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"A thoughtful, searching novel."
-- "The New York Herald Tribune"
-- "The New York Herald Tribune"
the Guardian
‘A novelist who documented the angst of postwar suburban America’
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By the time they had lived seven years in the little house on Greentree Avenue in Westport, Connecticut, they both detested it. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
By the time they had lived seven years in the little house on Greentree Avenue in Westport, Connecticut, they both detested it. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
"All I know is that I lived on the belief that everything would be marvellous after the war..."
21 Nov 2009
Format:Paperback
This starts out as a Richard Yatesian kind of novel about the pressures of life on the ordinary working man and his domestic setting. And then it turns into a novel about the difficulty of adjusting to normal suburban life after duty in the second world war (as such, it is still a remarkably relevant book today, and deserves a resurgence for that). It's clear from the introductiont hat Jonathan Franzen would rather it erred more toward the first half, but I'm not so sure. As it is, is very, very accomplished in fulfilling it's second brief. As a book about readjustment after war, about the problem of a normal man having to settle back down into his previously normal life after a massive trauma that makes all the hypocrisy and struggle seem pretty ridiculous, it is excellent. It is well-written, it is perceptive, it is moving, it is heart-warming, and it captures some relationships between people very well indeed, though some of them do seem to be too simplified - the conflicts with his wife seem to too easily resolved and glossed over; his eventual resignation to be completely honest with his boss goes too smoothly. (It would be more interesting, and realistic, if his wife wasn't so accepting (especially concerning Tom's revelation to her in the final pages) - I think there'd have been even more fertile ground if there was just a little more *struggle* and conflict for Tom, jsut to hammer home the point. But there we are. It doesn't matter.
Because even though some bits seem too easy, it's simple to understand why Wilson may have been keen to take it overly easy on a character who's already had it so hard. And it is still an excellent book, and an excellent read. honesty and justice may win out too smothly for this to be easy to swallow for some, but it's certainly overlookable, and certainly doesn't marr the work in any way. After some relentless pessimism, a little optimism is nice once in a while.
Overall, a very fine book indeed. I would recommend it very highly, and hope that it catches some kind of contemporary wave, as it deserves too.
Because even though some bits seem too easy, it's simple to understand why Wilson may have been keen to take it overly easy on a character who's already had it so hard. And it is still an excellent book, and an excellent read. honesty and justice may win out too smothly for this to be easy to swallow for some, but it's certainly overlookable, and certainly doesn't marr the work in any way. After some relentless pessimism, a little optimism is nice once in a while.
Overall, a very fine book indeed. I would recommend it very highly, and hope that it catches some kind of contemporary wave, as it deserves too.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book explains a veteran's experiences at home after the war.
It is an excellent story of the challenges facing a veteran, Tom Rath. The author develop the character of Tom Rath is such a way that one feels a great deal of sympathy for him and his dilemmas.
There is something here for most people and it shows the way a man previously subject to daily mortal danger, faces the challenges of peace.
I thoroughly recommend this book, one of the best I have read recently.
It is an excellent story of the challenges facing a veteran, Tom Rath. The author develop the character of Tom Rath is such a way that one feels a great deal of sympathy for him and his dilemmas.
There is something here for most people and it shows the way a man previously subject to daily mortal danger, faces the challenges of peace.
I thoroughly recommend this book, one of the best I have read recently.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The publishers are missing a marketing trick on this book - it should be reissued subtitled 'the original Mad Men' or some such - the parallels are so marked. Even the names of the two characters, Tom and Betsy, are spookily like Don and Betty - or maybe not so spookily; apparently Mr Draper is reading a copy in one episode of the (5*) TV show. Anyway, this is the original if you like - written at the time, rather than the retrospectively - and a fascinating insight into the mores and angst of the postwar era.
It has `flaws': it's dated; the world of writing and rewriting speeches seems quaint and remote 50-Powerpoint-years later; Betsy's not a particularly rounded character and is unconvincingly forgiving; the end is too easy and neat. Yet it's more than a mere work of historic interest; with it's portrayal of angst over work/life balance and how much you should subjugate your own personality at work, and its insights into the internal conflicts experienced when returning home post war by the average Jo, it has resonance for today too. The pace is good, the structure tight, the style accessible and I devoured it in a few days.
Just one tip: if you're reading the edition with Jonathan Frantzen's introduction in it, leave it until after you've finished - it's full of spoilers and will (to my mind wrongly) lower your expectations of the second half. Certainly it would be better placed as an Afterward in terms of flow. But it's the novel I'm reviewing here, not the format or Frantzen, and whilst the book has defects, I'm going for 5*s all the same. My reasons? I don't think it's something anyone would regret picking up and couldn't learn from reading, and its appeal will be broad. In short, it's an American literary treasure, well worth rediscovering all these years on.
It has `flaws': it's dated; the world of writing and rewriting speeches seems quaint and remote 50-Powerpoint-years later; Betsy's not a particularly rounded character and is unconvincingly forgiving; the end is too easy and neat. Yet it's more than a mere work of historic interest; with it's portrayal of angst over work/life balance and how much you should subjugate your own personality at work, and its insights into the internal conflicts experienced when returning home post war by the average Jo, it has resonance for today too. The pace is good, the structure tight, the style accessible and I devoured it in a few days.
Just one tip: if you're reading the edition with Jonathan Frantzen's introduction in it, leave it until after you've finished - it's full of spoilers and will (to my mind wrongly) lower your expectations of the second half. Certainly it would be better placed as an Afterward in terms of flow. But it's the novel I'm reviewing here, not the format or Frantzen, and whilst the book has defects, I'm going for 5*s all the same. My reasons? I don't think it's something anyone would regret picking up and couldn't learn from reading, and its appeal will be broad. In short, it's an American literary treasure, well worth rediscovering all these years on.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Problems with being rich in 1950s USA
On re-reading this novel I was rather disappointed. The angst endured by the Rath couple, both from rich families, but with problems adjusting to the 1950s postwar USA, seems... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Piffle
Why isn't this book more widely read?
This is an excellent novel. Why it isn't on reading lists, in bookstores and even in my local library remains a mystery. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Mr. Chris Pearson
Still relevant - not just 1950s Hollywood
Essentially, this autobiographical novel asks what is a man to do when he returns from traumatic experiences in the US paratroops in the second world war, having not expected to... Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2008 by Emily - London
Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
This is one of those good rainy afternoon reads. It won't save your soul, but it might help you slog through another cloudy day.
Published on 28 July 2005 by Georgina Morgan
the best 2005 read
Sloan Wilson captures the essence of a suburban commuter's life-dilemma in this poignant 1950s portrait of a WWII vet who cannot balance his past with his present. Read more
Published on 19 July 2005
One Of The Greatest Post WWII Tales Ever Written.
What can I say? I was shocked, suprised and most of all, Comforted by this book. A real Roller-Coaster of a ride that is incredibly memorable. Read more
Published on 20 May 2003 by Mr. L. D. Guest
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