A Man in Full: A Novel

Talk about a letdown. A major disappointment. Characters are larger than life yet so flawed that one winds up not liking any of them with the possible exception of Atlanta's mayor and the kid from Oakland. It's not even worth remembering their names. The storyline starts out well enough, but the last third of the book read like the author got to a point in the plot that he realized he did'nt possess a clue as to how to end it sensibly. The "new age" awareness that our boy Croker falls into seemed to be a total cop-out. I got the feeling Wolfe wrote all but the last 100 pages and then decided "I've got one hour to finish this thing". Way too much description of what people were wearing, the food they ate, and on and on. This kind of book leaves we wondering if others who raved about this were reading the same piece of literature I suffered through. Better luck next time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. How refreshing to read something that has an actual plot, interesting, fully-developed characters, and a well-developed setting. I especially enjoyed learning about The Stoics, and Epictetus in particular. The ending? Some reviewers on the store have complained that it's not entirely believable. Imagine a hard-nosed businessman like Charlie Croker giving up everything he has at the behest of a 23-year-old kid and a book on The Stoics! But why not? My willing suspension of disbelief was not entirely strained. This is a well-written, interesting novel. Receommended.

While I liked this book, do you realize that the prison system in Texas will not allow their inmates to read it? In their words, "This writing would be interpreted by any reasonable person as being written for the sole purpose of communicating the intentionof starting riots and racially divided fights". This should keep it at the top of the list of Best Sellers forever!!

The novel "A Man in Full" by Tom Wolfe describes the society of modern Atlanta with its problems between black and white, rich and poor.
The main character of the story, Charlie Croker, is a successful real estate developer however he is deep in debt. To get out of this unpleasant situation, he searches for a solution that would allow him to keep his good position in society. As a former Football star he is asked to speak for a black Football player who is accused of having raped the daughter of Charlie`s friend. This way, Charlie could loose his debts.
With the use of motifs and interesting language the author describes the problems of corruption in politics.
After a surgery Charlie is introduced to the Stoics philosophy. This event changes his attitude towards money and belongings completely and he gives his possession to the bank. Surprisingly he leaves Atlanta and becomes a successful TV- preacher whereas the city is left in trouble.
Tom Wolfe used motifs of sexuality, relationship and the role of politics to show character roots and plot development. This helped to make the sometimes complicated story line easy to understand. However one has to invest time to read this piece of literature!
The author used beautiful language and interesting characters to make the story enjoyable. All in all the novel satisfied me in reading, altough the ending is a bit too short in comparison to the rest of the novel.
I recommend this novel to those readers who are interested in politics,like to follow the development of different characters and have enough time to read.

Tom Wolfe is an amazing writer and this book features some amazingly well written scenes. The book has a great underlying message that anyone can relate to, but features a boring surface story.

The book is about four characters who all go through similar tests of character where they must make a decision to find out who they really are. The most relatable character is Charlie Croker, a white real estate developer in Atlanta who owes over half a billion dollars to one bank and over a quarter billion to other banks. He is approached by a black lawyer, Roger White, to speak at a press conference on behalf of the star of Georgia Tech football, a black running back from the ghettos of Atlanta. The running back has been accused of raping one of the richest and oldest white Atlanta establishment family's daughter. The lawyer, White, promises that if Charlie speaks on behalf of the running back, the mayors office can stop the banks from foreclosing on him. If Charlie looses everything to the banks he looses all credibility and friends since all that matters in the upper echelons of Atlanta is money and power. The problem is that Charlie is friends with the daughters' family and promised the father his allegiance. So no matter what he does, if he speaks or doesn't on behalf of the running back, he loses everything he has worked so hard to keep.

The point of the book is that humans are all animals and the only thing separating us from them is our character. It does not matter what anyone else thinks of you, or the money you have, all that matters is your own character. If you stick to who you are and don't compromise to suit others you will be a man in full.

I don't feel the need to wax philosophical and describe the book in detail like so many others have here (and did very well, I might add). I just felt as though the book was building, building, building, for 700+ pages, to something I was sure was going to be huge. Then, it was! BAM. Unbelievable. Not a waste of time, and most will probably feel "stunned."

It's not easy to see ourselves as others see us. Yet, Wolfe's book gives the reader a vivid description of the older, previously successful businessman "Croker", who, as a former athlete, always had his way. He is envied, belittled, admired, hated, scorned and revered as more than a man. The accompanying characters of the lithe 2nd wife, the broad shouldered 1st wife, the upwardly mobile black lawyer, the schrewd Atlanta mayor and the hardworking naive laborer all see "Croker" and themselves in different ways. As a orthopedic surgeon, who has hunted quail on horseback, I was amazed at the richness of Wolfe's description of the knee replacement and the quail hunt. With so little time to read, I didn't want to waste my time with another fluff book. Like it or not, this book is the real stuff. It represents an epicurean five course meal and sometimes....just for fun...it beats the heck out of fast food.

This is truly a NOVEL- skillfully written. Quite a few medical/anatomical allusions. Did T.W. have a year of medical school perhaps!? It is quite vulgar (earthy) and profane at times, even iconoclastic and cynical - but, hey, this is a novel, man- don't sweat it. The ending is "weak" but maybe that is part of the "strength" of this work as a great novel. Come on, Tom, write some more!

Tom Wolfe's latest novel is a gripping portrayal of life in American life in the 1990's. Characters span the entire strata of American society. They allow us enlightening glimpses into worlds some of us may never otherwise see. Descriptions of characters and thier psyches are often cruel at the same time they are warm. This makes for an extremely powerful work that will completely pull you in and modify many of your current perceptions of the world if you let it.
Furthermore, Wolfe's signature "wordiness" makes for a refreshing departure from the majority of contemporary American fiction which often aims to create a feeling of extremely fastpaced action by through minamalisms more appropriate for a 30 second TV advertisement than for a true work of literature.
All said, A Man in Full is a masterpiece up there with those of Dickens and Twain.

A Man in Full starts off with tremendous promise. Wolfe again weaves the same rich tapestry of characters, who intersect in and out of one another's lives, much as he did in Bonfire. I was really looking forward to a delicious climax. But less than half way through the book, we get lost. Instead, the players who seemed to offer the possibility of such rich texture muddle about as charicatures of themselves, or of players we've seen before in Bonfire or in other moral panderings. Even the names of the characters are there to beat you over the head with Wolfe's point: the sniveling sycophant named Peepgas (honest, I'm not making this up), or the successful black lawyer, Roger White, who is challenged by his "blacker than thou" friend, the Mayor of Atlanta. Ultimately, the ending is beyond disappointment. My advice: read the first 1/2, then put it down and imagine your own ending. You'll be much happier than if you suffer through the last 300-400 pages.

Not only has Tom Wolfe penned a very entertaining story that is extremely difficult to put down once you start reading, but he has also provided an avenue to voice his concern that people need to not get so caught up with the trappings of society and focus instead on the simple things that really feed your soul. This book was fabulous -- I anxiously await his next book.

Though this book contains many excellent passages which are a pleasure to read, it wanders off course, contains filler and ultimately has an unbelievable plot structure. It does not meet the expectations raised by BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES. Once they hype has died down and the word gets out from people who have read the novel, it should drop from the best seller lists.

Wolfe draws the reader into the story with his
attention to detail, a vivid use of repetitive
phrases and a dramatic flair for larger than life
characters.
The work reads like non-fiction. It is very
plausable. You are taken to Turpntine, the 29,000
acre quail farm of protagonist Charlie Coker, an
aging real estate developer with a debt load
even larger than his taste for big buildings,
expensive jet planes and a uniquely southern
plantation. Coker is the Archie Bunker of Atlanta
in the 90's. Wolfe weaves race relations, the
plight of one of the "little people" he employs,
lenders once falling over themselves to make
Charlie his next loan who now treat him as a
deadbeat and a host of other issues into a
delightful, realistic and dramatic literary
success.

I've been waiting ten years for another Tom Wolfe novel. Bonfire Of The Vanities was my favorite book of the '80s. I loved everything about it. So after ten years of waiting my expectations were pretty high. Unfortunately, I was disapointed. The story was long and tedious. Characters were just as ridiculous as in Bonfire but not nearly as juicy. It just didn't work this time. Nevertheless, I kept reading, sure that Wolfe was going to tie everything together in one brilliant ending that would make the whole effort worthwhile. I never would have expected the ending to be the worst part of the whole book. Oh well. Wolfe is still a good enough writer to keep me entertained, so I guess all was not lost.

I don't feel the need to wax philosophical and describe the book in detail like so many others have here (and did very well, I might add). I just felt as though the book was building, building, building, for 700+ pages, to something I was sure was going to be huge. Then, it was! BAM. Unbelievable. Not a waste of time, and most will probably feel "stunned."

Tom Wolfe had always been on a pedastal for me--I read in awe of his way of writing. "A Man In Full," however, really changed that. Wolfe still has a magic with words and can be a quality writer, but...it is darker than anything else I've read by him, especially "Bonfire of the Vanities." It also took a long time to get interested in the story. So, as a warning to others, there are graphic Wolfe-isms of horses mating with a little help from their handlers, and jailhouse sex, body fluids, and violence. For me, the story itself could not withstand that, so I stopped reading about 2/3 through--it just wasn't that good.

The first 650-700 pages of this book were wonderful, 4.5 stars. However, it seems as though Wolfe just got tired of the whole thing and wrote the last two or three chapters in one sitting, just in time for the Christmas season. As another reviewer commented, another 200 pages of thoughtful character and plot development would have made this an outstanding work.

