Reviews

Post Office by Charles Bukowski

rechalky's review against another edition

dark funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ericadipierro's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? No

2.75

look it was interesting? i think? i kept going back to it. haven’t read anything like it so it was an interesting experience….. i think

tannerjameswv's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

zxcvbnmackie's review

4.0

The man I shall now dub as “binge-able Bukowski” has made it into my top 3 favourite authors. This novel is an autobiographical memoir which (like Ham on Rye) centres on Bukowski’s literary alter-ego Henry ”Hank” Chinaski. It primarily revolves around Hank’s involvement with women, addiction, and a 12 year career at the post office.

Chinaski’s unfortunate, yet comical shenanigans in this novel are practically Chekhovian in nature.

Bukowski does not bore me with any tiresome slow-paced grandiloquence, dreading complexity, nor is here any injection of woke postmodernist delusional positivity. Instead, he bestows me with the raw, realistic, relatable, unapologetic and even comical account inside the unfortunate life of Henry Chinaski. An account which draws in many similarities, arguably even somewhat mirroring, the life of an everyday working person.

Bukowski’s writing style is mesmerizing in the way that it blocks out the bullshit, keeps things simple and skips straight to giving a reader the anti-PC good stuff. The novel is filled with short, yet concise chapters and a continuously free-flowing and fully fluent form of unfaltering expression. I found it to be an enrapturing reading experience throughout.

If you’re interested in reading Post Office, then I would highly recommend reading Ham on Rye beforehand. It homes in on Chinaski at younger age, and despite being considered a stand-alone novel, acts well as an unofficial prequel to Post Office.

barnleke's review against another edition

funny sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

kyoe983's review against another edition

dark funny informative reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

cassie_thehuman's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

If you want to hear a man describe the ass of every woman he encounters, this is the book for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

lyuhn's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

lolavalls's review against another edition

sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

bi4ncvx's review against another edition

funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25