The Fool's Progress : An Honest Novel

Rating:
Summary: From one redneck to another
Review: Edward Abbey's voice is unstoppable in this almost broodish transverse through his own personal lifetime. While Henry Lightcap searches for his own piece of the rock, vintage Edward Abbey shows through in picturesque word painting, and philosopher like style. As down to earth as always, if this book dosen't make you want to kick back a few cold Blatz with Cactus Ed,you could NEVER understand this man. Paralleling his life in almost military precision, this is as much an autobiography as a soliloqui on the modern day redneck. Ed Abbey (Henry Lightcap) gives a voice to the honest and the crazy who know only to "tell it like it is". His flowing paintbrush of words will be missed, but his works, and more importantly, his ideals, will live on forever.

Rating:
Summary: The simple truth about the human condition
Review: Fools Progress is a special book. It made me laugh and cry out loud. It forced me to evaluate all of those things in my life that I felt were important. The book certainly changed my paradigm. This is the essence of the human condition.

Rating:
Summary: Travels with Sollie
Review: Henry Lightcap, the novel's protagonist, begins his journey with his ailing dog, Sollie (short for Solstice), back to his family in West Virginia. This is an often used theme in novels, where the lead character, weary, beaten down, and sometimes ill and suffering, returns to his roots to seek solace in the bosom of his family. Such is the case with Lightcap. Only in _The Fool's Progress_ Edward Abbey moves backwards and forwards in time, and explores Henry's growing up on a West Virginia farm which years later is gutted by strip-mining and logging. Henry derives much of his independent spirit from his father, Joe, who was a supporter of the socialist organization, the IWW, also known as the "Wobblies." The idea of working full-time in an office at a 9 to 5 job is anathema to Henry. He loves the outdoors, nature, and is a genuine champion of environmental preservation. Henry loves wildlife and resigns from a part-time job at a nature preserve when the manager is forced to bring in livestock or lose their lease.

This is a very funny book, particularly regarding some of Henry's adventures with his hooligan friends who act as enforcers against those who might conceivably attempt to ruin the nature preserve. Abbey is very descriptive of the surroundings in which Henry often finds himself: the rivers, the mountains, the forests, are all described in detail and with great panoramic beauty. There are also some very unsettling events in Henry's life, particularly related to his second marriage to his "child bride" and soul mate, Claire. Henry Lightcap's character is a richly developed and never less than sympathetic, despite his tendency to drink too much and to "shoot himself in the foot" far too often. Henry is a true individualist and is frequently misunderstood by those closest to him, particularly his wives, some of whom would rather stay indoors partaking in quiet activities rather live in a run-down cabin in the great outdoors, in the middle of no where. I loved Henry Lightcap and this magnificent, touching, and occasionally gut-wrenching book.

Rating:
Summary: My most-loved Edward Abbey Book
Review: I am writing this on March 14th, 1998 - the ninth anniversary of the passing of Cactus Ed. This novel is the most satisfying of Ed,s books. It fills in so much about his life that his non-fiction essays only hinted at. Plus, it's a damn good story. I have all of Ed,s books, all first-editions and most autographed by Ed. I cherish my autographed first edition copy of Fools Progress more than any of my many books. Ah me, today I am sad thinking about Ed. I want to thank him again for all his writings, but especially for his " Fat Masterpiece", The Fools Progress. I would love to read the unedited manuscript for this book; the final product is only half as long as the entire story he wanted to tell.

Rating:
Summary: My Most Favorite Book
Review: I could spend a long time writing about all the wonderful aspects of this book. In one sitting, it can make you laugh so hard you'll nearly pee your pants, then sob aloud. What I love about this book is how much it makes the reader think...as Henry Lightcap explains his views of the world, so do we explore our own; I've read this book a couple times, and each time I feel I know myself a little bit better. And all because of this strange beer-swilling man in a run-down Dodge and his dying dog. Go figure.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe the best novel ever written
Review: I have loaned Fool's Progress out more times than I can remember, to all sorts of people, always with the stipulation that the person has to either read it or return it quickly. It's not a book to lose, but one to carry with you on long outdoor adventures: the more dog-eared, the better. Without fail, the response of people who borrowed & read it has followed a progression of illumination not unlike the one presented by Abbey himself: 1) geez, this guy is a pig!; 2) Well, he's a pig, but I sort of understand how he got to where he is; 3) I get it, and I understand the protagonist. This is a fantastic novel.

Every time. I never ever want to be without a copy of Fool's Progress.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book to Read Outside
Review: I read most of book a few years ago while backpacking in Hetch Hetchy; I could not suggest a better way to read this book. Take it with you on your next outdoor adventure, sit down on a rock somewhere and enjoy it. I had to remind myself on several occassions that it was a work of fiction, although I could picture Ed Abbey in many of the situations.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book to Read Outside
Review: I read most of book a few years ago while backpacking in Hetch Hetchy; I could not suggest a better way to read this book. Take it with you on your next outdoor adventure, sit down on a rock somewhere and enjoy it. I had to remind myself on several occassions that it was a work of fiction, although I could picture Ed Abbey in many of the situations.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book by a Fascinating Man
Review: I recently read this book for the second time after ten years had passed from my first encounter with Edward Abbey. Without a doubt this is the best book I have read in years. It moved me personally and taken in the total perspective of his love for the desert Southwest and the individuality of man it is a wonderful insight into Edward the man. Through the eyes of Edward Abbey I have visited and fallen in love with the deserts of the Southwest.

Rating:
Summary: Abbey throws it all into this one
Review: I'm a bit of an Abbey fanatic, so this review is naturally biased. Yet, this is probably the best of his fictional works (of course the book is quite autobiographical too). Abbey throws all of his jokes, phrases, and wisdom into this one.