This Boy's Life by tobias wolff

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xBadxApple

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

We all have those moments from our youth that we choose to bury deep within our memories.

These are the juvenile indiscretions that, when we recall them, bring a sense of embarrassment.

So, we allow them to gradually sink in the flood of time, hoping they will be forgotten.

We have built our lives as they are now, and we don't want to cringe or wince over the flaws that might exist in the foundation of our past.

This memoir, at times, can be a painful read.

It has the power to make the honest reader reach back into the river of their own experiences and pull out some of those not-so-pleasant memories, just like bad fish.

Yet, it takes courage to face these things, and that's what makes this memoir somewhat remarkable.

Overall, it earns a rating of 3.5 for its ability to touch on the uncomfortable aspects of our past and make us reflect.

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Apple_Twinkle

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

If I could give negative a million stars, that's what I would rate this book.

This book was an absolute disappointment from start to finish. The story was convoluted and lacked any real coherence. The characters were one-dimensional and failed to engage me on any level.

The writing style was also a major drawback. It was dull and uninteresting, making it a chore to get through each page. I found myself constantly skimming over paragraphs just to get to the end.

Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone. It was a waste of my time and money, and I would not want others to suffer the same fate. Save your time and pick up a different book.

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piichan14

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

“Knowing that everything comes to an end is a gift of experience, a consolation gift for knowing that we ourselves are coming to an end.”

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“Before we get it we live in a continuous present, and imagine the future as more of that present. Happiness is endless happiness, innocent of its own sure passing. Pain is endless pain.”

― Tobias Wolff, This Boy's Life

This Boy's Life is one of my all-time favorite memoirs. Its pacing is perfect, and its pitch is just right. It offers a beautiful yet unsentimental look at youth, poverty, family, and all the cracks and fissures in the world that swallow the dreams of youth. Wolff's language still resounds within me. I often find myself going back and reading entire passages of this book just to soak in the language and feel the energy and vitality that Wolff exudes. A good memoirist allows the reader to experience the artist's past life through words, but a great memoirist seduces the reader into a place where they suddenly recognize the universal experiences in our shared lives.

There were parts of the book where I felt as if Tobias Wolff was not writing his own history but mine. Although the details of our lives might have been different and our stories might have been adolescent antipoles, when I read Wolff, I feel as if he has stolen my emotions, faked my youthful hope, slandered my stripling reputation, and squandered all of my schoolboy potential. It's as if he has tapped into something deep within me and brought it to the surface, making me see my own life in a new and profound way.

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ramenraptor

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

3.5 stars.

It was an extremely interesting and beautifully well-written memoir. It's truly fascinating how simply listening to another person's life experiences can trigger a cascade of thoughts about one's own experiences as well as those of others.

My dad, who is just a few years older than Tobias, has shared stories that bear a striking resemblance to some of the things Tobias wrote about. These are the tales of his times spent with friends during his boyhood and teenage years.

Now, I find myself eager to check out the movie adaptation. It stars a very young Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro, which makes it even more enticing. I'm curious to see how the filmmakers have brought Tobias's memoir to life on the big screen and how well they have captured the essence of those memories and experiences.

I'm sure it will be a captivating viewing experience that will further enhance my understanding and appreciation of Tobias's story.

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dYeGallardo363

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Exquisitely written, this memoir is desperately honest and incredibly difficult to read. I found myself constantly having to walk away, yet I couldn't resist coming back for more. It has left me with an intense desire to read every single word Wolff has ever written, right away. His analytical skills are penetrating, allowing him to distance himself from his adolescent pretensions without disavowing them. He is incisive and so very true. With each page, he broke my heart, over and over and over again. The prose is like a sharp knife, crystalline and icy in its precision. Despite the pain it caused, I wholeheartedly recommend this memoir. It is a powerful and unforgettable piece of work that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

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NextUniverse

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

Snobbery is an aspect that I sometimes consider as a virtue. That's the sort of reader I am.

As a bit of a prig, I approached Tobias Wolff's This Boy's Life with the anticipation of finding my refined sensibilities to be superior to the emotional range and authenticity of any memoir that has garnered mass adulation and led to a Hollywood adaptation. I was ready for the sweet scorn for falsity and empty phrases that had made me toss James Frey’s Million Little Feces into the backyard halfway through the first chapter. However, I was not prepared to be hooked from the very first sentence by a voice that was both pitiless and full of compassion.

No telling detail of personality or physiognomy escapes the attention of young Toby, or Jack as the boy has chosen to call himself. A lesser narrator might have turned the unfortunate twists of fate, circumstance, and genetics into cruel, self-aggrandizing characterizations. But the most charming aspect of This Boy’s Life is Wolff’s understanding and portrayal of the innate and unifying humanity in each and every character who comes into contact with young Jack, even his worst and least-sympathetic tormentors.

There just might be something for me to learn here. It seems that my initial snobbish attitude was perhaps unfounded, and this memoir has the potential to open my eyes and expand my perspective. I am now eager to continue reading and discover what else Wolff has to offer.

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nikkibane

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

This was especially fun for me as it was about growing up in the Pacific Northwest.

The tone of this piece is truly great. It presents a wonderful contrast between the dumbness of his early life and the brilliant simplicity of his prose.

It's fascinating to see how he has evolved and developed his writing style over time.

Every word in this article is a delight to read.

It engages the reader from the very beginning and keeps them hooked until the end.

The author's ability to paint a vivid picture of his upbringing and his thoughts and feelings is truly remarkable.

I found myself completely immersed in the story and could easily relate to many of the experiences and emotions described.

This is definitely a piece that I would highly recommend to others.

It's not only entertaining but also thought-provoking and inspiring.

Overall, it's a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

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Ginger_Nut07

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 15,2025

This memoir is truly extremely boring. However, at the same time, it is oddly addicting.

While reading this book, there were times when it seemed to drag on and on. But despite that, I was always filled with a sense of anxiety, eager to know what was coming next.

Tobias Wolff presents the idea that growing up can be an extremely tough process, and that your past does not always have to determine your future.

As the main character, Jack, grows up throughout the course of this book, he faces numerous obstacles. These obstacles help the reader to better relate to him and understand what he is going through.

Jack has a tendency to never seem able to tell the truth to anyone, except for the readers. As the reader, he not only explains his actions but also his innermost thoughts.

This book, like all books, has both positive and negative aspects. Personally, I felt that there were more negatives than positives.

The only things I liked about the book were that it had a positive overall message and it presented real life situations that made it easier for the reader to connect with the characters.

I didn't like this book because at times it was hard to follow, it's not the kind of book that I would consider a "feel good" book, and it was too serious most of the time.

This book is related to The Perks of Being a Wallflower in that they both share the same theme of "coming of age".

Charlie in POBW is similar to Jack in the sense that they both had difficult lives, yet they never let that stop them from pursuing their dreams of being better than their past selves.

They both struggle as they grow up, but they manage to find ways to overcome their problems.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in memoirs about struggling teens. It would also be suitable for anyone who enjoys reading books about people who are trying to discover their true selves.

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This Boy's Life

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