The Neon Jungle [Mass Market Paperback]

John D. MacDonald (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (October 12, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449128539
• ISBN-13: 978-0449128534
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,722,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Early John D. MacDonald., August 1, 2010

By 

Michael G. "mikefromrochester" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Neon Jungle (Mass Market Paperback)

(From Chapter 17)
"....I'd shake her until her teeth rattled. I'd cuff her until she was too dazed to cry, and then I'd make love to her and comfort her, and let her know that the next time she turned mean, the very same thing would happen."

This is advice on how to best handle a disagreeable wife and amazingly it comes from the lips of The Neon Jungle's female protagonist. When John D. MacDonald wrote this paperback original quite early in his career, the misogynistic writing of Mickey Spillane was all the rage. It could be (and has been) argued that MacDonald made a conscious decision to incorporate brutality toward and degradation of women into some of his fiction in an attempt to replicate Spillane's remarkable commercial success.

In any event, if it were longer, The Neon Jungle would probably qualify as a potboiler of a novel. As it is, I believe the term literary soap opera best describes the story contained within its covers. There are multiple characters each with his or her own conflict to be resolved. Much of the narrative concerns itself with juvenile delinquency and illicit drugs. MacDonald manages to weave together multiple storylines with reasonable dexterity and provides an explosive ending most readers will find gripping.

This is early John D. MacDonald. The author was still working to perfect his narrative voice. Later books like Last One Left and One More Sunday show what fantastic things MacDonald could do with multiple storylines once his technique had been honed.