I'm really not sure if Updike made a mess of this one. The typical Angstrom banality has been cranked up to an extreme level, and Updike's at times awkward prose really stands out. He's one of those writers where I have to read for a few pages to get into the rhythm, and it's not a particularly smooth transition.

There are, I'd say, about two truly great events that happen in "Rabbit at Rest", while the rest just plods along in a daily stupor. I suppose someone could probably make a convincing argument that that's the whole point. (A similar, perhaps justified, response that others give me when I talk about my weariness when reading Kafka.) But I don't know - hasn't the masochistic-neoliberal-modernity angle been done to death by now? There's nothing written in here, no new insight, that couldn't be obtained from the other three novels. Maybe that's a positive in that it shows the consistency of Rabbit's whining, self-obsessed character. Eh. I won't be coming back to this one again. However, Pru is really hot.

Overall, while there are some moments of interest, the novel as a whole didn't really grab me. The excessive banality and the lack of fresh perspectives made it a bit of a slog to get through. But at least Pru provided a bit of eye candy.

Almost five stars, except for an exceptionally rambling chunk at the end. It's always the end we remember, right? It's taken me quite a few years to dig through the four Rabbit books, but I've finally done it - I've read them all. Book four doesn't disappoint. It's a good ending to the Rabbit saga.

One takeaway I had from this novel, and the series as a whole I guess, is the idea that in America we maybe take freedom too far. As the Toyota representative puts it, we value freedom so much that our dogs have the freedom to shit on the lawns and the sidewalks, leaving our world a dirtier place. Where is the discipline? Where are the codes of honor?

As one would guess, Rabbit doesn't really know. Indeed, this series is not about a good person. Harry (aka Rabbit) is one of the least likable main characters I've ever read. He's an ass. He's selfish, he's a bigot, and his morals are situational at best. He shrugs off others' agonies without much thought, maybe an "oh, well" if he's feeling generous.

And yet, there is much to think about here. Harry's not actively evil or anything. He just reserves the right to be utterly focused on whatever whim strikes him. A note on the audio version: it was really well read. This was an excellent listen.

The last of four, as perfect as the three that precede it.

Each time I have delved into a Rabbit novel, my perception of myself and the world has been subtly altered.

Updike has an uncanny ability to pen deeply flawed individuals with astonishing honesty.

In his works, every character feels more palpable and real than any others I have encountered in the realm of fiction.

It is truly a wonderful conclusion to my favorite series.

His writing style is so immersive that it draws the reader in and makes them feel as if they are a part of the story.

The Rabbit novels are a testament to Updike's literary genius and his ability to create complex and engaging characters.

Reading these novels has been a journey of self-discovery and a exploration of the human condition.

I will always cherish these books and the impact they have had on me.

From BBC Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime:

John Updike’s fourth novel about Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom takes us on an engaging journey. It's the end of the 1980s, and Harry has reached a stage in life where he has acquired a Florida condo, welcomed a second grandchild, but also has a heart that is both troubled and overworked. Not to mention, his son is causing him concern with his underworking and troubled ways. As Reagan’s debt-ridden, AIDS-panicked America gives way to that of the first George Bush, Rabbit finds himself exploring the rather bleak terrain of late middle age. He is on a quest, looking for reasons to live and opportunities to come to terms with a past that seems to be remorselessly accumulating. This novel is not just a story; it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1991, being the second "Rabbit" novel to receive this prestigious award. The reader, Toby Jones, brings the story to life, while the abridger, Eileen Horne, and producer, Clive Brill, have crafted a wonderful production for BBC Radio 4.

A Brill production for BBC Radio 4



https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000...

I found myself extremely moved by the conclusion of the Rabbit series.

It truly was a significant investment of my time.

Specifically, I wasn't overly fond of the other three books in the series.

However, I don't think I would have found the fourth book to be so worthwhile without having read the previous ones.

So, in a sense, they were valuable, even if they weren't necessarily enjoyable for me.

I've never come across anything quite like this Rabbit series before.

It was indeed an interesting and unique experience.

The way the story developed and concluded had a profound impact on me, making me reflect on various aspects of life and human nature.

Overall, despite the initial reservations about the first three books, the entire series has left a lasting impression.

It has shown me that sometimes, even if the journey isn't always easy or pleasant, the destination can be well worth the effort.

I'm glad I took the time to read this series and look forward to exploring more works that can offer such thought-provoking experiences.

The empathetic villain of my grandparents' generation, and in Pennsylvania no less? It's truly a beautiful book.

This unique concept immediately grabs the reader's attention. The idea of a villain who elicits empathy is both fascinating and thought-provoking.

Set in Pennsylvania during that particular era, it adds a layer of historical context and authenticity to the story.

The author has managed to create a complex and multi-dimensional character that challenges our traditional notions of good and evil.

As we delve into the book, we are drawn into the villain's world, understanding their motives and experiences.

It makes us question our own judgments and biases.

The beautiful writing style further enhances the reading experience, painting vivid pictures in our minds and evoking a range of emotions.

