The Old Neighborhood [Paperback]

Avery Corman (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: NY Bantam 1983.; Reprint Edition edition (1983)
• ASIN: B000N2BSQA
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a quick, glorious read, April 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Old Neighborhood (Hardcover)

I found this book many years ago, and I've read it so many times my paperback copy is about to fall apart. It is a simple story of a man, born in the 1930's, who reaches adulthood and finds his neighborhood too confining and limiting, so he goes out into the world. Avery Corman's writing is tight and concise. There are parts of this book that are hilarious, and others that are warm and human. One passage where he describes a Gold Star mom celebrating VJ day makes me stop and take a breath every time I read it. Some of the events in the book and the protagonist's reactions are a bit dated today, but even so, I highly recommend this "feel good" story.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of my all-time favorite books..., September 17, 2004

By 

pearleyed (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Old Neighborhood (Paperback)

I adore this book. I have read it several times over the last 15+ years. Corman has created a likeable but flawed protagonist: a boy from the old neighborhood who makes good, becomes an advertising wiz, marries a smart, beautiful woman, starts a family, and lives the American dream - for a while... I love this book because it is a tale of a man's personal journey up - and down - and ultimately to the place where he feels at peace with himself. It seems to be a theme that Corman has used more than once (Kramer Vs. Kramer, 50) but in my opinion, he hasn't matched the quality of The Old Neighborhood. It is a humorous and touching story. Corman's best.

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, endearing, and timeless, September 4, 2011

By 

Pamela S. Clark "Pamela S." (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Old Neighborhood (Mass Market Paperback)

I've also re-read this book over and over, always enjoying the brisk dialogue and dry humor. As the main character in the book, I also long to return to the area where I grew up, as that is where I feel at home and where my roots lie. I am shaped by the area and town I grew up in; it is my essential self. This book is an easy read, but gives good insight into the mind of the character and his thoughts and motivations. Interesting commentary also on advertising in the 1950s and 1960s, that Jewish people were not hired as copy writers at ad agencies. Thank you, Mr. Corman, for this enriching book, and other you've written which I have also thoroughly enjoyed!