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nerissassippi's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is a beautiful and poetic description of New Orleans in the early '60s. The protagonists aren't likable, but they are realistic as depressed young adults trying to find their place in a society that is shifting away from the traditional Southern roles that they grew up with.
deegee24's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good novel, but I don't think it deserves its reputation as a modern classic. If you take away the mildly existentialist musings of the narrator, what you have is pretty ordinary and shallow--another novel about a white male bachelor going through a mid-life crisis. It's like a Southern version of Updike. Percy's prose style is distinctive and the major characters are well-drawn, but the minor characters are two-dimensional (the black characters especially are treated with racist condescension). The theme of moviegoing was intriguing, but Percy drops it midway through this short book, so it doesn't resonate as strongly as it should. The descriptions of suburban New Orleans were convincing, but again, they don't cut very deep.
annepw's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely brilliant. The Moviegoer is a masterpiece, and a tragically little known one at that. Thoughtful, thoughtless Binx filters his world into something faintly ironic but beautiful, and a story in which surprisingly little actually occurs becomes as rich and vital as any sprawling historical epic. There is a good deal brewing under the surface here. Highly, highly recommended.
thelucyfan's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve decided I’m just over rich white boys moaning about malaise. No matter how good the writing is.
pattiillbee11's review against another edition
Could not get thru this one. I may try again another time.
rleibrock's review against another edition
2.0
Recommended to me by a boy musician. Which kind of says it all. Interesting but a lot of times very precocious and precious.
jmg1701's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is by and for philosophers who want to read a philosophical text that has a plot. It’s not the typical 3-part story (exposition, climax, conclusion) but instead delves into the conflicts of wanting to discover what it is to really live and the life expected of the main character.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death and Racial slurs
tensy's review against another edition
2.0
Some books do not age well. This is one of them. Written in 1961, this is the story of a 30 year-old misogynistic, bigoted, wealthy Southern "Gentleman." I have no idea how this book won the National Book Award against competition like Heller's Catch-22 or Salinger's "Franny and Zoe" both of which have withstood the test of time as classics. The author, probably modeled himself into the main character Binx Bolling, comes out of obscurity and writes this novel and then never writes anything memorable thereafter. Frankly, I read this for my book club and could find no redeeming value to this young man's quest for authentic experiences and his existential angst. (It seems to me that those who are on the bottom of the economic ladder have little time to spend ruminating on the nature of their experiences when they have to labor to get food on the table.) Binx is basically a privileged guy who spends lots of time meandering into movie theaters (the only relation to the title) and describing his relationship with his family and various secretaries, who he treats like Barbie dolls. There is no plot and no great denouement to his quest at the end of the novel. The writing was not terrible and Percy does capture Southern life, especially in New Orleans, with an acute eye for detail and humor. I found his Aunt Emily to be the most authentic character and her soliloquy on what it means to be Southern is quite relevant in the land of Trump today:
Our kind of folks have always possessed a native instinct for behavior, a natural piety or grace. I don't mind calling it...The charge is that people belonging to my class think that they are better than other people. You're damn right we're better. We're better because we do not shirk our obligations either to ourselves or to others. We do not whine. We do not price mediocrity for mediocrity's sake...Our is the only civilization in history which has enshrined mediocrity as its natural ideal...Our national character stinks to high heaven."
Our kind of folks have always possessed a native instinct for behavior, a natural piety or grace. I don't mind calling it...The charge is that people belonging to my class think that they are better than other people. You're damn right we're better. We're better because we do not shirk our obligations either to ourselves or to others. We do not whine. We do not price mediocrity for mediocrity's sake...Our is the only civilization in history which has enshrined mediocrity as its natural ideal...Our national character stinks to high heaven."
nogurt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Of all the boring books about sad men, this is my favorite.
ajreader's review against another edition
3.0
Read my full thoughts on this book and hundreds more over at Read.Write.Repeat.
A rambling journey for both the protagonist and the reader, but one that is not dissatisfying.
A rambling journey for both the protagonist and the reader, but one that is not dissatisfying.