Overall, this is a book that not only entertains but also makes us reflect on the nature of humanity.

I can't believe Rabbit is gone.

It truly feels as if we grew up side by side. I vividly remember reading the first Rabbit novel during my high school days.

Now, having reached my 50s, I have a deeper understanding and can fully appreciate all the different stages that he went through in his life.

I'll miss him dearly.

Contrary to what many people seemed to think, he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Perhaps they didn't take the time to look beyond the surface and see the real Rabbit.

He had his flaws, but who doesn't?

His story was a complex and engaging one, and it's a shame that it has come to an end.

But I'll always cherish the memories of reading about his adventures and following his journey through life.

Rabbit will always hold a special place in my heart.

Great writing, indeed.

However, the story seems to be nothing more than a long and detailed account of a dirty and despicable old man. He was portrayed in such a light in "Rabbit Run" and also in "Rabbit is Rich" (I have read those as well).

My anticipation for a character arc that would lead to his redemption remains unfulfilled. It's quite disappointing, really.

The author's vivid descriptions of the old man's dirtiness and despicableness are almost too vivid at times.

One can't help but wonder if there was any intention to show a glimmer of hope or a possibility of change for this character.

But alas, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that the old man remains stuck in his ways, and any chance of redemption seems to have passed him by.

Perhaps this is a commentary on the human condition, or maybe it's just the author's way of telling a story that is both engaging and thought-provoking.

Either way, it leaves the reader with a sense of dissatisfaction and a longing for something more.

I did it.

I finally finished the last book of the series that I initially had no genuine intention of reading.

I only wanted to read the first one out of curiosity, to figure out why it was on so many best books lists.

But then, there was this inertia.

I've never had such a complex love/hate relationship with a character in my entire reading life as I did with Harry Rabbit Angstrom.

Once again: Damn you, John Updike.

Now I understand why.

The character of Harry Rabbit Angstrom is so vividly portrayed that he becomes both relatable and frustrating at the same time.

His flaws and virtues are laid bare, making it impossible not to have strong feelings towards him.

Updike's writing is so masterful that it draws you in and makes you experience every emotion along with the characters.

Even though I sometimes wanted to throw the book across the room because of Harry's actions, I couldn't stop reading.

And now that I've finished the series, I feel a sense of accomplishment and also a bit of sadness that it's over.

It's one of those reading experiences that will stay with me for a long time.

"Rabbit At Rest" is the fourth installment in the "Rabbit Angstrom" series penned by John Updike. Naturally, I made the decision to read this one prior to all the others, although in hindsight, I don't think it truly made a significant difference.

In this fourth book, the main character, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, now resides in a condo in Florida in 1989. His family business is on the verge of collapsing, his wife has unexpectedly decided to become a "working girl," and he is gradually developing heart problems. On top of all that, he is smack in the middle of a chaotic family crisis.

Despite the rather frantic-sounding summary, the book is actually a rather slow read. Not in a negative sense, as one might expect (although I do admit to finding it more challenging to have the patience for slower-paced books), but simply because the narrative closely follows Rabbit's internal monologues. This means that a large portion of the book consists of Rabbit ruminating on things that may not initially seem all that meaningful. However, it provides an intriguing glimpse into how his mind operates and, I believe, adds a considerable amount of value to the plot, provided one is willing to persevere. The book isn't solely about the individual scenes and characters; rather, I think it's more about the story as a whole.

Regarding the whole "reading the last book first" scenario (you may have noticed that I tend to do this accidentally quite often), I found it to have both positive and negative aspects. While it meant that I was confused about certain parts (as some previous scenes from the other three books were not re-explained in this one), I discovered that it added significantly more tension than if I had read them in order. Many of the previous scenes were mentioned mysteriously at the beginning and then elaborated on towards the end. I'm certain this wasn't necessarily Updike's primary focus when writing the novel (if I had adhered to his linear book-writing, then of course I would already know this), but I did appreciate how it turned out. It helped me to get through the slower sections of the book, and for that, I'm very grateful.

Interestingly, I experienced a sense of loss when I finished the book, and it made me feel rather sad - yet I didn't actually like Rabbit as a character. He's difficult to like as a person; he's self-centered, rigid in his thinking, and particularly mentally demeaning towards women. He has some rather peculiar mindsets that he has clearly carried over from the sixties, where the first book was set. In fact, many of the characters are unlikable (or at least frustrating), yet I still found myself rooting for them and feeling fully engaged in their family conflicts. I think that's precisely what makes this book (and I'm sure the other three books as well) worth reading - it takes a talented writer to create a character one wants to succeed, but it takes an even more accomplished writer to elicit the same feelings towards a character that one doesn't like. Give it a chance and don't abandon it when things seem to be moving slowly; I promise you it will be worthwhile.

Read for the 2023 PopSugar reading challenge. This is "A book with a rabbit on the cover." Is that what they imagined when they came up with that category? Maybe not, but we're going with it anyway.

We are back for the conclusion of the Rabbit tetralogy, and there's more of him to read about than ever. If Goodreads paperback page counts are to be believed, this is 25% longer than the previous Rabbit book and close to double the length of Rabbit, Run that started it all 30 years prior.

