Fame versus family in modern America (Rabbit Run - John Updike)

Member Name: edinburgher

Product:	Rabbit Run - John Updike
Date:	04/01/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Involving tale, as well as a crystal-clear insight into American life

Disadvantages: None

Rabbit Run sees author John Updike at his towering best.

The first part in this life cycle of Rabbit Armstrong charts his entry into manhood and his inability to cope with the responsibilities and structure that crowd in around him as he makes the transition from star athlete to 'everyday Joe'.

The sparkle of his success on the basketball court has elevated his self-esteem to the point where Rabbit is initially incapable of dealing with the mundane and we are equally torn between our sympathy for this young man and our contempt for his obvious narcissism.

As the novel unfolds, Updike describes in intimate detail the way that the ties of family, the opinion of the community and his own emotions serve to rein Rabbit in and to try and bring him back to the family unit that he has rejected.

As well as a moving family saga and modern day bildungsroman, the Rabbit quadrilogy presents a vivid depiction of life in modern America. As family life unfolds for Rabbit, the world is moving on around him and Updike presents a living, breathing snapshot of America as he saw it. Very few artists have the integrity to capture historical periods as well as Updike and the effect this has on our appreciation of both the book and our own shared history is breathtaking!

Summary: Charts a young man's struggles coping with everyday life after a brief fling as a basketball star