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A Man in Full

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 7,982 ratings · 520 reviews

The setting is Atlanta, Georgia — a racially mixed, late-century boomtown full of fresh wealth and wily politicians. The protagonist is Charles Croker, once a college football star, now a late-middle-aged Atlanta conglomerate king whose outsize ego has at last hit up against reality. Charlie has a 29,000 acre quail-shooting plantation, a young and demanding second wife, an...more

Paperback, 704 pages

Published October 30th 2001 by Dial Press Trade Paperback (first published 1998)

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Great American Novel

93rd out of 293 books — 383 voters

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

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Jul 22, 2007 Wilson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some crappy books are forgettable. A Man in Full still haunts me like a chain-jangling ghost of crappiness. The plot is hamfisted, the "twists" are ludicrous (for a book with the pretensions of this one), and what is supposed to be a look-behind-the-curtain of Atlanta winds up instead being at times an infomercial on Stoicism, a horse-humping voyeur's dream, and a look at the intricacies of west coast meat packing. A part that really bugs me is that there is a line in which one of the characters...more

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Jul 02, 2007 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ah, what to say about this book that the other reviewers haven't already said?

One thing - this book seems to be present wherever used books are sold. Every old shop has a surplus of them. It's always on the dollar shelves at book sales. Even at the local thrift stores, it's there, sitting right next to Lonesome Dove and Tim Allen's autobiography.

This book must find its way to second-hand shelves because it's both big AND mainstream. In the age of quick-selling novellas, there aren't many authors...more Ah, what to say about this book that the other reviewers haven't already said?

One thing - this book seems to be present wherever used books are sold. Every old shop has a surplus of them. It's always on the dollar shelves at book sales. Even at the local thrift stores, it's there, sitting right next to Lonesome Dove and Tim Allen's autobiography.

This book must find its way to second-hand shelves because it's both big AND mainstream. In the age of quick-selling novellas, there aren't many authors who dare to produce leviathan-sized novels. Sure, there's Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, and David Foster Wallace. They all have their own digressive coffee-house style, their fanciful artsyness. Some people read their novels for bragging rights. They place them in conspicuous spots as conversation pieces. When you finish "Against the Day," or "Underworld," or "Mason-Dixon," you don't want to forget your accomplishment. Some prefer to revel in it and lord it over others. Perhaps this is why Wallace and Pynchon don't make it to thrift store shelves as frequently as Wolfe.

"A Man in Full" is a different kind of big book. It is extremely earnest and unaffected. In some ways, it belongs more to the traditions of the 19th century than to the 20th.

Tom Wolfe avoids the narrative flourishes of his contemporaries and uses old-fashioned and unsubtle plot devices. The cast of characters is Dickensian - there's a tycoon, a young worker, a scheming banker, a well-heeled lady, and a debutante. There's a prison break, a bankers' shakedown, many backroom deals, dramatic changes of heart. Wolfe uses lots of satirical wordplay, which when applied to 20th century popular culture seems slightly contrived (viz. Wolfe's take on rap music.) But for my money, there's not a better name for a banker than Raymond Peepgass. And the tycoon's faux-plantation is named Turpmtine. Turp-em-tine.

At first the characters' interactions are hopelessly stereotypical. The tycoon is egotistical and tone-deaf, causing the self-loathing banker to plot his downfall. The tycoon's ex wife, though living in glorious southern style, feels lonely and despondent in her middle years. Then, through a combination of implausible events, the lives of the worker and the tycoon collide and in this collision Wolfe reveals his moral message, which is (appropriately) couched in classical philosophy.

The themes Wolfe chooses to address - race, power, greed, redemption, and the state of American society - are baldly exposed in the first few chapters of "A Man in Full." Wolfe loves front-line reportage, and his unsubtle style is one of his strengths. There are many spot-on observations in this book, and were it not for its similarity to "Bonfire of the Vanities," "A Man in Full" might have been more widely admired for its perceptiveness.

But back to the size of the book.

