Abe Ravelstein is a brilliant professor at a prominent midwestern university and a man who glories in training the movers and shakers of the politi...
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Jan 27, 2009
Lobstergirl
rated it: 
Is Saul Bellow the best novelist of the 20th century? I don't know, but I loved this fictionalized account of his friendship with fellow academic Allan Bloom.
Bellow describes his fictionalized wife Vela: “She had to be seen as a beautiful woman. But it was beauty-parade beauty, and required preparation at a West Point or Hapsburg hussar level.”
Bellow describes his fictionalized wife Vela: “She had to be seen as a beautiful woman. But it was beauty-parade beauty, and required preparation at a West Point or Hapsburg hussar level.”
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Jan 06, 2009
Chris
rated it: 
The novel is best when Bellow's Chick ruminates on memories and tells anecdotes about Ravelstein, a wonderfully intimidating and human character.
Ravelstein is a novel that will likely prompt a bit of research on a great many topics, and readers should expect to come away with considerable, if superficial, incidental learning. At times Bellow can sound off-puttingly affected. For example,Chick and Ravelstein prefer to bask in their knowledge of more precise French and German idioms, More...
Ravelstein is a novel that will likely prompt a bit of research on a great many topics, and readers should expect to come away with considerable, if superficial, incidental learning. At times Bellow can sound off-puttingly affected. For example,Chick and Ravelstein prefer to bask in their knowledge of more precise French and German idioms, More...
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Feb 04, 2012
Jason
rated it: 
The last novel Bellow published in his lifetime, Ravelstein is a thinly veiled portrait of Bellow's friend, teacher and author of The Closing of the American Mind, Alan Bloom. It chronicles their friendship and Bloom's final years suffering from the debilitating effects of HIV. Critically hailed as a miraculous return to form by many when it was published, the novel does contain many hallmarks of Bellow's art. The immense intelligence presiding over the novel, the self-deprecating wit, and his p
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Dec 19, 2011
Corey
rated it:
Ravelstein is loosely based on Saul Bellow’s real-life friendship with famed 20th century philosopher Allan Bloom (writer of The Closing of the American Mind, not to be confused with literary scholar Harold Bloom). Bellow had remained friends with Bloom for many years, from teaching at the same college to visiting Bloom in the final stages of his battle with AIDs. Ravelstein is very much the product of that experience. It is also the last book Bellow completed in his lifetime. He published i
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Dec 01, 2010
Michael
rated it:
Part memoir, part fiction, Ravelstein is the story of life at the peak of the intellectuality in what looks like the 1980s. There is no real topic for this book, just a constant tinkering with modern ideas and their interpretation: the commoditization of ideas, the role of the modern man, the matrimony, the displacement that comes with success, the decay of the human body in spite of advancements in medicine (read also To the Friend Who Did Not Save My Life by Herve Guibert), the new trivial. Ra
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Jan 22, 2009
Mark
rated it: 
After reading some of the other reviews here, I now know this is based on an actual person. I suspected it was, but couldn't get myself to care enough about the characters or the story to find out. I tried hard to finish the book, but then realized I was just waiting for my next requested books be become available at the library.
I guess if I knew about Allen Bloom or his work, maybe this would help support some interest. The author seems to want us to take on faith that Ravelstein is More...
I guess if I knew about Allen Bloom or his work, maybe this would help support some interest. The author seems to want us to take on faith that Ravelstein is More...
Nov 20, 2008
Mary
rated it:
I listened to this on audio on a car trip. I really enjoyed the story. The title character is compelling and contradictory in a way that kept my interest. Later, I found out he was based on Allan Bloom, who wrote "The Closing of the American Mind." Which is a problem. In my politically correct youth of the early '90s, Bloom was universally reviled for being some kind of conservative apologist. Now I suppose I have to go back and revisit his book and possibly revise my prejudices. How t
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Apr 13, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
"Of course we're good and fed up with personality profiles, or defects. One reason why violence is so popular may be that psychiatric insights have worn us out and we get satisfaction from seeing them blown away with automatic weapons, or exploding in cars, or being garroted or stuffed by taxidermists. We're so sick of having to think about everybody's problems -- Grand Guignol mock-destruction isn't good enough for the bastards."
