Rating: 
Summary: Modern realism at its best
Review: Like a boxer who has complete confidence in every move he makes, Gardner constructed a novel about small-city life that never takes a wrong step or strikes a false note. The setting is the northern California town of Stockton; the subject is the ordinary men and women operating on the fringes of society: living, working and drinking hard, they face a life of limited opportunity, yet somehow they persist, refusing to be defeated by the many obstacles they face.The main characters are boxers: Billy, who at 29 is all but washed up, decides to try it in the ring one more time. Ernie, young and confident, enjoys limited success, but it's clear his future in the ring is limited at best. Between bouts they take day laborer jobs in the fields and orchards that support the Stockton community. The scenes that describe the work in the fields and the bus trips to small-time fights are beautifully drawn in spare, unsentimental prose of the highest order. This novel is a classic of American realism. Gardner catches with uncanny clarity the drudgery of the work required to keep our land of plenty churning out the goods that we expect and take for granted. Its general tone is bleak, yet that tone is leavened with a deadpan humor and -- most importantly -- a genuine respect for his characters. It's unfortunate for us as readers that Gardner didn't write more. On the other hand, he accomplished much with this work, and I believe that we can find his influence in contemporary writers such as Thom Jones and Elwood Reid.
Rating:
Summary: A Roundhouse from the Heart
Review: Step in the ring with Gardner and experience the talent of a literary heavyweight. Gardern's writng packs a punch, it is lean, mean and powerful. The characters are desperate men seeking validation and redemption, yet Gardner resists the temptation to pander to our weaker emotions for you feel not pity for these battered souls, but respect. Fat City is Gardners only novel- that is our loss. Read this book and witness a work of true beauty. Fat City is a winner.
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