Richard Ford's works have a certain allure that draws readers in. His words, like those in "Todos los barcos, según dicen, buscan un sitio para hundirse. Yo buscaba uno para flotar. Seguramente sabiendo que existía. Quizás se sabe siempre", seem to hold a deeper meaning. After taking a break from his books for several years, I have returned to the series of Bascombe. It has been about ten years since I last delved into Ford's works. Now, perhaps due to the inertia of days, the musings of the present, and the fear of an unfortunate future, his words penetrate a little deeper. Besides age, the confinement and the sad life we are leading now may also contribute to the greater appeal of what Bascombe presents. Because, indeed, the protagonist of Ford understands what it means to live under routine and the dead nature. His life, surrounded by ruins, glimpses the past to stop and look back at the present, but in doing so, a lot is lost. The strangeness towards the close experience and the drowsiness and tranquility produced by the reflection of the past make the future a plateau full of supermarkets, slight startles, and houses that one day are painted on the canvas and then disappear.

Ford well understands that our current way of life is disposable and dispensable. We move in a tide of objects whose composition is bound to degrade quickly. Hence, the plain that his character traverses is full of plastic, concrete, and faded neon; when not agglomerated wood. In the midst of it, life is fading away: everything rots to make way for something more. And that is life, and that is what Bascombe seems to want to see in his journey through this world.

I don't know what it will be, but I see in Ford a genuine writer whose reflections do not quite affect me. Perhaps I feel him too distant, entrenched in that desert that I do not recognize as my own (the United States and its splendid and increasingly outdated dream). That said, I do not deny his merit as a narrator: it is difficult to weave reflections and descriptions as clear as those that he knows how to construct. However, I am left as if I had just seen a Hopper serigraph, a kind of replica without an aura. That, and not much more, is what Ford provokes in me.

It has been a pleasure to meet Frank Bascombe again, the character created by Richard Ford in what seems to be the last novel in which he appears, after 'The Sportswriter' and 'Independence Day', his masterpiece. As if he were an old friend whom you haven't seen for years (specifically ten years, since the publication of 'Independence Day'), Frank tells us how his life is going when there are two days left until Thanksgiving in the year 2000.

Frank is still in the real estate business, selling houses in New Jersey, together with his Tibetan employee Mike. His second wife, Sally, left him a few months ago when her first husband, whom she had thought dead, reappeared. But the worst thing is that he has prostate cancer, which he is treating with titanium seeds. That's why his daughter Clarissa has come to live with him. Clarissa, twenty-five years old, has left her girlfriend because she has decided to try again with men. With the strange Paul, twenty-seven years old, Frank's other son, he maintains a distant relationship, but still he is expected for Thanksgiving. As for Ann, Frank's ex-wife and mother of his children, the relationship oscillates between love and hate, leaning more towards the friendly side.

And so goes the life of good old Frank, trying to understand and being too understanding with Sally's flight, besides thinking as little as possible about the cancer he suffers from, whose condition he has to review again in a few days at the Mayo Clinic. And in the meantime, Frank continues to see clients to sell them houses, something he likes and that helps him in his daily life. Frank also belongs to the Sponsor organization, which, without the intention of making a profit, tries to help and give advice to those who need it, as if it were a group of rented friends.

And all this, under the 2000 elections, where it seems that Bush (hated by Frank) is going to win against Gore. Under this uncertain future, the novel unfolds, with our protagonist going to appointments with clients, attending the funeral of an old friend, worried about his illness, but no less about the uncertainty of his marriage, wanting to make up for his sorry role as a father, but also worried about the big day, Thanksgiving, two days away.

This novel is a great fresco of what the end of the year 2000 was like, the beginning of a new millennium, the beginning of a new stage, in which, in retrospect, the economic disaster that was approaching could already be intuited; and who better than a real estate agent to notice. In the book there are memorable chapters and fragments, like the whole part where Frank explains to us how his wife left him; or how the first days with his daughter Clarissa were; or the funeral of his friend, and many others, all of it spiced up by Frank's reflections.