Set against a row of contemporary fiction, this hardcover makes other books look off-puttingly puny. It is big enough to give most 20th century fiction an inferiority complex. Yet it's not a book people keep around to brag about. It is an ambitious book and very engaging to read, but it's not a literary ground-breaker. It can't claim the creative cachet of a Pynchon or a Wallace. It contains no shocking conspiracy theories for readers to discuss at dinner parties; it doesn't "subvert the literary paradigm" or do anything radical with the language. It is, however, a very insightful and entertaining read, very much worth the 750 pages it fills. For its un-cynical examination of well-worn topics, it is a significant and relevant book worthy of anyone's shelves.

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Mar 08, 2008 Sharon Howe rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all, people over age 60

I can't believe I bought this 740 page pop seller. It is so unlike what I usually read. I'm glad I broke out of the box and read it. It is well written, fascinating, thought provoking, delightful, fairly light reading, even at 700 pages. I read it in less than a week, as I just couldn't put it down. This is the first Tom Wolfe book I've read.

The story evolves around 4 main characters, and one of them ends up in jail. I decided to skip many of the jail sections, as I cringed at the violence that...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Chuck rated it 3 of 5 stars

In many respects, this 1998 novel has a lot going for it. Tom Wolfe creates a convincing panorama of elite life in moneyed Atlanta, complete with a self-indulgent protagonist -- real estate magnate Charlie Croker -- who has risen to great heights by the time we meet him, and whose fall is richly documented over hundreds of pages. Juxtaposed against a cast of rich and powerful characters are a narcissistic college football player and a motley collection of felons and street-folk, all of whom spea...more In many respects, this 1998 novel has a lot going for it. Tom Wolfe creates a convincing panorama of elite life in moneyed Atlanta, complete with a self-indulgent protagonist -- real estate magnate Charlie Croker -- who has risen to great heights by the time we meet him, and whose fall is richly documented over hundreds of pages. Juxtaposed against a cast of rich and powerful characters are a narcissistic college football player and a motley collection of felons and street-folk, all of whom speak in idiosyncratic dialects for which Wolfe seems to possess a well-tuned ear.

Some strands of Wolfe's tale come together fairly naturally, but other elements require very substantial suspensions of disbelief -- a demand on the reader that only grows more onerous as the novel progresses toward its highly unlikely conclusion. Here's a capsule overview of the most implausible strand (I doubt that it can count as a "spoiler" for a popular novel published a dozen years ago): Charlie Croker's empire of wealth includes a global foods conglomerate, for which an underling employee -- Conrad Hensley -- works eight hour shifts in the freezer unit of a California warehouse. Through a convoluted sub-plot, Hensley loses his job and ends up in prison, but due to a fortuitous earthquake he escapes, eventually making his way to Atlanta via a 20th century underground railroad. And then the mother of all surprises: Hensley not only secures employment in the Croker household; he converts Charlie to a pseudo religion based upon the teachings of the philosopher Epictetus. This ultimately provides great solace to Charlie who, after being deprived entirely of his wealth and much of his health, goes on the road as an evangelist for Zeus, reportedly earning a goodly sum in his new endeavor. With the Stoics, apparently, all things are possible.

Wolfe possesses a talent for narrative description, and his colorful swipes at bankers are particularly relevant and enjoyable in today's context. Overall, A Man in Full is eminently readable and entertaining, but one gets the sense that Wolfe continued his story for so long that he just couldn't find an artistically satisfying way of ending it. Sometimes less really is more.(less)

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Dec 13, 2007 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a long book at 740 pages. The story builds rather well but the ending does a poor job of wrapping up the story lines. I was very disappointed. Its almost as if Wolfe lost interest in the book and just briefly summed everything up and not very inventively.

