Thomas Wolfe's magnum opus, Look Homeward, Angel, is a work that I have not only read but also reviewed. In comparison to his earlier work which I rated 5 stars, I give this book 4 stars.

This book, too, draws upon Wolfe's personal experiences, yet it offers a more profound look at the world of the late 1920s and 1930s, intertwined with his unique philosophy. His philosophy emphasizes empathy for the common man and points out how the pursuit of wealth can blind those who attain it to the harsh realities of life.

I thoroughly relished this book for its remarkable ability to transport me back to the early 20th century. It immerses the reader in that era through the interactions of a diverse range of characters, who trade slang and openly discuss the various issues on their minds.

Topics such as capitalism, communism, socialism, the Sacco and Vanzetti case, and the execution of the Rosenbergs are explored. The book also delves into how blacks and Jews were perceived during that time. It makes one wonder what it was like to be extremely wealthy and content or to be thrown onto the street due to the Depression.

In a small Southern city, Wolfe shows how easily one could abandon conservatism to join the ranks of speculators who seemed to win big overnight. He makes the reader feel that very urge.

Behind all these social and economic aspects are the technical advancements of the time. Primarily, the railroad played a significant role, but there were also electric lights, elevators, skyscrapers, and even the traffic jams (arguably an advance?) of New York City. Exotic air travel is briefly mentioned as well.

You may have heard Woody Guthrie's song, The City of New Orleans, which is about the end days of train travel. Here, Wolfe provides a vivid and detailed portrayal of train travel in its glorious days. The description is so captivating that I even dog-eared the page.

Throughout the book, we follow the life of George Webber, a writer who has the good fortune to find a highly sympathetic and humanitarian publisher. The publisher's confidence in Webber's abilities leads to the resounding success of his first novel.

However, this success brings with it a backlash from the people back home. They resent the thinly veiled portrayals of themselves in the book, which ultimately ousts Webber from the psychological comfort of belonging in his hometown.

The unexpected literary success also leaves Webber with the financial means to explore life as he pleases. He deliberately leaves behind the love of a wealthy woman and the secure entry it would have given him into high society. Instead, he chooses to venture out into the world, gathering material for his next book.

His exploration is driven by his intense desire to define his outlook on modern life. In the midst of the noise and confusion of modernity, which had exploded during the boom of the 1920s, he struggles to find meaning as he listens to the views of the many people he meets.

With a rich tapestry of characters, Wolfe takes us on a journey from the glamorous high society of New York City to the depths of destitution among the street people of Brooklyn. We participate in a delightfully entertaining party for the elite, where they gather in a spacious private apartment in NYC to watch a wire puppet circus, the talk of the town. However, our excitement turns to dismay when the supposed savant running the show turns out to be a bumbling fool.

We feel the excitement of real estate speculation just before the crash of 1929 and experience the anxiety in Germany in 1936 as Nazism begins to tighten its grip on the German people.

This book holds a special place in my heart because my father was born in 1898, just two years before Thomas Wolfe. Like Wolfe, my father also went to Germany between World War I and World War II and developed a deep fondness for the German people. He had a great respect for Germany's cultural achievements throughout history.

I was only a callow youth of 21 when my father passed away, and I have always regretted not having had an adult-to-adult conversation with him about many things. In particular, I wish I could have talked to him about Germany, given his fondness for the place and its people, especially in contrast to the horror that emerged after his visit.

After presenting this vast panorama in this substantial book, Wolfe helpfully ties everything together in the last three chapters. This is especially useful for any reader who may have missed the philosophical points made earlier in the text.

A prolific writer, Wolfe unfortunately died of tuberculosis at the young age of 38, before this book was even published (and before the outbreak of World War II, which he was anticipating). This left it up to the publisher to edit the enormous manuscript.

One chapter that truly stands out in You Can't Go Home Again is titled "The Hollow Men." It takes as its theme the suicide of an anonymous man, who is given the name "C. Green" in the tiny back page newspaper account of his death. Wolfe takes a literary flight, delving into the details of the suicide to examine American society.

He describes the body shattered on the pavement and the people on the scene who were simply walking down a sidewalk in NYC, only to have mortality literally splash them. This one chapter is a masterpiece that can be read independently of the book by anyone who wishes to understand what mastery of the English language and an incomparable imagination can accomplish.

I was truly awed by Wolfe's ability to say so much about a society based on a news item that said almost nothing about an individual within that society. I would毫不犹豫地 place this chapter among the best literature I have ever read.

