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candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
4.0
"Back to Blood" is more like "Bonfire" than any of the books in between. Is is a snappy read; snarky, fast-moving, filled with interesting characters and Wolfe's bright, clear writing. "Blood" comes in at 704 pages which sounds, and is, hefty, but the hustled wrap-up at the end is disappointing. You have committed a considerable amount of time to their story and deserve something better than an overly convenient tie-up.
Now about those characters. They are not a terribly likeable group but they are lively. The main character, Nestor Camacho, is a Cuban cop who, when not worrying about whether or not his pants are tight enough, wants to do right. His girlfriend, the luscious Magdalena, is doing some social climbing and trying to make it be about something besides her cleavage. There's the Russian oligarch, a creepy sexual psychiatrist, a very rich man with a nasty disease, a Haitian professor revolted that he must teach Creole as well as French and more Wolfian types. The entire ethnic mix of Miami is uncomfortable, suspicious, hot, and clannish, and the author pokes his finger into plenty of sweaty corners. At 81, Wolfe roasts all equally and obviously finds Miami spunky and maddening and enjoyed writing this book a great deal.
Take note that I scored a galley of this novel and changes may be made before publication.
Now about those characters. They are not a terribly likeable group but they are lively. The main character, Nestor Camacho, is a Cuban cop who, when not worrying about whether or not his pants are tight enough, wants to do right. His girlfriend, the luscious Magdalena, is doing some social climbing and trying to make it be about something besides her cleavage. There's the Russian oligarch, a creepy sexual psychiatrist, a very rich man with a nasty disease, a Haitian professor revolted that he must teach Creole as well as French and more Wolfian types. The entire ethnic mix of Miami is uncomfortable, suspicious, hot, and clannish, and the author pokes his finger into plenty of sweaty corners. At 81, Wolfe roasts all equally and obviously finds Miami spunky and maddening and enjoyed writing this book a great deal.
Take note that I scored a galley of this novel and changes may be made before publication.
drsldn's review against another edition
2.0
One of the most annoying books I have read in a long time. I bought it because of the cover (the font reminded me of Bifur, one of my favourite fonts); because it is set in Miami (and I am on a bit of a Miami jag because of Dexter); because it purports to be about the art world; because it explores complex racial tensions and because I remember being swept up by Bonfire of the Vanities back in the day. It took ages to start, the art stuff was clever, and true enough I think, and I learnt a lot more about different communities in America, but I had obviously forgotten just how much Tom Wolfe indulges in words for effect, usually a stylistic device I enjoy but this was just ... annoying , because it got in the way of the story and the themes (and yes, the way the words are used conveys some of the themes but it got in the way of everything else.) Still a great cover though!
michelleloretta's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh. I'm 4/5 of the way thru and I have to put it down. I'm so bored. The characters aren't interesting. The story isn't going anywhere. I wanted to love this but it is so flat.
duparker's review against another edition
2.0
WTF. This was such a disappointing book. I found it to be spacey, awkward and overly ambitious. The characters felt like tropes and very much cut from guidebooks of what Miami should be like. No one felt realistic not like someone you wanted to follow or learn about. Ugh.
kathieboucher's review against another edition
3.0
How is it I could make my way through all 700 pages of this book, while I had to put Telegraph Avenue down? Both were full of characters drawn large, with lots of over-inflated metaphor, and both moved at breakneck speed. Don't know the answer to that one.
This book held huge promise--set in the multi-ethnic stew of Miami, it set group against group, neighborhood against neighborhood, and had the potential of pointing up the absurdity of it all in a most original way. Don't think it quite succeeded for me. I liked Bonfire of the Vanities much more.
This book held huge promise--set in the multi-ethnic stew of Miami, it set group against group, neighborhood against neighborhood, and had the potential of pointing up the absurdity of it all in a most original way. Don't think it quite succeeded for me. I liked Bonfire of the Vanities much more.
bccoulter's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
typical Tom Wolfe - social commentary in a face paced, multi-POV action story. A little less artful than some of his other work.
mellabella's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book enough to finish it. It was a little misleading. It focused mostly on Magdalena and Nestor. Not the police chief, or Ghislaine and her father... They were secondary. I found the repetitious noise sound track pretty irritating. Enough was certainly enough. And... The story just had too much going on. First Nestor (young Cuban police officer) brings shame upon his family and scorn upon himself. He is responsible for a Cuban man (a refuge) being sent back to Cuba. Then he (and another cop) are recorded roughing up a Black man. Next it's on YouTube. The other cop (who is Nestor's superior, and also Cuban) is using almost every racial slur in the book. Nestor didn't but, throughout the rest of the book is treated like he did. Add to the mix Russian art forgeries and an ambitious young reporter (named John Smith of all the bland, nondescript names) who Nestor becomes unlikely allies with- Too much. Magdalena is Nestor's girlfriend. At least she is in the beginning of the book. She dumps him after his Cuban refuge fiasco. But not because of that. Magdalena is a nurse and, I guess a social climber? She dumps Nestor for her boss. A psychiatrist who specializes in porn addiction. Then dumps him for a rich Russian guy part of the art forgery storyline. Cuban and Haitian people are a big art of Miami. I was disappointed that he didn't spend more time on the Haitian professor his daughter Ghislaine, (whom he thought could, and should pass as White) and her brother Phillipe. I liked the way the characters (and their stories) intertwine. The book was huge. I should have read it on my Nook. Most of it was filler.