I mainly read this book to get a feel for Wolfe writing style. Tom Wolfe is nothing if not good at character development. The level of detail he provides really allows you to see the scene in your mind and know the characters in the book...more

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Jun 09, 2008 Bronson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this about 8 years ago and started listening to it again a few weeks ago while I was doing some home improvment projects. I love tom Wolfe - I think he is one of the best story tellers ever and he can really spin a totally believable tale. He creates so much suspense and anxiety in very real-life kinds of situations. This is the story of 4 main characters as they come to find out what potential lies within each of them. Its great, but it does have a lot of harsh language and some sexual c...more

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Jan 22, 2008 Sean rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is Tom Wolfe's Masterpiece. I have read The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test and The Bonfire of the Vanities and this is by far his greatest accomplishment. I was surprised to read the reviews saying the book is contrived and predictable. I thought is was an engaging commentary on American culture. Tom Wolfe is first and foremost a social commentator and this book is no exception. I generally avoid modern authors as the contemporary authors are weak writers, this book is awesome. Ignore the...more

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Feb 02, 2009 Toni Osborne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Charles (Charlie) Croker a middle-aged prominent Atlanta businessman finds his life turned up-side down when his ego brings him to a staggering debt load and to the brink of bankruptcy. Charlie is faced with laying off some workers at his food business to free up cash and buy some time. One victim is young Conrad Hensley who later becomes Charlie's therapist. His bankers smell blood, Raymond Peepgass has even secretly put together a syndicate to take over Crocker's office building at a cut rate....more

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Oct 08, 2012 Juneus rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really appreciate this writer's knowledge of his chosen subjects, locations and situations. I think at times he presents us with more detail than necessary, but not to the detriment of the story. Some Novels have too much information just because the writer wants to impress the reader with the font of his knowledge. Wolfe is too accomplished for that, however he did present a pretty hefty set of coincidences for the reader to be asked to accept in the space of one story. Also, he ended the 742...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Jean Reece rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fasten your seat belts for a fascinating, hilarious, epic drama full of larger-than-life characters, plot twists, turns, and weaves that will leave you stopping to catch your breath with every chapter. Yes, as some other reviewers have complained, things can be a bit overblown and far-fetched, but they just don't get it. It's is all part of the fun! And this book is a pile of fun from start to finish, (except for the chapter on one character's prison stint which is is shocking and horrifying.) M...more

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Jun 21, 2011 David Lentz rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first 772 pages of this novel may rank among some of the best American mainstream fiction ever written. Wolfe certainly took his time in creating his opus maximus and his work ethic is worthy of great respect. I had the sense that Wolfe immersed himself in Atlanta society as the settings and characters seemed incredibly true to life. Wolfe's ear for American dialect showed great range and seemed unfailing in its ability to ring true. The leitmotifs to Epictetus added substance to the work. H...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Manugw rated it 5 of 5 stars

WONDERFULL, LIFE IN FULL

This book is about life, and it is not the story (which is very gripping indeed) but the deep development of characters what it counts. Throughout a very detailed physical, satirical and, psychological observation of the ambitions and careers of members of the different social rungs of the Atlanta and America social ladder, Wolfe weaves a story which never falters from beginning to end and maintains the same level of writing style and quality in every chapter. All the cha...more

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Sep 01, 2010 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Tom Wolfe's A Man in Full is a thorough, thoughtful portrayal of several individuals in and around a slightly fictionalized Atlanta at the end of the last millennium. I loved it. Wolfe's prose is always clear, and even his lush, indulgent diversions from normal sentence structure serve more as secants than as tangents - they convey in fewer words what lesser writers struggle to convey in paragraphs.

Wolfe's writing is really the epitome of "show, don't tell" - while his characters live rich inter...more

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Jun 28, 2010 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: southern-writing

I was introduced to Tom Wolfe through Dixon during my time at Furman. I read I am Charlotte Simmons and loved the way Wolfe was able to capture so many aspects of the college experience. I knew the characters he described, they just had different names and lived in my world instead.

I learned very quickly that Wolfe has the keen ability to write about life in ways that make you think he experienced every subject he writes about--when he wrote The Right Stuff, he was John Glenn and described the o...more I was introduced to Tom Wolfe through Dixon during my time at Furman. I read I am Charlotte Simmons and loved the way Wolfe was able to capture so many aspects of the college experience. I knew the characters he described, they just had different names and lived in my world instead.

