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A review by ruthiella
Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe
3.0
I read Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities about 25 years ago and thought it was brilliant. But I believe I have changed as a reader since then and Wolfe, who is primarily a satirist I think, had moved on from pillorying NYC 1980s society excesses to pillorying early 21st century Miami multi-cultural society’s excesses in Back to Blood. I don’t know if the weaknesses that I detected in Back to Blood are also to be found in Bonfire of the Vanities or if they were the result of a best-selling author whose output his publisher is reluctant to edit.
I did like it, however. Tom Wolfe does know where our weakness are and he gleefully exploits them and takes no prisoners: Russians, Cubans, Haitians and of course, his favorite target, WASPs. I laughed a few times and admired his writing often: “seated in the luxurious oxblood-leather-and mahogany maw of this mammoth swivel chair”. But I did find much of the writing to be repetitive, not just in words (if I ever hear “mons pubis” and “mons veneris” again in a work of fiction, it will be too soon and he uses “hypnopompic" at least TWICE…really? Who uses these words who is not a medical professional?) but also in descriptions of characters and situations. And speaking of descriptions, his depictions of female anatomy and the male gaze came off as icky most of the time.
I listened to about three quarters of the book on audio and I think it really improved the experience. The book was narrated by Lou Diamond Phillips and he did a fantastic job. I read this book because a work colleague loaned it to me three…possibly as many as three years ago! My friends IRL, do not loan me books (or DVDs for that matter) if you ever expect to get them back.
I did like it, however. Tom Wolfe does know where our weakness are and he gleefully exploits them and takes no prisoners: Russians, Cubans, Haitians and of course, his favorite target, WASPs. I laughed a few times and admired his writing often: “seated in the luxurious oxblood-leather-and mahogany maw of this mammoth swivel chair”. But I did find much of the writing to be repetitive, not just in words (if I ever hear “mons pubis” and “mons veneris” again in a work of fiction, it will be too soon and he uses “hypnopompic" at least TWICE…really? Who uses these words who is not a medical professional?) but also in descriptions of characters and situations. And speaking of descriptions, his depictions of female anatomy and the male gaze came off as icky most of the time.
I listened to about three quarters of the book on audio and I think it really improved the experience. The book was narrated by Lou Diamond Phillips and he did a fantastic job. I read this book because a work colleague loaned it to me three…possibly as many as three years ago! My friends IRL, do not loan me books (or DVDs for that matter) if you ever expect to get them back.