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4th out of 9 books
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The Human Comedy
The place is Ithaca, in California's San Joaquin Valley. The time is World War II. The family is the Macauley's—a mother, sister, and three brothers whose struggles and dreams reflect those of America's second-generation immigrants…In particular, fourteen-year-old Homer, determined to become one of the fastest telegraph messengers in the West, finds himself caught b...more
Mass Market Paperback, 192 pages
Published
August 15th 1966
by Laurel
(first published 1943)
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i have just reread this beautiful little masterpiece and fell in love with saroyan and this book all over again. i am now going to pick up his short stories and marvel at those. i say, do this now. you can read it in a weekend. short, sweet, tidy, and beautiful, it is a lovely novel which touches the heart and soul without being sappy, overly sentimental or unrealistic. it takes place in the fictional 'ithaca' which, if you note by the mention of Roeding Park or Gottschalks, is actually Fresn...more
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I found my grandmother's 1943 edition of this book on my dad's bookshelf. I enjoyed the story of a California family during World War 2: the dad has passed away, the older brother is fighting in the war, the teenage brother delivers telegraph messages such as messages telling mothers that their sons have been killed in the war, and the 4-year-old brother runs all over town unsupervised and observing lots of interesting things.
There are lots of words of wisdom in this book (or, as M...more
There are lots of words of wisdom in this book (or, as M...more
This is not a book I would have kept reading beyond Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50 but it's for the Heart of Spirituality book group at the library, so I slogged through it. The problem is the book is terribly dated, and not in a good way.
Saroyan was originally writing a movie script with the title, The Human Comedy, and based on Saroyan's youth in Fresno, but he had a disagreement with the studio and although they went on to produce a movie, he took the title and the idea and created this...more
Saroyan was originally writing a movie script with the title, The Human Comedy, and based on Saroyan's youth in Fresno, but he had a disagreement with the studio and although they went on to produce a movie, he took the title and the idea and created this...more
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I have always loved the work of William Saroyan. I taught him in the past. His work is so spare--there is just the bare bones of the story; no padding.
Human dignity and sense of self within a community are key issues in this disarmingly simple narrative.Watch for the three-pronged revelation of human insight seen through the eyes of the child, Ulysses; the teen Homer; and the adult, Marcus. The widowed mother provides a stability upon which all these offspring rely. Essentially, sh...more
Human dignity and sense of self within a community are key issues in this disarmingly simple narrative.Watch for the three-pronged revelation of human insight seen through the eyes of the child, Ulysses; the teen Homer; and the adult, Marcus. The widowed mother provides a stability upon which all these offspring rely. Essentially, sh...more
Nothing means anything to me. I don't like people. I don't like being near them. I don't trust them. I don't like the way they live or talk or the things they believe, or the way they push each other around.
I first read this 10 years when I first moved to Fresno. At the time I remember loving it and I went on to read many other books by Saroyan. My husband grew up in Fresno and remembers seeing Saroyan riding his bike around town. After re-reading this, I wonder how much of what I lo...more
I first read this 10 years when I first moved to Fresno. At the time I remember loving it and I went on to read many other books by Saroyan. My husband grew up in Fresno and remembers seeing Saroyan riding his bike around town. After re-reading this, I wonder how much of what I lo...more
I read this to help my son with his high school reading assignment, and enjoyed it more than he did. The setting is a small fictional California town during the early years of World War II. The story centers around a telegraph office. Homer, a 14-year-old, gets a job delivering telegrams. His older brother is serving in the war; his widowed mother, younger brother, and older sister, experience the harsh realities of life as a lower class family in that rough setting. The telegrams are symbolic o...more
Sonky
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone
Recommended to Sonky by:
Geoff Huntington
Shelves:
contemporary-novel,
social-commentary
Jerked my tears at every chapter. Simple, beautiful writing. Emotional but not sentimental. A blend of America praise and protest.
william saroyan is the most startlingly beautiful, simple, complex, amazing, wonderful writer than ever held a pen or pushed a key on a typewriter.
his books are astounding and you wouldn't expect them to be so but it slowly sneaks up on you that he's telling you how incredible and wonderful life can be and is and should be and all you have to do to make it yours is... live it.
