Peace

Rating:
Summary: All the World is a Relic
Review: The entire Universe is contained in this book. So much pathos and so much wisdom have not been seen in an American novel since MOBY DICK. The intelligence brought to bear in Wolfe's understated and brilliantly layered book lies somewhere between Dickens and Joyce, with a little Shakespearean flair thrown in for good measure. Wolfe's primary topic here is memory and its effects (causality?) on human existence, and the shaping of human existence by story. Layered and interlocking stories relate the life of the narrator, and significantly, the stories merge together, the boundary between stories becoming increasingly blurred as the book winds down. It is, in essence, The Book of the Dead (and here is the significance of the title), telling the tales of the dead, so that they ultimately rest in Peace. It is not an easy read, but one which patient readers will treasure and hold dear--and reread incessantly--forever.

Rating:
Summary: Deep and profound look at a long life
Review: This book is perhaps the deepest and symbolic work of of pure fiction in recent memory. Every sentence, every word, contains layers of metaphorical meaning that give the book an especially grave tone. Alden Dennis Weer, the narrator, is one of the best-drawn characters in fiction, period. Peace is an astounding look in the lives of ordinary people and their not-so-ordinary lives.

Rating:
Summary: Find PEACE
Review: This book must be read by everyone. Wolfe usually writes SF, but this is like nothing so much as a haunting and frighteningly literate retelling of "Spoon River Anthology" -- the spirit of an early-twentieth century man endlessly reenacts a series of vignettes that illuminate (obtusely) the story of his life, which is also the story of the end of the small town in America. The prose is meditative and elegaically beautiful, but the novel itself is uncomfortably honest in the manner of someone who pretends to make light of something about which they are, in fact, quite serious. Wolfe claims that his narrator, Alden Dennis Weer, is "more autobiographical than anyone suspects" -- odd, given that it's hinted that Weer may be a mass murderer. Very meaty, rich stuff that I commend to any reader without reservation.

Rating:
Summary: Find PEACE
Review: This book must be read by everyone. Wolfe usually writes SF, but this is like nothing so much as a haunting and frighteningly literate retelling of "Spoon River Anthology" -- the spirit of an early-twentieth century man endlessly reenacts a series of vignettes that illuminate (obtusely) the story of his life, which is also the story of the end of the small town in America. The prose is meditative and elegaically beautiful, but the novel itself is uncomfortably honest in the manner of someone who pretends to make light of something about which they are, in fact, quite serious. Wolfe claims that his narrator, Alden Dennis Weer, is "more autobiographical than anyone suspects" -- odd, given that it's hinted that Weer may be a mass murderer. Very meaty, rich stuff that I commend to any reader without reservation.

Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: what a wonderful book! i absolutely loved it, but i admit it is not for some people. it requires careful reading and thought to come to an understanding of the book. while the previous reveiw claimed that the book was highly readable, i would have to disagree. it is complex and many layered. sure, it is not as dense as many of the literary greats but it is not a walk in teh park either. one of my favorites, i highly reccomend it.

Rating:
Summary: The last masterpiece of the 20th Century?
Review: Wolfe has written some great novels but with Peace he's made a bid for shakespearian immortality. Why? let me explain: its deep, complex , profound and disturbing but crucially (for me) unlike some of the other literary greats its very READABLE. Go out beg, borrow or buy it and read it. You will not be the same person that began it - a masterpiece!