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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
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?
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
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.
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.
I am not fond of this book. If you have read and like Gulliver's Travels, then you might have a different opinion. But, this book reads in a similar format. A man has an itch to travel and leaves his family for adventure. Where he finds a world which does not exist with unique culture and experiences. The main character is put through his paces to adapt to the conditions and find his way back home ... just interchange character names, countries, time frame, etc....
This is a strange book. I have met people that ramble from one topic to the next and it is difficult to keep them on point for the topic. But another book that I am reminded of is Eat, Pray, Love. The main character has so many advantages. But the main character is self absorbed individual just seems to flounder in a non stop pity party. When he makes it to Africa, he again gets all wrapped up in himself and wants to travel alone.
As I said, not a book I would recommend or want to read again.
This is a strange book. I have met people that ramble from one topic to the next and it is difficult to keep them on point for the topic. But another book that I am reminded of is Eat, Pray, Love. The main character has so many advantages. But the main character is self absorbed individual just seems to flounder in a non stop pity party. When he makes it to Africa, he again gets all wrapped up in himself and wants to travel alone.
As I said, not a book I would recommend or want to read again.
I'm not sure how much ridicule I'd get from academics for asserting this, it's probably an uncountable amount, but this book read like an epic mixed with an existential crisis. I was sure about halfway through that if Anton Chekhov and Homer sat down together and wrote a book it would be this one. And if Anton Chekhov and Homer eve wrote a book together you can bet it would be damn good.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is my first experience with Bellow, and I was searching for the metaphorical, allegorical or symbolic meaning in this novel. The firs few chapters are the strongest - Henderson is introduced as a complex, flawed, hilariously huge and strong drunkard. He is controlled by the life forces that beat and surge within him. He has a mysterious connection with the animal kingdom which becomes clearer as the novel progresses.
When he arrives in Africa as the third wheel on his friend's honeymoon, the narrative connection to reality becomes tenuous. Bellow seems to acknowledge this shift in passages wherein Henderson struggles with his own ideas of reality and unreality. There are scenes both psychologically acute and physically ridiculous. Henderson is aware of his own brutishness, his unstoppable urges, his deep-down affection for his fellow man. Henderson is looking for and finds personal redemption: unfortunately, Bellow seems to say that this redemption is only available to those wealthy folks who have the time to go off the grid.
When he arrives in Africa as the third wheel on his friend's honeymoon, the narrative connection to reality becomes tenuous. Bellow seems to acknowledge this shift in passages wherein Henderson struggles with his own ideas of reality and unreality. There are scenes both psychologically acute and physically ridiculous. Henderson is aware of his own brutishness, his unstoppable urges, his deep-down affection for his fellow man. Henderson is looking for and finds personal redemption: unfortunately, Bellow seems to say that this redemption is only available to those wealthy folks who have the time to go off the grid.
I can see why Bellow released a statement about not looking for symbolism in every book published right before he published this book. The combination of humor and philosophy would have worked the literary critics of his day if they tried to find symbolism in this book. Or maybe Bellow meant for them to. I guess, according to W, no one can decide if it’s his worst book or his best book. I personally, liked it. I couldn’t get into the other Bellow book I tried to read – “Herzog.” I did enjoy this one. The character of Henderson made me both laugh and cringe, but I could still relate to him. Everyone has to go through that spell in life where they need to find a meaning. I found it in Christ, but I can see how a man who doesn’t have that could be pushed to travel all the way to Africa in the hopes of finding someone who can tell him the meaning of life. I felt sorry for Dahfu, but I do love Africa and lions and most animals from that general region except for hyenas. (Blame that on Buffy). Both Dahfu and Henderson were such different creatures from each other that I loved seeing how they interacted. And I enjoyed how they weren’t a great many different characters. Normally, I feel like a book lacks depth, but this worked. It showed how deeply Henderson connected with Dahfu and it showed how alone he felt in the rest of the world. Maybe after this pleasant (although drawn out read) I can tackle “Herzog” again.