Blogcritics Comments on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Comment by scott on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Wed, 23 Feb 2005 05:04:54 EST

it's based on Duke, which has all the things mentioned including a great basketball team. the critic's a moron ]]>

Comment by Eric Berlin on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Mon, 21 Feb 2005 17:36:49 EST

Thanks for your thoughts, Angie. I agree that Wolfe likes to use archetypes to make the points that he's trying to get across. A story about a more average student interacting with other more average students would likely have been less interesting. That said, the aim at writing a contemporary story about college life comes up a little bit short in the ways I mention in my original post. ]]>

Comment by Angie on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Sun, 20 Feb 2005 23:37:27 EST

I found the book to be an enjoyable read. I recently graduated college and their are parts that Wolfe really gets "right." I read the conversations of the frat boys and thought it was a spot on match along with other aspects: the bar, the frat party, the dorm etc - and not just their descriptions. I liked the book but didn't really like any of the characters except Jojo who is the only one who becomes a better person. I thought they all had their own brand of conceit, even pathetic Adam. Charlotte is so consumed with making sure everyone knows she is the one with Hoyt and that they see her superiority in mind and body, she has no clue Hoyt is using her. You almost (mind you, i said almost) don't feel bad for her when Hoyt takes advantage. Her arrogance began outweighing her naivete. Her treatment of Adam is also completely horrendous. All of the characters are extremes. Adams, Jojos, Hoyts, Beverlys, and Charlottes, yes, even Charlottes, do exist on every college campus but aren't the majority of the population. Wolfe never portays the average more sincere college kid - the one whose experience would be a more accurate portrayal of modern college life. ]]>

Comment by Eric Berlin on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 22:10:41 EST

The problem in much of the background material in the fiction is that it comes across more as carefully culled research than integrated, full-blooded storytelling. Wolfe's constant emphasis on explaining the intricacies of "fuck patois," for example (which I rather enjoyed, actually). Chase -- What, specifically, did you relate to so closely? ]]>

Comment by chase on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 13:56:36 EST

Tom Wolfe did a significant amount of research on modern day collegiate life. That does not mean he can relate. He was shocked a little to how college students act in modern day, being that he has two children in college. ]]>

Comment by Eric Olsen on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:51:40 EST

interesting that college student Chase says those who are responding negatively to the book must be "too old to relate," when the author Wolfe is almost 74 ]]>

Comment by CHASE on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:37:50 EST

EVERYBODY WHO POSTED THESE COMMENTS ARE TOO OLD TO RELATE. I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT CURRENTLY AND CAN RELATE TO ALMOST EVERY ASPECT IN THIS BOOK. I THOUGHT IT WAS WELL WRITTEN. TOM WOLFE IS A GENIUS. BONFIRE IS DEF BETTER BUT I AM CHARLOTTE SIMMONS IS A MUST READ FOR MY GENERATION. ]]>

Comment by Eric Berlin on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Thu, 10 Feb 2005 23:49:24 EST

Stu - I thought you were dissing on my post for a quick striking moment! I hear what you're saying but I still hold to my 6-out-of-10 worth-it-if-you're-a-fan good-but-with-problems review. ]]>

Comment by Stu Glassman on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Thu, 10 Feb 2005 15:29:07 EST

Very tedius. Sadly in need of editing. The book is about 300 pages too long. It degenerates to redundant dribble. Not worth the effort. ]]>

Comment by Eric Berlin on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Mon, 7 Feb 2005 00:47:09 EST

This just in: I Am Charlotte Simmons strongly endorsed by... President George W. Bush. Check it here. ]]>

Comment by Eric Berlin on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Fri, 4 Feb 2005 17:20:27 EST

I would say that Charlotte Simmons is a worthwhile read, albeit with some major caveats. However, Eric's right: if you're going to read one Wolfe book, make it Bonfire. I grew up outside of New York in the 1980s, and there's just no better way to recapture that era than to delve back into its pages. ]]>

Comment by Eric Olsen on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Fri, 4 Feb 2005 15:16:21 EST

that is too bad because Bonfire of the Vanities is pretty great ]]>

Comment by Bronx J on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Fri, 4 Feb 2005 14:30:04 EST

My first Tom Wolfe novel. It's a shame too because I definitely felt it wasn't worth the time invested, and first impressions are lasting ones. You can check reader reviews all over the web and they basically say the same thing; Wolfe is out of touch and sometimes awkward with the subject matter(who wears braids AND dreads??)- I'm inclined to agree. Some of the story narrative gets repetitive (I thought Luminex bought advertising in the book), and the characters of Charlotte and Adam get so melodramatic towards the end I wanted to reach through the pages to smack the both of them... And Tom Wolfe for making me get violent. Not the worst book in the world, even slightly amusing at points, but skip it nonetheless. ]]>

Comment by Eric Berlin on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Sun, 16 Jan 2005 21:46:46 EST

Aaman -- thanks. Please check back in here when you finish Simmons and let us know what you thought. ~ Eric B. ]]>

Comment by Aaman on Dumpster Bust Reviews: I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

Sun, 16 Jan 2005 21:11:39 EST

Thanks for the review - skimmed over it as I am still reading the book, but it fits with his other work - not as good as earlier books, though. ]]>