Reading the 20th Century discussion

Are there any fans in the house?


I read the first Rabbit novel many many decades ago and recall finding much to enjoy

Aside from that book, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by him

What about you?

What inspired this thread is this list in the Guardian of his best 10 novels………

John Updike’s best books – Ranked!…

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2...

It is the four Rabbit novels which top the Guardian list


1 Rabbit Angstrom: the four novels (1995)

The author’s supreme achievement – if you have never read any of these novels, jump right in at the start and work your way through to the heartbreaking finale. To rank each work in turn, they go: Rabbit at Rest (1990), Rabbit Is Rich (1981), Rabbit, Run (1960) and Rabbit Redux (1971). A separately published novella, Rabbit Remembered (2001) , is a disappointing misfire. Taken as a whole, the tetralogy offers an unforgettable portrait of the life of the white middle-class American male in the last century. Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom is priapic, patriotic and prone to bouts of religious introspection. When we first meet him, he feels trapped in a stale marriage, his days as a feted high-school baseball player behind him, long years of existential emptiness ahead. Those years will cover the counterculture explosion of the 1960s, the monied excess of the early 1980s and the bitter realisation by the close of that decade that unbridled materialism has poisoned the body corporeal and politic. Updike’s gifts for vivid description and apt metaphor have never been surpassed.

Updike tropes Sex, religion, death

I think The Witches of Eastwick is interesting. I read The Centaur but remember almost none of it. Updike has a number of short stories most if not all collected in two volumes from Library of America which I plan to read from eventually.

Never read him, but he’s near the top of my “maybe this year, finally” list. Several people whose taste resonates with me like him, which makes me cautiously optimistic that I might, too.

Or, if I don’t like him, I’m at least not as likely to want my time back as I have been with a variety of other acclaimed (mostly white make) writers.

I made the mistake of listening to some interviews with him that really irritated / enraged me. There's been a handful of times that getting to know more about writers has been lovely, but I find that it often works in the other direction. That put me off reading him for years, aside from some short stories, which I actually liked quite a bit.

I read him decades ago, and stopped with Rabbit Redux, but would be curious to reread Rabbit Run and one of his later novels.

But my priority next year will be finishing Proust, so I may not be available for a Buddy Read until I'm done with that.

It's going to be that kind of 2026, I'm afraid. Setting my priorities.

A female author, and it's driving me nuts trying to recall who it was, said John Updike was her favourite author


Whilst I can't remember who it was, I do recall being very surprised as it didn't feel very likely

Anyway, that has given me added incentive to revisit the Rabbit books (I say revisit, I think I only read the first one)

If there's any enthusiasm we could do the first one, or the series, as buddy reads, but no pressure as we have a plethora of exciting reads coming up.

The offer's there so hit reply if that takes your fancy

Nigeyb wrote:


"A female author, and it's driving me nuts trying to recall who it was, said John Updike was her favourite author."


I asked Google Gemini which responded….

The writer you are thinking of is almost certainly Zadie Smith or Lorrie Moore.

Both names frequently shock readers when they name John Updike as a major influence or favourite, given how starkly different their work and cultural perspectives seem compared to Updike's world of mid-century male anxiety and suburban domesticity.


1. Zadie Smith

* Why it seems unlikely: Smith is a young, feminist, multicultural British icon known for complex ensemble stories (White Teeth) exploring race, immigration, and contemporary London life.

* The Connection: Smith has written extensively and passionately about her admiration for Updike. What she adores in Updike is his prose technique—specifically his ability to describe the physical world, sensory details, and the tiny, mundane textures of everyday human existence. She praised his visual, rhythmic sentence structures, viewing him as a master craftsman of English prose regardless of whether she agreed with his characters' worldviews.


2. Lorrie Moore

* Why it seems unlikely: Moore is celebrated for her razor-sharp, witty, tragicomic stories (Birds of America) that often focus on vulnerable women, sharp irony, and modern romantic disillusionment.

* The Connection: Moore has frequently cited Updike as a major formative influence on her style. Like Updike, she treats the short story as a high-art form, building on his ability to blend poetic, lyrical language with sharp, observational social realism. (Updike himself was also a huge fan of Moore's work, including her in his Best American Short Stories of the Century anthology).


Other Unexpected Admirers

If neither of those rings a bell, a few other prominent women writers have expressed surprising, high praise for him:

* Joyce Carol Oates: She has frequently defended Updike's output, psychological depth, and mastery of American realism.

* Erica Jong: Famous for her groundbreaking 1970s feminist novel Fear of Flying, Jong surprisingly praised Updike’s frank, unvarnished depiction of sexual desire and middle-class married life, seeing him as a rare contemporary writer who treated suburban domestic conflict with serious literary gravity.

It was Zadie Smith!

Nigeyb wrote: "A female author, and it's driving me nuts trying to recall who it was, said John Updike was her favourite author".
Nigeyb wrote: "It was Zadie Smith!"

Isn't it nice to scratch an itch.
I must say Updike is on the list of American authors I've yet to read. On the other hand, he's in good company.

It certainly is Alistair


I am a few chapters into Rabbit Redux (1971) and, so far, I'm very impressed. I only have vague memories of Rabbit, Run (1960), the first book, from a 1990s book group I was in. I recall the tragic ending and that we (mixed men and women) were all very impressed. I've refreshed my memory about the plot of that first book prior to diving into the second one

So far Rabbit Redux is very well written and Harry’s downbeat and befuddled narrative voice seems to mirror the cynicism and disenchantment of the Nixon-helmed late 60s/early 1970s.

