I don't know why, but I got bored.

I start to believe that I have a problem with American literature.

Or maybe it was just bad timing...

Who knows?

Perhaps it's because the stories and themes in American literature don't resonate with me on a deep level.

Maybe I'm not familiar enough with the cultural context that surrounds it.

It could also be that I'm simply in a phase where I'm not interested in reading anything.

Whatever the reason, I hope that I can find a way to reignite my passion for literature, whether it's American or from another part of the world.

I know that there are many great works out there waiting to be discovered, and I don't want to miss out on them.

So, I'll keep an open mind and keep exploring until I find something that speaks to me.

When Thomas Wolfe is at his best, his writing is truly inspired. It is lyrical, flowing like a beautiful river, and athletic, as if it is running at full speed.

Clearly, some may consider his work to be self-indulgent. The story line stays very close to home, which is located in the hills of western North Carolina at his mother's boarding house, Dixieland.

When a writer focuses on their autobiography, as Wolfe does with his childhood, early youth, and college education, the writing can seem more like non-fiction than fiction. This story is essentially Wolfe's autobiography, similar to a novel from Proust.

I wished that his jazz riffs from his personal experience were a bit more improvisational and that he had ventured further in his storyline. Often, this lack of冒险 is a sign of immature talent in a novelist.

But Wolfe's theme is home, after all. If you enjoy coming-of-age stories, then you can savor this one. Wolfe does prove his real talent when he gets caught up in the mysticism of the moment. To his credit, when he does so, his prose launches into a higher angelic ionosphere.

His vocabulary is impressive, and the writing, in many places, is so good that I found myself slowing down simply to savor the beauty of his use of language. Wolfe was relatively young when he wrote this novel, and it brims with idealism, vitality, and energy.

This novel is an American classic of the South and is well worth reading for Wolfe's pure lyricism alone. It is a work that will touch your heart and make you appreciate the power of language.

"The Look of the Angel" by Thomas Wolfe is a literary journey that defies easy categorization. This extensive coming-of-age novel, set in the early 20th century in the fictional town of Altamont (based on Asheville, North Carolina), delves into the complexities of family, identity, and the search for meaning in a changing world.

The novel follows Eugene Gant, the youngest member of the Gant family, as he navigates the challenges of growing up in a small Southern town. The Gant family, like the town itself, becomes a microcosm of the broader social changes occurring during the era. Wolfe's prose reads like poetry, with rich descriptions and a penchant for repeated phrases that create a hypnotic and immersive experience. The structure of the novel, with its fragmented sentences and occasional surrealism, reflects the randomness of life and the slippery nature of memory. The motif of repetition, sometimes to the point of being disquieting, reflects the characters' experiences of déjà vu and contributes to the dreamlike quality of the narrative.

In this way, the book is a web of emotions that explores the randomness of life, the isolation within relationships, and the interaction of guilt, shame, pride, expectations, and challenges. Wolfe's ability to capture the human psyche and the internal struggles of his characters adds depth to the narrative.

The richness of Wolfe's language and the emotional intensity of the story make it a deeply immersive read and, at times, an emotionally challenging one. The author's skill in depicting places, moods, and characters is evident throughout the novel, bringing Altamont and its inhabitants to life on the pages.

On a personal level, "The Look of the Angel" has become a favorite on my bookshelf, a literary companion that resonates on a profound level. Wolfe's exploration of the human condition, existential questions, and the intricate dance of relationships leaves an indelible mark. The novel's ability to evoke laughter, tears, and self-reflection speaks to its timeless relevance.

In a world that often values efficiency and brevity, Wolfe's work may seem dense and challenging. However, for those willing to embark on this literary odyssey, the rewards are abundant. "The Look of the Angel" is not just a novel; it is an experience that endures, inviting readers to face their own "lost" moments and find meaning in the intricate mosaic of life.

Deslumbrante. This word holds a certain allure, doesn't it? It means "dazzling" or "brilliant" in Spanish. When we think of something deslumbrante, we envision a scene or an object that is so captivating and bright that it takes our breath away.

It could be a beautiful sunset, with its vibrant colors painting the sky in a deslumbrante display. Or perhaps a precious gemstone, shining with a deslumbrante sparkle that catches the eye.

In our lives, there are moments that are deslumbrante. These are the times when we experience something truly extraordinary, something that leaves a lasting impression. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, a magical performance, or a deep connection with someone special.

Let us embrace the deslumbrante moments in our lives and cherish them forever. For they are the ones that make our journey truly memorable and bring a touch of magic to our ordinary days.

It's the kind of book which you skip school to read when you're 16. You're so engrossed in its pages that you don't care about the consequences of skipping classes. The story seems to transport you to a different world, away from the mundane routine of school and homework.