The book takes time to get started, there are many pages that pass in their due time, until there comes a moment when you become the shadow of Bascombe, and you enjoy everything that is happening, all his journey, his conversations, his car trips...

As Rodrigo Fresán says well, we must thank Richard Ford for having written this book.

Few writers possess the remarkable ability to meticulously detail just three days within approximately 500 pages and yet manage to maintain the reader's unwavering interest. However, Richard Ford is one such extraordinary author.

This novel showcases an unsentimental, humorous, and distinct prose style. It is the third installment about Frank Bascombe, although it can definitely be read as a stand-alone book. I, for one, had not read the two previous novels in the set, but this did not in any way detract from my understanding and appreciation of this wonderful literary work.

In The Lay of the Land, every sentence is essential, not a single word is superfluous, and not a single character is irrelevant. Frank Bascombe, a 55-year-old real estate salesman from New Jersey, has recently battled prostate cancer. He is a once-divorced, twice-married father of two, and his current wife has just left him for her legally dead husband. Frank is about to experience three days like never before. This is superb reading material that will undoubtedly find its place on my Best of the Best shelf. 5★

Richard Ford’s The Lay of the Land is the third installment in the series featuring Frank Bascombe. Frank, now in his mid-fifties, resides in a coastal town in New Jersey. Ford has chronicled Frank’s life over time as he ages. Similar to the previous novels, this one takes place over just a few days during a long holiday weekend, specifically Thanksgiving.

I had greatly relished the earlier works and was drawn to Frank’s highly introspective nature. However, others might be deterred by this stylistic choice. As the book commences, I initially found Frank to be a touch more cynical and less endearing than before, which gave me some misgivings about the novel. Additionally, some of Frank’s/Ford’s remarks regarding the 2020 presidential election could soon seem outdated and superfluous.

A significant portion of the novel centers around Frank’s occupation as a realtor. Analogous to the previous Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Independence Day, I noticed that Ford frequently employs real estate as a metaphor for life in general. The emphasis also persists on Frank’s tumultuous relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. As I delved deeper into the reading, I became far more engaged with the book and derived pleasure from it. Nevertheless, it is likely to be most favored by readers who also relished both of the previous works.

There is currently one more book in the series, Let Me Be Frank With You. I’m certain I’ll be reading that as well! (That book was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.)

Another five-star novel from Richard Ford has emerged, captivating readers with its profound insights.

This book delves deep into the themes of midlife and the looming specter of mortality, offering a wealth of wisdom that far surpasses an entire collection of self-help books combined.

Ford's masterful storytelling weaves a narrative that not only engages the reader but also forces them to confront their own thoughts and feelings about these universal experiences.

The characters in the novel are vividly drawn, each with their own unique struggles and triumphs, making it easy for readers to empathize and connect with them on a personal level.

As the story unfolds, readers are taken on a journey of self-discovery and reflection, learning valuable lessons about life, love, and the importance of making the most of the time we have.

Overall, this novel is a must-read for anyone looking for a thought-provoking and engaging read that will leave them with a new perspective on life.

I was truly sorry to witness the conclusion of this trilogy. This particular installment was the most personal for me, as Frank's age in the final book mirrored my own. Ford's writing is, at times, absolutely breathtaking.

The story masterfully captures the psychological struggles of introspective men journeying through middle age. It does so with a wonderful blend of humor, sympathy, and often stark honesty. When considered as a whole, this trilogy manages to capture the plight of the modern American male better than any other work I've had the pleasure of reading.

If you decide to embark on this literary adventure, I highly recommend not jumping ahead. Instead, begin with The Sportswriter, then progress through Independence Day, and finally conclude with The Lay Of The Land. Trust me, you'll be glad you followed this sequence. It will enhance your understanding and appreciation of the entire trilogy, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the complex and fascinating world that Richard Ford has created.

I.CANNOT.DO.THIS.

I have read and truly enjoyed several novels by Richard Ford. This includes the two predecessors to 'The Lay of the Land' within the Frank Bascombe series. However, this particular book, which is quite a hefty one, starts off extremely slowly. It maintains that slow pace throughout, and I found myself only able to read about 10 pages at a time. I even promised myself that if the story didn't pick up, I would quit. Sadly, it never did, and so I finally gave up.