I learned very quickly that Wolfe has the keen ability to write about life in ways that make you think he experienced every subject he writes about--when he wrote The Right Stuff, he was John Glenn and described the orbit around the earth with stunning accuracy such that I felt butterflies when the shuttle was reentering the atmosphere with its heat shield partially damaged (I may be getting mixed up here on plot details so forgive me if I am incorrect--it may have been a different astronaut).

I think that Wolfe's books have this quality because he is an incredible researcher who will spend years and years learning about the subjects in his books. When he was researching A Man in Full and knew he would have to write about men working in the freezer of a food distribution company, he experienced it himself so that he could write with perfect accuracy--and this is such a minor detail of the story!

That being said, I have immense respect for Wolfe and know that when I read one of his books, I am certain to also learn facts about a variety of things that make up multiple human experiences that are quite real.

A Man in Full tells the tale of Atlanta when it was just beginning to become the economic powerhouse that it is today through the character Charlie Croker. Croker embodies that stereotype that everybody knows or at least can relate to--the former football star and southern charismatic who makes it big in the real estate world and loses sight of who he is in the process.

There are several other frame stories within the book with characters dealing with their own fates but who all somehow link back to Croker. I don't want to get too deep into the plot here, but I will say that the book is incredibly complex, but brilliantly complex such that every part that seems ancillary actually plays a significant role in the final outcome.

It is exciting to see it all come together and I would especially recommend this book if you are from Atlanta because there are rumors floating about that several of the characters were based on actual figures.

This is a book for those of you who love to see the greedy fall or have interests in race relations, politics and the mysterious ways of the South.

There is a lot of build up to the plot in the beginning--mainly Wolfe setting his stage with at times extraneous details--but it is worth trudging through because the extra layers of complexity make the plot even more fascinating.

"A Man in Full" was a joy to read and I would be willing to pass it on to anyone who would like to read it.(less)

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Feb 26, 2010 David DeValera rated it 5 of 5 stars

Charlie Croker is one pig-headed cracker from the old-South. Charlie raises horses, fearlessly handles snakes, shoots quail, runs his own fleet of jets, is married to a younger, beautiful woman, and is in general a good ole boy -- even owns an honest ta gawd plantation where all the helpin' folk are black.

Mr. Croker is also a man in prime need of a humbling experience. Charlie is a real estate developer and his most serious problems result from a wide-body ego coupled with backward planning: des...more Charlie Croker is one pig-headed cracker from the old-South. Charlie raises horses, fearlessly handles snakes, shoots quail, runs his own fleet of jets, is married to a younger, beautiful woman, and is in general a good ole boy -- even owns an honest ta gawd plantation where all the helpin' folk are black.

Mr. Croker is also a man in prime need of a humbling experience. Charlie is a real estate developer and his most serious problems result from a wide-body ego coupled with backward planning: desire it, act on it--followed by--plan for it, pay for it.

Charlie becomes overextended on a real estate deal for a development that is largely a monument to himself, even named it "The Croker Concourse." This leads to a "workout session" at Planners Bank, where Charlie is given a most unpleasant reception. Wolfe describes the scene in vintage style, casting a rheumy eye on corporate America and its ugly military efficiency and total bottom line orientation. It is at this point where you will realize that you have come to like Charlie Croker, that you are pulling for this humus head from south of the gnat line, that Croker, raw and crude as he is, contains a genuine spirit and optimism that has been squelched in the rest of us.

Politics and money drive the entire story. Wolfe shows how saturated Americans are with these two Noble Truths. (Even Conrad-the-Stoic's actions, the character with the spiritual soul of this 787 page journey, were brought about by the frustrations of not being an economically viable member of society.) Wolfe's satire is as biting as a side ache, unfortunately, the truth running beneath the humor is a sobering one. This is the kind of book our grand kids will read and when they finish it, they will close the book and exclaim, "My god, were you people ever messed up!"