This is a good book, really, but I expected something better. It's just entertainment, a good one, but it does not represent literature as an art, nether represents the 90s. The characters are not deep enough. Yes, the plot is complex and some passages are very funny and it's a page turner, but it does not justify all the "frenesi" created around it.

This reading experience is the literary equivalent of an epiphany. When you delve into this classic, you are indulging in the best book of the '90s. I thought the ending was incredible, and the final 100 pages are among the best in the entirety of fiction. If you liked Bonfire of the Vanities, you will absolutely love this one. Long Live Charlie Croker!

This farce is a real corker! Charlie Croker exists is every city in the USA! Wolfe again captures the male ego. This flight of fancy is the bomb. If you take out the unbelievably horrible ending to the book and replace it with another, it becomes this century's epic. Let us just hope that the now 68 year old Wolfe is not too old to produce another novel.

Tom Wolfe has again taken a sumptuous slice of American life (this time with a down-home barbecue tang) and laid out a first-rate picnic, sparing no sharply realized detail. He's holding up his "mirror to nature" in brilliant sunlight, tilted so it can burn us all good. He's America's social commentator and its sharpest critic, much like the big writers of this and any previous century. He's Alexander Pope without the stiff back, G.B. Shaw without the rumpled wardrobe and beard, Dickens without the sometimes awkward sentiment, Thackeray with an actual audience.
"A Man In Full" reveals a complex, expertly woven narrative that fits together like a perfect dovetail joint -- drawing its strength from its undeniable craftsmanship.

kept my attention, though.. . until the disappointing epilogue . . . very well-written book . . . some of the passages nearly take your breath away. . . if you liked bonfire of the vanities, by wolfe, you'll like this; if you did not read bonfire, read it now! (i preferred that book to this one, though i must warn you--the film was terrible!)

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel until the last chapter and epilogue. Unfortunately, Tom Wolf got tired of this novel and finished up the story with a wrap-up in the epilogue. I would really have loved to continue the saga and understand what really happened to these people. For instance, what could have posessed Martha to marry Peepgas?

HOW MUCH MONEY? I'M SORRY, BUT I DON'T GET IT! TOM WOLFE SPENDS TEN YEARS WRITING THIS THING AND THIS IS WHAT HE COMES UP WITH, AN OVERLONG CONVOLUTED MISH-MOSH CONCERNING RACE, WEALTH, POWER AND THE STOICS? AND THEN, AFTER 700 PAGES HE RUNS OUT OF GAS AND LEAVES US WITH AN EPILOGUE TO SUM UP THE STORY. SORRY TOM, BUT SPEND LESS TIME DECRIBING WHAT THE CHARACTERS ARE WEARING AND HOW THEY ARE LIVING, AND MORE TIME ON CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. GIVE ME A REASON TO UNDERSTAND CHARLIE AND HIS RABBLE. GIVE ME MORE INDEPTH INSIGHT INTO CONRAD'S SPIRITIAL METAMORPOSIS AND LESS TIME SPOTLIGHTING HIS IMMENSE FOREARMS. ( I UNDERSTOOD IT THE FIRST TIME) IT SEEMS TO ME THAT OLD TOM TOOK THE MONEY AND RAN. WELL, KEEP ON RUNNING UNTIL YOU CAN COME UP WITH THE ENERGY TO WRITE AGAIN.

I was enthralled with this novel, which seemed to have everything going: full-dimensional characters, twisting plot-lines, attention to detail, and Mr. Wolfe's outstanding prose. But ultimately, I was left feeling absolutely betrayed and cheated by the ridiculous and contrived ending concocted by Mr. Wolfe. It makes no sense to invest this much time and energy into developing characters "in full," only to subject them to a fate right out of Mad Magazine or National Lampoon. One can only conclude that Mr. Wolfe, like his protagonist, lacked the energy and/or interest to resolve the "tornados" spinning in Mr. Croker's mind and simply left everything a mess for others to sort out. In the final analysis, you will be disappointed with this novel.

For a week I read this book in any free minute I had. Engrossing characters and plot lines. However I was very disappointed with the ending,which needed a lot more development. The book needed to be longer, if that's possible. I recommend this book to anyone -- a little disappointment is worth the enjoyment of the other 650 pages.

After reading many of the reviews contained herein, I wished I'd read them before I started this 700 page endeavor. Although I enjoyed many of the characters, I was completely appalled by the ending. It reminded me of the time our Chicago Bull hometown hero told the Coach he wouldn't go back in the game down by one with 1.8 seconds left. Like Pippen, Wolfe must have realized Full Court shots rarely go in, and after spending 600 pages developing characters, he decided to take his paycheck and go home, rather than seeing his writing thru to the end. I am a frequent reader, and found this to be the worst ending of a story ever imagineable. I'll never read another book by Wolfe again. I felt violated as I closed the book the final time. Unless you have too much time on your hands, I would recommend leaving A Man In Full on the shelf and making another selection.

I have never read anything by Tom Wolfe although I did see Bonfire and Right Stuff in the Theaters and actually liked both a lot. This book is nothing like the other two stories, which isn't a bad thing. The author is has an amzing ability to weave a story and bring unlikely characters together. That said, I felt that some of the characters portrayed were somewhat weak in terms of being interesting or shallow in their developemnet. There were two fasinating characters that make this book worthwhile and that get you going until the end.
The ending was a big disapointment that left you thinking why did I spend the time to get such a lousy forced climax. It is like a roller coaster with out a big drop.
Over all the book had some real nice nuggets but but not enough of them to recommend it to a friend.

I opened this book filled with hope. There is no question that Tom Wolf can write but unfortunately he did not possess a brutal editor to go with the brutal writing and cut all that redundant verbiage. Hurricane hair was good the first time. The first time. The first time. I did enjoy the chapter about the rut of Charlie's stallion, First Draw, and found it to be the perfect metaphore for this "tome". I can not suggest this book to anyone that has a life and things to do. Perhaps if I were bedridden and an avid soap watcher then it would be a worthwhile read. Try something else if you are looking for characters with an ounce of depth or just plain old credibility. Was the author payed by the word? Ah, that explains it. The ending remained true to the horse metophore, a tease and nothing more.

youve got to read this novel as it shows the many faceted sides of human frailty. The nordic gods were quite fascinating as many of the men in this book were quite megalomaniacal to beleives they were godss too.

I strongly recommend this book. In addition to providing that Wolfeian insight to modern culture & characters it's funny, warm, amusing, moving. Herman Wouk would have loved this book.
I suspect this book will be rediscovered by many people who found it a little too much or much too little on the first attempt. It's a classic snapshot of end of the century US culture to me, interpreted by a fine storyteller.

Living in Atlanta, I looked forward to reading this expose of my cities obsession with overdevelopment. That part, Wolfe got right, but it wasn't worth wading through a book of this length.
His penchant for repeating cute phrases such as "Roger Too White" and "boys with breasts" got on my nerves. But most disappointing (and disturbing) is that all the Heros of his book are white (including the really obnoxious, despicable lead character, Charlie Croker whom he converts into a rather unbelievable hero by the end of the book) and all the black characters are either portrayed in a negative light or as rather weak in principals (such as the mayor). Why couldn't Wolfe include some good African-American role models in a book about a predominantly black city?

This is one of the most irritating writers I have come across in a long time. Example: Mr Wolfe delights in supplying the correct anatomical term for each and every muscle his heroes are decked out with. We keep reading about latissimus dorsii and deltoids and the trapezius, etc. Is he a frustrated weightlifter, or merely showing off? Example: This one is not only silly, but I found it insulting. Each person is described by his exact colour, from dark to light chocolate, to high yeller, etc. And the worst of them all: an authentic blue-blood black? Example: I have not come across any woman in this book who is not bitchy, shrill, clinging, pathetic etc. On the other hand, there are at least two types of men: There are MEN, and there are the others. Say no more.

This book is a waste of good reading time! It is clearly meant to be a satire of the wealthy, of race and racial issues, and of the narcissism of slice of a wealthy "generation me" class of the late 1990s. However, the only feeling this book left with me was a disgust of the cynicism, selfishness and short-sightedness of Wolfe's characters. I have to admit that the characters are richly drawn, and the road they take towards the climax is interesting enough to pull the reader along. Wolfe also does exhibit a great deal of courage talking about issues of wealth and race in very direct terms, which is a breath of fresh air in our P.C. time. However, Wolfe's characters, all of whom are pathetic and completely dislikable, stumble into an ending that is ridiculous at best as it careens off into surrealism. I kept reminding myself as I was reading it, that if it had a good ending, all would be worth it. That was a unrealistic expectation. Don't waste your time. Read another book.

As many have already pointed out, the ending of this book is not particularly satisfying. However, the story itself is wonderfully complex with characters who are vivid and disctinct. Wolfe does a superb job with his descriptions and the scenes are very entertaining. Some are just down right funny. Especially fun are the few occasions when the reader is privy to multiple perspectives of the same event; when we are given the opportunity to see the differences between women and men, or blacks and whites. The body of the story is so strong and enjoyable, that the flaws of the conclusion do not sufficiently distract from the value of the book as a whole. I would definitely recommend this book!

I know 742 pages is a bit of a long read, however, I would have rather read a book whose ending was 200 pages or so longer and matched its build-up, then read a book that speeds through the press conference, and Croker's decision to give up everything. It just seemed like Mr. Wolfe spent such an arduous time building up the character of Charlie Croker as this beast of a materialistic man, and then whirls to an about-face after converting to the religion of "stoicism." Overall, good book, - entertaining, worth reading, I would have, however, prefered a more elaborate ending.