i love every thing he's ever written and i haven't even read it all but i know i love it because i ...more
his books are astounding and you wouldn't expect them to be so but it slowly sneaks up on you that he's telling you how incredible and wonderful life can be and is and should be and all you have to do to make it yours is... live it.
i love every thing he's ever written and i haven't even read it all but i know i love it because i ...more
Set in California's San Joaquin Valley, during World War II, this is a nostalgic tale that is both gentle and brutal. This book was waiting on my bookshelf when I happened to watch the movie, which I very much enjoyed. It was fairly true to the book, with just a couple of major deviations. Ithaca, the fictional small town, I recognized as Fresno, having lived there myself some years ago. The landmarks mentioned in the book are the same but there the resemblance ends. I found the book to be ...more
In a rare occurrence, I actually enjoyed the film version better than the book. Mickey Rooney really makes this story come alive. In fact, I stopped the film because I was enjoying it, and wanted to read the book first. Did so, then went back to the film.
The book does contain Saroyan's worldview on humanity at a time when it had to be thought about...during World War II. I would say that his worldview represents much of the modernism that was popular in his day as it was moving...more
The book does contain Saroyan's worldview on humanity at a time when it had to be thought about...during World War II. I would say that his worldview represents much of the modernism that was popular in his day as it was moving...more
This book was written during WW2 and there are plenty of Rockwell-esque moments here--boys running around a small town with colorfully-nicknnamed chums, creaky old guy running the local telegraph station, women with big hair attending their monthly social gathering. But there's real depth here as well, and insightful comments on the human condition, particularly during the pain of wartime.
I ran across this author as part of the Best Short Stories of the Century anthology and recomme...more
I ran across this author as part of the Best Short Stories of the Century anthology and recomme...more
This is an authentic coming-of-age story set during WWII in the San Joaquin valley of California. Short chapters, a 14 yr-old boy taking care of his mother and siblings, and a community of various characters made this an easy read and easier to relate. Bittersweet as he finds himself delivering telegrams regarding a variety of life circumstances. I was surprised to enjoy it as I look for books to teach to high school freshmen. Much more naive than our current teens; yet, same learning of the con...more
Leyendo este libro he sentido simple y pura felicidad. Hacía mucho tiempo que no tenía este sentimiento leyendo un libro. Mientras lo leía me parecía estar dentro de una de esas viejas películas de Frank Capra. Hay que tener en cuenta que 'La comedia humana' es una novela escrita a principios de los 40, en plena Guerra Mundial, y eso se nota. Lo que me ha recordado a Capra han sido los personajes, su manera de pensar y de sentir, su bondad. Y es que esta novela me ha hecho reconciliarme con el g...more
Some authors write entertaining books, and some are true storytellers who transport you to a world of new acquaintances, friends, thoughts, and emotions. Needless to say which category Saroyan belongs to. Among many great books I've encountered only few that had the ability to transform me in the way this book has. You are going back to childhood. Maybe not yours, but that of, say, a very dear friend's. You get a glimpse of the inner worlds of two boys, Ulysses Macaulay, about 4 years old, and H...more
Jrad
rated it
Recommends it for:
Everyone, People needing a reminder of hope in a dark world
Recommended to Jrad by:
My Mentor
This is an incredibly delightful yet sorrowful tale of the Macauley family in Ithaca, California. It looks primarily at two characters, Homer and Ulysses. The two are the middle and youngest boys of the family. The Macauleys are a poor, but good family in the town. Homer, at the age of 14 is learning to be a man and take care of the family in his oldest brother's absence (Marcus is in the Army and their father has died). Ulysses is a curious fellow who is exploring the world and learning a ...more
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"The Human Comedy" was written by a local author in the Fresno, CA area. He changes the name of Fresno to 'Itahca' in his tale and the main characters are Ulysses and Homer (two brothers). The story is centered around the Great Depression but yet finds hope even though there is a war. The story still works today and shows America in its purest form.
I read this book with my students and they enjoyed it. We will be watching the black & white video movie starring Mickey Roone...more
I read this book with my students and they enjoyed it. We will be watching the black & white video movie starring Mickey Roone...more
I read this along with my son, who had to read it for his English class. I was torn about it. I loved the tone and some deep lessons taught and feelings explained. I thought Homer was a great kid with a good head on his shoulders. My complaint is that I wanted more. There is no main storyline throughout. The book paints the picture of a small town during WWII, it's people and how life was back then. It describes a wide range of feelings, but doesn't tell a specific story. I did like it, ...more
And there it was, subtle but so delightful, right in there first paragraph...
