in Books, Featured, Will You Read
Will You Read? Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe
Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe; Little, Brown and Company; October 23, 2012; 720 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Synopsis: Wolfe takes on the oh-so-connected lives of Miami residents as they navigate a changed city. Wolfe has a big canvas here, and every Miami archetype makes it into this group portrait, whether the retiree, immigrant, or young hotshot. Policeman Nestor Camacho, a central character (and young hotshot), struggles with possible exile after rescuing an immigrant. Keep in mind this is only one plot point in a novel overflowing with action.
Reviews: Full of stereotyping and waspishness, sure, but a welcome pleasure from an old master and the best from his pen in a long while. –Kirkus Reviews
Also by this author: The Bonfire of the Vanities, A Man in Full, The Right Stuff
Related Books: The Armies of the Night by Norman Mailer, Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene, The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson
My Gut Reaction: Advance reviews are very good for this book. A sprawling city novel seems more in line with Wolfe’s strengths than a college coming of age story (see I Am Charlotte Simmons). Wolfe is great about getting the skinny on his subject and creating true to life characters from a variety of backgrounds. The thicket of plots may confuse, but in the end, it’s about the writing, and there is no one who can write like Tom Wolfe.
What do you think? Are you excited about Wolfe’s latest, or are you going to curl up again with The Right Stuff instead?
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About The Author:
Jon.Peters
Jonathan Peters is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles. He graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in history. In addition to inReads.com, he is a contributor to LAist.com, as well as Next Step magazine. He blogs about screenwriting at http://alternatewrites.wordpress.com and can be found on Twitter @jonpeters87
