Well, I was really bored towards the end.

I just managed to finish it because I simply can't stand not completing a book.

The whole thing was very dull, and in the end, it turned out to be just a debate (which was quite difficult to understand) about Marxism in the 40s and 50s.

If, by some strange chance, you have an interest in communism, then perhaps you might like this book.

However, if not, I would highly recommend that you move away and look for something more engaging to read.

There are so many other books out there that can offer a much more enjoyable and fulfilling reading experience.

Don't waste your time on something that doesn't hold your interest.

Explore different genres and authors until you find that perfect book that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

Life is too short to be spending it on dull and uninteresting reads.

This book, which dates back to 1951, offers a vivid description of the all-too-familiar mental anguish endured by an amnesiac American World War II veteran.

The veteran's torment is evoked by the stark realization that history has thus far been the result of humanity's ceaseless struggle for dominance over one another.

It seems that we are doomed to repeat this pattern on an ever-larger scale, over and over again.

Until, perhaps, one day, the state will crumble before the people are ground up in the war machine.

Only then might there be a glimmer of hope for a future characterized by the unregulated conscious development of theorists who have learned from the mistakes of the past.

This book serves as a powerful reminder of the cyclical nature of history and the urgent need for us to break free from the cycle of conflict and strive for a more peaceful and enlightened future.

It is extremely difficult for me to persuade myself that anything occurring in this novel is truly happening. This is not because it is a work of fiction. After all, The Secret History is also fiction, yet Tartt can transport my body right there. Every single scene in this book has this extraordinary unearthly, almost surreal feel, as if I am reading it in a haze of half-sleep.

I can relate to their emotions on a personal level, but the plot, the logic, and the characters are completely beyond my comprehension. "What is happening? What is going to happen? Who exactly is Lannie?" These were the regular questions that popped into my head as I read the story. I even started to question my own intelligence.

I am interested in Marxism and socialist theory, and a friend recommended this book to me, knowing that I understand abstract ideas better in the form of a novel than a textbook (it worked for me with Sartre's works). However, this particular book failed to help me in my pursuit of understanding socialism. The situation is similar to reading an essay about a Muslim guy, with the focus being on the guy's inconsistent, uneven, and erratic understanding of Islam, which leads to an equally inconsistent, uneven, and erratic essay.

I should have listened to another friend.

There were certain parts of the book where I found myself extremely engaged. The story seemed to draw me in completely, and I couldn't wait to turn the page to see what happened next.

However, there were also other times when I really struggled to make it through an entire page. I would start daydreaming a lot, and my mind would wander off to other places. It was as if the words on the page just couldn't hold my attention.

Overall, though, I have to say that the book was pretty engaging. It had its moments of excitement and intrigue that kept me interested. While I wouldn't necessarily say that it's the author's finest work, it's still definitely worth a read for fans of his. They will no doubt enjoy the story and the characters that he has created.

Even if you're not a die-hard fan, it's still a decent read that might just surprise you. So, if you're looking for something new to read, give this book a try and see what you think.

"La costa dei barbari" is a dark narrative set in an Orwellian landscape where individuals are all in conflict with one another. The infamy piles up, culminating in an almost irreversible condition, while the world approaches an inevitable and inescapable destiny of destruction.

From the first pages, it seems to deal with sex, writing, and self-discovery, but what emerges later is a meditation on the early days of the Cold War, with paranoia attached.

All the characters are extreme and unbelievable. The novel is full of dialogues, too many dialogues, and in some parts, I had trouble understanding their meaning. At a certain point, I thought it was the fault of the translation, but here the translator is Delfina Vezzoli, a great translator (of works like DeLillo's "Underworld", Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", and many others). So Mailer really wanted to write these long dialogues like this, and wanted us to read them more than once.

Do you remember when you understand the meaning of a sentence but not the concept? Like when one person asks what time it is and the other answers that the sky is cloudy.

Another flaw of this novel, as far as I'm concerned, is that the tone and tension never quite reach the feverish climax that I expected.

The term "witch hunt" is often used metaphorically to describe a situation where there is an intense and often unjust search for supposed enemies or wrongdoers. In the context of the Cold War, the idea of a "witch hunt" was frequently associated with the anti-communist hysteria that gripped the United States and other Western countries.

During this period, there was a widespread fear of the spread of communism, which was seen as a threat to the capitalist system and Western values. This led to a series of investigations, hearings, and prosecutions of individuals suspected of having communist sympathies or affiliations. Many of these cases were based on flimsy evidence or unfounded accusations, and innocent people were often caught up in the hysteria.

The anti-communist witch hunt had a significant impact on American society, leading to the blacklisting of thousands of people in the entertainment industry, government, and other sectors. It also created a climate of fear and suspicion, where people were afraid to express their views or associate with certain groups for fear of being labeled as communist sympathizers.

In conclusion, the anti-communist witch hunt was a dark chapter in American history that serves as a reminder of the dangers of unfounded fear and hysteria. It is important to learn from this experience and ensure that similar events do not occur in the future.

It is really difficult for me to give a vote to this book because I still don't know whether to shout masterpiece or consider it a terrible mess.