Magic.
This book is properly classified as fantasy. Not the type with goblins and fairies but the kind with people and places and nothing much happening. So you think it's real. And it takes you in and wraps you up and fills you with the slow warmth of summer wine.
This was a lovely book - one I savored. I don't think it's for everyone - but I'm glad I was alive to read it.
Magic.
This book is properly classified as fantasy. Not the type with goblins and fairies but the kind with people and places and nothing much happening. So you think it's real. And it takes you in and wraps you up and fills you with the slow warmth of summer wine.
This was a lovely book - one I savored. I don't think it's for everyone - but I'm glad I was alive to read it.
My father gave this to me in high school, and I reread it often enough that it made it onto my very small bookshelf in college, but funnily enough, he mentioned it the other day and I realized I'd forgotten all about it. This time around, I could see how it balanced between Salinger and Steinbeck, with a sweet simplicity all its own. It's the briefly-told (192 pages in my edition) story of a family in a central California town during WWII, as seen through the eyes of two brothers, one a newly-hi...more
Bel libro di "crescita"; bella lettura per gli adolescenti di oggi, che non conoscono la guerra neanche nei racconti dei loro genitori, e che pensano l'america come un mist di Rambo e Superman. Forse quella provincia americana non c'è più, o forse non è mai esistita, ma l'ideale che sottende è la parte migliore del mito americano. Ricordiamocene, e facciamolo ricordare ....
I read this book when I was about 9 years old; I didn't know anything about it, but picked it up in my elementary school library. It made a deep impression on me. I think that I was aware, on some level, that this was true literature, something that I would have more experience with as I grew older. I have not re-read it since that time, but I think I will soon.
This book plucks the deepest strings of human emotion. It speaks to an age when innocence was prized and the ties between men and women, parents and children, each of us to each other, were valued above any material possession. Let us feast together on these pies, the apple and the cocoanut cream. From now on, we are friends!
Every American child reads “Corduroy,” by Don Freeman. It is as much a part of our nation’s literature as “Moby Dick.” As such, one of the pleasures for me in reading this book was looking at Don Freeman’s illustrations. It is a nice, well written book that deserves to be read to the end. It follows the adventures of the Macauley family in Ithaca, California. My favorite Macauley was Ulysses, the four year old. I loved his adventures, but as someone living in the twenty-first century, I ha...more
The only book from my high school English classes I have willingly reread. It has a few sad moments, but plenty of fun ones as well. P.S. If your English teacher asks you what the main character's good luck charm is, don't say egg or you will get it wrong. It is "hard-boiled egg." Stupid Nazi English teacher.
Es un libro maravilloso. De la corriente de mi planta de naranja lima. Muy puntual, sin rodeos. Con una forma de narrar de tipo coral, donde cada personaje muestra una perspectiva del mundo. Así y todo se sobrepone una idea, por sobre el resto. No hay que juzgar a nadie, como dice el viejo telegrafista.
This is a quick, fun read. It is a short portrayal of life in a rural community in California during WWII. A lot of it is light and fun although Saroyan does touch on some more somber themes as well. It seems as though I have read a lot of long, tough books lately and this was a wonderful change of pace.
This is a very engaging morality tale disguised as easy reading. It is set in the world of children and teenagers becoming aware of their surroundings. The setting is WWII death notices arriving in a California town. The author rarely, but sometimes, overdoes his message about understanding one another, but it is easy to forgive.
This was a book bought for me by my Armenian father... it was not till many years later that I read it. Perhaps for the first time ever, I understood a bit more what it meant to be Armenian... I'm not sure it is for the best, I never really liked classifications meant to separate. Great read.
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William Saroyan was an American - Armenian author. The setting of many of his stories and plays was Fresno, California (sometimes under a fictional name), the center of Armenian-American life in California and where he grew up.
Saroyan was born in Fresno, California to Armenian immigrants from Bitlis, Turkey. At the age of three, after his father's death, Saroyan was placed in the orphanage i...more
More about William Saroyan...
Saroyan was born in Fresno, California to Armenian immigrants from Bitlis, Turkey. At the age of three, after his father's death, Saroyan was placed in the orphanage i...more
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