Nobody would say nice things about this book if it wasn't written by Tom Wolfe. It would be considered mediocre at best, with a contrived plot, writing style dropped half way through as though a different writer finished it, a roll-your-eyes and groan ending, and little if any meaning. Overall, a waste of valuable reading time.

This is a good book, really, and I expected nothing better. It's more than just entertainment, and it does not represent literature as an art, and represents the 90s. The characters are deep. The plot is complex and some passages are very funny and it's a page turner. It justifies all the "frenesi" created around it.

This is what literature should be about. Mr. Wolfe takes you by the hand, you can relax, lay back and know you are going to be entertained. Superb! The end left me puzzeled though. Suddenly mr. Wolfe was gone; his work was done. A must read if you want to know LIFE!!! Compare this to The Great Story Tellers (e.g. Dostojevsky!)

Takes on racial identity, materialism, arrogant capitalism, prison, revolution, homosexuality, the Southern identity, modern woman, modern man, athletics, racial politics, class warfare, modern music (one of the young men listens to the Pus Casserole but subverts the Gen-whatever stereotype by defending one of the triumvirate protagonists, Conrad, when Conrad gets fired: "He's got a wife and two kids! He was savin' up for a house!"), and many other aspects of modern life. Throw in some Greek philosophy and the rise and fall of three men, Conrad, Charlie Croker, and Roger White, and you have a winning novel.

I know 742 pages is a bit of a long read, however, I would have rather read a book whose ending was 200 pages or so longer and matched its build-up, then read a book that speeds through the press conference, and Croker's decision to give up everything. It just seemed like Mr. Wolfe spent such an arduous time building up the character of Charlie Croker as this beast of a materialistic man, and then whirls to an about-face after converting to the religion of "stoicism." Overall, good book, - entertaining, worth reading, I would have, however, prefered a more elaborate ending.

Nobody would say nice things about this book if it wasn't written by Tom Wolfe. It would be considered mediocre at best, with a contrived plot, writing style dropped half way through as though a different writer finished it, a roll-your-eyes and groan ending, and little if any meaning. Overall, a waste of valuable reading time.

This is a good book, really, and I expected nothing better. It's more than just entertainment, and it does not represent literature as an art, and represents the 90s. The characters are deep. The plot is complex and some passages are very funny and it's a page turner. It justifies all the "frenesi" created around it.

This is what literature should be about. Mr. Wolfe takes you by the hand, you can relax, lay back and know you are going to be entertained. Superb! The end left me puzzeled though. Suddenly mr. Wolfe was gone; his work was done. A must read if you want to know LIFE!!! Compare this to The Great Story Tellers (e.g. Dostojevsky!)

Takes on racial identity, materialism, arrogant capitalism, prison, revolution, homosexuality, the Southern identity, modern woman, modern man, athletics, racial politics, class warfare, modern music (one of the young men listens to the Pus Casserole but subverts the Gen-whatever stereotype by defending one of the triumvirate protagonists, Conrad, when Conrad gets fired: "He's got a wife and two kids! He was savin' up for a house!"), and many other aspects of modern life. Throw in some Greek philosophy and the rise and fall of three men, Conrad, Charlie Croker, and Roger White, and you have a winning novel.

After spending the fall semester on a regiment of about 500 pages of text-book style, required reading per week I did not feel encumbered trying to tackle this book on a 2100 mile trip over winter break-in fact, I relished it.

As much as this is a great read, a great plot, and a great social demonstration, Tom Wolfe is able to teach the reader something remarkable-how to think. We are often taught the best way to learn is by example. Charlie, Conrad, Peepgrass, and Roger are all unique in their thought processes. And by using the multi-character, limited omniscient writing format the reader is not told how to interpret the plot, but instead is allowed to make decisions by examining the thought process of each character. In their minds, the characters are always making logical, reasoned decisions; if nothing else, the reader is able to understand.

Tom Wolfe has accomplished a marvelous masterpiece that has put me on the road to read his other works. I would recommend that you do the same.

The fictional novel "A Man in Full", by Tom Wolfe, deals with the financial and racial problems of several characters. Three different stories that take place in Atlanta and Oakland go along parallel, but are running together in the end.
First of all there is Charlie Croker who is in debt and struggling with PlannersBanc which tries to get all his possessions. The second story is about Roger White, who has to defend the Georgia Tech football star Fareek Fanon in [an attack] case. Fanon is accused of [attacking] Elizabeth Armholster, the daughter of the famous and influential businessman Inman Armholster. The third story is about Conrad Hensley who gets laid-off and ends up in jail because of a dumb coincidence.
The "Stoics Philosophy" is a very important element that comes up all the time throughout the story. Conrad Hensley is amazed by the religion of Zeus since he read a book of the Stoics when he was in jail. Charlie adopted his religion when Conrad stayed with him as a nursing assistant.
Our first impression of the book was not too good. The prologue confused us a little and was not helpful as an introduction. The book contains too much detailed, senseless and boring information, which is the reason why it was hard having the motivation to keep on reading. We also did not like the topic and the structure. In comparison to the detailed beginning of the book the hilarious ending is much too short. Our proposal for improvement is a shorter style of writing (not so detailed) and a better ending which fits to the rest.
We would recommend the book in first place only to men, because we think it is a typical mensbook/machobook. The book is written for men who are in their "midlife-crisis" and maybe are about to lose everything they owe, their possessions, their family and so on. The book is probably especially interesting for businessmen who are in the 40's or 50's.

With the average being only 3 1/2 stars, I figured I better add my 2 cents and try to up the ratings average. I'm glad I didn't read these negative reviews before reading the book or I might not have cracked open the binding. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I loved this book, even more so than Bonfire of the Vanities, which is one of my all-time favorite novels. And I thought the ending was fine (anything is better than the amazingly disappointing ending of "Hannibal," which I also recently read). I'm a native Southerner and didn't find the book insulting - I thought it was genius. I hope Wolfe has another epic in him like this, because I'll be waiting for it.

Tom Wolf has been one 10th step ahead of the of the american story since I picked up " THE ELECTRIC TANGERINE FLAKE STREAMLINE BABY" I was 16 ,when I picked it off of the wire revolving rack at the home town drug store in connicuit ,before I moved west to SF california.
As an architect I can't afford to live here any longer.you signed "A MAN IN FULL"for me in Marin I worked for several of the west coast version of your man in full.

John Cheever once said the only kind of book he could read was one in which he could "get past the first page."
I saw southern gentlefolk riding to hounds or something and I completely withered. I think some books are best left un-read and un-reviewed by Yankees; Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is another. I'm going to leave y'all to your own devices, cause you just lose this Boston girl with the first whiff of mint julep and horse manure.

Fortunately this book was a gift because I would have been very perturbed had I spent my own money for it. Character development is very good but you constantly are waiting for things to happen to the characters that will get a rise out of your emotions. I just found it to be a boring book with a nonsensical ending.

What a disappointment! TW has really lost touch with society -- it is painfully obvious as he attempts to describe the black youth of today - obviously styled after what he's seen on television and film. As my English professor always told me, write what you know. Hard to get excited about. I had to put it away after wasting four hours trying to find something to make me want to turn the next page

Loved every word. (Well, except the phrase "rising sap" which, oddly, a few characters used. This yanked me back to the reality that all voices came from Wolfe.) But otherwise, great story, and I loved the razor-sharp yet entirely fluid writing style. By the way, I listened to part of this book on CD, and it was very, very well done! Completely engrossing. I highly recommend it for long trips.

I am so tired of putting down magazines, shutting books and changing TV channels when I realize they are Politically Correct. I don't want to be preached at by the other side, I want to be enlightened and entertained. Glory be, this book was NOT PC! It didn't bow to all the Liberal idols. You can read this if you are a regular American. I bet the college professors really hate this one.
If I had a pen-pal in some foreign country I would want to send him a copy of this book so he could understand this wild and wonderful country.
I withold the final star because I just finished Anna Karenina. By comparison Man in Full is not five stars. The ending is unsatisfying. The satirical tone just doesn't allow an uplifting, positive conclusion.

Tom Wolfe's new novel, A Man in Full, is a slight disapointment. The first 700 pages were great, but the end of the book was a bore. The explicit detail through the entire book kept you interested constantly, making it hard to put down. The book takes you through the crazy lives of many people such as Charlie Croker and Roger White II, otherwise known as Roger Too White. The book's intricate descriptions of scenes make it almost real-life. The end of the book seemed like the author just got lazy and didn't want to write anymore. Although this book was very interesting, it doesn't live up to the Wolfe classics like The Bonfire of the Vanities or The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test.

A Man in Full takes the Black-White struggle to coexist to a new level 10 years after The Bonfire of the Vanities. Wolfe again says what everyone is thinking and saying (behind closed doors because of politcal correctness). This book is a must read, as it is right on the mark on race relations in the late 90's

Now we now who Brett Easton Ellis' direct literary descendant is not: Tom Wolfe. Whatever credibility he may've had back when boomers were society's tastebuds is still there now. Laundry lists of socio-economically relevant identifiers. A narrative strategy that totally has subtlety and surprise. The ending says, Ha ha. You've invested financial capital and personal capital -- i.e., moments of your Life and Breath -- so I know you're going to love the ending. Guess what? Some of us retain our abilities to judge even when we find out at the end how great this book was. A previous review stated that if you voted for Clinton, you'd love this book. Wow!

This book ranks as one of my three favorite books of all time. Even though it's hefty in length it's well worth the read. The characters are lovable in the sense they're so human, with not a rose tinted glass in sight. The plotline just weaves it way through so many twists and turns and the book itself is really quite entertaining while at the same time being socially observant. I think this book will be exceptionally hard to top in the future if it can be at all. I recommend it to everyone.

