Rating: 
Summary: Hated the movie? The book more than makes up for it!!
Review: I first picked up this book because I was living in Santa Barbara and Boyle was featured in one of the local newspapers as a local artist. I wasn't sure what to expect since I never heard of him before but did know the movie that was based on this book was supposed to horrible. But I read it anyway and was very glad I did..The story about a fanatical health/cereal magnate and his crackpot followers was great. The characters were built up perfectly and the descriptions of the settings were vivid enough to make you imagine you were a witness to all the doings of Kellogg and the Lightbodys. It's rare that I read a book and wonder about what happens to the characters after the book ends but I did here. I then made the mistake of watching the movie. It was interesting to see the book come to life but that's as far as the entertainment went. Like most really good books, this one has too many subtleties of plot and humor to easily be translated into a movie. So, if you have a few days to spare, do yourself a favor and pick up The Road to Wellville. It'll pick up your spirits even better than a yogurt enema could ever hope to...
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Entertaining -- never a dull moment!
Review: I'm so glad I finally read T.C. Boyle's "The Road to Wellville." From the moment you begin reading, you will be (or, should be) sucked into the story. I've been waiting for a novel to come along and do this to me but also have some sort of substance to it. Every character was unique in his/her own way, and since this novel is based somewhat on history, you also get to learn a bit about Mr. Kellogg (of "san" and cereal fame) and others. I really like how Boyle took one tiny piece of our US history and just blew it up -- adding fiction to the history -- so that I've learned a bit more about something I wouldn't normally learn about. Who knew that the cereal business was so competitive let alone ruthless? Who knew that people flocked to the "san" for treatments we wouldn't necessarily put up with now? Who knew that specialized diets existed then as they do now -- and interestingly enough, they're fairly similar? Boyles can do what others have a hard time doing -- he can create a great story based on history and never make it dull. He never lapses into long, drawn-out explanations of things. He just gives you enough so that you get it and then he moves on. You can always research on your own! And, he really knows how to create multi-faceted characters. You can feel their happiness, their excitement, their shame, their sadness. I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for a great read. Don't let the length fool you -- it's a really quick read giving the circumstances. Go to it!
Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining -- never a dull moment!
Review: I'm so glad I finally read T.C. Boyle's "The Road to Wellville." From the moment you begin reading, you will be (or, should be) sucked into the story. I've been waiting for a novel to come along and do this to me but also have some sort of substance to it. Every character was unique in his/her own way, and since this novel is based somewhat on history, you also get to learn a bit about Mr. Kellogg (of "san" and cereal fame) and others. I really like how Boyle took one tiny piece of our US history and just blew it up -- adding fiction to the history -- so that I've learned a bit more about something I wouldn't normally learn about. Who knew that the cereal business was so competitive let alone ruthless? Who knew that people flocked to the "san" for treatments we wouldn't necessarily put up with now? Who knew that specialized diets existed then as they do now -- and interestingly enough, they're fairly similar? Boyles can do what others have a hard time doing -- he can create a great story based on history and never make it dull. He never lapses into long, drawn-out explanations of things. He just gives you enough so that you get it and then he moves on. You can always research on your own! And, he really knows how to create multi-faceted characters. You can feel their happiness, their excitement, their shame, their sadness. I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for a great read. Don't let the length fool you -- it's a really quick read giving the circumstances. Go to it!
Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled.
Review: If you won't read this book because you saw the
movie and, like the rest of the world, rightly hated it, give it a chance.
The humor is too subtle for film. You'll be surprised.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of fun
Review: In the masterful style that only TC Boyle can do, he sets a story in early 20th century Battle Creek, where Dr. John Harvey Kellogg invited the cornflake, among numerous other health products. A parody of what happens when health-consciousness is taken too far.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of fun
Review: In the masterful style that only TC Boyle can do, he sets a story in early 20th century Battle Creek, where Dr. John Harvey Kellogg invited the cornflake, among numerous other health products. A parody of what happens when health-consciousness is taken too far.
Rating:
Summary: To Health!
