The Poorhouse Fair

Round Two with Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom starts in July 1969. Ten years have past since "Rabbit, Run" and the 36-year-old is muddling through a ho-hum existence. His shot at the American Dream has fallen very short. The book delves into the Vietnam War, women's rights, infidelity, racism, drug experimentation and a youth culture disillusioned with the status quo. Rabbit, a product of an earlier generation, is confused and frightened by the social upheaval taking place around him. Nothing seems concrete. Like in the first book, Rabbit, his wife and the other characters are annoying and unlikeable. I felt sorry for their son, Nelson, who has to live in this disfunctional environment. But Lordy, Mr. Updike was one fantastic writer. This book wallows in the dark aspects of the human condition. If you're looking for a pick-me-up, this isn't the book for you.

I have decided to read Updike's Rabbit series back to back, having fond memories from reading Rabbit, Run when I did EngLit in university 20 years ago. Rabbit, Run is, in my opinion, a much stronger novel than Rabbit Redux. Way too much metaphysical/political babble in Redux, but hey, there's the sixties for you, eh?

The main protagonist represents the struggles of America in the late 60's. In Rabbit Run, Updikes 1st novel of this series, Rabbit is making a change in his life. In Rabbit Redux we see Rabbit coping with changes around him, some out of his control. So beautifully written with simplicity, but very confronting. Hope to read the remaining two novels in the series.

This was listed as one of the great American novels on a couple websites. It was not for me. There was very little redeeming qualities about any of the characters. I was looking for something more like East of Eden but it was not similar.

The best thing about classics is how human nature never changes, despite our constant belief that generations before us were wiser, they were just the same with less technology. Rabbit is a selfish, immature egomaniac, yet for some reason the reader wants to see him find happiness. This is a story about responsibilities, routine, and the yearning to be free- but at what cost. It's also a story about how no matter what people think, they have their own issues and can't change the course of someone's life with gossip and envy disguising deep down envy and hope.

Updike's prose is lyrical. His observational skills and ability to distill a moment, a complex idea or emotion are poetic. His story crafting is legend and well deserved. However, I hated this story. Reading it was like listening to a favorite song only to realize the lyrics are describing something repugnant. Maybe I'm burned out on the anti-hero or just tired of being sympathetic towards dirtbags who are too unclever to meet even a modicum of their responsibilities as they reinvent their lives or search for meaning. Whatever the cause, I'll run from spending yet another second with "Rabbit."

John Huston is one of the greatest directors of all time and certainly one of the top three directors of his time. I became fascinated with Mr. Huston after meeting him when I was 19 on a trip to Puerto Vallarta back in the 70's. He was courteous and friendly to a couple of young lads on one of their first big adventures. Also he had a Canadian connection to Canada and Toronto as his father was born their and retained family members in the area.
Had a very interesting youth, was a boxer in his early years and drifted around like folks seemed to do in those days. Legendary drinker and once had a very famous brawl with Errol Flynn at a big Hollywood bash. Married many time but a good father it seems.
Very entertaining book, worth the read if you are into earlier film history or just like to read about larger than life characters.

Rabbit Redux is the sequel to the novel Rabbit, Run written by John Updike, featuring as its protagonist, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom. When we left Rabbit at the conclusion of Rabbit Run, he had just suffered the loss of his infant daughter through the negligence of his estranged, alcoholic wife.

Rabbit Redux finds Angstrom ten years later, reconciled with his wife Janice, living a mundane existence with his wife and teen aged son in a dead end job. Things soon spice up, however, as Harry's wife leaves him and he falls in with two interesting characters, an eighteen year old runaway hippie chick from Connecticut named Jill, and a twenty something year old African-American Vietnam veteran and radical fugitive from the law named Skeeter. Needless to say, the combination makes for quite an explosive household, even more so given Harry's mainstream conservative political and social outlook.

The time frame of the story is 1969. The moon landing is in progress and the Vietnam War is in full swing. The Civil Rights movement is active and social unrest is ever present. Harry supports the War and the Nixon administration. He is uncomfortable around African-Americans and views them as largely leeches and lazy hangers on. The conversations between Harry and his new housemates are enlightening both to Harry and likely to the reader. Harry's poor fourteen year old son is not only a witness, but an active participant in much that goes on.

While much of the writing is entertaining and very well done, it must be noted that at times, Updike seems to fly off on wild screeds of florid, almost unintelligible prose that leave the reader simply rolling his eyes. Nevertheless, the characters contained in the story are well presented and fleshed out beautifully, even some of the more peripheral players. By and large, I enjoyed not only underlying story, but much of the give and take contained in the political discussions between Harry and his more radical new friends. I look forward to the third Rabbit installment, Rabbit is Rich.

I read this book because of the fame and notoriety the author has achieved plus the fact that this book is on collegiate reading lists. The combination of those two facts led me to believe that the book would be a worthwhile read. That was a mistaken assumption on my part. If the book itself had not been an e read I would have thrown it in the trash. Not only was it boring due to the rambling structure and writing style, the only characters of interest were the children. At least the reader could be sympathetic and concerned for them. Not only would I not recommend this book to anyone, I would not waste my time reading another Updike novel for fear of being similarly disappointed.

