Rating: 
Summary: Too condescending, contrived abrubt ending
Review: It seems Wolfe tries to convince people that he really knows something about Atlanta by dropping the names of every shopping center, office building, neighborhood and major road in the metro area at some point in the book. I enjoy details, but the superfluous namedropping became tiresome. My main problem with the book is the same as just about everyone else's: the ending. For all the detail Wolfe provides in the first 700 pages, the most critical events of the novel occur in the last twenty. The reader is just left out to dry. It is as if Wolfe just wrote to page 700, then got tired and decided to wrap it up as quick as possibly. I might have been able to buy into the ending a little better if he had spent more time on it, or if he had developed any character traits in Croker that would lend credibility to his ultimate decision. Unfortunately, Wolfe does neither, so the ending is abrupt, unbelievable, and feels disjointed from the rest of the novel. I still think it was a fun novel and an easy read, but certainly not great literature. If you don't expect more than some interesting characters, contrived plot-lines, and a few laughs, you won't be dissappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: America, see yourself
Review: A wonderful book, impossible to put down. Tom Wolf captures the spirit, not only of Atlanta, but of all America, at this moment in time when the only value reverenced is self-interest. A lot has been written and will be written about the ending. I thought it strangely thought-provoking. Stoicism is woven throughout the book like a spirit of redemption. The ending could be read as hope or defeat.
Rating:
Summary: C'Mon Guys--- This is Great!
Review: The structure of the characters was interesting. An improvement could not be made. Too much greatness. Wolfe couldn't have done better. Better writing not available. A tint of Greek methology. Life in the 90's. Great. Great.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliantly woven tapestry of the most unlikely characters
Review: This book is fabulous! Rich, thick & meaty. The characters are so well drawn that you can't help but think of them like real people! Charlie Croker is so pathetic...but I love him! I particularly love the character of Conrad.Tom Wolfe hits the mark again!
Rating:
Summary: The "Novessay" niche has been discovered by Wolfe
Review: This book marks the second novessay (novel/essay) by Tom Wolfe. His first,"Bonfire of the Vanities," was a fictional essay on modern New York culture peopled by the denizens of Gotham. "Man in Full" is in the same style. He looks at modern Atlanta, the center of southern culture, and turns a brilliant essay into an average novel. It's a biting satire on the modern mores and problems of a predominately black city and the southern mind. It would have been an essay for the ages but Wolfe has discovered that there just ain't money in essays. Where will he strike next? Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles. Shades of Michener!
Rating: 
Summary: A Man in Fulll is Empty
Review: A Man in Full is massively overwritten, tedious, filled with unengaging characters and a baffling plot-line. He strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel. Boring. Very disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Starts well. Ends poorly
Review: The structure of the characters were interesting. Less written would have been an improvement. Too much warm up. Author could have shortened the manuscript. I fell asleep reading this one. Better luck next time. A tint of Greek methology. Life in the 90's???? Give me the 20's to'59
Rating:
Summary: Paradise Found
Review: Mr. Wolfe's new book is another vehicle in which his vivid descriptions and effective prose is evident. Also, the characters are surprisingly fulfilling. They inspire you and spark you enough to like them. This causes the book to just breeze by. Most enjoyable was his character Conrad; particularly his incredible streak of misfortune and his subsequent Phoenix-like rise from the ashes. However, all-in-all the other main characters were also incredible, and the ending was a pleasant surprise.
Rating:
Summary: short on content and characters
Review: Mr. Wolfe's new book is another vehicle in which his vivid descriptions and effective prose is evident. However, the characters are disappointingly lackluster. They don't inspire you or spark you enough to like or dislike them. This causes the book to drag a bit. Most enjoyable was his character Conrad; particularly his incredible streak of misfortune and his subsequent Phoenix-like rise from the ashes. However, all-in-all the other main characters were lacking, and the ending was a letdown.
Rating:
Summary: Medium Rare with Peppercorns
Review: Wolfe has written a brave book. He must have anticipated the criticism he would receive by methodically cutting up sacred cows and serving up delectable T Bones. Politics, ambition, American culture, southern manners, literary style and Charlie Croker all go under the knife. Like it or not you don't produce a great book by playing it safe or following the rules.
|