Ford does deserve 2 stars for his writing skills. But the storyline involving Frank, a real estate agent, just isn't all that captivating. The only somewhat interesting thing in his life, aside from his cancer treatment, is a Tibetan fellow agent with an Irish name. I'm certain that if I had persevered, I might have been rewarded with a great plot at some point. But I simply wasn't willing to make that kind of investment in time and effort.

This was recommended by Lex Runciman, my English professor, in his blog Far Corner Reader.

So, it's not a huge surprise that it reminds me of the types of books that I often read in college. The kind that I don't get as much out of unless I'm reading it with twenty other people and having thrice-weekly discussions.

I'm sure that there's some sort of theme here about growing old, life in America, and stuff like that. But to me, it's just the story of Frank Bascombe. A divorced prostate-cancer-surviving real estate agent. His second wife has left him for her ex-husband (previously assumed dead).

Lex said it best, "Add in a Tibetan business colleague, some random vandalism of Frank’s car, a real estate deal that Frank perversely sours, an explosion at a hospital (the same one where Frank’s son died years earlier), a set of nasty neighbors, some gun shots at close range, and Thanksgiving begins to look like a holiday from hell."

It seems like a complex and eventful story that combines elements of personal drama, mystery, and social commentary. I'm curious to see how all these different threads will come together and what kind of message the author is trying to convey. Maybe through Frank's experiences, we can gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and joys of life in America today.

After ten long years of this book gathering dust unread on my shelves, I finally managed to pick it up and give it a go, twelve years after its initial publication.

I recall seeing the book on the remainder shelf at Barnes & Noble a couple of years after it came out, and I felt a sense of sadness that one of Richard Ford's works had seemingly vanished into obscurity so quickly.

This is the third installment in what was once known as "The Sportswriter Trilogy." I'm not entirely sure if that title still holds true since, much like John Updike's "Rabbit" trilogy, a fourth book emerged in 2016 as a sort of coda. However, from the reviews I've read here, it seems less like a proper "wrapping up" and more of an admission that life can never be neatly packaged and summed up.

In "The Lay of the Land," Frank Bascome, the narrator of Ford's "The Sportswriter" and "Independence Day," is back. He has relocated from Haddam, the once charming but now gentrified New Jersey town where he lived many years ago, to the shore. He is still in the business of selling real estate and is doing quite well for himself. He continues to ruminate on all sorts of profound insights and memories of the past, especially the tragic death of his 9-year-old son many years ago and the breakdown of his first marriage, which occurred in "The Sportswriter."

At the age of fifty-five, Frank's life is a complex mix of career success, regret, coming to terms with his own mortality (as he is being treated for Prostate Cancer), and dealing with a strange situation that has put a strain on his second marriage. He is also grappling with his two surviving children. His daughter, Clarissa, has come to live with him after leaving her girlfriend in New York. Frank is sad about Clarissa's breakup, as he had a particular liking for her ex, but father and daughter seem to have reached a new level of understanding and appreciation for each other as they have both matured. Clarissa is currently at a loss when it comes to her future life plans, a situation that Frank understands all too well, but he has the wisdom to know that she will have to figure things out for herself.

Frank's relationship with his son, Paul, on the other hand, is far from harmonious. Paul writes overly sentimental greeting card sayings for Hallmark, dresses in strange clothing, and speaks in a rather zany manner, making connections and puns that are either nonsensical or just not funny. He was always an "odd" child, and while Frank clearly desires some sort of connection with him, he has no clue how to make that happen.

In conclusion, although his life circumstances have changed since we last saw him, Frank remains the introspective, perceptive, and brilliant man he has always been, adapting to the ever-changing nature of his life. As with the previous novels, the events in this book unfold over a major US holiday, in this case, Thanksgiving. The year is 2000, and Frank seems to have a premonition that life in America is changing. The election that year also hangs in the balance, perhaps serving as a metaphor for Frank's own life as he confronts the uncertainty of cancer and his marital estrangement.