I'm not entirely certain whether I truly like this book or this author.

It appears more as a compilation of scenes and random thoughts rather than a traditional novel.

If we consider a novel to be something that should possess, you know, a proper beginning, middle, and end, along with a plot to hold it all together.

Perhaps the plot starts to unfold after the initial 300 pages.

It's quite possible that I haven't reached the point where the story truly takes off.

But for now, it feels a bit disjointed and lacking in a clear narrative arc.

I'll have to keep reading to see if my perception changes and if the author manages to bring all these elements together in a more cohesive way.

Until then, I remain somewhat on the fence about my overall opinion of this work.

Every sentence within this text seems to have been overly written, perhaps with the intention of pleasing the author and those who consider themselves "literary" critics. However, this approach fails to engage the reader.

At least, it does not appeal to this particular reader.

The excessive embellishment and convolution of the sentences make it difficult for the average person to simply understand and enjoy the content.

It is as if the author is more concerned with showing off their writing skills or conforming to some arbitrary literary standard than with communicating effectively with the intended audience.

In the end, this kind of over-writing does a disservice to both the text and the reader, leaving the latter feeling frustrated and unfulfilled.

This novel has now firmly entered my top-ten favorite novels. I'm not sure which novel had to make way for it to get on the list. But that really doesn't matter at the moment. I'll sort that out later. What I didn't expect was to be so completely blown away by this work.

The 700+ pages seem to just fly by, almost effortlessly, as if propelled by some of the most exquisitely crafted, ecstatically beautiful, and transcendent prose that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The story is sprawling, covering a vast canvas of characters and events, yet it remains enthralling from start to finish.

It's truly a masterpiece that deserves every bit of the 5 stars I've given it. I can't wait to recommend it to others and share this wonderful literary experience with them.

I have an intense love for this book. It's not so much because of the plot, which is largely lacking. Instead, it's due to the sheer brilliance of the writing. Thomas Wolfe was truly a national treasure.

His characters, mostly crafted from real people he knew, are among the finest in American literature. His social commentary is both subtle and highly effective. Much of what he chose to comment on remains relevant even today.

His phrasing and expressions are simply marvelous. His perception of people in general is incredibly accurate and has lost very little of its impact over time.

I particularly relished the scene in the restaurant. There, the waiter tells George Webber that he has the greatest story ever, if only he could find someone to pen it all down for him. Predictably, the story turns out to be amateurish at best. However, when Webber inquires about a waitress who is leaving for the day, the tale the waiter spins about her is extremely compelling and has the makings of a great novel.

I firmly believe that this was Wolfe's way of responding to some of his critics who claimed that his books were overly autobiographical. Every individual who aspires to be a novelist should definitely read this book.

I'm far too young to fully understand Thomas Wolfe. And perhaps Thomas Wolfe is also too young for me. The guy was only in his early 30s.

In this book, he firmly swears that he doesn't belong to the Lost generation. But, damn it. How can one truly define which generation they belong to? Is it just based on age and a certain set of experiences?

Maybe Wolfe was trying to distance himself from the label, but in reality, his work and his words might still carry the essence of that era.

His youth could have been both an advantage and a disadvantage. On one hand, he had the energy and the new perspectives. On the other hand, he might not have had the full maturity and wisdom to truly break free from the influence of the times.

Nevertheless, his attempt to claim his own identity and not be pigeonholed into a particular generation is an interesting aspect to explore.

I finally managed to complete this hefty 704-page volume. It has been nearly a year in the making: I would frequently set it aside - sometimes for weeks at a stretch - only to pick it up again later. Each time I resumed reading, I was always glad, as I truly adored his writing style. There were a couple of chapters that I felt were rather overly long, and perhaps around 100 or so pages could have been eliminated entirely without detracting from the novel. Nevertheless, I'm glad he went on these tangents because he led me to some truly beautiful places. Thomas Wolfe possessed an extraordinary talent for delving into the essence of situations, thoughts, and emotions that are otherwise challenging to express, in a manner that enables the reader to precisely understand the writer's perspective. His characterizations of people were so vivid that I feel as if I have an intimate acquaintance with these individuals he described with such depth and feeling. Usually, when faced with books of this length, I constantly find myself thinking, "Let it be over already!" I had the same thought while reading this book, but at least I thoroughly relished the journey that Thomas Wolfe took me on and the way he guided me through it.