The challenge of modern freedom, or the co More...
The challenge of modern freedom, or the co More...
Apr 23, 2009
Kyle
rated it: 
Others are thrown by what they label (lazily, I think) the "stream of consciousness" style of writing. What's actually taking place is a forward moving narrative coupled with the reflections it inspires a la "Henderson, the Rain King", etc. My biggest criticism is that the great charm of the first section disappeared. To be fair, outside circumstances have put my mind in a million places at the time of reading this, so maybe I'm not in the best place to judge. Also, this may
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Feb 02, 2011
Patrick
rated it:
The book is about an elderly author who writes about his dying HIV + professorial friend and their conversations especially about mortality. This is a roman a clef book about Bellow, the writer and his dear friend Bloom with Wolfowitz featuring as Philip Gorman. I give this book a 2.5 since I do not think I would care so much about the characters if I did not know it was a roman a clef but I give it a 0.5 bump for some interesting well written thought-provoking quotes. One of the interesting
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Jan 08, 2011
Northpapers
rated it:
Allan Bloom wrote a bestseller titled The Closing of the American Mind. I had not read this book when I began to read Ravelstein by Saul Bellow. Nor did I really know who Allan Bloom was, or even that the lead character in Bellow's novel was based on the real and famous professor Allan Bloom.
Nor did I know what Bellow was talking about in a good half of his allusions during the course of the book.
As I read it, I pondered the following questions: Is a novel without a plot More...
Nor did I know what Bellow was talking about in a good half of his allusions during the course of the book.
As I read it, I pondered the following questions: Is a novel without a plot More...
Oct 04, 2011
Shane
rated it:
If this book is a thinly veiled account of Bellow’s relationship with fellow academic Allan Bloom, I wonder why Bellow did not write it as such, and instead relied on the novel form. The novel disappoints, for it flatlines on story and character (even though Ravelstein is a multifaceted personality), whereas a biography or memoir of the real duo would have been more impactful.
Ravelstein and Chick (Bloom and Bellow respectively, as I made out) are a modern day Socrates and Plato. Rave More...
Ravelstein and Chick (Bloom and Bellow respectively, as I made out) are a modern day Socrates and Plato. Rave More...
Dec 11, 2010
Jen
rated it:
"Ravelstein" revolves around the friendship of Abe Ravelstein, a teacher and philosopher at a well-known Midwestern university, and Chick, a writer who narrates the novel. Ravelstein is a towering intellectual figure who takes pride in influencing the movers and shakers of the world. He enjoys the finest of everything and consequently spends his life living well beyond his means. At one point Chick suggests to Ravelstein that he (Ravelstein) should write a book about his ideas about
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Sep 01, 2010
Laura
rated it:
It's hard to say how I feel about this book, in part because it is so caught up in the University of Chicago scene, and having gone there, it's hard to say how I feel about that too. There were parts of this book that I loved only because I identified with them on a personal level (like describing the parakeet colonies in Hyde Park). But the whole focus of the book, to give a portrait of Bloom's personality as a superstar professor, left me kind of turned off. I've had experience with professors
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Nov 27, 2011
Jeff
rated it:
Simplistic plot(less) summary?! Quasi-academic/writer Chick is entrusted / obliged to write a memoir of his friend Abe Ravelstein, a political philosopher with a late-in-life blockbuster of a bestselling book. Following Ravelstein's advice, Chick creates the memoir in what Ravelstein calls Chick's "after-supper-reminiscence manner," as if Chick has "had a few glasses of wine" and is feeling "laid back and making remarks." Throughout, Chick's voice and personality sMore...
