Rabbit redux1/7/2024 How he resolves or further complicates his problems makes for a novel of the first order. In Rabbit Redux, Harry Angstrom – known to all as Rabbit, one of America's most famous literary characters – finds his dreary life shattered by the infidelity of his wife, Janice. Rabbit Redux is the second of five John Updike Rabbit novels, all of which focus on their central character Harry Angstrom. How he resolves – or further complicates – his problems, makes for a novel of the first order. Harry Angstrom – known to all as Rabbit, one of America's most famous literary characters – finds his dreary life shattered by the infidelity of his wife, Janice. The narrator can hardly be at fault for this, rather the producer needs a slap on the cheek for abandoning the helm./ Series: Rabbit Rabbit Redux John Updike The assumptions and obsessions that control our daily lives are explored in tantalizing detail by master novelist John Updike in this wise, witty, sexy story. I would have given this novel 5 stars, but on several CD's the narrator makes mistakes and then say's "go back," which is apparently a signal to the producer to rewind the CD. I enjoyed Updike's lapidary prose and his faithful characterization of how the late 60s was the springboard for the ensuing decades's sins-sex, drugs, and money. Like most modernistic authors, there are no pure good guys or bad guys in this novel. He could care less about his adulterous wife, and though he loves his son, he's hardly the model father in that he lets a strung out hippie chick and a sociopathic black guy take over his house. He sees his world falling apart but would rather get stoned on Skeeter's pot. Nam vet Skeeter is a mix between a chicken hearted Black Panther and Charlie Manson, complete with pseudo-intellectual rants about how the Man is keeping the brothers down and needs to be shot. 18 year old rich girl Jill is the perfect rich hippie chick strung out on drugs. The world felt like it was going to heck in a handbag. To me, that period was not the groovie barrel of fun Gen-X's think, rather it was often chaotic and terrifying. I was 12-the same age as Rabbit's son, Nelson. The book caputures the ethos of 1969-the peak and end of the Hippie Sixties. So apparently the critics don't like the content. Updike's prose is uniformly smooth and rich. Rabbit Redux is compared unfavorably by the critics to the other Rabbit books. I just can't get enough of Rabbit and don't want the series to end! But it's not an absolute must - so if you fancy this one first, go for it. It's probably best to listen to this Rabbit series in the correct order starting with 'Rabbit, Run' if you want to understand the characters and their backgrounds fully. The narrator also enriched the whole Rabbit experience by acting out the different characters with distinct voices and he really brought this audiobook to life in my mind's eye. Another part of Updike's brilliance lies in his perceptive analysis of emotional interactions and in the language that is so rich in astute detail. The characters (with the exception perhaps of the too political Skeeter) are very convincing, and Rabbit himself is such an ordinary man who could well be our own neighbor. But despite the sad turn of events, Rabbit is somewhat transformed by his experiences with Skeeter, hence the Latin title word "redux" meaning restored,and life for Rabbit goes on. Rabbit finds himself in the middle of a chaotic world that collapses around him. With his wife gone he agrees to take in a young run away who becomes his lover, and she in turn brings in Skeeter, her black radical, dope shooting friend. Not only does he fail her in this but he then gets mixed up in what turns out to be a disastrous chain of events. When Rabbit's wife has an affair she challenges him to make a stand and fight to get her back. He shirks responsibility in another kind of way by being passive about everything around him. It tells the story of Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom who's now in his late thirties and has long since stopped running away from his marriage and other responsibilities. I became totally engrossed in this wonderful book.
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