"You Can't Go Home Again" was the very first Thomas Wolfe book that came into my hands. Perhaps it was due to the captivating title that initially caught my eye, or maybe it was simply the only one available in the bookstore at that time. Whichever the reason, it was this particular book that was passed on to me. Thomas Wolfe's novels often have a unique quality - they seem to blend together like one long, continuous narrative, yet each one has its own distinct moods and feelings.

I first delved into Wolfe's works because I was aware of his significant influence on Jack Kerouac. As someone who aspired to be a writer, inspired by the spirit of the Beats, I believed that I had to read a plethora of good books before I could take myself seriously as a wordsmith. So, at that stage, I was more of a reader than a writer, and it was a truly pure and unadulterated time.

I simply cannot express enough praise for "You Can't Go Home Again." It remains etched in my memory like a beautiful late summer song, a vivid and loving portrait of an outsider artist. The protagonist in the book is both horrified by high society and, at the same time, a part of it due to his reputation as a novelist. The story contains a guilt-ridden love affair and a savage scene at a cocktail party that truly depicts high society as being warped and distorted. Like every other Wolfe book, it unfolds in a magnificent and sprawling manner. Supposedly, the attenuated 600-page novel was even longer and less structured before it came under the guidance of his famous editor, Maxwell Perkins, who gave it shape and coherence.

I'm certain that Perkins undertook this task as a labor of love because there is no doubt that Thomas Wolfe was a great poetic prose writer. It makes perfect sense that Kerouac was influenced by him to such an extent that his first novel, "The Town and the City," was almost an imitation of Wolfe's style. Wolfe was also fearless in addressing painful family situations and the alienation he felt as an intellectual and an outsider, even in his own hometown. He explored how these experiences shaped him, and I'm not sure if any other writer has delved as deeply into this subject as Wolfe did. This might be because he was one of the first great autobiographical fiction writers, blurring the line between memoir and novel. In many ways, you could say that he was the pioneer in carving out the terrain of "creative non-fiction," although the critics of his time did not给予 him the same recognition and respect that he might receive today. They criticized his books for being too personal, lacking in imagination, and therefore not being true fiction. Wolfe, however, argued that the piecing together of events and memory itself was a form of fiction. Given the poetic breadth and emotion of his work, it is extremely difficult not to consider his novels as works of art, especially when you take into account that he may have been one of the greatest literary artists of his era, along with the likes of Faulkner.

I'm not entirely sure what else to say about this epic and angst-ridden work except that it stands as one of the great autobiographies of a writer. In this regard, it predates the works of John Fante and Charles Bukowski, two great contemporary writers who also took their lives and turned them into art. Bukowski, perhaps even more so than Fante, if that's possible, to an almost Thomas Wolfean degree, although they were very different writers. I could easily envision Bukowski disliking Wolfe because Wolfe was romantic in a way that Bukowski was not. However, I would be hesitant to call Thomas Wolfe's prose "flowery" because it has an incessant rhythm that beats like a drum. Maybe it has the sound of a poet who was trained to write in verse and rhyme but has broken free, so that the writing has the feeling of a breakthrough while still being linked to the past, as if the impression of what he was freeing himself from is still intact.

Any fan of Kerouac should definitely read Thomas Wolfe because I don't think you'll ever view Kerouac in the same way again, especially when it comes to his relationship with his hometown and his early death. They were undoubtedly birds of the same feather, but of course, Kerouac evolved Wolfe's autobiographical American version of Joyce into something completely his own, as all great artists do. Wolfe's great obsession in "You Can't Go Home Again" is that 'George Weber' writes a bestseller about his hometown, and the people he writes about are thinly veiled portraits of real people who instantly recognize themselves when they read the novel and hate how they are portrayed. This is because Weber is a poet at heart and cannot help but tell the truth about people, or at least as he sees it. It's the classic battle of the 'creative non-fictionalist,' the 'autobiographical poet,' or the hyper-enlightened'memoirist.'

I would say that my literary life has been largely defined by this battle, and I've always been scared of who I might hurt and how my writing might expose people in ways that could offend them because, inevitably, it will. The sad truth is that "You Can't Go Home Again," or at least not after you write a novel about everyone that makes them angry and you call it fiction.

This work is more like a collection of paintings that vividly depict a character and a specific time period, rather than a traditional linear story.

It presents a unique and immersive experience, allowing the reader to explore the details and nuances of the character's life and the era in which they lived.

