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ericfheiman's review against another edition
4.0
"I don't think the struggles of desire can ever be won. Ages of longing and willing, willing and longing, and how have they ended? In a draw, dust and dust."
Until the last three chapters, I was worried this would be the first so-so Bellow book I'd read. Not to worry. The long trek through the African bush with our boisterous protagonist is totally worth it. (And you're under no pressure to lift a large stone sculpture.) Bellow strikes a nice balance between humor and pathos, concluding the book with a few set pieces that are riveting, funny, ecstatic and sad. It's as if the last part of the book freed him to write the masterpieces that came soon after.
"If I don't get carried away, I don't accomplish anything." Amen, Henderson.
Until the last three chapters, I was worried this would be the first so-so Bellow book I'd read. Not to worry. The long trek through the African bush with our boisterous protagonist is totally worth it. (And you're under no pressure to lift a large stone sculpture.) Bellow strikes a nice balance between humor and pathos, concluding the book with a few set pieces that are riveting, funny, ecstatic and sad. It's as if the last part of the book freed him to write the masterpieces that came soon after.
"If I don't get carried away, I don't accomplish anything." Amen, Henderson.
lizzina's review against another edition
3.0
Although I can't tell this is a bad book, at the same time I can't say it satisfied me completely. Maybe one point is the main character is so unpleasant that even in the best of itself, the book seemed to me lacking something. I did not expect there was some humour as well. I liked the descriptions made about Africa and anyway enjoyed some of the adventures, but to be true I wouldn't know who to recommend this book to...
ajreader's review against another edition
3.0
Read my full thoughts on this book and hundreds more over at Read.Write.Repeat.
The book is a nice diversion from some of the more morose books on the list. This one, despite its serious content at times, still had an element of Henderson's care-free nature infused into the prose. Just as with Henderson, the depth and searching lurks beneath the surface and is there if you dig deep enough.
The book is a nice diversion from some of the more morose books on the list. This one, despite its serious content at times, still had an element of Henderson's care-free nature infused into the prose. Just as with Henderson, the depth and searching lurks beneath the surface and is there if you dig deep enough.
thejdizzler's review against another edition
3.0
I understand the Counting Crows Song now.
It's about an existential and bipolar Donald Trump fucking off to Africa.
It's about an existential and bipolar Donald Trump fucking off to Africa.
normt's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
chichi27's review against another edition
1.0
In a way, this was the perfect book to read after Nelson Mandela's autobiography. It's one of the most ridiculous cases of 'othering' Africa I've come across. A rich old man goes to Africa to find himself, only to get tangled up in one huge, extended metaphor with a lion. And while I didn't care for the majority of the book, the last ten pages push it over the top, where he brings a lion cub home with him on a plane, and decides to take in a Persian orphan. What the hell, Saul Bellow? Can we posthumously stip him of his Nobel Prize?
eemanbeck's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kristidurbs's review against another edition
3.0
An imaginative, and often bizarre, story of a man's journey to tribal Africa in search of something he can't even name, a yearning that expresses itself in a relentless inner voice crying, "I want, I want!" Henderson the Rain King ends up as a crazy adventure of mishaps and unforeseen circumstances that ultimately compel Henderson to dig to the depths of his soul.
ileniazodiaco's review against another edition
Abbandonato, non fa per me.
Stile formidabile. Storia datata su un ricco pazzo, un ereditiere violento e donnaiolo, che decide di combattere i suoi demoni partendo per un viaggio spirituale in Africa.
Il protagonista è spregevole e misogino, purtroppo però non ha altre qualità.
Roth con personaggi anche più meschini ci ha scritto dei romanzi grandiosi.
Henderson è un piangina noioso con i soliti first world problem a cui tutti inspiegabilmente cadono ai piedi.
Stile formidabile. Storia datata su un ricco pazzo, un ereditiere violento e donnaiolo, che decide di combattere i suoi demoni partendo per un viaggio spirituale in Africa.
Il protagonista è spregevole e misogino, purtroppo però non ha altre qualità.
Roth con personaggi anche più meschini ci ha scritto dei romanzi grandiosi.
Henderson è un piangina noioso con i soliti first world problem a cui tutti inspiegabilmente cadono ai piedi.
disastrouspenguin's review against another edition
3.0
I... don't know what to think about this book.
Henderson is a wealthy, older, white, military veteran who finds himself unhappy and wanting. He doesn't know what he wants, so he hops a plane to Africa in hope that he'll find answers there.
It becomes apparent as he blunders forward that Henderson isn't the most reliable narrator and his greatest sympathies lie with himself.
I'll probably be thinking/wondering about this book and protagonist for a while, which is something.
Henderson is a wealthy, older, white, military veteran who finds himself unhappy and wanting. He doesn't know what he wants, so he hops a plane to Africa in hope that he'll find answers there.
It becomes apparent as he blunders forward that Henderson isn't the most reliable narrator and his greatest sympathies lie with himself.
I'll probably be thinking/wondering about this book and protagonist for a while, which is something.