gilmoreguide's review against another edition
3.0
Religion is dying…but everybody still has to believe in something. It would be intolerable—you couldn’t stand it—to finally have to say to yourself, “Why keep pretending? I’m nothing but a random atom…” So, my people, that leaves only our blood, the bloodlines that course through our very bodies to unite us. All people everywhere, you have no choice but—Back to blood!
In previous works Wolfe has been prescient at capturing the zeitgeist of particular moments in American culture. The Bonfire of the Vanities first introduced us to Masters of the Universe—those vainglorious men so soaked in their own hubris, the concept of their demise was inconceivable (and apparently accurate based on the last round of financial malfeasance from Wall Street). A Man in Full covered the advent of over-leveraged, uber-consumer titans, date rape, trophy wives, and the real-estate boom while I Am Charlotte Simmons, was a depressing look at the wide world of high-end college pay-for-play athletics and the cosseting of barely literate, socially stunted but athletically gifted giants. Under each of these books is the flammable specter of race relations.
Wolfe returns with what feels like his most journalistic novel, simply because his portrayal of what is happening in America is so spot-on, it’s painful. This is a novel with volume, where virtually every character is guffawing, screeching, posing, or preening in their unquenchable need to be seen and heard. Wolfe maintains the unending barrage of noise by including the inner dialogue of many of the key characters, meaning there are no lulls or break in the narrative. All is exaggerated and volume Trumps content.
To read more of this review go to The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2012/10/back-to-blood/
In previous works Wolfe has been prescient at capturing the zeitgeist of particular moments in American culture. The Bonfire of the Vanities first introduced us to Masters of the Universe—those vainglorious men so soaked in their own hubris, the concept of their demise was inconceivable (and apparently accurate based on the last round of financial malfeasance from Wall Street). A Man in Full covered the advent of over-leveraged, uber-consumer titans, date rape, trophy wives, and the real-estate boom while I Am Charlotte Simmons, was a depressing look at the wide world of high-end college pay-for-play athletics and the cosseting of barely literate, socially stunted but athletically gifted giants. Under each of these books is the flammable specter of race relations.
Wolfe returns with what feels like his most journalistic novel, simply because his portrayal of what is happening in America is so spot-on, it’s painful. This is a novel with volume, where virtually every character is guffawing, screeching, posing, or preening in their unquenchable need to be seen and heard. Wolfe maintains the unending barrage of noise by including the inner dialogue of many of the key characters, meaning there are no lulls or break in the narrative. All is exaggerated and volume Trumps content.
To read more of this review go to The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2012/10/back-to-blood/
jarichan's review against another edition
4.0
Dieses Buch war mein erster Wolfe und in einigen Rezensionen habe ich gelesen, dass es nicht sein stärkstes Werk ist. Na, wenn mir ein schwaches Buch von Wolfe schon so zugesagt hat, wie wird es mir wohl ergehen, wenn ich seine starken Bücher lese?
Ich fand die Beschreibungen von Miami und den Spannungen, die dort herrschen, sehr interessant. Als ich eine Bekannte fragte, die aus Amerika stammt, ob diese Schilderungen denn der Realität entsprächen, wurde mir dies bestätigt. Davon hatte ich keine Ahnung.
Aber dank Wolfe bin ich nun um einiges klüger und habe einen mir bisher praktisch unbekannten Flecken Erde (abgesehen von den typischen Ami-Filmen, die dort spielen) kennenlernen dürfen.
Ich fand die Beschreibungen von Miami und den Spannungen, die dort herrschen, sehr interessant. Als ich eine Bekannte fragte, die aus Amerika stammt, ob diese Schilderungen denn der Realität entsprächen, wurde mir dies bestätigt. Davon hatte ich keine Ahnung.
Aber dank Wolfe bin ich nun um einiges klüger und habe einen mir bisher praktisch unbekannten Flecken Erde (abgesehen von den typischen Ami-Filmen, die dort spielen) kennenlernen dürfen.
txkikind's review against another edition
2.0
The ending of the book was satisfying. I just didn't think it should have taken 700 pages to get there. I really enjoyed The Bonfire of the Vanities. I didn't like I Am Charlotte Simmons. I don't like how Tom Wolfe, an eccentric white guy who wears white suits, tries to speak as a college freshman woman, or, in this book, a body building Cuban Cop. It just didn't seem authentic. Again, the story was interesting, but the characters were not believable to me.