But as the years pass by, you never really go back to that book again. It just sits on your bookshelf, gathering dust. And if, by some chance, you do pick it up and start reading it again, you kind of ask yourself "Whaaa?" You wonder what it was about the book that made you so着迷 when you were younger.

Maybe it was the excitement of the unknown, the thrill of reading something that was forbidden. Or maybe it was just a phase in your life, a moment when you needed an escape from reality. Whatever the reason, that book will always hold a special place in your memories, even if you can't quite understand why anymore.

- God, I want to live my remaining life in such a way that my heart breaks, that every tear shed in my childhood from you I dry and start anew. I have buried the pain that came from childhood, and every movement since then has been a struggle. As it was, I have freed myself from you, from everyone, but perhaps, it will take a few more years. Whether I am free or imprisoned in my own cage, but I will still find some beauty, I will still bring some order into my chaotic life: I will still find a way out, even if it takes another ten years - just.

- Just? - asked the mother with an old voice.

- Ah, - said the boy. - It doesn't matter to you, does it? I'm gone.

I would tell my friend that this book should not have come to me by any logic, there is no such lyrical, poetic, passionate expression and deep monologue in my nature at all, it is a chaotic, wild book, but it comes to me, it comes to me in such a way that when I read it like this, I don't wonder: how great it is, what a great book!

My friend also said that he has a similar situation and so I understood that perhaps a great book is also like this, which should not come to me by any means and yet it comes.

Oh, strange! Perhaps, it is so. Who knows.

This is a truly tricky book to review.

To be honest, it's not really my cup of tea. However, I can clearly see why some people consider it a masterpiece.

The book is extremely rich with vivid descriptions. Generally, I have a great love for detailed descriptions. But there comes a point where if there are an excessive number of adjectives, you tend to forget what you're actually reading about. Sadly, this book falls precisely into that category.

The editor cut out approximately 20,000 words, and in my opinion, he could have cut out even more.

Nevertheless, there are some stunningly beautiful passages within this book. For those, I must tip my hat to Mr. Wolfe.

This book is largely anecdotal, and for a significant portion of it, I really struggled with the lack of a strong and engaging storyline. However, towards the last quarter, things seemed to come together somewhat nicely.

It's sort of a "love to hate" and then "hate that I kind of like it just a little bit" type of book.

It's definitely a marathon read, and understandably, a fair number of people don't manage to finish it. I was fully prepared to give it just 1 star. But then, as I approached the end, it did get better, and I finally started to feel something for the characters.

This book requires a certain level of commitment, and I don't think it's suitable for everyone. However, for those who can persevere and make it through, I believe there is something truly beautiful to be discovered within its pages.

He disfrutado muchísimo con este libro.

It is a very heterogeneous book in terms of style, but also in terms of the attention it demands. At times, it is a naturist book, at times, it is a fantastic book. At times, it is an intimate book, but you don't understand its objective until practically the end when you realize that in fact it gave you the key at the beginning.

It is about family and the reflection on how similar all families are, and to what extent yours is like the others or is completely special. It has reminded me a lot of the style of García Márquez and the rest of the writers of so-called magical realism. Wolfe wrote this autobiographical book many years before these wonderful writers would display their talent.

Perhaps I am wrong, but for me it has been a novelty to see this parallelism.

Muchas gracias al editor y traductor por habernos dado un libro tan maravilloso.

Phew! I finally finished Look Homeward, Angel, and I have to say, I was really happy to turn that final page.

This novel, considered a classic written by a 28-year-old Thomas Wolfe in 1929, has many elements that irk the 21st century reader. Wolfe, though regarded as a genius by many, seems to have been a writer lacking in discipline when it came to honing a piece of literature. As shown in the film Genius starring Colin Firth and Jude Law (highly recommended), Scribner editor Maxwell Perkins struggled mightily to get young Wolfe to cut his excessive verbiage. Alas, he didn't struggle enough, as there are perhaps still 200 pages more that could have been deleted.

The core of the story is fascinating, and much of the prose is gorgeous. An energetic and highly imaginative boy, Eugene Gant, grows up in a fractured North Carolina household. His father is an alcoholic, and his mother is more interested in acquiring real estate and making money from her boardinghouse patrons than in raising and nurturing her family. The misfortunes that Eugene and his siblings face are moving, and their relationships with their narcissistic parents are complex. But beyond this basic family story, there are countless scenes involving minor characters that, while beautifully written, are tangential and not engaging. (In Chapter 24, I nodded off at least twenty times.)

The character of Eugene (the book is highly autobiographical) is compelling. As he grows, he indulges in wild flights of fancy and grandiose imaginings of places he will go and people he will interact with. Clearly, these daydreams are distractions from the issues in his home, where he rarely has a room or a bed to call his own, his stingy mother having given them to her boarders. As he enters adolescence, Eugene becomes more aware of the complete chaos of his family and tries to escape, which he does through college.