For the first 300 pages, Wolfe tells a compassionate tale full of characteristic prose. The first 300 build a story best untold in 2000 or maybe 3000 pages. But Wolfe, perhaps answering to the publisher or editor's demands, slams on the emergency brakes and brings the novel to a quick, forgettable close.

Let's make this short and sweet. A Man in Full was a great read up to a point. When it came time for Charlie Croker's big scene at the press conference, didn't it seem to be remarkably similar to the climactic press conference with John Galt in Ayn Rand's superior novel Atlas Shrugged? Just a coincidence?

Wolfe has done it again! No contemporary writer of fiction can get the reader so engaged. The character development, the situations and settings, as well as the overall social comment makes this Wolfe's best effort. A marvelous, marvelous read. Nevertheless, the conclusion is so weak, one suspects Wolfe ran out of gas. Let's hope the screen play has a stronger and believable ending.

I enjoyed many parts of this book. At times the writing seems to be done for the sheer interest of seeing it on paper. Many times I found myself wonder, "Why is the author telling me this?" I found myself skimming and I don't usually like to skim.
And then after 9/10 of the novel it suddenly comes to one of the most hokey endings I ever remember. It certainly does not do the author justice having read the preceeding writing.I wonder what happened to the author? Did he come down ill?
I want to like this novel and recommend it to friends because there are parts of it I really enjoyed and got into, but the other parts I am embarassed for and can only recommend it with some caveats.

Found this book fantastic to read. Although initially you wonder how the characters in the initial chapters correlate, consequently they begin to blend together more, and more. Excellent twists and turns - you can't put it down, although you have to eventually since it is by no means a short book.

Tom Wolfe will be one of the few modern writers who's works will be read by students in the future. Since leaving behind his drug experimentation writings which often wrambled off into meaningless realms, Wolfe has become the true social commentator of our time. He provides fully developed characters from all walks of life like no one else can. Sometimes I wonder how this man can write about all that he does, how much research does he do? You'll find yourself inside the minds and hearts his men and women, from uptown balls to jail house brawls. I wish everyone would read this book, it will truly add something more to your life.

Wolfe doesn't disappoint as far as his ability to seduce readers with his words and understanding of a place. However, the plot was a bit overwrought. I am one of the people who feel this book was a little long and most of the characters not developed enough (strange for such a long book). But you can't beat his writing style. That's what kept me engaged.

How can an author so thoroughly capture the mosaic of contemporary American culture; create a novel where we root for the success of all the main characters; invent Charlie Croker -- one of the most engaging American characters ever -- AND MAKE IT LOOK SO EASY? This in my opinion will go down as one of the great American novels. Wolfe creates complex characters who strive mightily to survive despite their place in society or their blind spots. In Croker, he's created a character as robust as this country. In the novel,( thanks to another beautifully wrought character) Conrad helps him reclaim the true source of his manhood and honor. The book is epic and it's message is not soon forgotten. Read it now! It is a keeper.

Tom Wolfe can't do better than this and neither can anyone else. I would have read another 800 pages of this story. For me it wasn't overstuffed enough. The brilliance that Wolfe brings to bear in this novel boggles my mind. The amount of research he would have had to do for almost every element of the novel, from prison to Atalnata politics to horse breading would make most authors cringe away from undertaking such a task. What flies over most heads, it seems to me, is the ending. Are we supposed to take this final foray into the absurd seriously? I don't know. Was Don Quixote insane or inspired? If I were Mr. Wolfe I would be reading most of these reviews with a sardonic grin. Not laughing at you, but... okay, maybe laughing at you....

Don't let the fact that this book is extremely long discourage you. It is definitely worth taking the time to read it. I haven't read any of Wolfe's other books to compare it to, but I did enjoy this book and plan on reading more by him because of it. The ending, however, was mildly dissapointing. I think it ended to quickly. Wolfe could have written more, but his story just suddenly stopped. Despite that I enjoyed the book.

A Man in Full is great. The story follows Atlanta real-estate mogul Charlie Croker through his peak, fall, and ultimate redemption as he grapples with executives at PlannersBank for control of his waning empire. The novel also depicts a maze of supporting characters through situations ranging from corporate conspiracy to prison escape. Wolfe's writing is in vintage form, and his commentary on class and race are right-on. The novel is hilarious and compelling, and difficult to put down. The characters are well-developed and multifaceted; the human depiction encourages the reader to feel sympathy rather than contempt even in the midst of high depravity. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy sophisticated humor and tightly-woven plots.

This is a great book. I've read it three times. This is a book about men. I know it was quite horrifying that someone could possibly write a book not by, for or about women. But this is a refreshing example of just that. I loved the character of Conrad. The ending was weak. I thought the author just wanted to end it somehow. In forty years this will be a very important book.

I should have received a clue that this was going to be a pompous, over-written disaster of a book when the author's name was written in text 5 times taller than the title of the book.
The characters were unlikeable, the story was barely enthralling and it was pretty evident at the end that either Wolfe had become bored or his editor had told him to wrap it up because I have seen less predictable and convenient endings on Scobby Doo.
I bought this book for $1 at a yard sale and I barely think I got my money's worth. The most interesting thing for me were the descriptions of Atlanta, and even those Wolfe managed to get wrong in several places. What I wouldn't do to have the week it took me to read this drivvle back.

This book marks the second novessay (novel/essay) by Tom Wolfe. His first,"Bonfire of the Vanities," was a fictional essay on modern New York culture peopled by the denizens of Gotham. "Man in Full" is in the same style. He looks at modern Atlanta, the center of southern culture, and turns a brilliant essay into an average novel. It's a biting satire on the modern mores and problems of a predominately black city and the southern mind. It would have been an essay for the ages but Wolfe has discovered that there just ain't money in essays. Where will he strike next? Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles. Shades of Michener!

I disagree with some of the reviewers comments about the ending. It makes sense. Especially if we compare it to the works that most closely resemble Wolfe's novel. Think of David Copperfield or Pickwick Papers and then blend it with Bonfire of the Vanities and you have "A Man In Full". A great novel. And once you get past the first 400 pages or so, very entertaining. I doubt the book will be a classic, but certainly it is a thorough bred satire of American culture teetering on the brink of the next millenium. Two thumbs up.

This was my first Tom Wolfe novel, and it's clear in reading Man in Full that Wolfe is the consummate American Contemporary Anthropologist. He dissects, satirizes, and serves up wonderful portraits of various strata of modern American society. Man in Full covers 1) prison culture, 2) "burn out" or "white trash" culture, 3) young black Atlanta, 4) old Atlanta elite with such keen observation that a reader will never look at the world the same again.

That being said, the conclusion of the book is a big let-down after a wonderful run-up. It would appear that Wolfe must have had a hard deadline and had to "tie-up" the book without an adequate conclusion to do justice to the wonderful first 7/8ths of the book. I would love to have Wolfe re-write the conclusion, because the first 7/8ths of Man in Full are pure mastery.

As a person who has loved Wolfe for decades and adored Bonfire of the Vanities, I was looking forward to reading his second work of fiction: Man in Full. The great characters, the multilevel "reversal of fortune" story, and especially the acute cultural observations that we expect from Wolfe are all there. But the ending is a failure. Where the ending of Bonfire was both believable and fulfilling for the reader (man loses all the world but gains his own soul), Man in Full ends with Croker becoming some kind of pagan Jerry Falwell, preaching Zuesian tent revivals all over the south. Am I missing something, or did my revered Man in White run out of steam and throw his plot over the top?

Tom Wolfe has reached the pinnacle with this epic. Deep, rich descriptions of Atlanta and surrounding areas abound. Very pleasing character development. Wolfe weaves an intricate story, tying a California Stoic into the Atlanta scene. This book is funny, entertaining and rewarding.

Tom Wolfe manages to ecompass the full spectrum of America in this fictional masterpiece. The characters, from real estate tycoon to prison inmate, are brought to life through their trials and tribulations. Wolfe's exceptional ability to portray the thoughts of his characters in a thouroughly convincing manner is startling. It is hard not relate one's own life and observations to at least one of the characters in his novel. From Americans' obsession with fitness clubs to their endless pursuit of the ultimately questionable ends of the "American Dream," Wolfe weaves a tapestry of American Society as intricate as any that adorned Charlie Croaker's walls.

I looked forward to this book and am finding it to be a disappointment. Wolfe's incredible exaggerations of life in Atlanta and the South are absurd. I find myself reading the first sentence in each paragraph and skimming most of the rest. Perhap a good beach read, but no substance.

How about less description of ornate architectural design and more substance? At times, this book is really fun to read. Wolfe gives the reader a great cast of characters and a decent story to follow, but he leaves the reader aching for more. Despite being 787 pages it is an awfully quick read. If we had a half star option I'd give this book 2 and half stars.

Although this book is not for the casual reader, it packs a fantastic wallop of details across the American continent. Wolfe has written convincing portraits of what happens in prisons, in the elite rich neighborhoods in Atlanta and also at other levels of society. His characters are arresting, and I personally found it difficult to set this book down. I loved the ending. I am a fan of Wolfe so I may be biased.....

What a great book!! Being Southern probably helped me to relate to the characters. They populate my world each day. Tom Wolfe's characterizations have always been probing and graphic with both the good and evil revealed; but he outdoes himself here. The jail sequences were so realistic that I dreamed of them; and the complexity of the structure grabs you and won't let you go until the last page. (And I always want the book to go on so that I won't have to leave Wolfe's delicious sense of the ridiculous and the sublime.) I haven't read the winner of the National Book Award; but it cannot be better than this! And may I always be a Stoic!

