Henderson the Rain King in Never too Late to Read Classics

Feb 13, 2020 Chrissie rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2020-read, ww2, usa, france, audible-us, returned, egypt, classics, humor, relationships

Now I am grumpy. I have been struggling to understand what Bellow was saying with this book. Giving up in the middle was to acknowledge defeat. Now, on completion, I have come to the conclusion it was a total waste of time.

The book is said to be a comic adventure story. In fact, that is all it is. As you read, assorted philosophical themes are hinted at. I mistakenly thought that the book might have something of value to say. Why? Well because we are often in the central character’s head. He is ...more

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Dec 17, 2020 Josh Caporale rated it really liked it

Henderson the Rain King is my fourth expedition into a Saul Bellow novel, the others being Seize the Day, The Adventures of Augie March, and Herzog. I reviewed The Adventures of Augie March on my Literary Gladiators channel, while I discussed Herzog on the panel with a panel of two others, one of which was my American Literature I and II instructor. I will say that with Henderson the Rain King, this had the strongest message about life among any of the Bellow novels that I have read thus far. A Henderson the Rain King is my fourth expedition into a Saul Bellow novel, the others being Seize the Day, The Adventures of Augie March, and Herzog. I reviewed The Adventures of Augie March on my Literary Gladiators channel, while I discussed Herzog on the panel with a panel of two others, one of which was my American Literature I and II instructor. I will say that with Henderson the Rain King, this had the strongest message about life among any of the Bellow novels that I have read thus far. A certain Eugene Henderson has had enough with his upper class American life, having just about everything handed to him, yet he was still not satisfied. He fought in the war, married, had kids, found another woman, divorced, got married, and he felt that an escape to Africa would help replenish him.

Upon reading a summary about his novel, I was going in thinking that Henderson would be a bit more solitary and have complete reign over what one could call an "epiphany," but the role that an African tribe plays in his visit has a great impact through this piece and in Henderson's own story. It was a great idea to place Henderson among a tribe of people that from our (and by "our," I am taking a more subjective point of view of a white American) point of view is in a worse situation, but that is not the way they see it. Initially, their chief concern is that frogs have interfered with their water in which they need in order to survive. On the contrary, their way of life is disdainful toward killing the frogs, as they see them as an equal life form. This and other instances cause Henderson to see their lives and life in general a lot more substantially and create a greater sense of true empathy among fellow living beings (regardless of their species) while also pondering on the absurdities of life on Earth.

Among the Bellow novels that I have read thus far, this one made me feel something. I think it was key to have Henderson tell his story on a first place account, because we get the sense of someone who is perfectly flawed, but yet you cannot help but admire his honesty and longing to be a better person, not someone who is entitled or self-centered as he admits to being through his flashbacks about the events that took place before he traveled with his friend to Africa. As far as the story itself is concerned, the flow was a little bit clunky. I felt that Herzog did a better job as far as getting the story to flow. I think that many of us can admit that in some way, shape, or form, there is that certain sense of rage and "want" that we have that is similar to Henderson's and that feeling of agony is something that we can all feel and admit to and to have that internal feeling is okay. It is a matter of whether or not we can grab a handle of these feelings and turn them around to make something better of ourselves or allow them to define ourselves and our actions.

Henderson the Rain King also succeeds to reminding us that while you may not see it within yourself, everyone has the ability to mean something to another living being. Henderson constantly had feelings of self-doubt and insecurity, but throughout his visit, he begins to see otherwise and that he genuinely does mean something to others.

While this novel requires one to pay attention to the transitions between present Africa and Henderson's flashbacks from back at home, the messages that come out of this novel are very rewarding and provide an insecure mind with greater reason to be confident and that it is okay to step aside and gather your thoughts. Henderson the Rain King has a lot to say about what it means to be alive and that the quality of life is far more important than the quality and quantity of one's material possessions. ...more

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Feb 03, 2019 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2019, fiction-20th-century, e-books, 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, canadian-literature

A quite unusual book, very typical from a writer such as Saul Bellow.

4* Herzog
3.5* Henderson the Rain King
TR The Adventures of Augie March
TR Humboldt's Gift
TR Seize the Day ...more

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