Raegan's review
Ham on Rye: A Novel
by Charles Bukowski
Raegan's review
Ham on Rye: A Novel by Charles Bukowski
Raegan's review
rating:
Charles Bukowski is one of my favorite writers. This is one of his best books. It follows him from the age of 5 to his early teens. Heartbreaking and hilarious, this book was written at the perfect time by the man himself--if he had been younger it wouldn't have had the wisdom that it contains---this is probably Bukowski at his finest; all of the foundations for his later life and work are laid here: His father's thuggery, his mother's complacency, the cruelty of his classmates and his rejection by just about everyone once his acne erupted;these experiences, tho specific to Bukowski, become universal in his hands as he invests this novel with a quiet sadness that provides many clues to his later behavior. It's not surprising that the child and young man depicted here would grow up to be a somewhat misanthropic alcoholic--yet secretly as human and vulnerable as any of us.
I think as time goes on this book will only increase in stature among the many that Bukowski wrote during his lifet...more
I think as time goes on this book will only increase in stature among the many that Bukowski wrote during his lifet...more