The characters are so real & intriguing; I want to track them down & get the rest of their story. Thank you Tom for illustrating that all people are made up of good & evil constituents. The ingredients of life are in this book, and Mr Wolfe is a prodigious chef.

This is a another well-written book with wonderful character development and a very engaging multitude of story-lines, BUT WITHOUT AN ENDING! I loved 3/4 of the read and I was furious to find that, after 750 pages, the story (or stories) go nowhere! And, Wolfe finishes with a minor character - what happened to the lead man? All I can say is it looks like Wolfe fell asleep at the wheel. I would only recommend this book if you have nothing else to read.

Another wonderful book from Tom Wolfe. One hell of a poweful tale. In a couple of places, the narrative is so strong, I had to put the book down to draw breath!. The ideal antidote to Bonfire of the Vanities. My only complaint - for the last month its taken over my life.

Tom Wolfe is a wonderful storyteller, and he proves this for two-thirds of this novel. He shows the modern South for what it is -- turbulent, evolving, but clinging (desperately) to the past. The conclusion is baffling and ridiculous. I guess Wolfe ran out of gas, or got bored or both...

I'm not going to say anything different from any of the other reviews here, so i'm going to keep it short and sweet: The story gets four stars, the ending lowers it to three, but the prose is so entertaining I have to raise a star again. So there you have it. You do the math.

I would not have thought it possible for Tom Wolfe to exceed himself after "The Bonfire of the Vanities", but he has come up with another brilliant novel that observes contemporary American culture and human nature with all its foibles and frailties. I'm on my third re-reading of this excellent book. It's so engrossing, I missed my train stop on my way to work.

I know this guy! Developer Croker is like many I have known over the years: always at the edge, sometimes over. Tom Wolfe captures him and the other characters essentially right. I love how he weaved in players from enough walks of American life as to create a tapestry of foibles of our society as it is this decade. While not a perfect book, and surprisingly devoid of his signaturerunonsentencesasonlytomwolfecancreate, this is nonetheless a worthwhile and even important novel. For better or worse, it is about who we are as a society and as individuals. It incisively addresses our extremes, and some of the solutions we create to work ourselves out of our messes.

A Man in Full was a delight all the way through. The book may have been 787 pages, but it felt much shorter. Well worth reading. Once again, Tom Wolfe proves to be one of our generation's greatest social satirists. This book is a scathing critisicm of an overdeveloped, overstimulated society. There is hardly a contemporary social issue, be it classism, racism, sports, politics, prisons, gender relations, sex, the media, or religion that he doesn't cover in this book. Wolfe aptly weaves the characters and the story together in a manner that leaves the reader thinking about American culture in new and interesting ways. The ending was a little farfetched, but by no means did that ruin a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile novel.

Neat story with great character development (why not when you've got over 700 pages to work with). Admittedly there are some slow periods, but the higher points ("excuse us while we have a cactus") more than make up them. I had to soak my feet after spending a day in Oakland with Conrad. What an adventure! However, what happened with the ending? Did the author run out of ink? Time? Imagination? Patience? Perhaps there is no way to "properly" end such a saga, but there certainly has to be a better ending than the one used, as it leaves the reader feeling let down and frustrated for having spent the time to read the prior 700+ pages.

This is an important book to read for anyone who wants to know what kind of clothes people wear, what food they eat, what kind of cars they drive, and what kind of houses they live in. Along the way you will stumble across a story and subplots of marginial interest.

The first few chapters require you to get into Mr Wolfe's style ("Oh, the humility!","Oh, the humanity!" etc), and whilst I enjoyed the book immensely, the ending I thought was a bit flawed. Don't read this if you've not read the book, but Charlie Croker, in his final decision and the crux of the underlying theme throughout, decides to follow his heart and what his character tells him. But it's at complete odds to the way he's behaved throughout the book and apparently previously. It was more of a change of character more than delving into the heart of his soul. Nevertheless, I could reread it (eventually)

Highly anticipated reading, some good descriptions of the banking business, alot of boring descriptions of clothes, cars and social circles. Some likeable characters, most are not. It seemed too me the ending was rushed, did the editors say O.K. Tom let's have it?

Very little of interest in this book except how the rich live. I went through one chapter reading the right-hand pages only and still knew what was going on. I only kept reading because I always try to finish a book especially after paying the price of the book.

I was under the impression Tom Wolfe was a good writer; indeed, the book was recommended by a friend and Wolfe wrote the popular Bonfire of the Vanities. So I happily shelled out 12 dollars (Cdn) for a little entertainment. It turns out that Wolfe can't write. He's not witty, concise, or funny and in order for him to bring a scene to life he has to resort to pages of tedious description. His characters are implausible and unlikable, and the situations he puts them in are silly. For example, he has a manual labourer look for white collar work which the labourer can't get because labour has made his fingers too big to type. It's not a funny bit and it's not a good metaphor. Distrust anyone who says this is a good book; their taste is suspect. Save your money.

Yes, this book does bring situations and people together through excellent plot twists, but why? If all Conrad is going to do to the hopeless Croker is convert him to stoicism, I don't care. 730 pages of page turning dialogue and complex situations to have the whole book come down to some long forgotten philosophy. I also wonder why Roger White and Wes Jordan have to have a ten page conversation to let the reader know what could have been said (should have) in the previous 730 pages! Five star start, one star ending.

I actually rationed this book to myself so I wouldn't finish it too soon. I loved it. A hard act to follow. Too bad the ending Stunk. Like did Wolfe have a plane to catch or what? But the book was so good, and so I forgive him. I never wanted it to end!

"Bonfire" was great, so is "A Man in Full". Tom Wolfe captures me in every sense like no other writer. His execution of situations are hilarious, as are his character portrayals. Super rich and powerful men are relegated to mere sufferers of the 'human condition', just like the rest of us. It is a huge novel, but one is always disappointed at the end of a Wolfe novel, purely because it has to end. "A Man in Full" has to be one of the funniest books I have ever read. No one else has the eye for detail and the brilliant satiric wit that Wolfe possesses.
A monster: huge, funny, entertaining, intelligent. A MUST BUY!

An enjoyable page-turner, but so similar in style to Bonfire that you often feel as if you've read parts of it before. The high point is the cast of over-the-top yet entertaining characters; the low point is the disappointing finish. After 700 pages of complex, converging antics -- which gives it some of the flavor of Vonnegut's Breakfast Of Champions -- I expected a bit more than a few paragraphs of "what they are doing now" after a less-than-dramatic final scene. It seemed as if Wolfe just ran out of gas at the end, and wrapped it up as quickly as he could to make a deadline.

If you don't like Tom Wolfe, don't read this. If you like Tom Wolfe, you'll like this. A lot. I loved Bonfire and this is almost as good. His characters are just as real, with good and bad points for all to see. It's long, but worth it (for some of us).

It was the worst book that I have ever read in my life. I can't beleive how dumb the plot is. I think that this book is an insult to all authors all over the world. It has such poor useage of verbs and is accually, in my point of veiw, very unsophisticated.

Some of the professional reviews I read compared AMIF with Dickens or proclaimed "an impossibly smart" book. It is neither, unless you want Dickens for the T.V. generation. The book requires persistence until about page 440, then it gains momentum, making you hang on for the ultimately disappointing finish. Wolfe did some good local research, but his attempt to re-create south Georgia dialect is clumsy, and his characters are on the whole not believable or very interesting. The end panders to our desire for a happy ending, but comes off as totally unjust and unrealistic.

This was a very good read, with colorful characters, and good character development for the most part. But the ending of the book was rushed. It was conventional and pat . . . the last few chapters went by so fast, I had to re-read part of it to see if I wasn't missing something, and I wasn't. The end of the book made what came before almost trite and meaningless.

1] The story is stacked with trite, bogus, irredeemably phony names like: Opey McCorkle (shades of Mayberry, he's a hick!), Roger White II (a negro called "Roger Too White" by his more hep "soul brother" friends), Fareek "The Cannon" Fanon (try saying that first name as if it were only one syllable - obvious, no?), a law firm called Fogg Nackers Rendering & Lean (as if stupid names like that didn't grate on you when Dickens did it - fifteen decades ago!), or most annoyingly, "Auntie Bella" (Get it? A black maid named "antebellum"!)..

2] Tom Wolfe's tropes have about worn out. How many times have you heard a description of the muscles in a man's neck and how many times has he used the Latin names? How about "flank to shank" - hasn't that appeared in just about everything Tom's written since the Disco era? Thank God he doesn't call anyone a "social x-ray" (not only did he use that to death in "Bonfire" but it never made any sense anyway) but he does work the phrase "boys with breasts" to death!

3] Not only does Mr. Wolfe have no feeling for pop music but, rather than inject actual songs into his narrative that are at least genuine, Mr. Wolfe insists upon making up inane names for nonexistent musicians, and then writes painfully inane imitations of Rap and Metal for these made-up artists to sing. It's so bad that your cringe muscles will begin to lock up (sorry, I don't know the Latin name for the muscles used in cringing ...).

4] Like a constipated man straining at his stool, poor Tom tries again and again to coin some new phrase (e.g. "exploding pizza neck-tie," "Palm Beach helmet" haircut, "Computer Case beige", "below the gnat line," etc.) or "popularize" actual new and exciting slang (e.g. `hooking up," "gotcha back," "saddlebags," "hubba ho," "Freaknic"). This last one shows just how out-of-touch poor Tom is, as he explains at length that this is a combination of "freak" and "picnic," NOT "freak" and "beatnik" as he evidently thinks most white people will presume. Well - pardon me, but NOBODY under the age of fifty remembers having actually seen a living breathing beatnik and so that word is just off their radar ...

