Youngblood Hawke (Paperback)

by Herman Wouk (Author) "HAVE you ever known a famous man before he became famous?..." (more)
Key Phrases: wilful trespass, department store lease, residence bit, New York, Youngblood Hawke, Frieda Winter (more...)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Herman Wouk (born May 27, 1915) is an bestselling American author, with a number of notable novels to his credit, including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance. He was born in New York City, into a Jewish family that had immigrated from Russia, and received an A.B. from Columbia University. He was first a radio scriptwriter, and worked with Fred Allen, then in 1941 worked for the US government on radio spots selling war bonds. Wouk then joined the United States Navy and served in the Pacific Theater, an experience he later characterized as educational; "I learned about machinery, I learned how men behaved under pressure, and I learned about Americans." His first ship was the USS Zane, then he was second-in-command on the Southard. He started his writing career onboard, working on a novel during his off-duty hours. He married Betty Sarah Brown in 1945, with whom he had three sons, became a fulltime writer in 1946, and published his debut novel, Aurora Dawn in 1947. In 1952, The Caine Mutiny received the Pulitzer Prize. In 1998, he received the Guardian of Zion Award.

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (May 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316955175
• ISBN-13: 978-0316955171
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #152,200 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Youngblood Hawke is Unforgettable Masterpiece of Story Telling, November 17, 2005

By	Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Masterpiece" is not a word I use lightly. In fact, when it comes to literature, I reserve it for no more than four or five novels. YOUNGBLOOD HAWKE definitely belongs in the category of masterpieces---a masterpiece of writing by Wouk, a masterpiece of depicting the rise and fall of a country bumpkin who achieves the height of literary success in New York City, a masterpiece of secondary character development, a masterpiece of depicting America's artistic circle in the mid-twentieth century.

Arthur Youngblood Hawke hails from a small coal-mining town in Kentucky. Not content to become a part of the local industry, he recognizes his natural talent as a story-teller and, armed only with his boxes of typed manuscript, walks into a publishing house in New York City in 1946. From there the story follows his life as a writer and as a man who loves two women and is desired by three. If you are a writer or a person who likes to read about the writing experience, this book offers, like none other I have ever read, a searing picture of the blood, sweat, and tears it takes to become a writer and remain true to your craft. Wouk does not paint a pretty picture, but he does paint a realistic one. Youngblood Hawke sees his novels adapted to movies and Broadway plays, and the reader becomes privy to the inner workings of Hollywood agents and brokers.

This is also a love story---a story of a young man's adulterous fascination with a queen of New York society, his relationship with the husky-voiced editor he loves but can never possess, his love for his mother that never falters even when she is driving him to distraction with her real estate schemes.

And tying all this together is Herman Wouk writing at the top of his form, creating characters that make us love them, anguish with them, cry with them, and never forget them. In fact, the last 100 pages are perhaps the most riveting and heart-breaking I have ever read. This is truly a magnificent work of epic proportions, a work which some say is loosely based on the life of heralded writer Thomas Wolfe. Whether this is true or not, the one truth I took from this work came from the character of Jeanne Green when she says, ". . . there will never be another Youngblood Hawke,"

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite of Wouk's books so far!, November 4, 2005

By	Sandra Riley (Port Arthur, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After reading The Hope, The Glory and The Caine Mutiny, I was ready to be entertained. However, the extent of enjoyment I would receive from Youngblood Hawke was underestimated. Wouk's unique storytelling draws you into the book as if you are with Hawke when he is writing, visiting his hometown, wooing his women, or absorbing the glitter of Hollywood and New York. I was dreading the last page, I just didn't want the tale of this colorful writer to end. When I did close the book, I felt I was saying farewell to Hawke and his many close acquaintances. I knew them well - what they wore, how they talked and how they felt. Wouk is magnificent.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grace, comedy, tragedy and art, & a little tongue in cheek, May 13, 2005

By	LRP "PhiloTheosopher" - See all my reviews

I stumbled onto Herman Wouk as an author through his famous Winds of War and War and Remembrance -- and was so impressed I began a journey reading all his books, one I am still (happily!) taking. But not only has Youngblood Hawke topped my list of Wouk favorites (to date), but it has topped my list of all-time favorites, beating out even Pride and Prejudice and Ben Hur.

I am partial to the era depicted in this story -- the age of radio and the dawn of classic hollywood -- and Wouk is a true master when it comes to painting an accurate picture of the lives lived in those times -- all without once falling into the trap of having to name famous names to sell his story. And woven with consummate skill throughout the events of his story is a comic tragedy that so draws the reader in, you wish you could at once chastize the characters when they make inevitably horrible decisions, and you grieve with them when they hurt because you nevertheless understand exactly why they've done what they've done. And all this culminates in an ending that is so TRUE, of it I can only say that it is perfect.

If you love to read, if you love to write, if you love the era of early 20th century America, if you love a great story, if you love intricate character development, if you love a bit of sardonic humor, if you crave a story that will at once capture your heart and insense you with frustration, if you read literature to be transported into other times and places, if you read to feel your own soul well up within you, you MUST read this book.

This is a book of which I now own two copies, and I will read again and again. I hope and pray it finds its way into the annals of classical literature -- especially as pertains to 20th century American fiction. This book is a truly masterful work of art, that even in its scope manages to examine critically the merit of art itself.

It is at once wholly 20th century American in its style, and 19th century Russian in its scope. (And you haven't even heard what I could say about the first two Wouk books I mentioned above!) If you are the least bit curious based on my review, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.