I read this book because of the fame and notoriety the author has achieved plus the fact that this book is on collegiate reading lists. The combination of those two facts led me to believe that the book would be a worthwhile read. That was a mistaken assumption on my part. If the book itself had not been an e read I would have thrown it in the trash. Not only was it boring due to the rambling structure and writing style, the only characters of interest were the children. At least the reader could be sympathetic and concerned for them. Not only would I not recommend this book to anyone, I would not waste my time reading another Updike novel for fear of being similarly disappointed.

John Huston was a very interesting man and lived a very interesting life. In reading this book, I. could hear John Huston speaking. It’s written in his voice. What I didn’t like was that he would venture away from the incident he was recounting into another time and place and another situation. At times it is difficult to follow, but it is worth the effort. The man certainly lived life every minute of it.

A bit long and not very inspired book. Having read an Elizabeth Taylor / Richard Burton book at the time, this John Huston book was drab in comparison, it took me weeks to get it over and done with. Has a lot of detail, interesting anecdotes, but felt contrived at times. Having later on read a book by the ghost writer of this book (William Reed), I understood what happened.

I am reading the "Rabbit" series by John Updike. I read all the books years ago; I think when I was in high school, and I don't remember them. Right now I'm on "Rabbit Is Rich". The entire series is shear brilliance. It's almost like reading poetry if I liked poetry even in the least bit. If the poem has nothing to do with Nantucket, I'm simply not interested. Nevertheless, the Rabbit books are captivating and they make me feel very small as a writer and author. And I think if those same books came out today...they wouldn't sell. Not only wouldn't they sell, but I don't think Mr. Updike could find a literary agent to represent him.

The Rabbit books are completely character-driven. There are very few moments of tense suspense and there are no crimes to be solved. There is little shock and the chase scenes don't last very long. There isn't a werewolf or wizard in any of the volumes. John Updike concentrates on the characters and there is no one who can do it better. However, people don't want that today.

When I finished writing "5ive Speed" I was asked to send the manuscript to several well known agents. I had high hopes of a large publishing house scooping it up and I'd be on my way. Mind you, "5ive Speed" was not the first book I had written; but it was the first book I truly loved and believed the public would love it as well.

The public has loved it. Read the reviews on the the store page. However, the agents felt differently. Don't get me wrong. The agents loved it, also. One agent in particular told me that if I had submitted the same exact book twenty years ago, she would have no problem selling it in a minute. But the market isn't there anymore. The market today wants thrillers, suspense, mysteries, and things they don't have to pay attention to for more than three minutes at a time. Welcome to the MTV world. Even in the humor books, they need to have a background of intrigue and plot. There is no market for completely character driven books like the Donald Roth Series of "5ive Speed" and its sequel "Making God Laugh".

I don't believe the agents, so I went through the store Kindle's self-publishing and I have proved them wrong. Readers love the characters of Donald Roth and his gang. The readers are the reason why I had to put aside what I was writing and write the sequel to "5ive Speed". It was literally by popular demand. There is no mystery in the Donald Roth series. No crime scene investigations. And not one single character has translucent skin (although Emily is a bit pale).

The books are filled with dialog and interaction and funny situations. The reader will never know the pattern of the wallpaper on anyone's kitchen walls. I believe the reader has an imagination. Let them decide how they want to decorate the novel.

I believe novels like those written by John Updike still have an incredible audience. It is to those people for whom I write. I thought about writing what the agents want, and then I didn't want to write. You don't need anything to blow up to captivate an audience. You need characters who you want to hang around with. That niche is not dead. It's just been sleeping for a while.

I feel cheated. This Kindle edition of Rabbit, Run has been produced without the Author's afterword which is essential understanding the book. It is a very bad omission, I assume on the part of the Publisher-Random House , especially as the edition gives no clue as to whether ANY of the Author's revisions have been taken up. If you want to read the novel in e-book form- find a an edition that is complete with what the author's final intentions were.

The style must have seemed fresh when written. While elegant and somewhat powerful at times, it now seems to echo many styles and plot lines that came after. It feels dated, which a good book should not. I couldn't relate to tolerate the male angst after a while and I certainly found the women characters thinly drawn and somewhat distasteful.

Overall, worth the read...i found myself more concrete in my initial feelings of the characters whereas the first had me flip flopping which i usually will credit to a more dynamic story. Perhaps the next will change my opinion, but currently I'm finding it hard to sympathise with ol' Rabbit.

I thought this was supposed to be a great American novel by a great American author, but the writing was awful, something resembling a plot was nonexistent and the tenor of the book was just depressing.

Of course John Updike is a sacred literary icon so who am I to say anything about his work, eh? But I do have two comments. First, his descriptions of people, places and things are all small poems. The lyrical detail is incredible. Second, who gives a s*** about Rabbit?