As another reviewer pointed out, Frank is no ordinary realtor, even in a profession known for attracting a diverse range of characters. He is not really Updike's Rabbit, that "everyman" given to dull platitudes and simplistic daydreams. Bascombe is a man of great shrewdness and intelligence who has found a precarious yet genuine sense of contentment in living his life in a rather ordinary way.

I gave this book a four-star rating because Ford's writing is truly excellent. It is evident that he is a writer who is passionate about words and has dedicated his life to telling stories through them. If he wasn't so verbally adept, I probably would have given this book a 3.5-star rating based on my impression that the ending in this work seems a bit weak and overly fantastical. I wasn't quite as engrossed in "The Lay of the Land" as I was when reading "The Sportswriter" and, especially, "Independence Day." However, I'm not sure if this is due to a decline in Ford's writing abilities or perhaps in my own. Nevertheless, "The Lay of the Land" is a worthwhile read, and although, as other reviewers have noted, it can be read as a standalone book, I would recommend that a reader new to Ford's Bascombe books start with "The Sportswriter" and then move on to "Independence Day" before taking on "The Lay of the Land." By doing so, the reader will have a much deeper understanding of Frank Bascombe and the characters that populate his world.

I picked up this book mainly because I have spent a significant portion of my life in and around central/south Jersey and the shore area.

The settings described in the book really appealed to me, and when the author finally delved into the plot and action, it made for good reading.

However, I'm not overly fond of long descriptive passages that seem to add little to the overall style or推进 the action of the plot. In this regard, the author had a bit too much of that for my taste.

Moreover, his self-discovery wasn't all that captivating. I had the feeling that he should have realized a great deal of what he learned in the book back in the sixties.

It would have been much more interesting and perhaps even more fun to have those insightful revelations occur under the influence of mind-altering substances rather than having to wait for cancer and personal losses to open up that path of self-discovery.

Overall, while the book had its moments, it also had some aspects that didn't quite resonate with me.

OK. At the risk of sounding mawkish or, gasp, even worse, sentimental, I'd describe this book, along with the other two Frank Bascombe novels (less so The Sportswriter, even more so Independence Day) as: wonderful. Reading them is like slipping into a warm bath or, more appropriately, a warm parka. They're comforting. However, this doesn't mean they're light or feel-good. They're books you don't ever want to end (though if they didn't, they would become tiresome due to the narrator's proclivity for prolix analyzing).

Frank Bascombe is someone in whom you immediately place a lot of trust and respect. His creator is someone you really wish you could meet and have dinner with, not only because you assume he is similar to his character. You start to realize that all of Frank's philosophical surety is just stuff he's concocted to cope with the fact that he can't form real connections and to convince himself that it's better to be self-reliant and alone. This leads to the novel(s)' conflict. There's no real plot, aside from events over three days. The novel is mostly the flawed-human musings of a man who's experienced a lot.

The novel is heavily suffused with death. Some might think Richard Ford is \\"too depressing\\" after reading The Sportswriter, but I don't buy that. Still, I've thought twice about suggesting a death-obsessed book to some people. For me, the writing is wonderful, like a warm parka on a chilly night. There are no tricks or gimmicks in these novels, which makes them even more spectacular and inspirational. They're unpretentious, straightforward, and honest. I can't recommend them highly enough. I expected this book to last through Thanksgiving, but I couldn't put it down and read it in a week.

If you're dying, reach for a Bascombe novel. You'll forget about your death and be in literary bliss. If you're not dying, you should still read them soon because they're really good. Why wait?

It is truly astonishing, yet one should not overly sympathize with the Greeks. There are more details to come later...

This statement presents a rather complex view. On one hand, the situation is described as astonishing, perhaps indicating some unexpected or remarkable circumstances. However, the cautionary note of not overly sympathizing implies that there may be aspects or considerations that are not immediately obvious.

Perhaps there are underlying factors or a more comprehensive context that would shed light on why a more measured approach to sympathy is being advocated. It could be that there are political, economic, or social elements at play that require a more in-depth understanding before passing judgment or offering unrestricted sympathy.

As we await the promised additional details, it becomes clear that this initial statement is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is much more to explore and analyze regarding the situation involving the Greeks.