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Book Review of Humboldt's Gift

Humboldt's Gift
Humboldt's Gift
Author: Saul Bellow
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Hardcover
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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.