However, the story of this young man's journey is constantly bogged down by unrelated sketches of minor characters, which the author seemingly couldn't resist. Many scenes are melodramatic, excessive, and repetitive. And Eugene's feelings are powerful but go on for too long. Today, this type of prose would be considered "over-written" and self-indulgent. Readers in 1929, of course, had different opinions.

I bought this book because I recently took a tour of Thomas Wolfe's mother's famous boarding house in Asheville, North Carolina. Matching my impressions of the house with Wolfe's descriptions was enjoyable.

While I'm hesitant to recommend this book, it would definitely be of interest to readers who want to experience a North Carolina mountain town in the early 20th century up close and who enjoy romantic literature.

Look homeward Angel now, and melt with ruth:
And, O ye Dolphins, waft the hapless youth.
John Milton, Lycidas

One of the greatest novels that he had long ago read was "Look Homeward, Angel" by Thomas C. Wolfe. Wolfe published this, his first novel, in 1929. He had begun working on it three years before, with different intended titles like "The Building of a Wall" and then "O Lost". The final title includes the subtitle "A Story of the Buried Life".

It's the story of Eugene Gant, his成长经历, his family - especially his mother and his brother - and the fictional mountain town of Altamont, in the fictional state of Catawba. The boy, the town, and the state are thinly disguised versions of the author, his real family, and the town of his youth, Ashville, North Carolina.

Wolfe died quite young. While traveling in the American West in 1938, he contracted pneumonia in Seattle. Complications set in, and he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital and died nine days later.

The New York Times wrote highly of him, stating that his was a confident young voice in contemporary American literature, though his genius was undisciplined and unpredictable. Most of Wolfe's writings were fictional autobiography, with a style that was undisciplined, romantic, and lyrical, having a penchant for in-depth analysis of the individual's confrontation with Life and The World.

Alfred Kazin noted that Wolfe was always a boy and expanded his boyhood into a lifetime. Robert Morgan, in his Introduction, remembers how reading "Look Homeward, Angel" made him feel it was the book he'd always been looking for. The opening of the novel is captivating, with its strange destinies and the idea that each moment is the fruit of forty thousand years.

And how did this overwrought prose/poetry capture me in my early twenties? I, after all, have not become like Gene Gant/Thomas Wolfe - a writer constantly on the move for a wider view of life and the world. Would Wolfe's novel still pull at me? I long to find out.

I decided to read this book because Thomas Wolfe was from my area and for an English class, I only had to read one of his short stories. I was curious to see what his work was all about. This book is essentially a slightly fictionalized account of his childhood and young adult years in the mountains of North Carolina in the early 1900s.

When I read the very first sentence of this book, my heart sank. I read it again and again. After about the fifth reading, I finally had a glimmer of what he was attempting to convey and was able to move on. The second and third sentences, however, completely blew me away. He was truly an amazing writer, with a richness of imagery that is difficult to come by.

That being said, this book was extremely challenging to get through. Reading a paragraph or so at a time, I could appreciate the beauty of his language. But paradoxically, the very beauty that I admired made the actual story seem to drag. And since I'm very story-oriented, that's one of the reasons I only gave this book three stars.

The other aspect that bothered me was a small undercurrent of racism that was present throughout the book. It's not the main point of the story; it's just there in the background. Somehow, the fact that there doesn't seem to be any active dislike behind it makes it even worse. It feels as if he thinks he's simply stating the facts. I tried to rationalize it as being a product of a different time period, but that didn't really sit well with me. In the end, it detracted significantly from my enjoyment of the book.

However, if you think you can overlook that and you have a love for beautiful language, you might find this book enjoyable.

Oh my goodness!

The things we endure in the earnest pursuit of a well-rounded body of literature!! It's not for me. Wolfe's style is extremely old world style... so wordy, wordy, wordy!!

Certainly, he has multiple passages of illusory language and seraphim-esque imagery. Some of the words he combines do make me pause in awe, wondering "how did he manage that"?

This book is a dirge on the historic turn of the century in Western North Carolina and all the racism, boredom, brokenness, and the quotidian happenings in Asheville. Even the Vanderbilts are obliquely referenced, considering that Biltmore was within 10 miles of the town. The portrayal of racism and of "Niggertown" was definitely cringe-worthy.

If I had not toured Dixieland personally and actually seen the room in which Ben passed, or Eliza's kitchen, if I had not been to Asheville to witness its glory and those gorgeous little hidden nooks, like Nevada City - if I had not done all this... most definitely I would not have chosen to endure this 600+ page long-winded portrayal of 1920s life in the South.

My favorite part was Ben's deterioration and demise from PNA. Also, the last 50 pages, in which Wolfe describes his love of reading, and the language used there to describe that ecstasy is quite nice.

PS Semi-autobiographical, the book's Eugene is Wolfe.