However, it is important to note that this is not a quick read. To truly appreciate and understand the depth and complexity of the work, one must be prepared to invest a significant amount of time.

In fact, it is advisable to only read this if you don't have anywhere to be for a couple of months. This will give you the opportunity to fully engage with the text, soak up the atmosphere, and form a deep connection with the character and the story.

So, if you're looking for a thought-provoking and immersive literary experience, and you have the time and patience to spare, then this work may be just what you're looking for.

Decades ago, when I was just a teenager, I checked this particular book out from the school library on multiple occasions. The foggy cover art of the book had such an allure that it filled me with a beautiful and yet melancholic sense. It was as if I was hovering in a misty place at dawn, lost in a world of my own.

This book was extremely long and thick. In truth, I never actually managed to finish reading it. However, I read the beginning countless times, and it left a profound and lasting impression on me. At this stage of my life, I would probably have forgotten or misunderstood most of the content anyway. So, whether I completed the entire book or not, marking it as read amounts to the same thing.

The feeling this book gave me of being truly alone was very distinctive. I took in the title not only as a warning but also as a freeing message. I have believed in it, carried it around with me, and taken it very personally. Now, as a grown-up, I feel compelled to actually read the whole book to see if that initial perception was appropriate.

This is a truly abysmal book!

Understanding its history is crucial - it wasn't actually written by Thomas Wolfe in its current form but was pieced together from a much larger manuscript by his editor.

As soon as I started reading, I could tell it was a posthumous collage of different parts. I kept thinking to myself: this man really needed an editor! It's like a wild, unkempt head of hair that requires trimming but never gets it.

The theme "you can't go home" is repeated over and over. We learn that the townspeople in Libya Hills, George Webber's hometown, are angry with him for how he portrayed them in his first novel, but we never find out what he actually said about them.

There are creepy, long, exaggerated, and even bigoted descriptions of the Jacks, a Jewish couple. George is having an affair with Esther. Even the Irish maid is a stereotype - red-faced and drunk.

There are so many other strange and grotesque caricatures - the florid Dutch businessman, the extraordinarily weird Irish/English writer McHarg. Then George comes up with a theory of corporativism.

There's also his eerie fascination with Germany and romanticizing it on the eve of the Nazis, portraying the great tragedy in Germany as that of the German people, not the Jews.

In the end, George dumps his editor, just as he dumped his lovers.

Overall, this book presents an editing problem. If you cut out the overwritten descriptions, you're left with a story about over-the-top grotesque people that doesn't hold together.

It's interesting how authors from 100 years ago are revered even if their books aren't read or are criticized. Thomas Wolfe is a terrible writer, and we should have better great American writers in our literary canon.

Thomas Wolfe, a renowned American writer, shared the famous editor Max Perkins with literary giants like Hemingway and Fitzgerald. His autobiographical fiction had a profound impact, inspiring the works of Phillip Roth and Jack Kerouac.

The character George Webber in Wolfe's novel is a successful author. The story chronicles his life journey, starting from his hometown (a fictional Asheville, North Carolina), then taking him to London and finally to Berlin just before World War II. In Berlin, he is appalled by the blatant antisemitism. He returns to America shortly before succumbing to pneumonia at the age of 38. The last pages of the novel mirror real life, with his revealing and confessional letter to his editor.

I believe that to truly capture the essence of this nearly 700-page tome, it is beneficial to read a few excerpts. In essence, this novel is a coming-of-age story, constantly highlighting the truism that "YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN."

What he had envisioned as a homecoming turned out to be his farewell. The final connection that bound him to his native land was severed, and he was setting out to create a life for himself.

America had reached the end of one era and the beginning of another. However, no one knew what this new era would bring. Amidst the change, uncertainty, and wrongdoings of the leaders, fear and desperation grew, and soon hunger stalked the streets. Throughout it all, there was only one certainty, although no one had yet realized it - America was still America, and whatever new thing emerged from it would be American.

During these nightly wanderings, the old refusals dissipated, and the old avowals remained. For then, it seemed to him that he who had been dead had risen, he who had been lost had been found again, and he who, in his brief moment of glory, had sold his talent, passion, and belief to the soulless, until his heart was corrupted and all hope was gone, would reclaim his life brutally, in solitude and darkness. And he felt that things would once again be as they had been, and he saw the image of the shining city once more.

Any reader seeking to explore the works of a master of prose, with its insightful descriptions that delve deep into humanity and characterization, this novel is an absolute must-read.