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savaging's review against another edition
5.0
After you read the Executioner's Song, don't expect to believe the next few novels you read. You'll be saying Yeah right that's not real dialogue.
Joan Didion's review of the book:
http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/05/04/reviews/mailer-song.html
Joan Didion's review of the book:
http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/05/04/reviews/mailer-song.html
novabird's review
4.0
This behemoth was condensed out of 18,000 pages. At times, it felt that long, yet Mailer somehow enticed the reader to continue reading. Despite a cast of a hundred characters, I found I was more interested in Nicole’s story than that of Gary’s and that is what kept me going to the end. Gary who was above average intellectually was not diabolically evil, regardless he was the more difficult one to have sympathy for.
Nicole, who at times appeared somewhat dim, seemed more morally reprehensible for her indifferent treatment of her children and still I felt more concern for her. I admire Nicole’s courage to allow such an unflattering portrait to be painted of her.
However I also did learn a lot about the American judicial system. Was it worth the time I invested? Sort of. Although, I commend Norman Mailer’s attempt at ‘true fiction.’ I think it best reveals how we impacts each other’s person’s decisions in a myriad of ways and in giving us a kaleidoscope of people interacting we pick up on the idea of the importance of community. A straight up 4
Nicole, who at times appeared somewhat dim, seemed more morally reprehensible for her indifferent treatment of her children and still I felt more concern for her. I admire Nicole’s courage to allow such an unflattering portrait to be painted of her.
However I also did learn a lot about the American judicial system. Was it worth the time I invested? Sort of. Although, I commend Norman Mailer’s attempt at ‘true fiction.’ I think it best reveals how we impacts each other’s person’s decisions in a myriad of ways and in giving us a kaleidoscope of people interacting we pick up on the idea of the importance of community.
Spoiler
This is Gary Mark Gilmore’s tragedy is that he had never experienced love or a free community until he met Nicole.schwelo's review
I lost interest. It’s very long and ultimately I felt I didn’t want to put that much energy into the story of a murder, no matter how well it was written.
roseleaf24's review
4.0
I did it! While this book is over 1000 pages long, and thus an accomplishment in itself, this book is also the last one in the reading challenge that was going around at the beginning if 2015: a book written the year I was born. Woo hoo!
But apart from my own accomplishment, this book is very worthy of the respect and notice it has received. Long, but not difficult. I'm not convinced that all of the pages about the journalists were necessary, but otherwise, it was engaging. It also raised some fascinating issues. Not just the death penalty, but also Mormonism and the theological ramifications of it, right to die and death with dignity language and arguments, promiscuity and divorce, and our penal system and its ability to reform. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
But apart from my own accomplishment, this book is very worthy of the respect and notice it has received. Long, but not difficult. I'm not convinced that all of the pages about the journalists were necessary, but otherwise, it was engaging. It also raised some fascinating issues. Not just the death penalty, but also Mormonism and the theological ramifications of it, right to die and death with dignity language and arguments, promiscuity and divorce, and our penal system and its ability to reform. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
meklepfer's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
3.0
The story was interesting, but it was too long with too much fluff. I didn't care about all the secondary characters and almost stopped reading several times because it felt like work to get through those chapters.
solstraalen's review
Stopped reading after the arrest. Got what I needed from Gary and his clique, at least for the time being
brdwilliams's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
2.0
This was a slog. It has been on my list to read since law school and while I can see how it may have once had impact in conversations about the death penalty, the language is absolutely galling with 2024 eyes, and I couldn't help but think about how much investigative journalism could have been done about systemic and racial injustice with the untold funds Mailer and all if the other journalists has to cover this sensational case. I would like to think that if this book came out today it would have been EDITED HEAVILY, wouldn't have even been in contention for a Pulitzer, and would have given far more time to the voices of Gilmore's victims and the systemic injustice inherent in the death penalty instead of turning Gilmore into a celebrity martyr. Honestly, I hated this book and it reaffirmed my feelings about "the canon" and how we need to stop elevating and excusing problematic books as "products of their time" and instead publishing/assigning/funding/celebrating newer books on mass incarceration, the death penalty, wrongful conviction and the like rather than continuing to make legends out of white male murders and their white male documentarians!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Fatphobia, Murder, Sexual violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexism