Rating: 
Summary: one lousy sandwich
Review: this was my first charles bukowski book and it is unlikely i will go back for seconds. the writing is unimaginative and there is no character developement whatsoever. the main character, henry chinaski, has no redeeming qualities. his childhood is not that much different from most except for the severity of his acne problem. his response to that childhood is chronic violence and alchoholism. he literally becomes what he detests and is even worse. if this is supposed to be a coming of age novel like catcher in the rye, it falls miserably short. holden caulfield is searching for something and has positive intentions. chinaski has none of this....
Rating: 
Summary: The Great American Novel
Review: There it is. Somebody wrote earlier that Bukowski is the most underrated writer of all times. If you wonder if that is true, buy this novel, read it and decide for yourself. This book is so powerful, that writing a review is hard. One does not want to sound like a hardcore fan because it would mean that the rating of the book is questionable. But it is a 5-Star-Book, it always was, it always will be. This country is slowly discovering the best writer they had for decades. Be a part of it.
Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary must read!
Review: Ham on Rye is a cult classic - and for good reason. It's the book your English teacher(and your parents) didn't want you to read in high school. At times, it is debaucherous and raunchy, but then again so is growing up. That's what makes this book so great - Bukowski's impressive and unique ability to tell it like it really happened - with no sugar-coating or glossing over the dirty stuff. Some people say this is comparable to Catcher in the Rye as a rite of passage type book. I say this is much, much better than Salinger's book - no doubt. While both have a devoted fan following, Ham on Rye is unique in the sense that it is much more plausible and much more fun. I not only empathized with Henry and his trying travails and tribulations, I felt like I was there with him - looking at the teacher's legs, getting beat by his Dad, getting drunk with his friends, etc.While this book is not politically correct by any stretch of the imagination and, thus, not for everybody, I unequivocally feel that this is a must read for those of us who are not constrained by limits and boundaries placed upon us by others. Hence, if you have the gonads, give this one a look-see. "Children should be seen and not heard." - Henry's Father
Rating:
Summary: A life-changer
Review: After reading the first page of this novel, I felt as if I had finally found a writer that was talking about life the way I experienced it as a child. The way the young boy views the world that surrounds him, the cruelty of his father, his cold mother, his sympathetic grandfather, his few friends (usually considered freaks, like himself), the popular kids taunting him, ... and women, of course ! Bukowski's prose is so devoid of pretence, of gimmickery, it's as if the man was sitting right next to you, talking from the heart. Nobody has ever written as directly as Bukowski, as truthful or as touching. His poems and short-stories vary from weird to good and fantastic, but this novel is his absolute masterpiece !
Rating: 
Summary: a supremely depressing yet morbidly fascinating biography..
Review: Even though 'Ham on Rye' is listed as a novel it is also well understood to be a thinly disguised autobiography of the author's early life (until his early 20s). This worried me since I don't like autobiographical material because its singular focus on the author. Having said all this, 'Ham on Rye' is such a detailed horror story that, like looking at an auto accident, you can't help but be drawn in. Our main character is raised during the depression by an absolutely horrific father and doormat of a mother. The guy is also plagued with a complexion from hell, and seems to be in a bad need of a hug (yet no one wants to get near him). Besides he completely fights off anything that resembles affection or friendship. Not surprisingly this dysfunctional young man grows into a dysfunctional adult. What makes this book distinctive is the author's rather decent writing skills and his complete lack of self-pity. The story is heartbreaking but the main character carries on, like a stray mongrel wandering the streets. Depressing, terribly depressing. But it is a story that should be read, especially by fathers who never spare the rod lest he spoil the child. Bottom line: sometimes depressing books should be considered as mandatory reading material. This is one of them.
Rating:
Summary: growing up not a good looking guy
Review: growing up bio about hank's life
honest stuff
realization that if you stick it out--anyone can make it to be something or somebody if you have a talent that you keep at
Rating:
Summary: buk is the man
Review: like holden caufield would say, "he kills me". bukowski is able to take some of the darkest thoughts in his mind and sprinkle his humor throughout so that the reader is entertained and challenged. it's obvious that he realizes his talent but he doesn't take himself too seriously. some of the language in this novel is graphic but i recommend it to anyone who, like buk, doesn't take life too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Dirt-filth-horror-salvation
Review: Yeah, I probably understood the idea of the "noble drunk" before I read this. I may have even been one; in a manner of speaking. I was definitely drunk. Buckowski likes to read and drink and have sex and tell what's on his mind. These qualities make him a clear-cut role model for the aspiring drunken hipster, as he sets a template for behavior that is amoral, yet ethical. He doesn't stand for phony-baloney golden rulism, just honesty and willfullness. In a way, he can be read as a sort of Buddhist in the way he recognizes his own id as well as the ids of others. This book is simply one of the best chapters in what is really one gigantic work that spanned his lifetime.
Rating:
Summary: Dirt-filth-horror-salvation
Review: Yeah, I probably understood the idea of the "noble drunk" before I read this. I may have even been one; in a manner of speaking. I was definitely drunk. Buckowski likes to read and drink and tell what's on his mind. These qualities make him a clear-cut role model for the aspiring drunken hipster, as he sets a template for behavior that is amoral, yet ethical. He doesn't stand for phony-baloney golden rulism, just honesty and willfullness. In a way, he can be read as a sort of Buddhist in the way he recognizes his own id as well as the ids of others. This book is simply one of the best chapters in what is really one gigantic work that spanned his lifetime.
Rating:
Summary: Bukowski: Greatest American Writer
Review: I consider Charles Bukowski to be American's greatest writer. And I consider "Ham on Rye" to be his best book. Well, its my favorite. I could go on and on about how great Bukowski is, but you probably already know that (and if you don't then theres no helping you). So instead I'll say: If you like Bukowski's writing you might like my new book, "SURVIVING ON THE STREETS: How TO GO Down Without Going Out" by me, Ace Backwords. Check out the amazon.com site for what the critics have to say about it. You can hate me for sneaking in this unsolicited plug, but hell, I'm on the streets and need to hustle up my next beer money anyway I can. I'm sure ole Buk wouldn't mind. -- Ace Backwords ...
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