Save Me, Joe Louis: A Novel (Contemporary American Fiction) [Paperback]

Madison Smartt Bell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Contemporary American Fiction | Publication Date: August 1, 1994

Macrae is living pretty close to the edge in the inhospitable rush of Manhattan. He and Charlie make their bread, such as it is, by a fairly clever scheme of forcing their vitims to withdraw money from bank cash machines. It's not very lucrative, but it's not very risky either. They become involved in darker matters, and Macrae indulges in an incomparably brutal act of vengeance, which is not really his style. Charlie is the one with sychotic tendencies. The pair moves on to Baltimore, where they hook up with a black ex-con called Porter, from whom Macrae begins to learn "the perils of living...an unexamined life." With crime as their livelihood, the three move on to the rural South. It is here that Macrae will rediscover Lacy, an old flame, who will perhaps help him find his balance in his topsy-turvy world of perpetual distemper.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bell's compelling sixth novel follows two small-time crooks from Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen to rural Tennessee.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In his seventh novel (following Doctor Sleep , LJ 11/1/90), Bell continues his exploration of the sociological factors that drive aberrant behavior. At its outset, Macrae, a Tennessee hillbilly with an artistic bent, goes AWOL from the army and is wandering the streets of Manhattan, broke and alone. A chance encounter with a streetwise, small-time mugger propels him into a life of crime and ever-increasing violence. Unlike his companion, however, Macrae retains a sense of guilt that ultimately enables him to secure a kind of redemption--with the help of a woman he has known since childhood and a final, necessary act of personal violence. Bell does a marvelous job of depicting life on the seamier side of the tracks and in drawing his characters. Their essential humanness comes through in spite of themselves. Evidence of Bell's growing maturity as a writer, this novel belongs in most public and academic collections and is ripe for translation to the silver screen.
- David W. Henderson, Eckerd Coll. Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140236333
• ISBN-13: 978-0140236330
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,938,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing and moody--a really good read., January 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Save Me, Joe Louis: A Novel (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

In Save Me, Joe Louis, Madison Smartt Bell has a way with putting his reader right in the middle of things. Whether the protagonist Macrae is sitting in seedy NYC bar or on a creaky porch down South, he gives you such wonderful, rich detail that you never for a moment doubt what's going on and, truly, can see it all as if you were there, too. It is emotional without being too sentimental (or sappy). It doesn't have a neat and tidy ending, yet you close the book feeling satisfied. I highly recommend this--I was impressed. I plan to read more of his work ASAP.

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning...as finely tuned as you'll ever read., January 31, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Save Me, Joe Louis: A Novel (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

This is the saga of Charlie and Macrae, two fringe dwellers thrown together by chance. As their story unfolds, their forays into petty crime escalate into horrific violence and madness. Bell is one of the best writers around. Pick up "Save Me, Joe Louis" and get hooked