Customer Reviews

Rich Man, Poor Man

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

How often does one ever reread "popular" fiction? This novel has remained firmly ensconced in my memory, and, consequently, I decided to revisit it some thirty-five years later. Very quickly it became clear why I had never forgotten the book as it contains all the elements that can make "popular" fiction such an enjoyable experience: well written prose, a captivating plot, unexpected twists, and, ahem, scenes of substantial sensuality. I cannot recommend it too highly!

I find it hard these days to really get into a book, so I put down about 10 in the past year. But this one is VERY ABSORBING, you keep wondering what the characters are going to do next. It is interesting (I'm writing in August 2004) about the hobbies/words used/way they think in the years beginning in 1940 and ending 1968. For those of us born after those years, we tend to think of those years in black and white and that THEY were VERY OLD FASHIONED, however, they're the same as us, just in a different time in the world.

This is pretty light reading, some parts contrived - a little Danielle Steel'ish (which I hate), but I'm saying some parts are a little too...well...perfect. Not real life. Very long book too. But you will stay absorbed till the end - kind of a surprise ending too.

This novel's plot takes the reader through the highs and lows of the Jordache family, from 1945 to 1968, through the lives of its cleverly drawn and vigorous characters.

Most of the plot is propelled by Rudy Jordache's rise from a slummy district of a small upstate New York town to wealth and the beginnings of a political career, but for me the most sympathetic character is Tom Jordache. Tom, after a life of being knocked around and ending up in trouble, finally wins out over his unloved beginning; wins out over his "whole rotten life" (as he calls it, in a conversation with his uncle), and finds a measure of peace. Gretchen and Rudy, his sister and brother, are less admirable, but somehow the reader doesn't despise these characters; all the siblings are ably and realistically drawn, and their stories are consistently interesting.

I don't look for deeply profound 'meanings' and revelations in bestselling books like Rich Man, Poor Man; just a good story well told. It's a big, robust, multi-generational family saga, and Irwin Shaw tells it excellently.

About a decade ago, a film called "Beautiful Girls" was released, which made reference to the outstandingly villanous qualities of Irwin Shaw's creation Falconetti in Rich Man, Poor Man. I was younger than 10 when the TV miniseries debuted, but I have vivid memories of my mother watching every episode religiously. The character of Axel Jordache stands out most prominently in my mind.

Well, it's harder than heck to find the miniseries on VHS, let alone DVD, but as fate has it, I have a copy of the novel in paperback. All 666 pages. Summer reading! It's a mixed bag, unfortunately, but still quite good overall.

I can't help but chuckle that I just read what amounts to a trashy summer read from 1969 here in 2007. It is not Shaw's best work by a longshot. I believe he excelled at the short story form (think "Girls in Their Summer Dresses"), and even The Young Lions was far superior to Rich Man, Poor Man. Taken as anthropology, I got a glimpse of what the previous generation, my parents' generation, read for entertainment. Not bad at all.

Shaw's use of three main characters is a bit difficult to get used to. I'm not surprised in the least that the character of Gretchen Jordache was eliminated from the miniseries completely. And frankly, she could have been culled from the novel as well -- the parts involving her were by and large extremely dull.

Puzzling to me was the character Falconetti. The way those characters in "Beautiful Girls" raved over his villainy, I was sure he would be remarkable. But Falconetti is the most minor character in the entire novel -- the miniseries writers who adapted the novel must have expanded his character, possibly to compensate for the elimination of Gretchen Jordache. This makes it clear to me that infinitely more people are familiar with the TV adaptation than the novel -- very understandable.

I think many people who read the novel only scratch the surface. The divergent paths of the Jordache brothers and their trials and tribulations are superficial. Each character in the Jordache family, and some of the supporting characters as well, represent a facet of American society. The mother, Mary Jordache, represents the Anglo-Saxon beginnings of America. By no accident, she is married to Axel Jordache, a German immigrant, with Germans comprising the largest number of immigrants from the late-1800s and early 1900s. Rudy represents the accession of big business in the post-WWII boom era, and Tom represents the working man exploited and suppressed by big business. Gretchen represents the evolving attitudes of sex in American society and the confusion that must have beset women as they struggled to find identity in the professional world and family life. A minor character such as Brad Knight was representative of wild speculation in business and the excesses of prosperity.

Very interesting to me was the character of Teddy Boylan (Te DdyBoylan, The Diablo, The Devil). Not subtly named, and with many overt references to his nature, Shaw's treatment of the devil as a mostly ordinary, ultimately irrelevant character is thought-provoking. All three of the main characters are influenced by the Devil -- Gretchen sleeps with him, Rudy vows to emulate him, Tom utterly rejects him, and it's no surprise that in the end, Tom has the most spiritually satisfying life, with a duration only slightly longer than Francis Macomber's.

By the time he wrote Rich Man, Poor Man, Shaw was already adapting his earlier works for the screen, and this novel often reads like a screenplay to its detriment. I suspect that watching the miniseries would be more enjoyable, but I have no regrets taking a week out of my life to read the novel.

I've read thousands of books in my life, among them Theodore Dreiser, Thomas Wolfe, John Steinbeck and Hemingway, but none of them impressed me as much as "Rich Man, Por Man" by Irwin Shaw.
They don't write novels like that anymore...

I read this wonderful novel 35 years ago and revisit it with enjoyment.
Here is an unusual statement about Irwin Shaw's book: He was my mentor in this work. His style, relaxed but always telling a heartfelt story, showed me the way in my own writing later. Make people care.

"Rich Man, Poor Man" started off good. You learn a little about each member of the Jordache household. The Dad, Mom, 2 sons and 1 daughter. Things were interesting in the beginning, but by part 2, I was getting bored. Stuff was happening, but not happening. I mean, people are talking, doing stuff, but it's dragged out and doesn't amount to much. My Mother told me that years ago she had seen the mini series based on this book and it was really good. Maybe this is one case where the film version of a book is better.

I read this book in my junior year of high school, and I have loved it ever since. I wrote my english paper on it, and got a pretty good grade. I have read it every year since then and will continue. If you like books that makes you feel like you are part of the story, then this is the perfect book for you.other wise, you should still read it.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is well-written, interesting and serious. It's a shame it is out of print now. It is one of those books which you will want to keep forever. In my opinion, Irwin Shaw is one of the best American writers.

I read this book my first semester in college. Since then I must read it atleast once a year. I love the way that the author describes the different attitudes of each individual in the same scene. This book must be read. To remind us of times before our own, and how much change can happen