and foreign tongues) a great source of amusement. Wolfe spells out phonetically, in one sentence, the lingo, and in the next, translates it. Mahty strange fur a Virginny boy. The plot is far-fetched (a wheeling-dealing master builder overextends and loses everything, but finds a rare religion in the process) and not well-developed (like "Bonfires"). Come to think of it, I should have waited on the limp cover version.
Rating:
Summary: WELL DONE!, TOM WOLFE
Review: This is truly a NOVEL- skillfully written. Quite a few medical/anatomical allusions. Did T.W. have a year of medical school perhaps!? It is quite vulgar (earthy) and profane at times, even iconoclastic and cynical - but, hey, this is a novel, man- don't sweat it. The ending is "weak" but maybe that is part of the "strength" of this work as a great novel. Come on, Tom, write some more!
Rating:
Summary: Too long and not believable.
Review: Tom Wolfe describes some bigger than life characters in this convoluted tale but only lets them come to life sporadically. The pivotal premise that Crocker coming to the defense of the black football player would prevent a race riot was weak at best. A bank forgiving millions of dollars for a few words at a news conference by this "washed up hasbeen".......I don't think so! As for the ending....where did everyone go? Your left dangling. So much hype..... so little substance.
Rating:
Summary: not a masterpiece, but great nonetheless
Review: Tom Wolfe has managed to capture our society at its most absurd and touching. He keeps our interest with his sharp wit, keen insight and sardonic humor through 700 pages. Unfortunately, I agree that the ending is a stinker and the relationship between Croker and Conrad is too contrived. I disagree with readers who said the characters are too wooden or two-dimensional. Au contraire! I felt most of the characters could walk off the page and have tea in my living room. Eager to see how Hollywood screws this one up. At least, Bonfire of the Vanities fiasco generated an excellent, entertaining book about how Hollywood destroyed the story --The Devil's Candy. A must read.
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