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deanna_rigney's review against another edition
4.0
Will Barrett, the novel’s confused but earnest seeker, takes us with him on a journey prompted by his telescope. On this journey Will encounters a lovely young woman, a dying youth, a pornographic doctor, and a 'mean as hell' nun - all in the same family. The novel ends abruptly, with Percy laying down some heavy existential questions on his reader, especially at the very end. Percy is an author who likes to drop philosophical bombs and then leave you to make sense of it all while he apparently goes off to have a sandwich, because he certainly isn’t answering these existential questions for you (or for his characters.) I love this so much about this book that I want to put a ring on it.
annepw's review
3.0
I am conflicted here. As a massive fan of Percy's "The Moviegoer," I feel almost predisposed to be disappointed by "The Last Gentleman." "The Moviegoer," as a function of its short length and first-person perspective, is tight and focused, not a word wasted, while "The Last Gentleman," while it shares Percy's keen sense of human nature, his brilliance and his writing skill, is bloated and hazy. I wish that it had been edited more aggressively, large chunks cut out or summarized. It is one of those books that is a fine candidate for abridgment: there is so much here that is good that it seems a shame to throw the wheat out with the chaff, and yet I had to force myself to read it, to wade back in.
annelisa614's review against another edition
4.0
Not my fav Walker Percy, but I did enjoy it more the second time
pemuth59's review against another edition
3.0
Walker Percy, a much-honored novelist, might be best known in some circles for his noble effort to get the great "Confederacy of Dunces" published after its author, John Kennedy O'Toole, committed suicide. Percy knows great writing when he sees it, and his 1966 novel,"The Last Gentleman," features some great writing.
Like other Percy novels ("The Second Coming" and "The Thanatos Syndrome" come to mind), "The Last Gentleman" is not easy stuff. It features a cast of largely unlikable characters, including its protagonist. It doesn't follow traditional narrative. It suffers from the usual dated references of 60s novels concerning race and the South. But it's a great, often quite funny and moving, ride nevertheless.
Briefly, the story revolves around a very confused transplanted Southerner who stumbles upon the girl of his dreams through a telescope while she is reading a cryptic note on a park bench. Then it gets weird. Key characters include the bizarre members of a Gothic Southern clan, the world's worst psychiatrist and a white filmmaker driving around the South pretending to be black. It makes a little more sense than that, but only a little. You sense Percy is playing games with the reader and you don't really mind.
Percy is an often profound philosopher. His insights on the importance of place and the universal need for acceptance are brilliant and often profound. Some of his characters reach remarkable understandings via the title character, but not all of them. The journey is what counts -- and, with just a little patience, you'll enjoy the trip.
Like other Percy novels ("The Second Coming" and "The Thanatos Syndrome" come to mind), "The Last Gentleman" is not easy stuff. It features a cast of largely unlikable characters, including its protagonist. It doesn't follow traditional narrative. It suffers from the usual dated references of 60s novels concerning race and the South. But it's a great, often quite funny and moving, ride nevertheless.
Briefly, the story revolves around a very confused transplanted Southerner who stumbles upon the girl of his dreams through a telescope while she is reading a cryptic note on a park bench. Then it gets weird. Key characters include the bizarre members of a Gothic Southern clan, the world's worst psychiatrist and a white filmmaker driving around the South pretending to be black. It makes a little more sense than that, but only a little. You sense Percy is playing games with the reader and you don't really mind.
Percy is an often profound philosopher. His insights on the importance of place and the universal need for acceptance are brilliant and often profound. Some of his characters reach remarkable understandings via the title character, but not all of them. The journey is what counts -- and, with just a little patience, you'll enjoy the trip.
lookhome's review against another edition
3.0
Memorable & insightful but overly long and ultimately a disappointment after The Moviegoer.
Overall, the novel captures a few honest insights in regards to the troubles and questions of the modern human... but it ultimately unravels do to silly and unnecessary subplots.
Memorable quote: We are well when we are afflicted and afflicted when we are well.
Overall, the novel captures a few honest insights in regards to the troubles and questions of the modern human... but it ultimately unravels do to silly and unnecessary subplots.
Memorable quote: We are well when we are afflicted and afflicted when we are well.
rebleejen's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book provided occasional reading enjoyment, but it also seemed to take forever and ultimately, I really didn't get it.
elizafiedler's review against another edition
3.0
So weird. I loved Percy when I was in high school. I don't have the same appreciation for his pseudo philosophical characters anymore. As much as I think it's possible to see oneself in the protagonist struggling with the unmoored feeling of modernity, I no longer see myself in his cynicism for the present and worship of the past, especially not the worship of the old South.
md3732's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
the first book i have read where nothing happens and i enjoyed that
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs
occasional period-typical use of the N-word