And, by the way, years ago Morris K. Udall said "I have learned the difference between a cactus and a caucus. On a cactus, the pricks are on the outside." It is no longer fresh or even clever.

5] A man forsakes the fast life of high-powered finance to become an itinerant preacher? Maybe. A man forsakes the fast life of high-powered finance to become an itinerant STOIC PHILOSIPER? Not in my life-time, buddy!

6] The whole idea (American man strives for social success only to find it meaningless) was done before, and done correctly, by Sinclair Lewis in "Babbit," and "Babbit" this is not.

I have just finished reading this book for the second time - read it first when it was published. I remember enjoying the story a lot - Wolfe is a great storyteller and his characters are very believable. The book made an impact on me because it introduced me to Stoicism and Epictetus. As many of the reviews state, however, the book does finish abruptly. I would have preferred hearing how Conrad and Charlie ended up through their eyes/dialogue than through two other minor characters. Given how much detail Wolfe went into other parts of the book, I would have expected a more thorough ending and not have all the loose ends tied up so quickly and neatly! Give us something to wonder about! I would like to see this become a movie - after first reading it 8 years ago thought for sure it would have happened by now.....

My only cavil with this satirical superbook is that it ended too abruptly. It is non stop reading pleasure. I want to know what life now brings to Charlie Croker, Conrad, Serena, Roger Too White, Ray Peepgas, et al.
Please Tom, write a sequel.
A note to John Updike: Rabbit was great, but so is this!!!

In as much as I feel lucky to have read the book, I envy those who have not just yet. This is a book to be read again (and again), yet nothing beats the first time where with each page, Wolfe impresses as much as he surprises the reader with his boundless talent and all-encompassing accumen. Wolfe is an ingenious writer who pushes the envelope, taking the spoken word a level above than what I thought was possible. A dense, panchromatic cross-section of today's America at its best (and worst), through the eyes and pen of one of its best authors.

I usually only read horror and suspense novels and for some reason decided to pick this up because of all the hype. I am happy to say that it was well worth reading. This is an easy book to read that should appeal to most people. If you are looking for something to pass some time and entertain you, pick this up.

I loved loved loved loved loved all the parts/bits about Charlie Croker. I couldn't get enough of him.

All the parts about Conrad can be COMPLETELY skipped and you'll still know exactly what's going on at the end. That's what I did.

Why does it so often happen in contemporary fiction that we have wonderfully laid out plots, engaging characters, and tremendous potential, only to see the thing resolve in a weak and ineffectual manner. I was with Tom Wolfe until the end, but the concluding pages gave me far more resolution than I required, too much simplicity, and what looked like the opening for a sequel. Spare me that! Still, the style of writing is incredible in that description can carry pages on end. I guess I would conclude that a realistic work of fiction as this seemed to be also requires a realistic ending.

Once again, Wolfe puts together a wonderful yarn. This book is great commentary on our world today. All its characters are fascinating and very believable. This is a page turn. A few sections (the prison ones) were hard to read - you wish they would just end. But once again, Tom Wolfe delivers a superb fiction book.

Tom Wolfe is the master wordsmith of his generation. The entertainment of seeing his craft unrolling before me was enough to compensate for his lack of understanding of the South and the people who have lived there for the past 250 years. However, it seemed to this reader that when he got to the number of words his publisher wanted, he just chopped the story off. Then he added an epilogue--I suspect at his publishers urging--which was a little insulting. Every one of the characters lived happily ever after regardless of how tortured their lives had been in the previous 700 pages.

What more can be said? Wolfe has done it again. This time he has described the Atlanta scene of the rich and powerful. Now that I have finished reading the book, I already miss the characters. Perhaps Mr. Wolfe could set a "bon" fire under the movie studios to get the book to screen....quick. Nicholson no doubt.... as the lead character. Matt Damon as the young convict. Nicole Kidman as the wife...Would make a wicked script. Worth a read. Even General Sherman would have taken the time from setting flames to Atlanta to read this one. Well done Mr. Wolfe...worth the wait.

I couldn't believe that after about 750 pages, the book ended in the ridiculous manner in which it did. I couldn't decide how many stars to give the book because I was enthralled until literally the last ten pages, and then utterly disappointed by the very end of the novel.

It is a very engaging look at particularly the male of the species, and the ego that can control it. I was hoping for a bit more character development in particularly the main character, but the detail of the story was phenomenal and Wolfe's writing very much pulls you in. I admit that this was the first Wolfe that I've ever read, but after the disappointment of this ending, I doubt that I'll invest another thousand pages of my life in anything else by him.

The book lived up to its' hype right up till the end. However, it seemed like Mr. Wolfe simply ran out of gas or interest in the project and came to a very unfortunate ending. The central characters simply changed in unreasonable ways in what seemed to be simply a quick way to tie all the loose ends together. In fact, the central character is really not heard from at the end of the book and is only discussed by secondary characters.
This was a very unfortunate end to what was otherwise a very solid book. I really liked 90% of it, but it left me almost bitter at the end.

wolfe has created a world which drifts in and out of my understanding. he trys to tackle the racial undercurrents in atlanta, but at the same time he pokes fun at the black experience, the stoic parody is amusing ,but i find it unsatisfying and brings the novel to an artifically abrupt ending. surprising after 700 odd pages ! i guess the editor was putting the pressure on ! how long will woolfe survive on the dinner circuit with this effort ? its no bonfire for sure.

After recently visiting Atlanta, I was looking forward to a good story and I was wrong!!. This book is deadly, too long, the characters are boring, and the words sometimes are so repetitive. Give me a good ol' fashion true southern novel any day.

I don't understand why everyone is complaining about the length or the ending. I thought it was a terrific entertaining read, and I wanted it to go on. It seemed too short to me. And the ending was unexpected and so, to me, perfect.

When I started reading this book I thought it had potential to be as enjoyable as Bonfire. I was mistaken. Actually, the last two hundred pages were almost torture. The conclusion was terrible. Don't be fooled by all the hype!

What more can be said? Wolfe has done it again. This time he has described the Atlanta scene of the rich and powerful. Now that I have finished reading the book, I already miss the characters. Perhaps Mr. Wolfe could set a "bon" fire under the movie studios to get the book to screen....quick. Nicholson no doubt.... as the lead character. Matt Damon as the young convict. Nicole Kidman as the wife...Would make a wicked script. Worth a read. Even General Sherman would have taken the time from setting flames to Atlanta to read this one. Well done Mr. Wolfe...worth the wait.

I couldn't believe that after about 750 pages, the book ended in the ridiculous manner in which it did. I couldn't decide how many stars to give the book because I was enthralled until literally the last ten pages, and then utterly disappointed by the very end of the novel.

It is a very engaging look at particularly the male of the species, and the ego that can control it. I was hoping for a bit more character development in particularly the main character, but the detail of the story was phenomenal and Wolfe's writing very much pulls you in. I admit that this was the first Wolfe that I've ever read, but after the disappointment of this ending, I doubt that I'll invest another thousand pages of my life in anything else by him.

The book lived up to its' hype right up till the end. However, it seemed like Mr. Wolfe simply ran out of gas or interest in the project and came to a very unfortunate ending. The central characters simply changed in unreasonable ways in what seemed to be simply a quick way to tie all the loose ends together. In fact, the central character is really not heard from at the end of the book and is only discussed by secondary characters.
This was a very unfortunate end to what was otherwise a very solid book. I really liked 90% of it, but it left me almost bitter at the end.

wolfe has created a world which drifts in and out of my understanding. he trys to tackle the racial undercurrents in atlanta, but at the same time he pokes fun at the black experience, the stoic parody is amusing ,but i find it unsatisfying and brings the novel to an artifically abrupt ending. surprising after 700 odd pages ! i guess the editor was putting the pressure on ! how long will woolfe survive on the dinner circuit with this effort ? its no bonfire for sure.

After recently visiting Atlanta, I was looking forward to a good story and I was wrong!!. This book is deadly, too long, the characters are boring, and the words sometimes are so repetitive. Give me a good ol' fashion true southern novel any day.

I don't understand why everyone is complaining about the length or the ending. I thought it was a terrific entertaining read, and I wanted it to go on. It seemed too short to me. And the ending was unexpected and so, to me, perfect.

When I started reading this book I thought it had potential to be as enjoyable as Bonfire. I was mistaken. Actually, the last two hundred pages were almost torture. The conclusion was terrible. Don't be fooled by all the hype!

Anyone with ambition can relate to the lead character in this marvelous story about an aging captain of industry who ultimately finds the journey far more enjoyable than the destination. Tom Wolfe has my vote as a talented author with the ability to keep the reader's interest through all subplots and characters he employs to tell the story of Charlie Croker, a Man in Full. An excellent and believable story that educates as well as entertains, I would recommend this book to anyone who simply likes to hear a good yarn.

I loved this book. Tom Wolfe has created a great story on a grand scale. The characters are extremely human with extreme human frailties. Humor is rampant throughout, and not a small amount of cynism flavors the proceedings.

I loved Bonfire and think the comparisons by the so-called experts are ridiculous. This book is tedious, the characters don't interest me at all and I'm halfway through. I find myself like many of your readers skipping many pages because I know where each scene is headed or I don't care enough to find out. I want to finish the book but the thought that I will come upon a lousy ending is truly disheartening. Just like the movie reviewers, I wish we had literary critics who were more honest. You can like the man and not like this book and should tell us so.

Gave up reading this. Fell asleep. There's a lot of ground covered in this book, but so what? Spare me the detailed descriptions of hardwood, jewelry, clothing and sex between horses. This book is a mile wide and an inch deep.