As I had not particularly enjoyed any of the prior Rabbit installments and read them only because I feel the urge to fill in a consecutive streak of Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winners (Rabbit is Rich and this one having won the prize), I dreaded this reading experience initially. Imagine my surprise when it actually turned out to not be that bad? What irritated me previously is how much of a horrible person Rabbit is and it seemed like the world never punished him for this; like any white mediocrity he managed to fail his way upward, bouncing back from setbacks to end up in better and better places with a stream of hot women still interested in him.

Here at the end, the sum total of his life of stumbling along, not really giving a shit is finally catching up to him. Rabbit's heart seems to be a ticking time bomb from the early pages, all the now-classic signs of a coming heart attack building up, the result of a lifetime of eating a whole bunch of bad stuff and not ever doing anything to try to counter this. His heaping disapproval on his son has contributed to his son's (we learn over the course of the novel) cocaine habit, a habit to which he initially confesses to his mother has him in the hole about $12,000 and which it is eventually revealed has got the (in-law's) family car dealership in debt to the Toyota Motor Corporation to the tune of $200,000 - or about $450,000 in today's money. Drugs are bad, m'kay.

In spite of all of this, it is not too late for Rabbit. Modern medicine has granted him the opportunity for bypass surgery that will lessen the immediate risk of his heart problem, only Rabbit shies away from this option despite doctor's advice because one of his old guy golf buddies at his Florida condo seems to have not bounced back fully after it. Then Rabbit, after returning to Pennsylvania, is told that the surgery would require going to Philadelphia, a place to which he does not care to go for presumably racist reasons. Frenemy Charlie Stavros tells him earnestly that he's got to do something about it, if he's feeling aggravated he's got to just get away from what's aggravating him. It is all good advice that he just can't take until after the damage is all done. Rabbit cannot make it all make sense.

I imagine my reaction to reading all of this is similar to what it would have been like if Frank Grimes from that one episode of The Simpsons got to see Homer completely humbled the way that his stupidity and incompetence deserves to see him humbled. Grimes got no such satisfaction. The Rabbit disliker fares better. And it's finally interesting to see Rabbit scratching and clawing at intractable problems, things that can't be easily solved by having a wife who's willing to forgive him for anything because divorce just wasn't part of the picture for most of their generation, and can't be solved by the money he is fortunate to be able to access because he married bourgeois.

He really tries to be a good grandfather to Judy (9) and Roy (4), even if part of this absolutely clueless trying includes taking those kids to see the R-rated movie Working Girl. He tries to do the best that he can by the car lot even though family dynamics have led to his wife badgering him into letting their son take over. Before he suspects the culprit of the shenanigans is his son, he's got a sharp intuition that something is going wrong solely from looking at a couple of months worth of sales reports. That's the tragedy of Rabbit, revealed at last. He might have really done something good if he hadn't been so selfish and impulsive and everything else.

The clarity arrives too late. His fate is written in the titles of the three parts of this novel. Part 1 is FL, Florida, because that's where they are. Part 2 is PA, Pennsylvania, because that's where they are. Part 3 is MI, which is strange, because why would they end up in Michigan, a place the family has no connection to? I wondered if there was going to be some kind of witness protection situation, because drug dealers are making threatening calls. Part 3 does not go to Michigan. It clicks that every cardiologist who appears here just casually refers to "the MI" - myocardial infarction.

The final stretch of the novel takes place with the looming threat of Hurricane Hugo. It's wrecking places in the Caribbean at first, then it might set its sights on Florida, then ultimately goes farther north. I wondered if I was older if I might have appreciated the earlier Rabbit installments more, as they are equally grounded in relatively small but significant at the time events from the real world. The very last one is the first one of which I have my own crystal clear memory. I was in first grade and school closed early that day, a decision that was made after the school day had already begun for reasons that I don't know. My grandmother had to come pick me up from school because neither of my parents could do it. Here in Maryland we had some rain and wind but nothing bad that I remember. I know it was worse elsewhere. Rabbit was as wrong with his prediction that Hugo would avoid the American mainland as he was about so many other predictions. Perhaps he'd have been better off if it hit Florida, though, because then he wouldn't have been tempted to play one-on-one basketball against a 21-year-old.

Tagged with Maryland vanity because when Rabbit makes his solo escape to the Florida condo, he is specifically noted to have stopped at a motel along I-83 north of Baltimore.

Ok, I’m done with the series. I’ve witnessed this phenomenon on several other occasions as well. However, it never ceases to astonish and impress me when a writer manages to transform an ordinary life into remarkable literature. In this particular instance, it is not merely good literature; this series is truly outstanding and unrivaled compared to anything else I’ve read regarding “American life.” I must admit that my absolute favorite was Rabbit Redux, which was the most peculiar one.

Considering the numerous people who believe that Harry is an unforgivable scoundrel (a perspective that I don't quite comprehend), I think Updike should pen another novel titled Rabbit in Hell.