A Man in Full

I bought my first copy of this novel the day in came out. I was living and working in NYC and had to visit several book stores as it sold out instantly. I got my copy and it was worth the effort. I consider Bonfire of the Vanities the practice novel for this work which I consider Wolfe's best effort. It is a long novel, and I have read it at least four times, I am getting ready to read it a fifth time as the horrible TV series that just came out washed away my good memories of this work.I see this novel as a twin retelling of the trials of Job, on two very different characters and involving philosophy as opposed to religion. There were many vivid characters, but I feel like the two 'Jobs' were the backbone of the story.Obviously I feel it worth the read, and maybe skip the miniseries, as I feel that it completely missed the point of the novel.

For almost 700 pages this book was a joy to read - not despite but because of the overdrawn characters and rollicking plotline. Wolfe creates a dozen (mostly) memorable characters, warmly posing them like a shameless family photographer amidst a richly textured southern landscape. The whole exercise sits squarely on the fine line between caricature and stereotype, and while neither the story nor the characters feel "real" the result is an effortless, engaging read.The effect is an almost mythic tale that actually hinges upon the near mythic account of certain long-dead philosophers. The plot, the dialogue and the characters are clearly designed to serve one another in equal measure, building a story that's true in the way that all myths are true - because of what it means to illustrate. It's meant to be over the top, and Wolfe smiles and winks with every joyous excess.That's why the sudden collapse of the story line at the end of the book seem entirely unfair and deeply disappointing. With 700 pages of preparation and at least four major plotlines all converging at last, I expected a bombastic finish worthy of the buildup. What I got instead was 25 or so hurried pages that tied up every loose end in the least satisfying way imaginable; a contrived dialogue where one character explains everything that went unwritten. Deux Ex Machina may be a classic mythic device but it's never felt so cheap as it does here; even bad detective stories routinely do a better job at this.Imagine a Beethoven symphony building for almost an hour to a quick finale composed of a breezy ragtime tune; the sudden change in atmosphere that came at the very end of this book was that jarring. One can almost imagine that the author himself was disappointed to end it this way, his love for the characters having been so evident for so long.I truly felt cheated, and can only imagine that an editorial decision or publishing deadline caused the sudden and traumatic amputation of such a florid story line. The last chapter, "Epilogue", could easily have sustained 100 more lushly written pages of exploration as these characters finally reached full flower. Is it too much to hope for the re-released "Director's Cut?"

A favorite of mine and not like the movie. Book was very useable.

I’d love to see the story board for this novel. Wolfe has the uncanny talent to keep 12 plot lines in the air at once and then weave them together .

While I found the book, in parts, a real page turner, I have to rate the book a three for the following reasons.1. Poor use of 10 cent words when developing his characters. If you're an MIT grad... you speak, act, and think like one...and typically that's how you'd expect them to be portrayed in the written word..however, if you're poor high school grad like Conrad, I find polysyllabic words popping up as he mulls over his life in his simple, jailhouse mind a bit distracting and disingenuous.2. The book was way too long for its content...mostly due to lengthy, unnecessary musings...often rambling and off plot...meaning that they neither advance the plot, nor meaningfully contribute to portraying the character. I thought that the author lost the balance between characterization and plot. While I enjoy good characterization, I don't want character development so in depth that I find myself wanting to skim parts of the book just to get back to some meaningful plot points.3. Broken plots and subplots. For instance...Peepgass marries Charlie Croaker's wife...why...who cares...you never find out how he overcame the class and money differences between he and Martha Croker. He dated her a couple of times...and boom, they are married. She did serve to offer embarrassing information about Charlie's earlier life that was never really a contribution to the plot.4. While you may not like, or believe that Charlie Croker is the protagonist, I wanted to follow the main plot. The author builds the plot in such a way as to lead the reader into expecting retribution for Charlie against the those at the bank who embarrassed and belittled him in so many ways. The author sets up a means to that end, offers justification through Charlie's wife. Not to be...in the end, Charlie finds religion, albeit off of the beaten path, and walks away...just quits...leaving his wife, kids, employees, his business, his plantation, all that he is...all because he happened to read a book.5. The book leaves so many loose ends that it has to be tied up in an Epilogue. You get the feeling that the author over wrote the story...either out of boredom or inability to control his characters...to the point of distraction...and then just couldn't figure out how to rewrite the characters in a more meaningful way. Not all characters, and not throughout the book, but in enough places that the book bogs down.6. The book could have easily been 100 pages shorter, better written, shorter musings by the characters, and for sure could have had a better ending.Don't get me wrong...when the book moved...it moved. Some parts of the book were very powerfully written...well characterized and interesting...hard to put down. It's the wasted space...the pages that follow the subplots to distraction that really take an otherwise wonderful read and turn it into an exercise in completion. I had been waiting to read this book for 5 years, ever since I bought it at a library sale for $3, read a few pages and then lost track of it. Recently, I received a Kindle for my birthday and bought the book from Amazon. You know, we all read books in different ways...so, if your one of those people who don't read word for word...skipping here and there over the boring parts...you will most likely love this book a lot more than I did.

A captivating Tom Wolfe story, written with his distinctive, heartfelt style. I am a true admirer of Tom Wolfe's writing style. He develops his characters in such an authentic way that we can identify to anyone, be it, in the case of A Man in Full, an old business man on the US East coast or a young factory work on the West coast.We follow the intertwined stories of 4 men. Charlie Cocker is a rich businessman in Atlanta who, from the start, seems a bit tired with how is life is unfolding. Roger White is a young Atlanta lawyer, ambitious, with honorable work and family values. Roger Peepgrass is an executive banker, also in Altanta, dissatisfied with his job and with a messy personal life. And finally, Conrad Hensley is a young family man who works in a factory on the West coast.I found the prologue and the first 3-4 chapters difficult to read. I had even tried a sample of the book in the past and dropped it for something else. After reading The Bonfire of the Vanities (and absolutely loving it), I gave A Man in Full another try and boy was it worth it.I highly recommend if you love a story that follows different characters through a united, complex storyline.

Fair value for money.Prompt serviceThank you.

This book is not only a must-read for anyone who is active in the property business. The Interest-rate increase will put a lot of developers in a similar position as Charlie. The dynamics of this book represent the solutions and impact on society of large scale bankruptcies even nowadays. Netflix has found the perfect timing for a mini series based on this book.

Una gran novela. Aquellos que comprendan bien el idioma Inglés disfrutarán de ella.

Powerful, deep psychological analysis of the characters. It is sweating Atlanta Southern habits. It uses a lot of dialect phrases.Delightful and gorgeous.