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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.
clara_lotte's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
gohawks's review against another edition
3.0
I think I enjoyed this book only because I didn't expect too much. I have previously read A Man In Full and I Am Charlotte Simmons and now this. Each one has been a little less exceptional and a little more hollow. The reason I got through this one so easily was because Wolfe is not a difficult read. He uses lots of slang and dialogue which makes it easy to speed read - something I am not usually very proficient at. I also find that the older he gets, the more he is impressed with how hip he is. He is always trying to show how much he has researched certain places, fads and people by overusing certain phrases or already outmoded dialogue. Obviously, this has the opposite effect. I enjoyed this book because the characters were entertaining and interesting even if not fully fleshed out. But Wolfe seems to lose the narrative through line multiple times in favor of creating a hip scene or a showcase for his readership. For instance, the book slows to a screeching halt in the middle for an art show. Granted, the art is a part of the plot, but it could have been edited down aggressively. Also I felt the book ended abruptly - which is a feat given it is 700 pages long. I wanted some closure for these characters. Don't get me wrong, I like somewhat ambiguous endings. But it wasn't appropriate in this case, and it leaves one wondering what the author is really trying to get across other than Miami is a really crazy place. Back to Blood is amusing at times and entertaining. It's actually comparable to Wolfe's jacket photo on the back of the book. Looking at Wolfe in his bowler and cane like a bygone dandy, I am greatly amused at how seriously he must take himself. I couldn't stop turning the book over and looking at it for minutes, thinking "Is he really serious?" That is essentially what kept me entertained and reading. It's not a great book, but it will tide you over till you find a great one.
austinstorm's review against another edition
Not sure if I'll finish this one. Too doctrinaire, the big cultural observations wash all the characters away. Better than A Casual Vacancy, but feels too similar after suffering through that 'grown-up' book - one per year is enough!
Scattered thoughts:
Wolfe at his best does the cultural observey thing, but also focuses on the decisions that seem small in the moment but actually define our lives. His characters rarely make the right choice, but it's still worthwhile.
The tight focus of Charlotte Simmons made it better than this one. Here it's just too much - the characters are really simple. They're like the movie Magnolia, but I suspect there are no biblical plagues or Aimee Mann songs coming to save this.
Scattered thoughts:
Wolfe at his best does the cultural observey thing, but also focuses on the decisions that seem small in the moment but actually define our lives. His characters rarely make the right choice, but it's still worthwhile.
The tight focus of Charlotte Simmons made it better than this one. Here it's just too much - the characters are really simple. They're like the movie Magnolia, but I suspect there are no biblical plagues or Aimee Mann songs coming to save this.
magdalena_rose's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
marinazala's review against another edition
2.0
this is my first time read some tom wolfe's works.. I'm not really into to this story. it somehow confusing me with too many perceptives from other character who have correlation each other..
it also annoyed me with in the beginning chapter too much repetition word such as SMACK etc..
it also annoyed me with in the beginning chapter too much repetition word such as SMACK etc..