awilderm23's review against another edition
4.0
'Los Angeles give me some of you! Los Angeles come to me the way I come to you, my feet over your streets, you pretty town I loved you so much, you sad flower in the sand.'
'Here was the endlessly mute placidity of nature, indifferent to the great city; here was the desert beneath these streets, around these streets, waiting for the city to die, to cover it with timeless sand once more. There came over me a terrifying sense of understanding about the meaning and the pathetic destiny of men. The desert was always there, a patient white animal, waiting for men to die, for civilizations to flicker and pass into darkness. Then men seemed brave to me, and I was proud to be numbered among them. All the evil in the world seemed not evil at all, but inevitable and good and part of the endless struggle to keep the desert down.'
'When it was all gone, the dream of floating toward bursting stars, and the flesh returned to hold my blood in its prosaic channels, when the room returned, the dirty sordid room, the vacant meaningless ceiling, the weary wasted world, I felt nothing but the old sense of guilt, the sense of crime and violation, the sin of destruction.'
'Here was the endlessly mute placidity of nature, indifferent to the great city; here was the desert beneath these streets, around these streets, waiting for the city to die, to cover it with timeless sand once more. There came over me a terrifying sense of understanding about the meaning and the pathetic destiny of men. The desert was always there, a patient white animal, waiting for men to die, for civilizations to flicker and pass into darkness. Then men seemed brave to me, and I was proud to be numbered among them. All the evil in the world seemed not evil at all, but inevitable and good and part of the endless struggle to keep the desert down.'
'When it was all gone, the dream of floating toward bursting stars, and the flesh returned to hold my blood in its prosaic channels, when the room returned, the dirty sordid room, the vacant meaningless ceiling, the weary wasted world, I felt nothing but the old sense of guilt, the sense of crime and violation, the sin of destruction.'
liawindsor's review against another edition
3.0
Does very interesting things with the narrative, but my goodness what a dislikable protagonist...
atandysd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Sheds light on shadows
That driven men must tame, when
Writers were heros
Great If you can detach from what the writer makes you feel in favor of how well he makes you feel it. I found myself in a bit of an emotional rut while reading. I saw patterns of a few of my own past relationships and even gained some insight. Those prone to depression and rumination over past loves and aspirations should steel themselves.
I am not well read, but it reminded me of Kerouac and Steinbeck, though it may have been the setting. I have not yet read Bukowski, but it seems their is a lineage.
A line that I took the time to save:
“I got up from the counter and walked away in fear, walking, fast down the boardwalk, passing people who seemed strange and ghostly: the world seemed a myth, a transparent plane, and all things up on it. We’re here for only a little while; all of us, Bandini, and Hockmuth and Camilla and Vera, all of us were here for a little while, and then we were somewhere else; we were not alive at all; we approached living, but we never achieved it. We are going to die. Everybody was going to die. Even you, Arturo, even you must die.” 96
That driven men must tame, when
Writers were heros
Great If you can detach from what the writer makes you feel in favor of how well he makes you feel it. I found myself in a bit of an emotional rut while reading. I saw patterns of a few of my own past relationships and even gained some insight. Those prone to depression and rumination over past loves and aspirations should steel themselves.
I am not well read, but it reminded me of Kerouac and Steinbeck, though it may have been the setting. I have not yet read Bukowski, but it seems their is a lineage.
A line that I took the time to save:
“I got up from the counter and walked away in fear, walking, fast down the boardwalk, passing people who seemed strange and ghostly: the world seemed a myth, a transparent plane, and all things up on it. We’re here for only a little while; all of us, Bandini, and Hockmuth and Camilla and Vera, all of us were here for a little while, and then we were somewhere else; we were not alive at all; we approached living, but we never achieved it. We are going to die. Everybody was going to die. Even you, Arturo, even you must die.” 96
eclairedelune's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
julesjb's review against another edition
4.0
I have a really weird opinion about this book. A really great writing but I didn't really like the story nor the characters BUT I didn't hate reading this book either. 4 stars for the writing but 3 stars for the story itself.
ariadna_ch's review against another edition
2.0
There is value in the narrative art of Fante, of that there is no doubt. But the blatant misogyny, the constant fantasies about rape and violence against women, the romanticization of sexual assault, the naturalised racism... It just made me feel uneasy and disgusted throughout the whole book, even though it does get better at the very last chapters.
The links between this book and the Catcher in the Rye were obvious to me. I think they both wrote about the process of becoming a man in society. However, I could only at times relate to the character of Bandini, always when it had to do with his struggles as a creative writer. In any case, the character's process of interiorising masculinity was, to my perception, constantly romanticized and that disgusted me profoundly to the point where I even felt nauseated.
Apparently, Arturo Bandini is supposed to be Fante's alter-ego and if any of the experiences and mental processes are to be linked to the writer himself I think the acclamation of the author and the naturalisation of such explicit fantasies about his view and hatred for women are extremely worrying.
The links between this book and the Catcher in the Rye were obvious to me. I think they both wrote about the process of becoming a man in society. However, I could only at times relate to the character of Bandini, always when it had to do with his struggles as a creative writer. In any case, the character's process of interiorising masculinity was, to my perception, constantly romanticized and that disgusted me profoundly to the point where I even felt nauseated.
Apparently, Arturo Bandini is supposed to be Fante's alter-ego and if any of the experiences and mental processes are to be linked to the writer himself I think the acclamation of the author and the naturalisation of such explicit fantasies about his view and hatred for women are extremely worrying.
lizawood's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
kingxsyed's review against another edition
5.0
Superb. This book is amazing and I understand as to why Bukowksi had felt how he did when he first read this. This book is so solid and well made. I love these kinds of books and while Arturo isn't the best of people, his intentions are usually good. The romance in this book is so toxic but there are really nice heartwarming moments. I relate a lot to Arturo and I feel as though this would be how I'd be had I not have wanted to change for the better; a 'What If' story. I love this book.