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jcgrenn_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Remarkable. I felt truly devastated so many times reading this. It takes a dang good writer to evoke the level of emotion in a reader this novel does. Impressed.
clotalksbooks's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
The structure of this book, with each chapter detailing the amount of money in the pocket, and the switches in time, was clever. It added a tension to the book, and I often read with my heart in my mouth. Despite the often poor decisions (in my opinion), I cared for the characters and just wanted things to work out. It illuminated the struggles of the homeless, the previously incarcerated, and those without access to healthcare. This world doesn't give people a chance. It's not an easy read, but I was fully invested. I was sad to get to the end, and know I will be thinking about Henry and Junior for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Drug use
craftygoat's review against another edition
3.75
3.5? 3.75? This was... a difficult read. The writing definitely had a poetic quality. But gosh, it was like a car wreck I couldn't look away from. [Update: I upped my rating because this one has stuck with me. The characters may have been unlikeable, but it captures a segment of life in America. The English major in me can imagine this fitting in a modern American fiction course.]
benplatt's review against another edition
4.0
A book that goes all-in on evoking the overwhelming horror and psychological weight of poverty and houselessness in America through extremely colorful (occasionally overwritten) prose. The ending is more implied than actually described, and the whiplash of Henry's actions can lead to a sort of bewildering effect that gets compounded by the sometimes purple prose that makes the book feel a little scattered. With that said, though, it packs a punch most of the time, and the formal conceit of chaptering the book according to Henry's budget is great.
adam613's review against another edition
4.0
"All he wants is to be like any of these people, these Americans doing the best they can with the itty-bitty they got, one day and purchase at a time."
Abundance is filled with beyond gut punch and heart crushing reality. Jakob Guanzon holds nothing back in this poetically written story and using his cleverly descriptive writing style, he cuts to the heart of the reality for millions of Americans struggling to play catch up and getting caught up in debt, crime, addiction and abuse. While fighting tooth and nail to barely get by, the protagonist Henry faces the harsh realities of a life where his only abundance are his encounters his family and society at large where every decision is life or death and made in primal desperation. These kinds of distressed actions lead to some grave consequences. Henry is a man who must face his past without the privilege of having resources to help him while getting caught up in the same old cycle of poverty over and over again. This book is unrestrained truth and tragic all wrapped in alluring prose. Abundance by Jakob Guanzon is a heavy dose of poetic truth that may be hard to swallow but will be more than worth guanzon.
Abundance is filled with beyond gut punch and heart crushing reality. Jakob Guanzon holds nothing back in this poetically written story and using his cleverly descriptive writing style, he cuts to the heart of the reality for millions of Americans struggling to play catch up and getting caught up in debt, crime, addiction and abuse. While fighting tooth and nail to barely get by, the protagonist Henry faces the harsh realities of a life where his only abundance are his encounters his family and society at large where every decision is life or death and made in primal desperation. These kinds of distressed actions lead to some grave consequences. Henry is a man who must face his past without the privilege of having resources to help him while getting caught up in the same old cycle of poverty over and over again. This book is unrestrained truth and tragic all wrapped in alluring prose. Abundance by Jakob Guanzon is a heavy dose of poetic truth that may be hard to swallow but will be more than worth guanzon.
angiew23's review against another edition
5.0
Abundance tells the story of a fictional man named Henry who has struggled his entire life with addiction and poverty. After being released from jail he struggles to find a way to support his young son Junior while they are living in his truck and he is desperately trying to find work. The story also time hops to his childhood, young adult life, and to when Junior was very young.
The first thing that appealed to me about this book was that each chapter was titled with a dollar amount which pointed out exactly how much money the main character Henry had at that point in time. This is a really nice visual in both the miniseries and Abundance because it shows that poverty actually requires you to have a lot of money. For example, in Abundance, Henry pays money for a hotel room so that he can have a proper shower and a nice clean suit before his job interview. In order to hopefully get a job, he needs to pay money that someone who is not homeless would not have to do.
This book is hard to read at times. You will want to scream at Henry and at the world. But it is also a really important read. We live in a world where there is a cycle of poverty that is almost impossible to break. In order for society to develop empathy for those less fortunate, we need to fully understand what causes poverty and what limits those in poverty from overcoming it. By reading real and fictional stories like this one, perhaps more people will begin to understand a life they have not lived and can work towards helping community members break out of that cycle. Please read this book.
The first thing that appealed to me about this book was that each chapter was titled with a dollar amount which pointed out exactly how much money the main character Henry had at that point in time. This is a really nice visual in both the miniseries and Abundance because it shows that poverty actually requires you to have a lot of money. For example, in Abundance, Henry pays money for a hotel room so that he can have a proper shower and a nice clean suit before his job interview. In order to hopefully get a job, he needs to pay money that someone who is not homeless would not have to do.
This book is hard to read at times. You will want to scream at Henry and at the world. But it is also a really important read. We live in a world where there is a cycle of poverty that is almost impossible to break. In order for society to develop empathy for those less fortunate, we need to fully understand what causes poverty and what limits those in poverty from overcoming it. By reading real and fictional stories like this one, perhaps more people will begin to understand a life they have not lived and can work towards helping community members break out of that cycle. Please read this book.
rebelqueen's review against another edition
3.0
This book is beautifully written. It was so stressful. I just kept saying “take your son to the doctor!” I get it, poverty prevents him from going to the ER, but his sweet kid was super sick. Resolution was ambiguous. So stressful.
rosa_leigh9001's review against another edition
1.0
Started sad, middle was sad, ending was sad. I’m not sure I learned anything along the way. Not my cup of tea.
elinhallis's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
2.0