If you're looking for a massive, trashy novel...this is the one! If, on the other hand, you're looking for something of substance...don't bother. The highlight (for me) centered on the stoic, Epictetus. The rest is just so much dirty froth.

Yup, this is a great read, but rarely have I found a book so lacking in development of its women characters. The sterotypes are in full, one-note force: grasping, greedy, harpy-like women LOVE to tear their men down, while happily emptying their wallets. At the other extreme, and this saves the book and makes it the compulsive page-turner it is, the male characters are diverse, whole, and beautifully portrayed. Like many other customers, I too found the last chapter to be a disappointment...Wolfe obviously had a deadline to meet, or just ran out of juice.

A lot of the reviewer's of this book are complaining about content and plot follow ups. The bottom line is, Tom Wolfe can write. It may not be upto the 'Bonfires', but what is? I read every single word in this novel. Buy it.

Having grown up in Atlanta, graduating from Georgia Tech about the time Charlie Croker fictionally did, I found it getting very real. The names and places were those I also knew. I too got the book for Christmas and saved it to read sitting in air terminals. I've known developers in Atlanta and Georgia. Men who had to fight or possibly connive to build such an empire. Some lost it all, but none went out with a whimper. Maybe Wolfe should have sent the last chapter out for potential readers to review with a multiple choice ending. I was expecting much more.

Just finished the book a few hours ago and after reading the other reader reviews, see that many were expecting a literary work of art. From a infrequent reader's point of view, I found the book hard to put down and very entertaining.Definitely would recommend it to anyone. Just curious as to why even highly respected authors (or their editors) don't catch overused descriptions (it seemed like Wolfe slipped in the term "solar plexus" about every 3rd page). I could be missing the point, but it stuck out like a sore solar plexus as I was enjoying this otherwise engrossing story!

For those that are up for the challenge of a 700 page book, forget about this one and read any interesting 400 pager. This book leaves you with a feeling of 'who cares?' I can't be bothered to go any deeper on it.

A Man in Full wastes 371 sheets of paper via 742 written pages. Wolfe's failed attempts to develop the book's five main characters, via repetitive and overly descriptive passages, will force readers to resist the urge to give up on the book and toss it in the garbage.

My biggest disappointment with A Man in Full is the book's incredibly weak ending. After enduring the self-inflicted pain of reading the book's first 729 pages, Wolfe reveals the story ending for each of the five character's via a conversation between one main character and the mayor of Atlanta. The mayor describes what has become of four of the five main characters, and what the future holds for the fifth, with whom he is speaking. Despite editorial approval to use 742 pages, Wolfe clearly struggled to conclude A Man in Full, and did so in a manner that will leave readers utterly disappointed.

I would normally consider passing along a book that I have read to another reader. With Man in Full, however, I intend to provide a service to any potential readers by shredding and recycling the 341 pages. Perhaps that way, the resources will be put to a more productive use.

Having read Tom Wolfe's other novels I very much looked forward to A Man in Full. I'm sorry to say that I'm deeply disappointed. It's simply a very poor novel in every respect. The only way to make it interesting is to look upon the book as written not by the novelist Tom Wolfe but by the journalist Tom Wolfe as an portrait and measure of US in the 1990's. But as such it's a very sad and depressing portrait which must have been written by a man who hates the society he lives in. It's a society governed by self-interest displayed as greed or the fear of poverty.It makes me sad because I met much more of humanity and dignity when I spent a lot of time in US about 20 years ago.

The most destructive attribute a creative artist can have is competitivness. Tom Wolfe, like the late Norman Mailer, seems to feel that he not only has to compete with other high profile members of the (New York) literary establishment, but with himself. Each book has to be a bigger "blockbutster" than the one before.

But bigger does not necessarly mean better - it can mean bloated.

Wolfe (like Mailer) is basically a creative journalist who got too big for his literary britches. In the Right Stuff, Wolfe pushed the envelope to the tearing point. Then he ventured into the realm of fiction, lost his focus, and was out of his depth. Without an anchor of reality, his writing floated into the rarefied air of the implausible, not to say ridiculous. The old Tom Wolfe is a parody of the young Tom Wolfe. His earlier works have earned him immortality; his later works (i.e. novels) are evidence of his mortality.

There is not a contemporary American author who could have crafted such a intricate tale. His ability to weave assorted characters from all levels of Atlanta's neo-provincial cultural hierarchy captivated me from the beginning to nearly the end. That being said, the ending was anticlimatic and thin. I could envision some grizzled publisher saying "Tom, just finish the damn book." The amazing thing about the story: it could actually overcome such a half-baked ending. I can only hope we don't have to wait another 10 years for another masterpiece.

I looked forward to reading this novel after finding Bonfire of the Vanities somewhat amusing. However AMIF was a deep disappointment. I found the prose clumsy and the plotting overly contrived. TW clearly has little real contact with black America given that his use of African-American slang is consistently off and his attempts to recreate rap-rhymes were painful to read through. He simply lacks the experience and I suspect the skill, to pull off a credible story using the characters he has created. Also TW seems to equate cynicsm with balanced satire. I have rarely been as happy to finish reading a book.

Mr. Wolfe's new book is another vehicle in which his vivid descriptions and effective prose is evident. However, the characters are disappointingly lackluster. They don't inspire you or spark you enough to like or dislike them. This causes the book to drag a bit.
Most enjoyable was his character Conrad; particularly his incredible streak of misfortune and his subsequent Phoenix-like rise from the ashes. However, all-in-all the other main characters were lacking, and the ending was a letdown.

THE WRITING IS JUST GREAT. THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS AMAZING, THE SCENES WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR A LONG TIME. AN EXCELLENT BOOK. THE ENDING WAS QUICK AND AFTER 750 DETAILED PAGES ANOTHER 100 WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO END THE SAGA.

I liked "boys with breasts," "hurricane hair," and especially "Usin' da mouth!" I got really aggravated . . . with all the . . . ellipses in places that . . . didn't make . . . sense. I agree with the reviewer a few days back who complained that most of the women characters were one-dimensional bitches -- I noticed it, too. But overall I loved this book.

This, I thought, was really masterful. I read it twice. I notice there are 888 other reviews of this book on here, so I'll just cut to the chase: the end's too fanciful, too unbelievable. The rest is great, and it's still worth the read, for sure.

please, someone, anyone explain to me what this book is trying to say. please help me understand why wolfe uses 120 words to say what could be said in only 50. please help me understand why sick, vicious profanity and poorly crafted racial stereotypes is hip. please help me understand how i can indentify, revile or at least give a hoot what happens to his thinly crafted characters. and please, oh please, help me find the passages as "beautiful as any ever written"
this book is a waste of time.

Although portions of the book are a bit wordy, it held my interest cover to cover. The most enjoyable part of the book is the outstanding writing.
Example from page 49: "With a few arcs of that chin he had knocked the vain props out from under the great man, ripped away the insulation and the princely protocol, and left him sitting white and plump in his birthday suit, a sinner, a debtor, a deadbeat minus his dignity, naked before an unsparing dun."
My question: Who, besides a true master of the art of writing, could have written a sentence like that?

Have you ever read a book that when you put it down you feel sad and a little empty because the story had to end? This is definetly not that kind of book but it was fun to read. Some of his characterizations of people and events were incomparable. Being from Hawaii I took particular interest in Five-Oh. The pidgin dialogue was amazingly accurate. I was impressed with how well he handled it. It is very difficult to write pidgin accurately. Overall, it was a pleasant diversion but the ending was pretty weak.

I enjoyed the story qite a bit finding it engaging and attempting to make statements about contemporary American life.
However, the characters are extremely stereotypical under the guise of satire. The novel could have reached heights had there been more of an effort to make them genuine. The plot becomes somewhat outrageous reminding the reading of John Irving and that also detracts from its potential.
The real litmus test is whether it is readable; all 700 pages. It is.

Started the book and read it for two weeks and only was able to get through about 200 pages. Then it started getting interesting. Was unable to finish the book at that time as I had borrowed it from a friend and had to return it. Unable to stop thinking about it and bought it myself to finish it. Thought it was very good from about page 250, A particularly interesting story in the book involves a character named Conrad and what happens to him when he goes into Oakland, CA to apply for a temporary job.

I actually read this one a while back but recently found myself thumbing through it and remembered how good it is. The worst thing you can say about it is it's not as good as Bonfire. Yeah well, what is? With the exception of a weak and overly trite conclusion this is a very solid book, with all of TW's trademarks to be enjoyed.

Tom Wolfe has nailed America's end of the century culture and, in the course of that, has raised some intriguing issues in his competing models of masculinity. But it's a epic that dug a hole for itself in the end. Since none of his models of manliness work, he left me no choice but to resign from the gender and to wonder how a book so compelling for 99% of its muscular bulk could have left me begging for any kind of a ending just to put me out of my misery.

I felt like I was being dictated to. Reread the chapter where two men (the mayor and the lawyer) who have grown up together tour their city. The mayor explains building, history, and neighborhoods to his long-time friend. If someone did that to me in my hometown I would lose it. Wolfe has some really funny sections, but the overexplanations and obviously tacked on commentaries irked.

Wolfe's tale of the intersecting lives of ambitious men strikes the poignant chord of striving for improvement that is America. No matter what our station in life, most Americans are dreaming of something grander than what they currently possess. We are forever letting go of the bird in the hand for the two that are in the bush. A Man in Full thus is very much like Fitzgerald's classic The Great Gatsby and Gaille's recent (2002) The Law Review, all of which explore the price that Americans pay for ambition.