Review: In the Road to Wellville, Boyle has written a story that is more than interesting. The characters are all searching for the key to good health; a fountain of health if you will. This is something to which so many of us can relate, and for those who can't, you'll be able to once you've read this book. The writing is good, and the story is so bizarrely real that you'll actually want to (god forbid!) go to a library and research the history of cereal. This book is an excellent read and I recommend it to anyone. Even if it doesn't have the key to physical health, I promise this book will improve your mental health! Exercise your mind and pick this one up!
Rating:
Summary: Father Knows Best, Or So He Says
Review: John Harvey Kellogg was a man ahead of his time. From the family that invented the corn flake, Dr. Kellogg ran a Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, that was one of the first of its kind in America. Concerned with the physiologic health of its inmates (mostly from the wealthy and upper middle class population), Dr. Kellogg prescribed lots of exercise, enemas, a diet consisting of milk, vegetables, fruits, and grains. No meat of any kind was allowed. The inbibing of alcohol was forbidden as was any kind of sexual activity. Sleeping quarters, even for husbands and wives, were strictly segregated. Dr. Kellogg also performed various experiments to create different types of foods (e.g. corn pulp). He even kept a laboratory holding containers of various animals' feces which Dr. Kellogg believed had the same nutritional value as a steak. Dr. Kellogg was a rigid, self-righteous man who thoroughly believed in his infallability. Never mind that one of his patient's skin was steadily becoming green and that another one was accidentally electrocuted while lolling in a sinusodial bath. We later learn that Dr. Kellogg misdiagnosed one of his patients as having "autointoxication" (all of his patients were allegedly suffering from this malady), when what he really had was an intestinal ulcer. Nor would Dr. Kellogg brook any disagreements with him or his methods. Besides his closest competitor, C.W. Post (whose slogan, "the road to wellville" Dr. Kellogg thoroughly despised), the individual who gave Dr. Kellogg the most trouble was his adopted son, George, who was extraordinarily hostile, rebellious, and downright psychotic. Dr. Kellogg believed that George was the only failure in his brood of 42 adopted children. _The Road To Wellville_ is populated with many colorful and eccentric characters. These include the businessman Will Lightbody (whose name perfectly described him) and his wife, Eleanor, who convinced her husband to accompany her to the San. Both, according to Dr. Kellogg were very ill. Will, who occasionally strayed from the San to partake of hamburger sandwiches and liquid libations, must endure severe punishment for his recalcitrance. Eleanor was befriended by Lionel Badger, in whom Dr. Kellogg deeply mistrusted, and who was a radical anti-vivisectionist and a thorough believer in nudism. Eleanor was also treated outside the San by the German, monocle wearing Dr. Spitzvogel, who would have gone to prison if his methods were judged by today's standards. There is young Charlie Ossining, whom Will and Eleanor met while on their train trip to Battle Creek. Will and others invest in Charlie's breakfast food scheme. Charlie hoped that his venture would enable him to cash in during the then current breakfast food craze. Unfortunately, Charlie's plans go awry because he must contend with Bender, his flagrently dishonest business partner. T.C. Boyle tell his novel with lots of verve, humor, warmth, and humanity. Because Boyle cares deeply about his characters, so do we. What makes _The Road To Wellville_ so poignant is its relevance to today's world. Who amongst us is not familiar with the various diet fads that promise to make the obese lose up to 30 lbs. in two weeks? New health and sports clubs constantly crop up everywhere that brag about their latest state of the art exercise equipment. And who has not seen TV advertisements hawking all sorts of gadgets, and what not that were specially designed to build up men's abs or to flatten women's tummys? So order _The Road To Wellville_ now, and if you do not find it thoroughly enjoyable, engaging, and funny, your local book store owner will totally refund your money.
