Reviews for The Rabbit Novels, Volume Two

The average rating for The Rabbit Novels, Volume Two based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-01-24 00:00:00 Allen Gugar Updike is an amazingly talented author who develops characters so precisely, so deeply that the reader feels an intimate knowledge about the characters. The books are told through the point of view of Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, the tertiary characters become intimate; their motives and interactions consistent throughout the 40 year span in the Rabbit series. Rabbit himself is a flawed, very human man. The likability of the protagonist is arguable. As arguable as liking humans themselves. Updike presents feelings, thoughts and moral currency for Rabbit. Subsequently, he produces complex descriptions of experience and personal logic and innermost thoughts. Without appearing to 'author' the inner workings of Rabbit's mind, Updike writes of the entwined movements of emotional thrust and social obligation to try to conform. Updike is a master at concise yet amazingly thorough description that transforms the mundane into almost screenplay detail while avoiding boring the reader. I love the writing and love to read the characters grow and transform throughout the four expressive novels. The story is about life, written as life reveals itself. There are no boiling points or climaxes that couldn't be found during a non-spectacular lifetime. The beauty of these books is in getting into the human, being, and experiencing life with them.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-04-19 00:00:00 Brent Lindsey For all of Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom's faults, you can't help but enjoy the third and fourth Rabbit novels. I think I got sold on reading these novels because of how descriptive they are. My only issue while reading these novels was my continual disgust for Nelson's character. It got to the point where if his character would say anything, I'd have to skim over it. In "Rabbit is Rich", Rabbit is now running the Springer Motors dealership and is navigating upper-class America with his wife Janice. And his son Nelson has returned home with a girl in tow completely undecided about his future which rekindles past father-son troubles. In "Rabbit at Rest", Rabbit at 55 is feeling the pains of a lifetime of beer-drinking and cholesterol-laden foods. While on an outing with his granddaughter, he suffers his first heart attack and begins his trip down memory lane.