Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It Really Made Me Laugh, 28 Jul 2004
By A Customer
Women by Charles Bukowski is definitely a book worth owning, if you don't mind the kind of book that is often a little vulgar, raw, and yes "real." The story revolves, of course, around Buk's relationships with women, and the accounts themselves are totally hilarious and side-splitting. It's also one of those rare accounts of a man "past his prime" taking a final stab at the game of romance. It starts out with an account of Chinaski admitting he's a "loser." Dig this: "I was 50 years old and hadn't been to bed with a woman for four years...the idea of having a relationship with a woman -- even on non-sexual terms -- was beyond my imagination." Right then, from page one, I was hooked. The book then proceeds to show his disastrous attempts at altering this situation -- and the results are just hilarious! And it's the humor that makes this novel work. Next to The Losers Club by Richard Perez, which is also about relationships and the humiliation of daily life, Women by Charles Bukowski is by far the most fun I've had reading this year! Buy it!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sorry Buko but a bit... boring, 26 Sep 2007
I popped my Bukowski cherry with Post Office and was enthralled, and my enchantment lasted through Ham on Rye, his short story collections, Pulp and some poetry collections. Most recently I read the excellent biography Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life. It's not like I am unfamiliar with the themes and style of Mr B is what I'm saying. But Women really turned me off. It's the emptiness I guess. Even in Post Office, even when he's at his lowest ebb, there's a vitality there which crackles and a tenderness, a human quality which is touching. That is absent in Women, and the drunk but interesting Chinaski is now the drunk but boring man you wish would go away and stop droning on. Same same same. Also the sheer amount of conquests is unbelievable. Maybe some women are drawn to fat ugly men with good legs, a jaded world view and serious drink problem. Even the lack of respect he habitually shows for most of these women is shallow and so unbelievable (though the women most of the time don't set themselves up for respect). It's like my uncle trying to be sexy and cool (no offence uncle m!) and failing miserably. There is no depth to any of it, no passion, no truth (and as a poet you need truth), no insight. I'm constantly reminded of a grumpy old man who wrinkles his nose at dirt and wishes to keep his hands clean - a trouser folder. This is especially true after reading the biography and accessing a clearer picture of the real Bukowski.
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Women, Love, Life...Bukowski Style!,, 26 Mar 2004
By A Customer
For those of you who are interested in the writings of one of the best modern American writers, Bukowski is your only choice. This, much like all of Bukowski's books, is almost entirely auto-biographical. The name is Henry Chinaski, he was a postman, he was a gambler, and now he focuses on his lovelife in WOMEN. It's hard to get into the actual content of this book because Bukowski's books don't follow plotlines and simple three act structures. This book is simply an incredibly detailed look into Bukowski's relationships with women. From a woman who is loaded with cash to a nymphomaniac who is very violent, to a woman that has his child and then ...I'll let you get to that. He gives very intimate and explicit accounts of experience as well as his inability to maintain a regular relationship with a female. Critics view this as bad writing, but I find it to be a very good account of the human condition, the inability of many to remain monogamous and the attempts by many to change the people the love, or at least claim to love. This a great book. I agree with another reviewer who also recommended THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez. These 2 books are my favorite recent Amazon purchases!
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