scottsolomonwriter's review against another edition
3.0
As a resident of North Carolina, I felt obligated to read this novel. Although Wolfe was ahead of his time in portraying small town life, the multiple adjectives and adverbs loading his sentences make for a long slog. Were Wolfe in an MFA program today, he would be scolded for a lack of strong verbs. He would also be urged to do a search for words ending in ly via his word processor.
mollywithcurls's review against another edition
1.0
I know that this book is an American classic and revered by many, but I did not enjoy it. In fact, I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. I donated it to the library because I didn't want it on my bookshelf!
While the writing style is very unique and Thomas Wolfe is obviously a very talented and intelligent writer, I found myself disturbed at every turn of the page. The descriptions of the child's sexual fantasy and morbid outlook on life disgusted me. I guess as I have grown and matured I don't see the use of reading such things.
I want to spend my time doing and reading things that are uplifting. Not things that bring a dark spirit to my life.
While the writing style is very unique and Thomas Wolfe is obviously a very talented and intelligent writer, I found myself disturbed at every turn of the page. The descriptions of the child's sexual fantasy and morbid outlook on life disgusted me. I guess as I have grown and matured I don't see the use of reading such things.
I want to spend my time doing and reading things that are uplifting. Not things that bring a dark spirit to my life.
bwkramer's review against another edition
3.0
Look I get it... I'm supposed to be sophisticated enough to like this book. I picked it up because some great book I ready had a character that portrayed it as life changing. I just didn't get it. Sorry. Chalk this one up to being to simple minded. You want deep and meaningful??? Read Atticus.
sotweedfactor's review against another edition
3.0
I can see why Thomas Wolfe was critically acclaimed in his time, alongside his contemporaries William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, but retained none of the the fame nor critical appreciation. His prose is sublime, and to my eyes, quite innovative; Wolfe speaks in a truly American way, but retains a linguistic esotericism that conforms with what I see as one of his main thematic thrusts, that the American peoples are founded on directionless nomadism. It is his themes, and chiefly, the way he handles them, that are where he is clearly lesser than Faulkner and Hemingway. Not only are the ideas slightly muddled, being picked up and dropped off randomly (I think especially of his early messaging on randomness' effect on our lives), but he could neither pick the town of Altamont, the Gant family, or Eugene as his primary subject. However, the themes he does faithfully stick to are interesting, which are greed and loneliness. The two work well in tandem as well, as the Gant family's greed provides the small modicum of social critique that acts as the adequate foil to the true personal exploration of loneliness. Overall, I was disappointed in this book, and would only recommend this book to adolescents seeking spiritual fulfillment or those interested in Southern literature.
deliaroxanaungur's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sophiaxlm's review against another edition
4.0
天使望向故乡，大抵是因为那个故乡回不去，只能远望（好长的一本书）。
闭塞小镇大概有杀人的能力，从内而外、钝刀割肉一样。不知道甘家老爹一辈子跟酒过不去是不是也因为下意识地想在这种生活上凿几个窟窿，虽然他本身也是这种生活的“凶器”的一部分，一个“失落的灵魂”（这个故事里有好多这样的灵魂）。
甘家的小儿子尤金，沃尔夫本人的化身（应该是？），他的头脑心肝仿佛一刻不歇着，潮水一样的、有点意识流的感慨、激动、迷惑和狂喜经常瞬间淹没他，迸发的力量堪比垂死之人对最后一点生机的紧握不放。”我没有处身于那些城市之中。我已经走尽百万条街道，走得像一只疲倦的山羊一样声嘶力竭，可是所到之处还是没有找到我生活过的城市，没有找到我进出过的门户，也没有找到我站立过的地方。“
闭塞小镇大概有杀人的能力，从内而外、钝刀割肉一样。不知道甘家老爹一辈子跟酒过不去是不是也因为下意识地想在这种生活上凿几个窟窿，虽然他本身也是这种生活的“凶器”的一部分，一个“失落的灵魂”（这个故事里有好多这样的灵魂）。
甘家的小儿子尤金，沃尔夫本人的化身（应该是？），他的头脑心肝仿佛一刻不歇着，潮水一样的、有点意识流的感慨、激动、迷惑和狂喜经常瞬间淹没他，迸发的力量堪比垂死之人对最后一点生机的紧握不放。”我没有处身于那些城市之中。我已经走尽百万条街道，走得像一只疲倦的山羊一样声嘶力竭，可是所到之处还是没有找到我生活过的城市，没有找到我进出过的门户，也没有找到我站立过的地方。“
shanviolinlove's review against another edition
5.0
Easily one of the finest works I've ever read.
Thomas Wolfe, through the autobiographical character Eugene Gant, proclaims himself to be a genius. His novel is a 522-page testament to this. Beautiful, poetic diction sweeps through the global lens in which he views his world, his life, human relationships, the economics of a growing town. Wolfe feasts on big ideas in the contagious, insatiable young passion for monumental achievements and discovery of one's self and one's world. The continuing motif - a lost angel, an inaccessible past, a stone a leaf a door - are interwoven through the epic life story of characters so richly described and so authentically presented, it is hard to believe one does not personally know them.
Thomas Wolfe, through the autobiographical character Eugene Gant, proclaims himself to be a genius. His novel is a 522-page testament to this. Beautiful, poetic diction sweeps through the global lens in which he views his world, his life, human relationships, the economics of a growing town. Wolfe feasts on big ideas in the contagious, insatiable young passion for monumental achievements and discovery of one's self and one's world. The continuing motif - a lost angel, an inaccessible past, a stone a leaf a door - are interwoven through the epic life story of characters so richly described and so authentically presented, it is hard to believe one does not personally know them.
coreyinscoe's review against another edition
5.0
There's a part of me that wants to read this book again right now. Then I remember that it took me two months to read it in the first place.
The hardest thing about this book is how dense it is and how long, at least for me, it took to really get into the rhythm of the book. The prose is incredible, but it's also complex. It took me until I was deep into the book to really feel like I could appreciate how spectacular Thomas Wolfe's writing was. I think part of that is that you simply don't see books written in this way anymore.
This is a very good coming of age story, but the beauty of the novel is the way it's written, not necessarily the story itself.
And, as a North Carolina native, it was interesting to see his characterization of his home state and home town of "Altamont" (Asheville). As a Carolina grad, his descriptions and characterizations of the university in "Pulpit Hill" (get it) were also fascinating.
You should read this book, but, be warned, it's not easy. I want to go back and read it again. But not now. My brain needs a long rest.
The hardest thing about this book is how dense it is and how long, at least for me, it took to really get into the rhythm of the book. The prose is incredible, but it's also complex. It took me until I was deep into the book to really feel like I could appreciate how spectacular Thomas Wolfe's writing was. I think part of that is that you simply don't see books written in this way anymore.
This is a very good coming of age story, but the beauty of the novel is the way it's written, not necessarily the story itself.
And, as a North Carolina native, it was interesting to see his characterization of his home state and home town of "Altamont" (Asheville). As a Carolina grad, his descriptions and characterizations of the university in "Pulpit Hill" (get it) were also fascinating.
You should read this book, but, be warned, it's not easy. I want to go back and read it again. But not now. My brain needs a long rest.
matthewn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The racist language is painful to read for today's reader, but it is in keeping with the time and place of the book (the US South in the 1920s) and is just realistic language, not indiciative of a racist viewpoint. For the rest, the book is insightful, cutting, touching, funny, and written in towering, magical prose.