I especially liked the chapters dealing with Atlanta's black mayor. He is like an inverted Oreo, posing publicly as white for the money constituents from the wealthy white neighborhoods, and posing privately as black for the less economically powerful, but more numerous black voters. The tribal art collection ebbs and flows through his office in accordance with the political tide.

Wolfe brings the Mayor, Croker and Planners Bank together on an issue that threatens to explode the entire city in racial tension. Fareek Fanon, a black football star is accused of raping a white woman from one of Atlanta's most influential families. If Croker, (a former football great) speaks out on Fareek's behalf, maybe the mayor can help him with all his debts to Planners Bank? Maybe someone high up in Planners Bank will be owed a valuable gift in return for forgiving Crokers debt? And if the mayor quells the coming riots, maybe he can reclaim the straying voters and get reelected?

Everyone is itching and planning for the scratch, but greed and political chess playing enter the equation, creating a centrifugal force that sucks some characters into the melee and spins others off into ruin.

A Man in Full is ruthless and wicked writing from an author who portrays the face of American society with a magnifying glass held over the warts and moles.
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Nov 24, 2009 F.R. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Firstly, one has to doff the cap to Tom Wolfe’s prose style. The writing throughout this long book remains at a consistently high level, and even chapters which I later considered superfluous were brilliantly written. Absolutely there were points where you could see his research poking through, segments where Wolfe proved he’d learnt something in such fine detail and wanted the reader to know that – but the fact that it was rendered so beautifully in English allowed me to accept these little lec...more Firstly, one has to doff the cap to Tom Wolfe’s prose style. The writing throughout this long book remains at a consistently high level, and even chapters which I later considered superfluous were brilliantly written. Absolutely there were points where you could see his research poking through, segments where Wolfe proved he’d learnt something in such fine detail and wanted the reader to know that – but the fact that it was rendered so beautifully in English allowed me to accept these little lectures. He is an excellent stylist.

So I have no problems with the writing in ‘A Man in Full’, but I do have reservations about it as a work of fiction.

Wolfe’s adherence to a Victorian novel is admirable, the old idea of looking at life at every strata and weaving these different strands all together. But I think in this instance he hasn’t brought these elements together that well, and I am suspicious as to how much empathy he has – even with his journalist’s hat on – with some of the areas he tackles. This is a book about a real estate tycoon named Charlie Croker who is about to go bankrupt; it’s also about an alleged rape by a black athlete of the daughter of a white businessman; it’s about black politics in Georgia; it’s about a man on the breadline falling foul of the law; it’s about dumped first wives; it’s about a banker whose life has crashed and latterly it’s about how the works of the Stoics can be made to apply in the late stages of the 20th century. I know that these varying strands do ostensibly come together at the end, but I wasn’t convinced by that convergence or by the conclusions reached from it.

Furthermore, it’s clear Wolfe is more interested in writing about some areas than others. The rape case for instance – which at one point looks to be the driver of the book – is left on the shelf for chapter after chapter as the author concentrates on things he clearly finds more interesting. As such we have a lot of pages devoted to – in this book primarily set in Georgia – life behind bars in California. Now I thought those chapters were really well done, but were they truly necessary? Are they a comfortable fit in this book? Probably not, but as Wolfe had already done the research then he might as well work them in.

Another problem I had was this a very male book. Yes, there are female characters, but they are only ever defined by the men in their lives. Okay, that’s true of a number of books, but Wolfe does bring one female character to the fore and still only uses her for nothing more than commenting on the men around her. That character is Charlie Croker’s first wife Martha, who is the most rounded female character in the novel, but still doesn’t feel rounded at all. And as for his second wife, the least said the better. (Has anyone read ‘I Am Charlotte Simmons’? The mind boggles.)

