Present Books Supposing Independence Day (Frank Bascombe #2)
| Original Title: | Independence Day |
| ISBN: | 0099447126 (ISBN13: 9780099447122) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Frank Bascombe #2 |
| Characters: | Frank Bascombe |
| Literary Awards: | Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1996), PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (1996), National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (1995) |
Richard Ford
Kindle Edition | Pages: 464 pages Rating: 3.86 | 14551 Users | 756 Reviews
List Epithetical Books Independence Day (Frank Bascombe #2)
| Title | : | Independence Day (Frank Bascombe #2) |
| Author | : | Richard Ford |
| Book Format | : | Kindle Edition |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 464 pages |
| Published | : | 2003 by Vintage (first published 1995) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Novels. Literature. American. Literary Fiction. Contemporary. Adult Fiction |
Commentary Toward Books Independence Day (Frank Bascombe #2)
In this second novel of Richard Ford’s Frank Bascombe quartet, I was drawn further into the microcosm life and lifestyle of not only the man, but also the macrocosm of America – the environment and history that parallels the structure of his life.In this second novel Frank is experiencing what he calls his “Existence Period”, and I could sense the personal progress he made from what Frank labelled his “fugue state” in the previous novel. He is still an enigma in many ways, and his inconsistencies still present and accounted for, yet I couldn’t help feeling compassion for him despite his flaws – and admiration. He still glides over some of his flaws, finds rosy excuses for some aspects of his life, but he also faces and resolves some of his incongruence.
Frank continues to struggle, to experience inner battles between his baser self and his higher self. In some ways it is almost as though the blows life has dealt him over the past decade or so of his life sent him spinning into a second adolescence, and although his second visit to a bumbling and uncertain time of his life occurs in his early 40’s he is somehow less sure of how to find his way through than he perhaps was decades earlier.
Add to that the fact that he is a divorced man with two children and striving to sort himself out within a whole new framework, and Richard Ford’s skill adeptly molds this raw material into a fascinating character study.
In this novel, Frank’s ex-wife is re-married and his children even less accessible as the new family moves to a different State. Frank is no longer a sportswriter – or a writer of any kind – and has pursued a new career as a Realtor; one who sometimes winces when he is called a “realator” by his prospective customers. He also owns two small rental houses, consistent with his fresh perspective of helping others by finding them homes.
While this novel takes place over the course of one July 4th weekend, Frank’s thoughts and feelings, his attempts to piece together all the ragged edges of his life, all his efforts to make some pieces fit where they never could or should – all generates a long and psychologically fascinating read. Mix in an unexpected family crisis that drags him partway back into the fugue state he was in during the last novel, and it became evident to me why Richard Ford won the Pulitzer Prize for this novel.
I don’t know if this novel could be fully appreciated without previously reading The Sportswriter, but I suspect not. There is so much to be understood about Frank in the previous stage of his life that ties in directly to the stage he is in now.
These novels, each a pinnacle slice of life in one man’s quest for his human being-ness, are a mesmerizing and in-depth character study that gains breadth and depth with each successive book. I look forward to reading the third novel of this quartet in the very near future.
Rating Epithetical Books Independence Day (Frank Bascombe #2)
Ratings: 3.86 From 14551 Users | 756 ReviewsCrit Epithetical Books Independence Day (Frank Bascombe #2)
More morose than his previous incarnation in the "Sportswriter," Frank Bascombe returns as the amazingly well-drawn protagonist with the incredibly compelling inner voice. He never quite connects with the people around him and is always to a degree dissembling to his friends and family. Only the reader understands his rich philosophies and the complex reactions he has to events as they unfold in his life. Kudos to Richard Ford for creating a character so real that I feel as if I've gained anI wouldn't say this is a book for all readers or all occasions, but it really was the perfect book for a rainy Fourth of July weekend when I was stuck at home alone with my dog, laid up and non-ambulatory after some improperly stacked firewood fell and crushed my toes.I liked this better than The Sportswriter, though I did find some characters and conversations tiresome and can see how lots of people wouldn't get into this book. I got deeply into it, though, because it's one of those long novels
I first saw this book during one of my religion classes in college. My seatmate, who is now a good friend of mine, brought it with him. I asked him if a certain movie was adapted from the book, and he firmly answered "no". This was also the first time I got interested with books that have won the Pulitzer. Now Ford is, no doubt, a good writer. I love every minute Bascombe spent with his son. I can feel the tension between them, and Bascombe's want to make it work, the relationship. It saddened
As much as I enjoyed The Sportswriter, I felt that this book was even better. Frank Bascomb is not in 1987 with a Vote Blue! bumpersticker on the Crown Vic(toria) rolling towards his mid-40s and the end of the Existence period. His wife (we finally learn her name is Ann) has moved to Deep Valley, Connecticut and remarried a rich, moody older man who Frank, of course, detests. The story happens - as did The Sportswriter - in a telescopic manner over the three day Independence Day weekend with
Have we really entered an era where novels don't tell stories? I don't mind some thoughtful digression from time to time but it seems some writers are more interested in showing off how profoundly sensitive and insightful they are. I got to page 17 and concluded this was a book whose function was to not to give me a narrative.
In this second novel of Richard Fords Frank Bascombe quartet, I was drawn further into the microcosm life and lifestyle of not only the man, but also the macrocosm of America the environment and history that parallels the structure of his life.In this second novel Frank is experiencing what he calls his Existence Period, and I could sense the personal progress he made from what Frank labelled his fugue state in the previous novel. He is still an enigma in many ways, and his inconsistencies
0 Comments:
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.