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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Excellent conclusion to the Harry Angstrom “saga”. Really enjoyed where the story led and how it tied up the series. Oh, Nelson!
And so we come to the end of Rabbit's cluster-**** of a life. I really enjoyed the series. I still don't exactly know what it is that Updike was able to do that captured my attention to the troubled characters of the world he crafts. This one is more mundane that Rabbit is Rich but not less interesting. It's a good wrap-up to the series. Unlike most trilogies, or in this case a tetralogy, the books get better as the series goes on.
Not my favorite of the Rabbit series, but I still enjoyed this book most of the time. It took me awhile to get through. I think part of the problem was that I found it harder to relate to Rabbit at this stage of his life than at the earlier stages. Perhaps I would enjoy returning to this book later on. I also found this book to be much less of a page turner, with a slower plot, perhaps this was intentional to echo the slowing of Rabbit as he ages and his health unravels.
While I found it interesting that the earlier books led me to root for a protagonist who was not always "good," I found myself no longer sympathizing with Rabbit in this installment (even though one could argue that his "crimes" are less severe this time around). Perhaps his shortcomings, which gave him that ordinary, human quality before, start to become old as he is supposed to be getting older and wiser but in fact becomes increasingly apathetic. That being said, I didn't sympathize with his son, Nelson (who he is pitted against throughout much of the book), either.
I did continue to enjoy that the book was set in Pennsylvania (for at least part of it) and thought that both the geographical and historical references enhanced the story. I very much enjoyed many of the parallels between the end of this book and the beginning of the four-book series. Updike's writing style was still engaging, and it was neat to see what happened to all of the characters and to picture the author aging along with his famed protagonist. That being said, I can't say the ending was entirely satisfying to me. I guess this meshes with Updike's realistic and sometimes dark style, though. All in all, I would recommend this series to others, especially the first book. I enjoyed the first book most, followed by the third, then this fourth book, then the second. I do think that something would be missing if a reader took on one of the later books without getting to know Rabbit in his earlier days. The multiple glimpses into integral points in this "ordinary" lifespan are key to this story.
I'm looking forward to reading some of Updike's other works as I do enjoy his overall style.
While I found it interesting that the earlier books led me to root for a protagonist who was not always "good," I found myself no longer sympathizing with Rabbit in this installment (even though one could argue that his "crimes" are less severe this time around). Perhaps his shortcomings, which gave him that ordinary, human quality before, start to become old as he is supposed to be getting older and wiser but in fact becomes increasingly apathetic. That being said, I didn't sympathize with his son, Nelson (who he is pitted against throughout much of the book), either.
I did continue to enjoy that the book was set in Pennsylvania (for at least part of it) and thought that both the geographical and historical references enhanced the story. I very much enjoyed many of the parallels between the end of this book and the beginning of the four-book series. Updike's writing style was still engaging, and it was neat to see what happened to all of the characters and to picture the author aging along with his famed protagonist. That being said, I can't say the ending was entirely satisfying to me. I guess this meshes with Updike's realistic and sometimes dark style, though. All in all, I would recommend this series to others, especially the first book. I enjoyed the first book most, followed by the third, then this fourth book, then the second. I do think that something would be missing if a reader took on one of the later books without getting to know Rabbit in his earlier days. The multiple glimpses into integral points in this "ordinary" lifespan are key to this story.
I'm looking forward to reading some of Updike's other works as I do enjoy his overall style.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've been putting off finishing this series for months. I knew it would be hard, but dammit, this was a knockout.
There is a section on golf that is some of the best writing I have ever read. It's a third of a page or so but it's masterful. By the last three pages of this book, I have to admit, I was blubbering. What a journey. What a thing of beauty.
There is a section on golf that is some of the best writing I have ever read. It's a third of a page or so but it's masterful. By the last three pages of this book, I have to admit, I was blubbering. What a journey. What a thing of beauty.
The formal conclusion of Updike's Rabbit Angstrom series, though I believe he resurrected his case of characters for a small sequel in later years. These are great novels and showcase both the high highs and low lows of Updike's prose - two of the volumes even won the Pulitzer Prize, for whatever that's worth. There are great stretches of prose throughout this series that deserved to be carved into the roof of the pantheon of American literature. Updike truly writes for people who love to read and I'd recommend this series to anyone who fits that description.
This series is as comprehensive a view of American life in the second half of the 20th century as you are likely to find anywhere in fiction. I loved them all and was so sorry to see the series end.
When my book club read Rabbit, Run back in 2009, everyone except for me absolutely hated it. They hated the character, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, and they hated how crude he was, how racist, how sexist, how irresponsible. I, on the other hand, appreciated Updike's wordsmithing, and I enjoyed how believably lost and bewildered Rabbit is. I didn't know if I thought he was pathetic or marvelous, but did it matter? It was beautifully written.
I have since made my way through the other books in Updike's "Rabbit" tetralogy, and I'm so glad I did. In this one, the last but for a short story, Rabbit is 50's, retired and fat in Florida. He is the same, but interesting things are going on with his family - his son is a drug addict and his wife is finally getting it together and doing something of her own after all these years of shadowing Rabbit.
I loved this novel; I loved how "American" everyone is. A quote:
"[A] fearsome bulk with eyes that see and hands that grab and teeth that bite, a body eating enough at one meal to feed three Ethiopians for a day, a shameless consumer of gasoline, electricity, newspapers, hydrocarbons, carbohydrates. A boss, in a shiny suit. His recent heart troubles have become, like his painfully and expensively crowned back teeth, part of his respectability's full-blown equipage."
Honestly, I think this one is, by far, the best in the series, and I was a bit sad to see it end. But, as Updike says, "Enough."
I have since made my way through the other books in Updike's "Rabbit" tetralogy, and I'm so glad I did. In this one, the last but for a short story, Rabbit is 50's, retired and fat in Florida. He is the same, but interesting things are going on with his family - his son is a drug addict and his wife is finally getting it together and doing something of her own after all these years of shadowing Rabbit.
I loved this novel; I loved how "American" everyone is. A quote:
"[A] fearsome bulk with eyes that see and hands that grab and teeth that bite, a body eating enough at one meal to feed three Ethiopians for a day, a shameless consumer of gasoline, electricity, newspapers, hydrocarbons, carbohydrates. A boss, in a shiny suit. His recent heart troubles have become, like his painfully and expensively crowned back teeth, part of his respectability's full-blown equipage."
Honestly, I think this one is, by far, the best in the series, and I was a bit sad to see it end. But, as Updike says, "Enough."
Kind of a let-down. The dude dies when he's 56? He keeps talking about how old he is, as if being over 55 means your life is over. I felt this was the weakest of the Rabbit series. Things just don't resolve. I guess that's the point. It's supposed to mirror real-life. I was a little bit bothered about how codependent his wife was toward their son Nelson, who bilked the family auto business out of thousands of dollars to feed a cocaine addiction. Then, after a few months in rehab, he's fine? Is that how addiction works? You just give it up and quit and everything's rosy? What bothered me most was Harry's complacency towards Janice's codependence. He argues a bit, but then just gives in. I felt Harry was an accurate portrayal of someone who never really deals with his issues. He just accepts them and tries to make the best of his life in the present with the least amount of resistance.
I got tired of Rabbit and his family and their angst. By the time I finished it, I was glad to be rid of them. Still, Updike can "turn a phrase" and I do enjoy that.