Customer Reviews

Between Two Worlds I (World's End)

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For those who follow the World's End series, this book needs little introduction. It begins the second novel of Sinclair's magnum opus (9000 pages, give or take), starting at the end of the Paris Peace Conference and following the hero through the next 4 yars. Lanny takes a lover, and Beauty stays with hers. We are witness to Europe's postwar economic woes, the rise of Italian fascism, and its conflict with the worker's movement, the book ending in the death of the liberal Matteotti, despite Lanny's attempt to save him. The hero becomes an art dealer, while his father trades the arms industry for oil. Although the prose will seem stilted to the modern reader, the characters are compelling and one who is lookikng for a historical novel of the 20th century can do no better. Romantic fluff for sure, but the dramatic backdrop of Europe in the 20's makes it worthwhile. Certainly start with the first in the series (World's End) if you are new to the work, as the author does not waste the reader's time with a synopsis of the previous plot. Upton Sinclair has endured as the author of The Jungle, but the Lanny Budd novels were enormously popular in their time, and earned him a Pulitzer. They are especially recommended for those who are addicted to series, and looking for a wordy challenge.

I grew up with the Lanny Budd stories and hoped that I would "meet" him someday. Unfortunately he lives only in Mr. Sinclair's timeless stories. Volume 2 anyone?