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Review
"Our pre-eminent social realist...trains his all-seeing eye on the institution of the American university. . . . Wolfe's rhapsodic prose style finds its perfect target in academia's beer-soaked bacchanals."--Henry Alford, "Newsday"
"Wolfe is one of the greatest literary stylists and social observers of our much observed postmodern era. . . . A rich, wise, absorbing, and irresistible novel."--Lev Grossman, "Time"
"Tom Wolfe has scored a slam dunk with his...attention to style, the rule-bending punctuation, the deftness of slang dialogue, and that biting satire."--Steve Garbarino, "New York Post"
"Wolfe's dialogue is some of the finest in literature, not just fast but deep. He hears the cacophony of our modern lives."--Susan Salter Reynolds, "Los Angeles Times"" ""[A] hilarious, exclamation-point filled novel."--John Freeman, "Time Out New York"" ""Brilliant . . . I couldn't stop reading it. . . . Tom Wolfe can make words dance and sing and perform circus tricks, he can make the reader sigh with pleasure."--Michael Dirda, "The Washington Post" "A lot of fun . . . Hilarious."--Francine Prose, "Los Angeles Times Book Review"
"Tom Wolfe remains a peerless satirist. Alone among our fiction writers he is actively writing the human comedy, American-style, on a grand Dickensian scale."--David Lehman, "Bloomberg News" "Scathingly clear-eyed, often very funny take on college life." --Robert Siegel, NPR, "All Things Considered"
"Dazzingly vivid . . . Tom Wolfe has served up another of his broadly entertaining novels."--Adam Begley, "The New York Observer"" ""His most fully realized and hands-down funniest work of fiction."--Patrick Beach, "Austin American-Statesman"
"Captivating . . . Sit back and enjoy the ride."--Tom Walker, "The Denver Post" "Tom Wolfe is America's greatest living novelist."--Joseph Bottum, "The Weekly Standard"" ""Rollicking . . . Just as Americans continue to read "A Farewell to Arms "or "The Great Gatsb"y, we'll be reading "I Am Charlott --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
"Wolfe is one of the greatest literary stylists and social observers of our much observed postmodern era. . . . A rich, wise, absorbing, and irresistible novel."--Lev Grossman, "Time"
"Tom Wolfe has scored a slam dunk with his...attention to style, the rule-bending punctuation, the deftness of slang dialogue, and that biting satire."--Steve Garbarino, "New York Post"
"Wolfe's dialogue is some of the finest in literature, not just fast but deep. He hears the cacophony of our modern lives."--Susan Salter Reynolds, "Los Angeles Times"" ""[A] hilarious, exclamation-point filled novel."--John Freeman, "Time Out New York"" ""Brilliant . . . I couldn't stop reading it. . . . Tom Wolfe can make words dance and sing and perform circus tricks, he can make the reader sigh with pleasure."--Michael Dirda, "The Washington Post" "A lot of fun . . . Hilarious."--Francine Prose, "Los Angeles Times Book Review"
"Tom Wolfe remains a peerless satirist. Alone among our fiction writers he is actively writing the human comedy, American-style, on a grand Dickensian scale."--David Lehman, "Bloomberg News" "Scathingly clear-eyed, often very funny take on college life." --Robert Siegel, NPR, "All Things Considered"
"Dazzingly vivid . . . Tom Wolfe has served up another of his broadly entertaining novels."--Adam Begley, "The New York Observer"" ""His most fully realized and hands-down funniest work of fiction."--Patrick Beach, "Austin American-Statesman"
"Captivating . . . Sit back and enjoy the ride."--Tom Walker, "The Denver Post" "Tom Wolfe is America's greatest living novelist."--Joseph Bottum, "The Weekly Standard"" ""Rollicking . . . Just as Americans continue to read "A Farewell to Arms "or "The Great Gatsb"y, we'll be reading "I Am Charlott --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Book Description
Another unputdownable novel from the author of The Bonfire of the Vanities and A Man in Full, both huge bestsellers.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I love Tom Wolfe's novels - whenever I need true and utter escapism, they never fail to deliver what I am looking for, and this book is no exception. Once again the author skillfully provides insight into the lives of a vivid and varied range of characters, all centring on Charlotte Simmons, the first year university student struggling to cope with the culture shock of leaving behind small town life. At times the empathy I felt with Charlotte overwhelmed me and (much as I usually berate those who make statements like this) found myself marvelling that a male author could emulate such an intrinsically female viewpoint so effectively.
I did, however, feel marginally disappointed with the ending, which felt rushed and each character dealt with a little too easily. But don't let that put you off - this is well worth buying.
I did, however, feel marginally disappointed with the ending, which felt rushed and each character dealt with a little too easily. But don't let that put you off - this is well worth buying.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Despite being over 600 pages, this book draws you rapidly into the world Wolfe has created and pulls you to the end. It's focus is on the characters rather than the plot to begin with, but they are all so clearly drawn that you can see them clearly and actually want to know what happens to them, even if nothing actually happens.