In fact, after an apparently normal beginning, a war veteran who moves into a small building inhabited by very different characters but all quite curious, we find ourselves in the middle of a Gestapo-style interrogation, in which themes such as capitalism, communism, subversive organizations are dealt with and which has as its fulcrum an ill-defined object that must be recovered but that in the end we won't even know what it is.

Am I dreaming or awake? Because the protagonist still suffers from amnesia attacks and then the whole thing could also be just the fruit of his imagination.

On one hand, the story has an interesting premise with the diverse characters and the mysterious object. It creates a sense of intrigue and makes the reader want to know more. However, on the other hand, the lack of clear definition and the confusing nature of the interrogation and the overall plot make it hard to fully engage with the story. It feels like there are too many loose ends and not enough resolution.

Overall, I am left in a state of indecision about this book. It has its moments of interest but also its flaws. I'm not sure if I would recommend it or not. Maybe with a bit more clarity and a stronger conclusion, it could have been a better read.

Strike 2 for me with Mr. Mailer. It seems that I just can't get into his works.

This particular piece is truly a letdown. It is far less interesting than a daytime soap opera, which at least has some element of drama and entertainment to keep the viewers engaged.

What's more, the writing is not up to par either. It lacks the finesse and elegance that one would expect from a renowned author like Mr. Mailer.

After this experience, I will definitely remind myself not to try his works again. It's clear that his style just doesn't resonate with me.

Maybe there are others who can appreciate his writing, but for me, it's a big thumbs down.

I had read this book back in my 20's and didn't find it enjoyable at all. For some inexplicable reason, I decided to pick it up again recently to see if my opinion might have changed. However, to my great disappointment, I still hated it.

Look, if the author's intention was to write an essay about socialism, then that's what he should have done. Instead, he chose to write a novel filled with six extremely dreary characters constantly bickering in a boarding house. I strongly suspect that the entire book was merely a pretext for the long monologue in chapter 29. A typical sentence from that monologue is "The inescapable corollary is that state capitalism as a social organism has lost hope in its own ability to improve productivity." It's extremely difficult to determine whether the rest of the book is Surrealism, a metaphor, or just plain nonsense.

It's truly baffling that Norman Mailer, who had written the highly acclaimed The Naked and the Dead, would follow it up with a book that seemed as if its author had completely forgotten how to write engaging fiction. Nevertheless, he did manage to go on and produce better works in the future. So, whatever his problem was during the writing of this particular book, I guess he somehow managed to work his way through it.

Mailer's much maligned second novel actually has a great deal to offer.

It seamlessly hops between various genres. In the beginning, it presents as a soap operatic sex drama, then gradually transitions towards a near-spy novel, and ultimately evolves into something more akin to an academic dialogue about the possibilities of socialism within the context of the failings of state capitalism.

Beneath all this, there is a thread of menace that is intensified by the casual attitude of the characters towards it. Threats are delivered in a friendly manner, yet they linger in the air.

Mailer's narrator, Lovett, is reminiscent of Nick Carraway. He is an amnesiac and essentially a cipher. As the book progresses, he fades into the background, allowing the intellectual battle between Hollingsworth and MacLeod to rage on.

The book hinges on abstraction and is completely tonally inconsistent, with each of these aspects functioning as both a strength and a weakness at times. It is truly a remarkable follow-up to The Naked and the Dead, given how different it is. Here, Mailer begins to flex his muscles, which may have felt undeveloped at the time but would later evolve into truly intellectually heavyweight material.

I think if the theory could be implanted into people's minds, that is, if almost half of the book were different, I would like it more. In fact, I would give 5 stars to the other half as well. It is written with a kind of sincerity that is quite fluent, explanatory, and sometimes makes people smile.

Therefore, the dictating parts = 0☆

The Kafkaesque plot structure = 5☆

So, 5/2 ~ 3 stars.

This book has its own unique charm. Although the dictating parts may not be very engaging, the Kafkaesque plot structure is really wonderful. It makes the story full of mystery and tension, and people can't help but keep reading. The author's writing style is also very smooth, which makes it easy for readers to understand and immerse in the story. Overall, it is a good book that is worth reading.

In a sense, Mailer was right when he wrote that Barbary Shore possessed the "high fevers" of his psyche.

Particularly when that psyche was besotted by now-antique Marx, Freud, and the imported existentialism of his friend Jean Malaquais. However, as with his other early novels, his claims seem to go beyond the work itself.

Barbary Shore was intended to be the first in a Proustian series of novels, with the goyishe protagonist Sergius O'Shaugnessy at its center. Mailer's early fame after The Naked and the Dead seemingly launched him as a performing self and a "quick-change artist," as he himself confessed.

Perhaps this reached its peak in the New Age journalism of Miami and the Siege of Chicago and The Armies of the Night, where "Norman Mailer" figures as their own anti-hero.

Barbary Shore was, as always, not as good as the author believed it to be. It may have had some elements that reflected Mailer's complex psyche, but it failed to live up to his lofty expectations.

The novel's connection to various intellectual and philosophical ideas was interesting, but it perhaps didn't fully explore or develop them in a satisfying way.

Overall, while Barbary Shore has its merits, it falls short of being the masterpiece that Mailer seemed to think it was.