All that being said, I enjoyed this book, even if I did have to stifle the odd yelp of criticism. I think though, that in a hundred years time, it will be the non-fiction rather than the novels that Wolfe is remembered for.(less)

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Jul 25, 2011 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Decent ending if not entirely believable, but I felt that the book had a number of shortcomings. Having read Bonfire of the Vanities, this seemed like a simple rehashing in a different time and place. Many of the same elements: race relations, lifestyles of the rich and famous, dinner parties, election issues, jail, etc. So since it's not new territory, I feel like the book could've been shorter. Also, I noticed Wolfe had a much harder time this time integrating slang into the mix. Jail and yout...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Rahul Rao rated it 4 of 5 stars

Voices. Voices. Voices. This is what Tom Wolfe does best... voices. His characters jump off the pages with effortless realism that it almost sounds like you are reading actual quotes written by Journalist Wolfe, and not fictional dialogue imagines by Novelist Wolfe.

Why am I giving this 4 stars instead of 5... well A Man in Full was not as good as Bonfire of the Vanities, and there was no option for 4.5 stars. With that said: (1) comparing any novel to Bonfire is inherently unfair, and (2) my pre...more

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Oct 13, 2010 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

In some ways, A Man In Full is like Wolfe's Bonfire Of The Vanities transplanted from NYC to Atlanta. For example, the protagonist is a wealthy white man whose avarice and pride lead to his tragic downfall, and Wolfe lampoons Charlie Croker in much the same way as he does Sherman McCoy in Bonfire. Several similar themes from Bonfire reappear here, such as racism, ambition, politics, class warfare, and materialism. Also, this novel follows the stories of several characters (at least one of whom m...more

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Feb 17, 2008 Don rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 14, 2013 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is about what it is to be a man. It's witty and sharp and the characters are well drawn, and I enjoyed it.

I felt a little bit let down by its portrayal of stoicism. I can't really have too many complaints, as it's the first novel I've read that even probably mentions Epictetus, not to mention laying out the basic structure of his philosophy. But I've often seen it said that stoicism features prominently in the book, and I'm not really sure that's accurate. It comes across as sort of m...more

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Jun 01, 2009 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

In 2007 I discovered a weathered copy of this novel on a bookshelf in a Mexican hotel and read it straight through on the long trip home. This hotly anticipated follow-up to "Bonfire of the Vanities" hit bookstores with a thud when it was released. Here's why: 1) Atlanta ain't New York as Grand Canvass for an epic; 2) the book is 50% too long.

But I loved the story of Charlie Croker, the "Man in Full" maverick real estate developer nonetheless. I often work with developers and Wolfe nailed a cer...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Jerry rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, 2011-challenge

Tom Wolfe can write. The Right Stuff and Bonfire of the Vanities are two great examples. There are many bright spots in "A Man In Full", for instance, Conrad (the protagonist) ends up in Santa Rita jail, and must struggle surviving in that hostile environment. I thought that was quite well done until fate intervened and conveniently got him out of a bad situation. But all in all, the plot is so convoluted, and the prose is so filled with extraneous minutia, that I struggled to get through it. Th...more

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Jun 22, 2010 Lori Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've had this book on my shelf for what seems like forever. I think I got it when I joined a book club and it was one of those random shot-in-the-dark books that filled out an order. I honestly didn't think I'd be the least bit interested in it, but it surprised me.

It's really hard to tell you what the story is about because the plot is twisted all around itself, but it's basically about Atlanta, race relations, real estate development, prison life, The Stoics, politics, oh, and quail hunting. T...more

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Jun 13, 2007 Billfrog rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read A Man In Full first, and loved it. When I went to trade it in at a book exchange shop in Ecuador, the owner disparaged it tremendously, saying it was just a rehash of Bonfire of the Vanities. When I finally read that, I found the two books to be exactly the same, and not in a good way. Perhaps you like whichever you read first and are disappointed when you read the second.

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Feb 28, 2012 Colleen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: trash-readings

It's hard to know what exactly I think of this book, as I read the mind-blowing amount of detail it contains in only three weeks. Tom Wolfe is famous for his "hysterical realism" (as my philosophy professor puts it), and "A Man in Full" has all the sex, politics, race relations and intrigue you could ask for in this kind of a novel. I got caught up in wanting to finish it towards the end, which proves it wasn't a waste of time, but I was somewhat disappointed with my favorite character, Conrad,...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Patrick rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I think I will like this book. This book delves into the inner workings of Atlanta society as well as the people in Atlanta society.