Rating:
Summary: Father Knows Best, Or So He Says
Review: John Harvey Kellogg was a man ahead of his time. From the family that invented the corn flake, Dr. Kellogg ran a Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, that was one of the first of its kind in America. Concerned with the physiologic health of its inmates (mostly from the wealthy and upper middle class population), Dr. Kellogg prescribed lots of exercise, enemas, a diet consisting of milk, vegetables, fruits, and grains. No meat of any kind was allowed. The inbibing of alcohol was forbidden as was any kind of sexual activity. Sleeping quarters, even for husbands and wives, were strictly segregated. Dr. Kellogg also performed various experiments to create different types of foods (e.g. corn pulp). He even kept a laboratory holding containers of various animals' feces which Dr. Kellogg believed had the same nutritional value as a steak. Dr. Kellogg was a rigid, self-righteous man who thoroughly believed in his infallability. Never mind that one of his patient's skin was steadily becoming green and that another one was accidentally electrocuted while lolling in a sinusodial bath. We later learn that Dr. Kellogg misdiagnosed one of his patients as having "autointoxication" (all of his patients were allegedly suffering from this malady), when what he really had was an intestinal ulcer. Nor would Dr. Kellogg brook any disagreements with him or his methods. Besides his closest competitor, C.W. Post (whose slogan, "the road to wellville" Dr. Kellogg thoroughly despised), the individual who gave Dr. Kellogg the most trouble was his adopted son, George, who was extraordinarily hostile, rebellious, and downright psychotic. Dr. Kellogg believed that George was the only failure in his brood of 42 adopted children. _The Road To Wellville_ is populated with many colorful and eccentric characters. These include the businessman Will Lightbody (whose name perfectly described him) and his wife, Eleanor, who convinced her husband to accompany her to the San. Both, according to Dr. Kellogg were very ill. Will, who occasionally strayed from the San to partake of hamburger sandwiches and liquid libations, must endure severe punishment for his recalcitrance. Eleanor was befriended by Lionel Badger, in whom Dr. Kellogg deeply mistrusted, and who was a radical anti-vivisectionist and a thorough believer in nudism. Eleanor was also treated outside the San by the German, monocle wearing Dr. Spitzvogel, who would have gone to prison if his methods were judged by today's standards. There is young Charlie Ossining, whom Will and Eleanor met while on their train trip to Battle Creek. Will and others invest in Charlie's breakfast food scheme. Charlie hoped that his venture would enable him to cash in during the then current breakfast food craze. Unfortunately, Charlie's plans go awry because he must contend with Bender, his flagrently dishonest business partner. T.C. Boyle tell his novel with lots of verve, humor, warmth, and humanity. Because Boyle cares deeply about his characters, so do we. What makes _The Road To Wellville_ so poignant is its relevance to today's world. Who amongst us is not familiar with the various diet fads that promise to make the obese lose up to 30 lbs. in two weeks? New health and sports clubs constantly crop up everywhere that brag about their latest state of the art exercise equipment. And who has not seen TV advertisements hawking all sorts of gadgets, and what not that were specially designed to build up men's abs or to flatten women's tummys? So order _The Road To Wellville_ now, and if you do not find it thoroughly enjoyable, engaging, and funny, your local book store owner will totally refund your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Spoiled my appetite...but I kept on chewing.
Review: Not a word out of place----Boyle is a master at creating the experience. With all its visual, gustatory, olfactory and auditory imagery, the repulsion is unrelenting. Gobs of phlegm, bulbous oysters, milkslime, sprouts mush...he had to be a real artist to keep the all thoughts of anything remotely savory, crunchy, yummy, tart-sweet, rich & satisfying, delicately spiced at bay. The San, which has surely been described with some justification in other literature as palatial & inviting, hits the reader as cold, vast, sterile, empty. Odors are acrid, antiseptic, not fragrant. And the enema reigns supreme. Pretty disgusting. So why am I laughing? I'm listening to the tapes on my daily commute, and get out of my car with a knot in my stomach every time. I should listen to it while I eat--would probably lose a lot of weight. What's more, the characters are uniformly dumb if not dumber. It's hard to identify with any of them, and you keep hoping for Charlie O.to discover a great oats recipe and shape it into little "o's", for poor George's drive to up-yours his adoptive father sobers him once and for all for a successful fight, that Eleanor figures out what on earth that doctor is doing sooner, and that Will gets a job. For heaven's sake, don't these people have work to do? At the same time it's frighteningly familiar territory--you like what's not good for you, you try to do the right thing and get kicked for it, you put a good face on things and someone calls your bluff, you just know that you'll be found out as less than you make yourself out to be, and you believe somebody and get taken for a ride.....so I guess you do identify. I'm two tapes from the end and live in hope that something turns out OK for someone.
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