Rating: 
Summary: wide-eyed narrative
Review: When this novel is on it's as good as reading gets! Imagine if Dickens magically grew up in Chicago in the 30's, or if you haven't read him maybe if Tolstoy did, and actually had a sense of humor and didnt take himself so seriously. Anyhow it doesnt matter who you can compare Bellow to. The point is he is phenomenal at capturing intimate details that breath so much life into a story. If trifles make the sum of life and the real spirit is in the details, then Bellow has hit the mark! When i would read about some of his characters, they came off the page so realisitically that i could HEAR them breathing in my room while i was reading about them. I could sense them shuffling uncomfortably in their clothes. Also Bellow is subtle and true in his writing about different relationships. For me the most powerful and fully realized part was the troubled but loving relationship between Augie and his brother. But yes Bellow also writes wonderfully of Augie completely falling for various girls and being overwhelmed with his daydreamy passion. It's great to read if ever you have been sick to the stomach and shaking upon seeing the girl that for some reason you desire. I confess that as a whole i found the novel artistically mishappen. If this novel were a human being it would be kind of ugly and probably have a lopsided limp. The whole Eagle in Mexico part i found not only boring but pointless to the novel as a whole. Any reader could easily skip those 80 odd pages and not miss a thing. Also the ending is a bit of a let down. It just sort of tapers off, like life does i guess; their rarely are climactic moments in life. Nevertheless this is art and i like endings that are strong and thorough, a last sentence that kills. Anyhow this novel was a joy to read; it will make you call in sick to work and skip your classes. It will seem more real than your own life (maybe). And i dont think it was a satire on America; no judgements are made and if anything there is a wide-eyed awe and wonder at all the madness that is swirling around Augie. If he satirizes anything it is the shortcomings he finds in himself, his vanity, ulterior motives etc. This is an intimate, personal novel, and all of the observations and judgements stem from the immediate detail of now.
Rating: 
Summary: Adventures? What adventures?
Review: Yes Ok the book deals well with relationships but to allude that Augie March had adventures is misleading. The most interesting part of the book is the "hero's" name and the lizard. Yes Augie you "....may well be a flop", that was the most relevant statement in the book and it came on page 536. I just wanted the book to get started and it was over.
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