A Man in Full by Tom WolfeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Easily in the top five greatest books I've ever read, Tom Wolfe's, A Man in Full, is a modern day classic that has just as much to say about humanity as Uncle Tom's Cabin or The Jungle. I'm dead serious. Tom Wolfe did the impossible with this book by making every last character both likeable, as well as repugnant in their own little way. In other words, he made them into real human beings. This is why something as, unfortunately, commonplace as a rape case is turned into a sprawling (nearly 700 pages!) epic that feels justified for being so long. Every single page is essential to the last.
I have to be honest, though. There was one chapter in particular that nearly threw me out of the book completely. While reading it, I thought the whole scenario was a dream sequence since it seemed so out of place. But by the end of the book, even that part, which comes out of nowhere (But makes sense given the location it takes place in), seems justified and essential to the rest of the story.
In the end, I don't think I have ever read a book that has captivated me so much as A Man in Full. Each chapter is expertly strung together, and it's so brilliant, that you can't help but step back and marvel. Tom Wolfe is a genius, and this is his crowning achievement.
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