Also, dare I say it, this also hints at the roots of the 21st century MAGA electoral constituency. It feels like a foundational text. Harry can sense that the rules of society are changing and without his consent. He feels blamed for history's sins (racism, sexism, imperialism etc) simply for existing, working hard, and paying taxes. Just as he yearns for his high school basketball glory days in the first book, his political stance in Redux is driven by a longing for an idealised, stable past where authority was respected, roles were clear, and hard work guaranteed respect. That those anxieties still feel so familiar in 2026 suggests those cultural fault lines are long standing and haven't really changed over the last 57 years

I’m over halfway through Rabbit Redux and still really impressed. It’s anachronistic, contains casual racism, and the occasional slur, however as a snapshot of small town Pennsylvania in 1969 it feels totally on the money. Harry is the perfect everyman character.

For all the male-centric, mid-century sexual politics, where this really hits is the prose style. The most mundane details are frequently described in the most beautiful style.

Even when Harry Angstrom is being his most frustrating, sullen, or politically reactionary, John Updike’s sentence construction and observations are often absurdly beautiful.

I’m all in on the Rabbit tetralogy and look forward to reading the other two books: Rabbit Is Rich (1981) and Rabbit at Rest (1990).

I was curious to discover a brief cameo appearance by Jack Eccles in Rabbit Redux


When we meet Eccles on that bus he is radically transformed from the energetic, well-meaning, if ineffectual, Episcopal minister who tried so hard to save Harry’s marriage in Rabbit, Run

Here he seems more of a free spirit in the Age of Aquarius. He has surrendered to the flow of the 1960s and now vibrates with a strange late 60s energy and vitality having cast off his traditional role

The symbolism of Eccles morphing from religious authority figure and moral guardian must reinforce Harry’s sense of drift as the old authority figures and traditional guardrails all seem to be disappearing

I have nearly finished Rabbit Redux


So far, it’s every bit as good as I hoped it would be. Actually, it’s probably better than I expected.

It’s often a challenging read for a 21st century sensibility but it really shines a light on how the 1960s counterculture was viewed by much of middle America.

The racial aspect of this book is less problematic for me than the misogyny. But that would’ve been pretty typical of the era too

Unlike many of the white male American big literary beasts of the mid 20th century, I feel John Updike still has something to say to the contemporary reader. I’m really looking forward to reading the other two books in this series

And as many have observed elsewhere, he really is a beautiful writer who also seems to get to the heart of the human condition

I have just finished Rabbit Redux. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Review coming soon.


I think I’m going to press straight on with Rabbit Is Rich. Published in 1981, Rabbit Is Rich is widely considered by critics to be the absolute pinnacle of the Rabbit Quartet. It won both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award, securing John Updike’s reputation as one of America's premier chroniclers of modern life

I bought The Witches of Eastwickon the strength of reading one paragraph of the prose. Then I tried reading it and tired very quickly... both of the characters and the prose, which was so incredible in a little snippet, intensely wearying for page after page.

Later I tried watching the movie and bailed even faster. The suburban anxiety...I just can't. He should be writing about my parents' or grandparents' generation, but people I know had a LOT more going on than that nonsense.

Maybe I started with the wrong book though...

I haven’t read it and it doesn’t particularly appeal howeve I note The Guardian list in message one has it at number six and concludes by saying….


With its gossipy tone, the story doesn’t take itself too seriously and neither should the reader

Nigeyb wrote:



"I have just finished Rabbit Redux. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Review coming soon"


Four star, spoiler free review...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

4/5

I read the Rabbit novel and The Witches of Eastwick. I was satisfied with all looking back though while reading, they can be trying. I encourage you to read through Rabbit at Rest at least and Nigey, you might like Witches. I can see Emmeline's point but i thought it had some good spots.

Thanks Sam


I'm now a few chapters into Rabbit Is Rich (1981), the third book, and which is widely regarded as the peak of the series. I'm enjoying it but so far it's not a patch on Rabbit Redux

I will certainly be reading more Updike and will get to The Witches of Eastwick

Nigeyb wrote:


"I'm now a few chapters into Rabbit Is Rich (1981), the third book, and which is widely regarded as the peak of the series. I'm enjoying it but so far it's not a patch on Rabbit Redux"


Somewhat predictably I am now, at around the halfway point, loving Rabbit Is Rich (1981).

What a tale. What a writer.

I'm still absolutely loving Rabbit Is Rich (1981) as I close in on the ending.


One aspect of these books that I really appreciate is the strong sense of time and place. In particular how they seem to strongly evoke and epitomise the era in which they are set. The combination of current news events, the societal changes, and the attitudes expressed by the characters are a powerful and beguiling brew which is at the core of why I love these books. That alchemy is, for me, one of the most rewarding qualities of reading great literature

Just finished Rabbit is Rich


I ended up loving it. A fabulous, wonderfully written novel. I can’t wait to continue the series with the final book Rabbit at Rest

Five star review here...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Two books - The Hotel New Hampshire and The Cider House Rules. I read Hotel but wasn't that crazy about it. Started Cider House but only made it 60-70% through the book. I know I made it more than halfway. I just ran out of steam.

You are confusing John Updike with John Irving

Okay. I even saw the name but it didn't register!. Then I've never read him.