Pulitzer Prize Winners on My TBR Pile

Here are some books that won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction that I would love to read someday.

But wait, there's more!

[SpecialAgentBillMaxwell]

Rabbit Angstrom is the most fully realized character I've ever read. He's not meant to be lived through vicariously. He has lots of problems. Rabbit at Rest is one of my favorite Pulitzers.

[fictitiousfictitious]

Thanks for your diligent love of bookery

[jacquelinemcmenamin]

I have a copy of A Thousand Acres on my shelf since last year when Robert ( Barter Hordes) recommended it. It's still unread. I'm trying to use the reading Women challenge bingo board to read my pile of unread books. I'm going to continue using the prompts throughout the summer to get these 40+ books into a more manageable number.

[mame-musing]

Run, Rabbit, Run precedes Rabbit at Rest. It’s the only one of the trilogy which I read for an American Lit class. It was okay, I don’t remember much of the plot. Sometimes aspects of books read while young become more profound to a reader with more life experience. Lol, I do remember the professor made a point that the character’s name “Harry Angstrom” could be viewed as Harry having a storm of angst.

[bsjrce]

I hope you give A Thousand Acres a chance. It's my favorite book. I read it once a year and always notice something different. I am still devastated by the events set off by the transferring of a wealthy farm. I sometimes think I set out to read it hoping it turns out differently for Ginny, Rose and Caroline.

[adamhasideas]

I am trying to read all of the fiction winners myself. I have read 23 of them so far. Of the ones mentioned in your video, here's my thoughts, for what its worth. Since this video is a few years old, you have likely made it through many on your list, so apologies about any comments that are too late to be helpful. Beloved is a great book, the characterization is very strong and the story is very engaging, even though some of it is quite disturbing. A Thousand Acres is much better than the movie, I really enjoyed it despite the difficult topics that come up. American Pastoral- So glad I read it, the beginning was a bit of a slog. Then the middle and end of the book really picks up. The book stays with you and makes you ponder decisions that you make as a parent (at least it did for me!). Keepers of the House- Abigail was a very interesting character, but for me it was a so-so read because I didn't feel a few characters were drawn strongly enough.
A Death in the Family- Slow start, but then the death happens (no spoiler, its in the title) and the emotions take over. Great book, helps understand how different members of a family react to death. The idea that Rufus, the young son, would gain some clout amongst the older boys in town because his father passed, was intriguing. Old Man and the Sea- Its a masterpiece of writing. One of my two favorite Hemingways. I haven't read The Reivers yet, but I did just finish Faulkner's other Pulitzer winner, A Fable, I would not recommend this. It's a slog to get through, the writing is dense and keeps you wondering who Faulkner is referring to a lot of the time. Long, and the payoff wasn't as good as I was hoping. Hope that was helpful, thank you for making interesting videos!

[tnan]

I've really enjoyed these Pulitzer videos. Thanks a lot for such great content!

[anenthusiasticreader]

Loved A Thousand Acres and I don't think of Smiley's writing as boring. The movie wasn't as good as the book, though I didn't hate the movie, either. Since it's based on King Lear, it definitely has some upsetting scenes, but they aren't extreme. And I highly recommend The Known World. I read it with a few other booktube people in February and it was the most rewarding reading experience I've had in a long time. (If you want to read a Western, you can't go wrong with Lonesome Dove, True Grit, and/or The Sisters Brothers.)

[scottprice]

Dude read Lonesome Dove NOW. I couldn’t care less about Westerns, and I loved loved loved it.

[andrewcole]

The only book that I have read that you talked about is the Old Man and the Sea. I really enjoyed the book, I read it through my library's ebook, and now I am keeping a lookout when ever I shop, as I really what to own a copy because I enjoyed so much.

I am also trying to read my way through the Pulitzer Prize list, but haven't read many yet. But one I can highly recommend is All the Lights We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, it as to be one of my favourite books.

[southernbiscuits]

I've not read the Rabbit books you mentioned but I did read Rabbit Run last year. Updike does not get much love on BookTube even though his reputation as a great author is well established. Rabbit Angstrom is a revolting character. The women in this book were not paragons of virtue. The story of Rabbit Run is an ugly story. But, keep in mind when reading the two books you hope to read that the Pulitzer Prize is not based upon how likeable the characters are. Also, political correctness is not a criteria that is a consideration for awarding this prize. Well, sometimes I have to wonder about that...At any rate, Updike is a masterful writer for many reasons. When I read Rabbit Run, I was taken by how poetic the writing was. Even though the story appalled me, the writing was almost transcendent. With that being said, there is also an obligation on the part of the reader to glean content from an author's effort that goes beyond the words and how they are presented. One must place the story within an historical and social context.

Following World War II, the white American male saw the possibility that his destiny was in his own grasp. Yet, world events such as war and the depression and a sudden rise in technology consumed this class without benefit of preparing it for the pitfalls that come from too much too soon. Harry (Rabbit) is a man whom, having reached that moment in life when the past has no lasting bearing on the present or the future, finds himself in a prison of desires and a lack of knowledge of how to achieve them. Thus, he is driven not by process but, rather, by a child's sense of wanting without thought given to needing or working for that which is desired. This inability to restrain one's desires and lack of coping mechanisms when one does not achieve them creates the brute that is Harry Angstrom.

I feel what is important to consider in reading the Rabbit books is to place Rabbit's progression as a character in reference to the world in which he finds himself. Harry is representational of changes that occur as world events transpire. He is not drawn as a figure to provoke warm and fuzzy feelings. The people around him are often victims of his actions. Their purpose is not to be fairly created aspects of women or whatever. They are represented in the books as how Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom sees them. The books are, after all, called the Rabbit books. If Rabbit comes off as disgusting - which is how I viewed him in Rabbit Run - that attitude that disgusts the reader is there for a purpose. It is to allow us to see how historical and social changes wreck havoc with the lives of individuals. I viewed Rabbit Run as a cautionary tale. I would not be surprised if the other books in the series were not as well.