Dec 09, 2008
Rich
rated it:
A sadly mediocre book. Bellow, at times, is on the verge of doing or saying something important, but seems to always step past those opportunities.
The book is a fictionalized memoir of Bellow's friend Allan Bloom, who is portrayed in this book as the fictional professor Ravelstein. The most redeeming feature of the book is that it juxtaposes Bloom's criticism of American culture with the love and passion for trivial things, such as designer clothing and stereo equipment. Ravelst More...
The book is a fictionalized memoir of Bellow's friend Allan Bloom, who is portrayed in this book as the fictional professor Ravelstein. The most redeeming feature of the book is that it juxtaposes Bloom's criticism of American culture with the love and passion for trivial things, such as designer clothing and stereo equipment. Ravelst More...
Jun 08, 2010
Herzog
rated it:
Saul Bellow is among my favorite novelists (see nom de plume). I eagerly anticipated Ravelstein and read it when it first came out 10 years ago. I just finished rereading it and came away disappointed. I agree that the best parts of the book are Chick's descriptions of Ravelstein and his mannerisms. The other characters in the book mostly make cameo appearances with a few exceptions like Vela. I thought that the final 25% of the book was especially week dealing with Chick's illness in the C
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Sep 20, 2011
Patrick
rated it:
Ravelstein is Saul Bellow’s last novel published in 2000, when he was 85. It has a certain affinity with Philip Roth’s Everyman in that it is preoccupied with old age, sex, and death. The narrator comes across a cranky and cantankerous using outdated slang and descriptions of modern life. Ravelstein is an undisguised Allan Bloom, who comes off as a pompous blow hard. All in all, I found it a bit disappointing since it doesn’t have the vigor of earlier work like Augie March nor the poetry and p
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Jan 29, 2012
Ignacio
rated it:
Es lo primero que leo del autor y al parecer no es su novela más popular, pero sí la última. Suele ocurrir que buenos autores se relajen una vez que se han consagrado como tales, dándose el lujo de escribir lo que quieren y cómo quieren. Tendré en cuenta que el Nobel de literatura lo recibió en 1976 y esta novela la publicó el año 2000, cinco años antes de su muerte.
No está muy rigurosamente bien escrito, pero da la impresión de mucha honestidad. Quizás se debe a que el narrador protagonis More...
No está muy rigurosamente bien escrito, pero da la impresión de mucha honestidad. Quizás se debe a que el narrador protagonis More...
Jan 18, 2009
Helen
rated it:
It was difficult to decipher this book. In fact, it took me a lot of effort to work through it.
Abe Ravelstein (Allan Bloom) was a fascinating character. He delved in his paradoxes, and it could have been really easy to dislike him if Bellow did not represent the amazing amount of humanity Ravelstein had.
He criticized the way the modern world was going and yet he loved gossip and was an avid-consumer on the most expensive of products.
He was highly opinionated and had a huge di More...
Abe Ravelstein (Allan Bloom) was a fascinating character. He delved in his paradoxes, and it could have been really easy to dislike him if Bellow did not represent the amazing amount of humanity Ravelstein had.
He criticized the way the modern world was going and yet he loved gossip and was an avid-consumer on the most expensive of products.
He was highly opinionated and had a huge di More...
Mar 07, 2008
Jasmine
rated it:
This book won a Nobel prize and because of this I feel like I need to give it another shot. I took me about 100 pages before I finally got into it. I'm not a big fan of stream-of-consciousness writing, so that might be what put me off. I also had a hard time picturing Ravelstein in my head: his mannerisms, his physical stature, his clumsiness, his occasional stuttering. I don't know why. Even now I still struggle with this pieced-together image in my head of my old political philosphy professor
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Sep 04, 2011
Ronald
rated it:
A story of the relationship between the successful college professor Abe Ravelstein and his close friend Chick. Many interesting references to philosophers and other thinkers throughout history. Through tangential research of my own, I learned that the distinction between biography and fiction are blurry with this book. Some reviewers have speculated that this story is a veiled account of Bellow's relationship with his late friend Allan Bloom at the University of Chicago.
