hornbreaker
Providence
I might mark it as "worth consuming" later — 2 years ago
NOT WORTH CONSUMING
It depends on how the tetralogy ends. I’m working my way through the Rabbit series, and I hear the 3rd and 4th are the best. I certainly hope they’re better than this one. It had its moments, but the Skeeter section drove me completely crazy. And I know Updike loves to write about sex, but I’m not sure why he was compelled to use the word “cunt” on nearly every page.
Comments
stagebunny
Greenville
I agree completely.
The good news is, I’ve heard from a few people that the last two books are much better. So far, I just want to give every character in the first two books a good beating.
hornbreaker
Providence
Add one more voice to the choir
I’m reading the third now, and it’s really good. I also had a long discussion with a friend who loves Updike and I think I’ve come to accept Rabbit’s foibles as part of the antihero character, and not a thin veil for Updike. The first book had enough promise to keep me coming back, but the second had sections so bad I read them in an airport while having a conversation with someone else – and I never do that. Obviously events in the second book have weight in the third, but I still haven’t figured out the relevance of Skeeter reading “The Life of Frederick Douglass” to everyone for 50 pages.
Sep 15, 05:57AM