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Independence Day
By
Richard Ford
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The Pulitzer-Prize Winning novel for 1996. In this visionary sequel to The Sportswriter, Richard Ford deepens his portrait of one of the most unforgettable characters in American fiction, and in so doing gives us an indelible portrait of America. Frank Bascombe, in the aftermath of his divorce and the ruin of his career, has entered an "Existence Period," selling real estate in Haddam, New Jersey, and mastering the high-wire act of normalcy. But over one Fourth of July weekend, Frank is called into sudden, bewildering engagement with life. Independence Day is a moving, peerlessly funny odyssey through America and through the layered consciousness of one of its most compelling literary incarnations, conducted by a novelist of astonishing empathy and perception.
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Wuthering Bites Book Club Review at a Glance
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Plot:
Character Development:
Discussion Potential for Book Clubs:
Would we recommend this book to friends?
Overall:
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C
B
Medium
Maybe
B-
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What We Said
It's difficult to write this review as none of my book club group was able to finish this book! Excuses range from busy mom-schedules, to a book that was easy to put down and not be compelled to pick up again. The writing is excellent, but such that takes time to appreciate. I very much enjoyed the beginning and would stop myself to read passages over again to ensure I was appreciating what the author was saying. But to be honest, books like these are not my favorites. Toward the end, I found myself madly skimming pages, searching for the plot! But that's me. I would recommend to a reader who has the time and wants to appreciate a novel that makes one slow down and smell the writing.
-Sue
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From the Publisher
Frank Bascombe, who made his first appearance in Ford's 1986 novel The Sportswriter, continues his narrative five years later. Frank-- now forty-four, divorced, "residential specialist," former sportswriter, parent, Democrat, and occasional Presbyterian with a fear of "disappearing"-- finds his life at a "turning or at least a curving point" on the Fourth of July weekend, 1988. After showing clients their forty-sixth potential home and passing an intimate, though problematic, evening with his lady friend at her beach house, he travels from Haddam, New Jersey, to Deep River, Connecticut, home of his remarried former wife. Here he collects his troubled teenage son, Paul, for a weekend trip to several sports halls of fame.
Their journey-- a passage through choices, reflections, and regrets-- is transformed in one lightning-bolt moment alongside a peaceful baseball field. Helped by a solicitous stranger, Frank and his son are carried across their own spiritual deep river to a fresh start on the other side. As Everyman, Frank Bascombe is a symbol of redemption and possibility-- a source of hope for all.
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