ŷ������

Rabbit, Run by John Updike - 3* - My Review

This book tells the story of Harry “Rabbit�� Angstrom, a former star high school basketball player. Eight years later, he is married, the father of a toddler, and his wife is pregnant again. He is not happy with his life or his wife. He misses the excitement of his high school days. He acts on an impulsive and runs away from his responsibilities, setting in motion a string of events that will end in tragedy.

For me, the writing is the best part. The content is pretty dismal. Rabbit comes across as a selfish and uncaring person, and it was hard for me to muster much sympathy for him. I do not think it is an accident that his last name contains “angst.�� He keeps running away as if that is going to solve his problems. Published in 1960, this book has not aged well. The women characters are passive and fall into stereotypical roles. It uses outdated terminology. After reading a number of these types of books, I conclude that stories of middle-class ennui must have been in fashion back then.

I read this book in the early 1970s and hated it. I never read another.

Joy D wrote: "Rabbit, Run by John Updike - 3* - My Review

This book tells the story of Harry “Rabbit�� Angstrom, a former star high school basketball player. Eight years later, he i..."

Yes, that kind of story was in fashion!

It's on the Boxall List and I try to read at least 20 of them each year. Some are great, others have not aged well - like this one.