There are four main characters. Three are male university students - a charismatic alpha-male, a nerd, and an athlete. They intersect via the title character, Charlotte Simmons, a very bright 18 year-old from a small mountain town who wins a scholarship to a top US college. Different plot strands are set in motion and, through Charlotte trying to find her place at university (and in the world), become intertwined over around ten months and have a major impact on all their lives. The most complex character is Charlotte. Everyone else is to a certain extent a charicature, but one of the themes of the book is about how the dynamics of university student society is how it forces students into certain clearly defined categories and act in the way prescribed for these groups. Charlotte is more interesting in that she has no real idea about these different groups to begin with and is pulled in a lot of contradictory directions and her actions and thoughts are often clearly at variance. I'm still puzzling over Charlotte, particularly the ending, and that's a good sign; she is one of the most stimulating characters in literature I have come across in a long while.
The student world is seen through the minds of a wide cast of characters and their thoughts and actions are left to stand by themselves for the reader to make any value judgments about. The author's observations are more concerned with the use of language, in particular the different student "patois". One nice touch is reporting speech straight but breaking off to explain the subtleties of pronunciation.
A certain amount of pages is given over to brief biographical sketches of the characters, showing their upbringing and so on. This is interesting in itself but not strictly necessary as he sketches the characters well the moment the appear. There is also no seeming reason why some characters have these detailed notes and others don't as some with mere walk-on parts get them and other more important characters do not. This is a book written by someone who knows he'll be published and so doesn't have to grab anyone's attention immediately. I think the book actually benefits from that.
Overall, the book feels very realistic. Anyone who has been at university will recognise much in it, and see themselves reflected in the characters - although the US system and experience is very different to that of the UK. Thoroughly enjoyable and with a lot of throught-provoking ideas about self-identity.
There are four main characters. Three are male university students - a charismatic alpha-male, a nerd, and an athlete. They intersect via the title character, Charlotte Simmons, a very bright 18 year-old from a small mountain town who wins a scholarship to a top US college. Different plot strands are set in motion and, through Charlotte trying to find her place at university (and in the world), become intertwined over around ten months and have a major impact on all their lives. The most complex character is Charlotte. Everyone else is to a certain extent a charicature, but one of the themes of the book is about how the dynamics of university student society is how it forces students into certain clearly defined categories and act in the way prescribed for these groups. Charlotte is more interesting in that she has no real idea about these different groups to begin with and is pulled in a lot of contradictory directions and her actions and thoughts are often clearly at variance. I'm still puzzling over Charlotte, particularly the ending, and that's a good sign; she is one of the most stimulating characters in literature I have come across in a long while.
The student world is seen through the minds of a wide cast of characters and their thoughts and actions are left to stand by themselves for the reader to make any value judgments about. The author's observations are more concerned with the use of language, in particular the different student "patois". One nice touch is reporting speech straight but breaking off to explain the subtleties of pronunciation.
A certain amount of pages is given over to brief biographical sketches of the characters, showing their upbringing and so on. This is interesting in itself but not strictly necessary as he sketches the characters well the moment the appear. There is also no seeming reason why some characters have these detailed notes and others don't as some with mere walk-on parts get them and other more important characters do not. This is a book written by someone who knows he'll be published and so doesn't have to grab anyone's attention immediately. I think the book actually benefits from that.
Overall, the book feels very realistic. Anyone who has been at university will recognise much in it, and see themselves reflected in the characters - although the US system and experience is very different to that of the UK. Thoroughly enjoyable and with a lot of throught-provoking ideas about self-identity.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This may not be Tom Wolfe's best book ever, but even when he's not firing on all pistons, his prose is more turbocharged than most novelists half his age. 'Charlotte Simmons' has received its share of brickbats, though you can't help but think that Wolfe has actually gone out and done something that other writers don't even bother with: he's actually done some legworks, like Dickens, Balzac and Trollope before him. Five stars.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Falling flat
I've worshipped Wolfe for years. He is a master of stuttering, sparkling polemic, the poster-boy for the New Journalism (i.e. Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2009 by theandrewssister
Wolfe to the Slaughter
It's a little bit long and that means hard to take in one go... yet this faux-avuncular expose' of contemporary college life at a top American university kept me going back until... Read more
Published on 10 April 2009 by Alex Brunel
Hectic college lifestyle
It seems odd that Tom Wolfe, would attempt to write the college story from a female perspective. However, his daughters have recently graduated from college so I suppose he was... Read more
Published on 23 Dec 2008 by J. Cronin
Not up to his usual standard
This book is not as good as his previous work but if you like Tom Wolfe (and I do) you will still enjoy this. Read more
Published on 22 Jun 2008 by Prospero
Inspiration
I want to say that I really enjoyed the book. But there is something that the book gave me, more than any self help book or similar... Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2008 by Gregory Babayans
Awesome as always
Tom Wolfe is my favourite writer in the world today. They say Americans don't understand irony; Tom Wolfe certainly does. Awesome as always!
Published on 11 Jan 2008 by messageinthemoon
Not a fan of the ladies
I picked up Tom Wolfe's new novel, I am Charlotte Simmons, with a high degree of expectation. After all, Wolfe is a brilliant writer and his `social realism' manifesto is very... Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2007 by Bruno Alves
I am... not that impressed
There is no denying Tom Wolfe's capacity for writing deepy compelling fiction with modern relevance, but I would complain that his narrative structure is becoming a little... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2007 by Demob Happy
I am.... not that impressed
There is no denying Tom Wolfe's capacity for writing deepy compelling fiction with modern relevance, but I would complain that his narrative structure is becoming a little... Read more
Published on 14 Dec 2006 by Demob Happy
Unbelievably accurate
Tom Wolfe's latest novel is, I think, an extremely accurate and well researched comment on the pitfalls of college education. Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2006 by Bookaholic
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