CAPITALISM EXCESS AND MALE DOMINANCE:

The beginning starts with Croker hunting with a business prospect Inman Armholster. Apparently, Cocker is this old jock who is overly pumped up with testosterone and now is a real estate developer racked in debt (ie: Donald Trump). Real Estate developers in order to thrive have to be great sellers of themselves as a product, thu...more

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May 16, 2013 Bea rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book because I could not find Bonfire of the Vanities, and I went in knowing it was not known as one of Wolfe's best.

After reading "Back to Blood", I thought this book was good - when compared to that novel which I thought was shallow and messy. "A Man In Full" is an interesting read, and although heavy on the descriptions, one that will give you a good idea of what Atlanta was like in the early 90s. Having never been to Atlanta, I could easily picture the city, and I enjoyed a few...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Brohanu rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up for the sole reason that I liked Bonfire of the Vanities, and I wasn't terribly far in when I began seeing the similarities. This being Wolfe's second work of fiction, I don't expect him to have an eye for changing it up, but he managed to do so just enough. The comparison I like to use for this book and Bonfire of the Vanities is that it's a likeness of the relationship between Rocky and Rocky II. Rocky II followed the same style and had many of the same elements of Rocky, but...more

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Apr 01, 2008 Gaby rated it 1 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this book because it's set in Atlanta & I like Tom Wolfe. Um, yep, so I wanted to like it. But weighing in at a gajillion pages, if I ever have to read 20 pages about each ancillary character's italian leather loafers or bowtie type or silk cravat knot's again, I may shoot myself in the face.

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About Tom Wolfe

Wolfe was educated at Washington and Lee Universities and also at Yale, where he received a PhD in American studies.

Tom Wolfe spent his early days as a Washington Post beat reporter, where his free-association, onomatopoetic style would later become the trademark of New Journalism. In books such as The Electric Koolaid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, and The Bonfire of the Vanities, Wolfe delves into...more

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Quotes from A Man in Full

“He Who Would Live Forever had done an instantaneous back-of-the-envelope calculation and decided that the vicinity of the Chevrolet Suburban was a better strategic alternative than anyplace anywhere near that whitish sandy road above which a gigantic terror-chattering rattlesnake now thrashed in the grip of his boss gone berserk.” — 3 people liked it

“One of the few freedoms that we have as human beings that cannot be taken away from us is the freedom to assent to what is true and to deny what is false. Nothing you can give me is worth surrendering that freedom for. At this moment I'm a man with complete tranquillity...I've been a real estate developer for most of my life, and I can tell you that a developer lives with the opposite of tranquillity, which is perturbation. You're perturbed about something all the time. You build your first development, and right away you want to build a bigger one, and you want a bigger house to live in, and if it ain't in Buckhead, you might as well cut your wrists. Soon's you got that, you want a plantation, tens of thousands of acres devoted solely to shooting quail, because you know of four or five developers who've already got that. And soon's you get that, you want a place on Sea Island and a Hatteras cruiser and a spread northwest of Buckhead, near the Chattahoochee, where you can ride a horse during the week, when you're not down at the plantation, plus a ranch in Wyoming, Colorado, or Montana, because truly successful men in Atlanta and New York all got their ranches, and of course now you need a private plane, a big one, too, a jet, a Gulfstream Five, because who's got the patience and the time and the humility to fly commercially, even to the plantation, much less out to a ranch? What is it you're looking for in this endless quest? Tranquillity. You think if only you can acquire enough worldly goods, enough recognition, enough eminence, you will be free, there'll be nothing more to worry about, and instead you become a bigger and bigger slave to how you think others are judging you.” — 1 person liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86172.A_Man_in_Full?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320472513l/86172.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86172.A_Man_in_Full?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe[/url]

A Man in Full

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