Rabbit, Run by John Updike | BOOK REVIEW

One of my most positive book reviews ever, here is why you should read Rabbit, Run by John Updike.

You can find me here, always happy to chat:

* = Dislike (not recommended) ("failed")
** = Okay (recommended to select audience) ("flawed")
*** = Like (recommended to general audience) ("fine")
**** = Really like (strongly recommended to select audience) ("focused")
***** = Love (strongly recommended to general audience) ("fervent")
#bookreview #book #booktube #levitybooks

[GomezAddams]

It's good to hear from somebody who actually understood this book for a change. A lot of readers these days can't get past the superficial idea that a book is only good if you like the main character. If that is the only metric people have for judging the quality and content of a novel then they are sadly missing out on what good writing is all about. Human beings are mixtures of both good and bad and Updike writes about his characters with nuance and depth of understanding. This might take you outside your comfort zone and that is what it is meant to do. If people hate Harry Angstrom it is because Updike succeeded in what he set out to accomplish. What I really liked in Rabbit Run, though, is how Angstrom turns his life around and gets a chance to redeem himself at the end. You really want him to do the right thing but then...well that ending really hurts.

[levitybooks]

Oh man I spot a massive typo but then I wonder how many of you are acually going to spot it... think I'll just leave it for now!

[Angela-kcui]

Updike was an amazing writer. Most people in real life aren’t that likeable

[kdj]

I found rabbit redux exhilarating ... Also rabbit at rest. Love the quartet. I'm reading The Centaur now

[GuiltyFeat]

I can’t wait for you to read the rest of the Rabbit books and see if you revise your opinion of what Updike really means with this character. Rabbit Redux is fairly impenetrable but from Rabbit is Rich on, you may find the author starting to admire Harry Angstrom and make you first complicit and then increasingly uncomfortable.

Cheers.

[iluvdingbats]

I began reading the Rabbit books earlier this year and like you struggled to get through the first 50 pages or so of Rabbit Run, but stuck with it and finished it. I took a break and read another book before starting Rabbit Redux and then I was off and running. I found taking a short break between these books was a good idea. I just finished Rabbit at Rest and will probably wait until after the holidays are over to read the final Rabbit novella. Ten to twenty pages a day was my pace as well, and I also agree that this is probably not a book women will love, as I inherited it from my mother and she hated it, and didn't finish it! I saw a lot of myself in Rabbit, which I wasn't expecting, but maybe it's good to be reminded of your inner asshole tendencies and failures every once in a while. A very agreeable review.

[TimLee]

i really enjoyed the father and his wife chapters. it was like reading multiple books in one.

[meyersmegafictionalmusings]

Liam. Tremendous video. I’ve been unsure about trying this. I will now. Thank you good Sir.
Have you tried Kundera yet?
👊

[HeyYallListenUp]

I've added this to my TBR based on your review. I'm not sure how I'll react to it, but it looks like it's worth a try.