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liamkeith's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stilestastic's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
madison_isreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, Suicide, Medical trauma, Police brutality, War, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
nwilliams96's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
saneyossarian's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
in_and_out_of_the_stash's review against another edition
4.0
Very different from the film, both the film and the book are good in their own right. Another fictional expose by Upton Sinclair, although corruption of Government is not really a surprise to anyone. An interesting read for anyone who has been involved in the oil industry in Southern California.
tstuppy's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! The first half of this book was a real gem! As with The Jungle, the second half’s March to social politics was a little less exciting! Amazing how the issues of the 1920s are still the issues of today!
richardwells's review against another edition
3.0
As usual, it's hard to assign stars, and they're a blunt rating system that usually indicate nothing more than a reader's pleasure. So, the question I'm asking myself is whether or not the author accomplished what he set out to do. The answer is yes. Is it a terrific read? Yes and no.
First off, a single word title followed by an exclamation point definitely tells you what the book is going to be about. Oil! it is. Oil is the lubricant (sorry) for every turn of the plot, for every motivation of character, and for Mr. Sinclair's social and political critique of the corrupt workings of America's peculiar (in both meanings of the word) ruling class.
The book provides a fascinating look at how our earliest oil fields were discovered and exploited, and the story is not different than what has recently happened with the advent of fracking, and for that, see Heat & Light by Jennifer Haigh - a much better novel than Oil!. The view of oil literally and figuratively staining everything it touches is the take-away from this novel. It's much like the gold in The Treasure of the Sierra Leone, and could have just as easily been tiled "Greed," as Oil!
The characters in Oil! are high quality cardboard, but Mr. Sinclair provides a large enough cast with varying points of view to keep them somewhat interesting, and even likable, even as they become more nefarious and deluded as the story unfolds, and greater wealth is created. Even the "good guys," I must say.
The ultimate downfall of all but the most villainous is brought about by a combination of a barely disguised version of the Teapot Dome Scandal, and the wiles of spiritualism.
So, yes, Upton Sinclair rakes the muck, exposes the shallowness of society, and the depth of corruption in government and industry, so the book succeeds. It's been in print since 1927, so it also succeeds on that level, and remains somewhat pertinent - especially in light of all our recent oil wars. On the level of art it succeeds in the art of muckraking, but not necessarily of literature, except as Ezra Pound may have it, "News that remains news."
PS: If you're looking for the movie "There Will Be Blood," it's in he first 150 pages, but not the next 400. Caveat emptor.
First off, a single word title followed by an exclamation point definitely tells you what the book is going to be about. Oil! it is. Oil is the lubricant (sorry) for every turn of the plot, for every motivation of character, and for Mr. Sinclair's social and political critique of the corrupt workings of America's peculiar (in both meanings of the word) ruling class.
The book provides a fascinating look at how our earliest oil fields were discovered and exploited, and the story is not different than what has recently happened with the advent of fracking, and for that, see Heat & Light by Jennifer Haigh - a much better novel than Oil!. The view of oil literally and figuratively staining everything it touches is the take-away from this novel. It's much like the gold in The Treasure of the Sierra Leone, and could have just as easily been tiled "Greed," as Oil!
The characters in Oil! are high quality cardboard, but Mr. Sinclair provides a large enough cast with varying points of view to keep them somewhat interesting, and even likable, even as they become more nefarious and deluded as the story unfolds, and greater wealth is created. Even the "good guys," I must say.
The ultimate downfall of all but the most villainous is brought about by a combination of a barely disguised version of the Teapot Dome Scandal, and the wiles of spiritualism.
So, yes, Upton Sinclair rakes the muck, exposes the shallowness of society, and the depth of corruption in government and industry, so the book succeeds. It's been in print since 1927, so it also succeeds on that level, and remains somewhat pertinent - especially in light of all our recent oil wars. On the level of art it succeeds in the art of muckraking, but not necessarily of literature, except as Ezra Pound may have it, "News that remains news."
PS: If you're looking for the movie "There Will Be Blood," it's in he first 150 pages, but not the next 400. Caveat emptor.