The book is not about Atlanta, not really. But Wolfe has the social and political life of the city nailed down pefectly. I was born here fifty years ago, and I think I know the Atlanta pretty well. The characters? The plot? If you want a brilliant satirical review of modern American civilization, or lack thereof, read it. If it doesn't make you think long and hard about your sacred beliefs about the USA, then you've lost the ability to think. Thanks, Mr. Wolfe.

I just finsihed the book after the book after a marathon reading session at 4:00 am. I found the book entertaining, but the ending was just too neat. The characters all came together in end in a very neat, TV like fashion. The books "lived happily efter after" was not believable. I felt that after reading 750+ pages I would feel more satisfaction in the end.

This was actually my first Wolfe novel--but not my last! I was really drawn in from the beginning, and kept puzzling how the diverse charatcers would all be brought together in the end. I was a little unsure of the way that Wolfe dealt with Croker at the end, but otherwise it was very enjoyable...and I couldn't stop reading. Not too often that I find an almost 800 page book worth reading in 3 sittings.

If you liked the earlier Tom Wolfe, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Radical Chic, The Right Stuff, but were unable to finish Bonfire of the Vanities, you might be able to plow through Wolfe's latest, but only if you have a week at the beach and truly nothing else to do. This is more social commentary on the level of Vanity Fair or the New Yorker. Interesting character development but reliant upon various dei ex machina to bail those characters out of implausible situations. Believable only if you think Fox TV would devote a weekly TV show to a fatuous cracker spouting Epictetus.

Extremely well done story with great character development. Croker and Roger too White were portrayed wonderfully. The story reveals issues of a modern day Atlanta trying to maintain itself as a modern business capital yet struggling to distance itself from its genteel, antebellum past. Corporate, racial, business, moral, and sexual themes with a great story to boot. Difficult to put donw. Even more difficult to forget, especially as an Atlanta native.

I was very disappointed in this novel, expecting a good book from Wolfe. It's hard to imagine that an American Southern gothic novel can be too silly, but this one was. The author tried to expand the story by just using too many words, and the plot line became outrageously esoteric and unbelievable. I finished it in the same mindset that keeps me staring at a gory car crash. And the ending fizzled just as if the bleeding car victim had jumped up amidst the paramedics and run off to go shopping.

Must be tough to sit down at the keyboard and try to top Bonfire of the Vanities and Right Stuff. Man in Full isn't painted on the broad canvas that made Bonfire so exellent. Feels like Wolfe just kept developing plot until suddenly an editor said, "hey Tom, how about wrapping this thing up?" Every issue resolved in 70 pages or so and then the epilogue. He's still a great stylist though and the book is worth reading for that alone.

Mr Wolfe is a great observer and better than most professionals at judging human character. If you enjoy reading a sophisticated book laced with a writer's skill at crafting humor. This book is for you.

A was extremely dissapointed in this #1 bestseller by Tom Wolfe. You could easily skip chapter after chapter and not miss a beat. Meaningless characters were overdeveloped and many subplots should have been left. I was so pround of myself for struggling through all 742 pages just to be greeted with a terrible ending.

Simply the best contemporary novel I've read thus far...you won't be able to put this down...and if you manage to you won't be able to get the story off your mind. For months after I walked around my house bumping my knee on furniture and refusing to show any signs of pain...read it and you'll be able to relate...BRILLIANT

In "The Right Stuff" there's a chapter about Lyndon Johnson's moving the space program from Cape Canaveral to Houston. Houston puts on a great party for the seven heroes of space exploration, described in what was until now my all-time favorite chapter of narrative skewering. Peepgass, walking wounded after the war, is a character at least as in-your-face as Herb Snout from Kar Kastle, but nuanced for the millenium.

Decent read but was Tommy having flashbacks from his ECAT days when assigning character names? Or maybe it's just in Richmond that people have funny sounding and insipid names. Pay no attention to the man in the white suit.Like a songwriter who has run out of ideas, AMIF is old Tom confirming what the late Norman Mailer and others of high literary pedigree implied when reviewing this book."I'm only in for the money."

Tom Wolfe is a superb writer, and this book is an outstanding example of just that! His descriptive prose, as well as his phraseology, make this book a page-turner that you cannot stop reading. It must be swallowed in huge gulps on the first read, and savored on all of the succeeding times. I felt that the ending was weak, compared to the rest of the book, but will continue rereading it in any case.

The man who wrote such perfect magical-realist journalistic writing in concise and compact form is now producing novels that are bloated in every sense. Big fat doorstops full of overblown writing and sloppy construction. Pity he got so famous no one at the publishing company will act the tough guy and edit him properly. Big fat smug book written by a compact smug man.

Must be tough to sit down at the keyboard and try to top Bonfire of the Vanities and Right Stuff. Man in Full isn't painted on the broad canvas that made Bonfire so exellent. Feels like Wolfe just kept developing plot until suddenly an editor said, "hey Tom, how about wrapping this thing up?" Every issue resolved in 70 pages or so and then the epilogue. He's still a great stylist though and the book is worth reading for that alone.

Mr Wolfe is a great observer and better than most professionals at judging human character. If you enjoy reading a sophisticated book laced with a writer's skill at crafting humor. This book is for you.

A was extremely dissapointed in this #1 bestseller by Tom Wolfe. You could easily skip chapter after chapter and not miss a beat. Meaningless characters were overdeveloped and many subplots should have been left. I was so pround of myself for struggling through all 742 pages just to be greeted with a terrible ending.

Wolfe gives us a great feel for the south from the point of view of a greedy self serving businessman. That part of the book is interesting and somewhat consistent with what you expect from a Tom Wolfe book. So far so good. The first three quarters of the book are a 4 star rating. Then we get to the end. The ending is very disappointing. One gets the feeling that Wolfe ran out of creative steam as he got to the end. Very mediocre ending rating one star. Overall a three star.

Simply the best contemporary novel I've read thus far...you won't be able to put this down...and if you manage to you won't be able to get the story off your mind. For months after I walked around my house bumping my knee on furniture and refusing to show any signs of pain...read it and you'll be able to relate...BRILLIANT

In "The Right Stuff" there's a chapter about Lyndon Johnson's moving the space program from Cape Canaveral to Houston. Houston puts on a great party for the seven heroes of space exploration, described in what was until now my all-time favorite chapter of narrative skewering. Peepgass, walking wounded after the war, is a character at least as in-your-face as Herb Snout from Kar Kastle, but nuanced for the millenium.

He would happily include "satisfaction" in his lexicon.
Wolfe understands human action on every social level, but selfishness does not satiate each act in "A Man in Full" as it does in "Bonfire of the Vanities." For that he's criticized???
What's the difference between Bork's "Slouching Towards Gomorrah" and Wolfe's "A Man in Full"? "A Man in Full" has answers. The fun is discovering them.

Decent read but was Tommy having flashbacks from his ECAT days when assigning character names? Or maybe it's just in Richmond that people have funny sounding and insipid names. Pay no attention to the man in the white suit.Like a songwriter who has run out of ideas, AMIF is old Tom confirming what the late Norman Mailer and others of high literary pedigree implied when reviewing this book."I'm only in for the money."

Tom Wolfe is a superb writer, and this book is an outstanding example of just that! His descriptive prose, as well as his phraseology, make this book a page-turner that you cannot stop reading. It must be swallowed in huge gulps on the first read, and savored on all of the succeeding times. I felt that the ending was weak, compared to the rest of the book, but will continue rereading it in any case.

The man who wrote such perfect magical-realist journalistic writing in concise and compact form is now producing novels that are bloated in every sense. Big fat doorstops full of overblown writing and sloppy construction. Pity he got so famous no one at the publishing company will act the tough guy and edit him properly. Big fat smug book written by a compact smug man.

There was a bit of Hyperbole in his characters but he has to do that to stimulate interest. I think he might have missed on the graft and political problems that exist in Atlanta but then only insiders know the facts about this.

What a useless, wasteful novel about nothing except the exploitation of money. The only character worth reading about, Conrad, was barely mentioned in the ending. I cannot believe I read the whole thing, I can't not believe it was the number 1 best seller for several weeks. Who cared about all the final epiloge of Wes and Roger. I have never read Tom Wolfe before and probably never will again. Horrible book....

Wolfe demonstrates again that he is the master of characterizing the flaws and idiosyncrasies of our male culture. But, that he still remains completely clueless about women makes the book read flat. His female characters are straight out of TV sitcoms - either young and beautiful with "luscious loins" or old / ugly / poor with children and desparate. Mr. Wolfe could improve his understanding of life by taking Womens Studies 101 or at the very least reading Virginia Wolf, (A Room of One's Own) to get to know the other 50% of the population a bit. We're actually pretty interesting.

I loved this book and was always interested to see what would happen next. The racial stuff got real old real fast.Conrad was by far my favorite character with Charlie a close second. The endinng was great and not what I expected. Despite it's length I recommend it to anyone who loves to read.

HHHHHHuuuuuuuuuhhhhnnnnggggghhhhhhhh! Here's what the publishers should have done: slap the color photo of Wolfe's preening mug on the back of a dust jacket, and print "The Follow-up to The Bonfire of the Vanities: A Novel" on the front. Wrap said dust jacket around a bookshaped block of wood. Prop result on bookstore shelves and add a price tag. The result would be the same as what we've got now. (PS: And to think I actually enjoyed The Right Stuff. Sigh.)

In short (a concept Tom Wolfe should consider adopting) - thecharacters were caricatures, the plot was annoyingly contrived and thelanguage was, at best, 6th grade level (apologies to all you 6th graders out there). Oh, yeah, I almost forgot - all women over the age of 40 and women who don't look like 'boys with breasts' - beware. Now for the good news - the book is huge and comes in handy as a step stool.