the five star rating is linked not to my first 1996 reading but to the [grand, illuminating] 2001 reread. when first I read _Rabbit at Rest_, I was 18, ignorant of Updike, bored and grossed out by contemporary literature (the thing itself and the class English 140/TR 230-345/somewhere on the second floor of Chambers Bldg). but somehow Virginia Smith managed to persuade arrogant me that, insofar as this Updike and/or Rabbit business was concerned, there was something maybe *I* was missing.

four-and-some years later, thousands of miles from University Park PA 16802, I remember and begin the experiment by checking out _Rabbit, Run_. and there in my little room in Oakland CA 94612, I read, one at a time and something like one per 60 days, the Rabbit novels. the experiment: do we actually grow in empathy over time, with age? of course I could cry for Septimus Smith or H.H. or Jake or Werther or whoever, but icky ordinary Harry Angstrom?! I did! I did cry; it worked, and all I had to do was read and reread. it's like an episode of How to Become a Better Person Without Doing Anything Difficult (not a real show)!

I will always have a very soft spot for Rabbit and for Updike himself (though not so soft that I feel obligated to finish any of his gazillion other novels). ( )

I can’t tell if Updike screwed the pooch with this one, the usual Angstrom banality is turned way the fuck up and Updike’s at times awkward prose (he’s one of those writers I have to read for a few pages to really get in tune with, it’s not a particularly smooth transition) stuck out. I’d say there are about two really great events that occur in Rabbit at Rest with the rest slogging along in a quotidian stupor. I suppose someone could probably make a compelling argument that that’s the whole point (a similar, perhaps warranted, response others make to me when I speak of my enervation when reading Kafka) but I don’t know — hasn’t the masochistic-neoliberal-modernity angle been done to death at this point? Nothing is written in here, no insight, that couldn’t be gleaned from the other three novels - maybe that’s a positive in that it shows the constancy of Rabbit’s whining, self obsessed character? Eh. Not coming back to this one again, Pru is hot af though. ( )

First edition fine

Muchos conocen ya a Harry «Conejo» Angstrom, entrañable personaje dividido entre la libertad y la responsabilidad, el deseo de independencia y un anticuado sentido del deber, entre apremios sexuales y vagas especulaciones espirituales a sus 55 años muy avejentado, Conejo ya no hace más que jugar al golf y ver la televisión. Desde el infarto, le embarga un irremediable sentido de fatiga. Janice, la esposa desvalida, es ahora toda una mujer de negocios. Nelson, el hijo estafa y roba a sus padres para mantener su adicción a la cocaína. Conejo vive en el temor constante, obsesivo, de la muerte que, en efecto, parece rodearle por todas partes : muere su amante de un cáncer, muere de SIDA un empleado de la empresa, sus amigos caen presa de enfermedades o depresiones, y hasta la tele le acosa diariamente con noticias de desastres y guerras. A Conejo sólo le quedan ya un pasado nostálgico, sombrías especulaciones sobre el futuro y ser testigo pasivo y risible de hechos que él ya no controla.

This is the last of all the Rabbit novels by John Updike. Right away you should realize this one is probably the hardest one to get threw. Not because of the amount of pages and not because of the vocabulary, but mostly this one hits you hard in the end. Yet if you want to see why these novels are worth reading, you must read all four in order. Reading only the first two you won't get the point of the series.

The main thing you have to appreciate in order to finish these books ids the fact these characters are real. There is not one character who is purely good and nor one that is purely evil. Just about every character does some that makes us want to puke with what we just read and parts were we end up falling in love with the character because they appear to be just like us. Updike didn't just create a character in my mind, he created human beings.

The other thing Updike is a master at is how he makes a scene. He writes it so clear you feel like you watching a movie or television drama. I don't really want to see a movie or television show of this book now just because I'd feel like I've seen it already unless they horribly cut out parts. Yet when I read Updike I feel like my own narrative in things improve. He goes into even the littlest details tat either authors ignore or some are afraid to explore.

Updike also does a great job not letting you her the author in the novel. Not once does he input any of his option on topics. Thing happen in this book that will make you so angry or disagree, yet you realize that's what Rabbit is like as a human. If you offend by racist remarks or out of the blue situations, remember this a book about Rabbit, Updike is not telling you his life story. I don't know much about Updike's life, but I'm pretty sure it was as crazy as Rabbits life.

I think my favorite out of the series is Rabbit is Rich, but this one is really worth it. If you remember the way Rabbit, Run starts, this book end as a homage to the first book. Making it a perfect begging and ending to a series. Better then most books were they give you some extra three page chapter telling you this person got married and this person had kids. This book ends rather then you wanting more. Which is perfect since I purposely waited to read these books with in a year waiting period.

I think the best part of this book was the relationship Rabbit ends with with all the characters. He and his wife Janice know that their life was a mess, yet they stay together because they have too more then they want too. The relationship between Rabbit and his son Nelson cause have improved if Rabbit was a better father and Nelson actually saw Rabbit tried. To me the most touching relationship was with Rabbit and his granddaughter Judy. To me that is a real relationship between a grandparent and grandchild. Made me think of my granddad at times.

I think people should read these book. Yes they will horribly offend you and possibly make you want to wonder why the hell you read the book, but that the entire point to the books. I say read these books if you want to see how American life was in 60-90s threw the eyes of a very human fictional character. ( )