A Man in Full [Audio Download]

I often discover great books too late - this one came out in 1998 - but I still wanted to add my voice of congratulations to Mr Wolfe on this amazing piece of work.
I took it on holiday with me after only recently discovering the genius of Bonfire of the Vanities and I was a bit nervous that this wouldn't pack the same emotional punch as that legendary novel .
But I should have had no fears. In truth, I wouldn't even like to judge/compare it against its famous cousin because both have the same power to grab your attention and keep you reading and both prove Tom Wolfe's inspiring ability to tell a cracking, knowing, multi-faceted story.
What we have here, is 800 pages of quality writing and pure page turning drama. Set in modern day Atlanta it features the unforgettable character of Charlie Croker - an all-conquering property developer who is as rich as most countries and yet, as the novel starts, looks to be facing the possible end of his world of immense luxury and power.
We watch with fascination as we see Croker's desperate battle to salvage the world he created and watch with equal (and perhaps more horrible) fascination as he tries to convince himself he is a better person that most of us suspect he actually is .
Intermingled with this riveting main tale are several superb mini-plots which involve politics, racism, sex, family rivalries and corporate America, plus a seemingly unconnected story about a decent, principled man's descent into prison life (and what an astonishing vision of prison hell Wolfe portrays). The relevance of that storyline only starts to connect with the other main threads in the last few pages but it takes the book to a surprising finale . . .
Overall, I have to say this, like Bonfire, is simply a modern day classic. It's a real page turner, written with style and verve and if full of impeccably rounded characters.
It is a book to treasure and admire .
My next 'big' read will be Wolfe's latest novel - I Am Charlotte Symonds - which I will lap up with relish even if George Bush did recommend it. And I am only two years late reading it this time!

This is a fantastic book that keeps you reading. The only thing that lets it down is Wolfe's insistence of conitnually referring to characters according to their race, over and over again.

Although this is a novel drawn along race lines, this continual reference becomes pretty tiresome.

Other than that, a hugely entertaining read, fully encapsulating late twentieth century obsession with money, and masterfully bringing together initially disparate plots to a surprising (but finally disappointing/unsatisfying) climax.

Tom Wolfe gets top marks for his characterisation and his literary style, but I'm going to have to knock off a couple of points for what I perceive to be his difficulty with finishing off a story. Whilst Bonfire of the Vanities gets 100% (undoubtedly his best piece of fiction), I felt that both I Am Charlotte Simmons and A Man In Full 'raced' to slightly unsatisfactory conclusions.
That said, I rate Wolfe as one of my favourite authors and, on balance, I prefer his works to those of Updike, a contemporary of his with whom there have been some fairly public slagging matches. Don't get me wrong, Updike's works are excellent and satisfying, but I just find Wolfe more gripping and compelling.
I'd highly recommend A Man In Full, but I'd suggest that the reader reads his fiction in the order it was written. Start with Bonfire of the Vanities, then A Man In Full and finish with I Am Charlotte Simmons.