As a novel, I only go three stars on this. It's OK, but it's just OK. I just couldn't get into it more than that. However, there are several passages where Bellow examines the nature of consciousness, of soul, and the difference between being and self-awareness - a topic that has long fascinated me and that he expresses well.
So anyway. The first two hundred pages I was all too aware I was reading 70's-era fiction - I don't know why but around page 100 I thought, "this is something Playboy would consider intellectual fiction." Then 30 pages later our protagonist ended up at the Playboy club. I found that significant. Once the novel moved away from Chicago, I think the last 250 pages made a much better short novel than the full 480-page novel is. Plus, all the stuff about the nature of existence is in there. Someone fix that up and let me know when it's ready.
So anyway. The first two hundred pages I was all too aware I was reading 70's-era fiction - I don't know why but around page 100 I thought, "this is something Playboy would consider intellectual fiction." Then 30 pages later our protagonist ended up at the Playboy club. I found that significant. Once the novel moved away from Chicago, I think the last 250 pages made a much better short novel than the full 480-page novel is. Plus, all the stuff about the nature of existence is in there. Someone fix that up and let me know when it's ready.
