Rating: 
Summary: a solid hit
Review: Tom Wolfe wrote a fantastic book - okay so the ending took a quick dive. but from the very beginning the descriptions of the different characters grabbed you and as a woman, i had to laugh, because the picture of a man so full of himself and so awed by himself was accurately portrayed. The nuances, the chest thrusting, the sense that as a man in his prime (no matter what age) as a rooster, he will crow and loudly. It was so wonderfully well-written, that i wished about 300 more pages were written. what makes a great book? good writing and character development. a flawed ending yes, but you get your $ worth.
Rating: 
Summary: Like 2 different books
Review: The first 3/4 of this book was highly enjoyable; the last 1/4 was a grating, tedious, fingernails-on-the-chalkboard experience, too the point where it was almost unreadable. The direction the plot takes is bizarre and implausible, but beyond that, there is even a noticeable decline in the quality of Wolfe's writing. It is almost like a different author took over, without being briefed on the character development of the first 500 pages. And, if I never hear about Zeus again, it will be too soon.
Rating: 
Summary: A Man in Full has plots within plots
Review: Many characters with different inter-twining relationships. I liked it
Rating:
Summary: Great read, yet a flawed ending
Review: The first few chapters require you to get into Mr Wolfe's style ("Oh, the humility!","Oh, the humanity!" etc), and whilst I enjoyed the book immensely, the ending I thought was a bit flawed. Don't read this if you've not read the book, but Charlie Croker, in his final decision and the crux of the underlying theme throughout, decides to follow his heart and what his character tells him. But it's at complete odds to the way he's behaved throughout the book and apparently previously. It was more of a change of character more than delving into the heart of his soul. Nevertheless, I could reread it (eventually)
Rating:
Summary: Wanted : Editor for Famous Former Journalist
Review: Oh dear. This book provides indisputable evidence that once you become a Famous American Writer, no editor will dare to tell you when your writing stops being witty and perceptive and becomes instead a tedious, self-indulgent bore. No doubt Wolfe-as-reporter benefited mightily from the editor's pencil and A Man in (Very)Full shows all too clearly that Wolfe-as-novelist has retained this need. Repetitive, fetishistically obsessed with items of clothing, and badly paced, the book nonetheless still contains enough stunning passages to show what might have been. Finally, as others have already pointed out, the ending is a brutally incompetent disaster, a garbled summing up of the characters' fate. Presumably by this stage the author had had enough of his characters and their story, a sentiment many readers will have come to share.
Rating:
Summary: Promise Unfulfilled
Review: The book contains marvelous, larger than life characters, but falls apart at the end. It is as if Mr. Wolfe knew it was time to close the book, but lost interest instead.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and rewarding read
Review: Really enjoyed this book not only from the point of view as a "good read" but also as a literary work. Haven't seen much else out there with such crisp characterizations, vivid descriptions, good storytelling and the ability to keep my attention!
Rating:
Summary: A Real Masterpiece!
Review: Do you want to know how today's American social life looks like? Just read this book! A great book.
Rating: 
Summary: 750 Really good pages then 37 What Happened pages
Review: Maybe there was a deadline to meet. Possibly a vacation that couldn't be changed. Or maybe, just maybe, he ran out of steam. Whatever the reason, A MAN IN FULL starts starts off with bang, bogs down in the middle (but, based on the opening third, the writer's reputation and past work, this reader plowed on) and then ends with a wimper. In fact, I'm still a little stunned. I spent X number of hours reading 787 pages only to discover an ending/denouement that can charitably be described as something out of an old SCOOBY DOO cartoon. The loose ends are tied up with about as much depth/insight as the scroll at the end of a B movie. Harsh? Absolutely because I feel cheated. This book is so good (great in MANY places), it - and the reader - demand better. But when the description of a subplot character's clothing can run adnausem, it's quite a disappointment when the end of the novel (and thus final impressions of the entire piece) is nothing more than an oh-by-the-way summary.
Rating:
Summary: Half Way Through
Review: I have not read a Wolfe novel since Ken Kesey was the subject. I was skeptical after the first 50 pages but somehow got hooked on the Croker character. I consider myself sort of a 21rst century enlightned guy. Not too macho, but a male role model for my children.Croker is everything I detest about male America. His failure to be loyal to his wife, his elaborate expenses, his "plantation", his planes, his disregard for his employees. I'm reading this book out of spite because I want to see Croker 'get his'. Fortunately, I have found interesting people along the way. This book is great fun to read. When I finish I will finish my evaluation. I do not expect to be disappointed.
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