Oct 30, 2007
Doc Opp
rated it:
People who know me are aware of my proclivity for random tangents in the middle of conversations. But even I am able to keep on point better than Bellow, who's stream of consciousness meandering left me unsure what the plot of the book was even after finishing. If pressed, I'd say the book was a series of random anecdotes about a fictional character that don't follow any particular timeline or make any particular point. It was also quite repetitive, the same stories were told over and over, a
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Oct 18, 2011
David
rated it:
From the book:
"...Chick is a great skeptic when it comes to the French. He...thinks their cooking is all they have to show for themselves since the disgrace of...1940 when Hitler danced his victory jig. Chick sees la France pourrie in Sartre, in the loathing of the U.S.A. and worship of Stalinism and in philosophy and linguistic theory...But you have to admit you can't get a meal like this anywhere else."
"...Chick is a great skeptic when it comes to the French. He...thinks their cooking is all they have to show for themselves since the disgrace of...1940 when Hitler danced his victory jig. Chick sees la France pourrie in Sartre, in the loathing of the U.S.A. and worship of Stalinism and in philosophy and linguistic theory...But you have to admit you can't get a meal like this anywhere else."
Mar 23, 2009
Janet
rated it:
A good deal of this book went over my head. I enjoyed the story of the friendship between Chick and Ravelstein. Apparently, an account of the friendship between Saul Bellow and Allen Bloom (author of The Closing of the American Mind). Well written, rambling, sad, and funny. It's about excess, homosexuality, love, sickness, death, money, friendship marriang and memories.
Jun 21, 2011
Pavol
rated it:
Almost perfect, as an intellectual tribute, as a memoir account of friendship, as a novel about a larger-than-life intellectual with vignettes and anecdotes aplenty, it follows the last years and death of one Ravelstein [based on Allan Bloom]. It however deflates a bit in the last third when the narrator (Chick) recounts his own near-death experience.
Jun 15, 2010
Josh
rated it:
Maybe not the best introduction to Bellow. That being said, I thought the book was a little disjointed and the parts that I liked were tempered by a difficult-to-ignore misogyny.
If I discount those episodes, however, I can see bits of Bellow's brilliance peeking out in a few paragaphs here and there, and the end was disturbing, but effective.
If I discount those episodes, however, I can see bits of Bellow's brilliance peeking out in a few paragaphs here and there, and the end was disturbing, but effective.
Oct 06, 2008
Mr.
rated it:
Saul Bellow's slim eulogy to the late Allen Bloom in novel form has its moments, but it is ultimately a superficial achievement. Banking on the colorful eccentricities of the late professor of philosophy, Bellow is content to retreat from anything resembling a story. I preferred the intricate weavings of philosophy, art, and life that Bellow was able to create and Herzog, whereas in Ravelstein he takes it for granted that the subject is supremely interesting to the reader. Still, I admit that Be
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Nov 20, 2010
DoctorM
rated it:
I read "Closing of the American Mind" long ago, and came away angry at Allan Bloom as an apologist for the conservative ranters of the 1980s-90s Culture Wars. It was only later, with Bloom's last book, "Love and Friendship", that I came to revise my views a bit about the man. Saul Bellow's "Ravelstein" gives us a fictionalised Allan Bloom who's brilliant, maddening, sad, funny, and deeply human--- a character made for a Bellow novel. It's possible to love Ravelstein
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Nov 19, 2009
Russ
rated it:
Ravelstein, however, held that examples of great personalities among scientists were scarce. Great philosophers, painters, statesmen, lawyers, yes. But great souled men or women in the sciences are extremely rare. "It's their sciences that are great, not the persons."
