Rating: 
Summary: The Wolff Strikes
Review: The great short story king writes his memoir. Tobias Wolff known for his other great short story works proves that he is also an excellent novelist. He gives his experiences of growing up on the West Coast with his mother and abusive stepfather. Wolff, who later becomes a professor at Stanford University, gives us an exciting story full of comedy, intrigue, and sorrow. Toby who is Wolff's autobiographical character encounters many situations, from the fights with his stepfather, to forging his school transcripts and recommendations. These situations mold him into the person he now is. His use of action and dialogue put readers in the story and make his feelings become our own. This is a very good book, which I recommend. Not only is the story excellent, but also relates to our times.
Rating: 
Summary: entertaining, but too slick
Review: Good airport book. Interesting story told with a very light touch. Ultimately unsatisfying, like eating a half dozen candy bars instead of supper. The fact that it really happened doesn't seem to add much weight. The author is telling about his life at such a remove, that it no longer seems to move him much, except to mirth. There are some funny bits in this book, and that is the main reason to read it.I'm a little disappointed by the packaging, as well. This book has been padded with "white space". The print is large and there are double blank pages dividing each chapter. This book could have been published as a novella at around 190 pages and at a much cheaper price, I suspect.
Rating: 
Summary: This Boy's Triumph
Review: Tobias Wolff is one of my favorite fiction writers, and here he presents the first part of his memoirs and proves adept at this genre, also. The story of his mom's life, it seems, is to get seriously involved with abusive, possessive and controlling men, who foist their ugliness on young Toby. Toby's mother is not a weak pathetic person, but is actually a vibrant, warm soul who is a poor judge of character. Toby's filial loyalty and genuine concern for his mom make him a sort of enabler, as he tries to be a sport and go along with each subsequent relationship. All the characters in the book are compelling, from Toby's absentee dad to his self-absorbed, immature, poor-sport stepfather, Dwight, to the friends he makes. Toby is a typical adolescent--he's good-hearted, but can be very bad; he's smart, but can do stupid things, he's compassionate, but capable of cruelty. Wolff's writing will break your heart and then make you laugh out loud. (His description of the Lawrence Welk show was more vivid than a TV re-run could be.) You know that Toby and his mom will not only survive their horrible domestic situation, but will eventually prevail. The movie, which features L. DiCaprio as Toby and R. DeNiro as Dwight, is a pretty good rendition of the book. But read the book first. There are few memoirs in its class.
Rating:
Summary: my favorite book of all time
Review: I wanted to rate five stars to try and get the average to be five stars. I realize even the Bible is 4 and 1/2 stars, but since Wolff's wonderful book is my favorite, I wanted to do my part to bump up the average.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!!!
Review: I was assigned to read this book for school and found it to be one of the most amazing books I have ever read. As soon as I got the book I sat down and read the first 180 pages. I dont enjoy reading that much but found this book to be thourally (I know that's not how you spell it) amazing. Thanks for Listening.
Rating:
Summary: A memoir
Review: The first thing that struck me as amazing about this book and its author was how sincere and truthful they both are. We all have things about our lives that we try desperately to hide, and the story of our lives just become one major event after another, (I was born, I went to school, I got a job, I got married, I had kids). We forget that what we did between all those things, the positive and the negative, is what makes our lives complete. To reveal all those ugly facts about ourselves requires great skill and courage, which this book and author demonstrates. When a friend asked Ernest Hemingway to write memoir of his life, he replied, "But my career, my career." Even the great Hemingway, whom Tobias Wolff admires, did not have the courage to reveal his life with the same truth and sincerity as Tobias Wolff. In writing this book, the authors has reached a level that not many people of the world share together.
Rating:
Summary: This Boy' Life
Review: After reading This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff was very interesting book to read. It is about a boy growing up through hard times. It is a kid going through is teenage years. After you start reading the book is very detailed. Another thing that I liked about the book is a true story. Also this shows that if you really want to you could succed in life like Tobias Wolff.
Rating:
Summary: This Boy's Life
Review: I just finished the book This Boy's Life, by Tobias Wolff. I thought it was a really good book. It was my first memoir, and I think it was a great choice. Personally, I don't think many girls would like this book that much. The book is based upon a boy's life, and includes a lot of "boyish" content. This book isn't just one genre. It's like a diary, memoir,action, and adventure all in one. I enjoyed the way the author combined all of these genre and qualities, because together it made up one really great book. I liked reading a "true story," especially on based upon life in the 1950's. The way the whole book was written helps me create a clear picture in my head while reading it. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in how life was in the 1950's, and someone who likes a book full of different genres.
Rating:
Summary: This Boy's Life
Review: See, this book hits me very deep emotionally. Plus I like potatoes, so you should probably read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Just Another Scam by Jack
Review: Although this books serves a good purpose by giving the reality of the 1950's, many of Tobias' memories simply don't ring true. He is obviously trying to cover up the grisly details throughout most of the book, supposedly to keep his friends and relatives from pain. If you are going to write a memoir at all, an author has the duty to write all of the truth, not just what he feels like revealing. This is worth reading, but don't delude yourself into thinking this man is a genius.
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