Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
50 is fun?, 5 Jan 2003
I purchased this book while browsing at Heathrow Aiport and what struck me was the opening line. This describes the death of the central character of the book Adam who dies rather embarassingly whilst trying to save a young girl - embarrassing as he has a heart attack in the process as his body is not as young as he thinks it is and as a boat comes to rescue her before he can. Although Adam is the central character in the book we never get to meet him due to his untimely demise - but we do get to know a lot about him though his friends in a middle class surburbia someone in the east coast of the US. The book is a description told from the individual friends point of view of how they cope with his death as well as an attempt by these friends and through them the reader to understand who Adam was. The interest of the novel is the author's great ability to get inside a character and to see the world from their point of view. Their petty thoughts, their bitchy comments, their doubts, their disappointments and all the thoughts that we keep from one another even our nearest and dearest. As Adam was an icon of an alternative lifestyle in a dull surburbia of dinner parties and plastic surgery his death acts as a catalyst to the inhabitants of the town all of whom it seems experience some sort of mid life crisis. Once he is dead and the different individual's view of the world can no longer be reflected and propped up by their illuions of Adam they are obliged to fact up to their existance alone. Despite many attempts by the individuals to etch out who Adam was he remains ever elusive. The real interest in the novel is in seeing how the characters come to terms with themselves, how they change in their view of each other, how they come to accept their families warts and all and how each one of them resolves the problem of being middle aged. This is an excellent read for anyone interested in human nature and some of the descriptions of expressions and feelings are downright funny.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kudos For Joyce Carol Oates One More Time, 18 Jan 2002
Could you want it any better than this? Certainly not. Since reading Middle Age, I intend to delve into more of Ms. Oates'work.
Middle Age is set in a small community of Salthill-on-Hudson,outside Manhattan. Here the
middle age folk are young at heart, sexy and
definitely wealthy. Most of the couples are either divorced, or not living well with each other....but the are taking everything in stride and just enjoying life as much as they possibly can, until the entire community is sent into total shock and despair, and Salthill-on Hudson will never be the same again. Adam Brenddt (a newcomer of sorts to the neighbourhood) dies suddenly after rescuing a litte girl from drowning.
The women of the community take this death very hard as they were all attracted to Adam in different ways.....while the men grieve too, for they will miss their manly talks, his ever-present advise...and of course having a drink in the pub. In fact the men hold Adam in rather high esteem even as his past remains a mytery to them all.
Joyce Carol Oates is so brilliant at throwing delightful characters together and I found myself having deep empathy for both male and female sexes in this book So true to life; you can feel your heart breaking for these characters.
With this remarkable read, you'll meet people just like you and me and some of our friends, and also their children. I gave this book five stars as it is a pager turner with great depth. But then again Ms.Oates never disappoints..........read it real soonHeather Marshall
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stand-out novel from outstanding writer, 21 May 2004
Joyce Carol Oates is writing at the top of her form with this outstanding novel. Set in wealthy town in upstate New York, the novel opens with the drowning of a Adam Berendt, local sculptor, trying to save a child from drowning. The rest of the novel tells the story of the women of the town, the effect the arrival of the artist had on them, and the greater effect brought about by his death.Dealing with personal themes such as "romance", attraction and grief, it also takes a serious look at the lives of a wealthy East coast town, where everyone is "middle-aged", including the mature children and youthful grand-parents. Her characterisation is astounding, which makes this novel a very engaging read. Finally, I have to say that the hardback US edition is a truly beautiful book.
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