Impressive account of Gilmore's later life. Gilmore's brother's book is more insightful, though, about Gary.. (Mikal Gilmore--Shot Through the Heart), Mailer's book gives more detail about the crimes, vicitms, legal stuff and media carnivores. ( )

Great story, great writing, great history, great controversy, great pop culture. ( )

long and I'm less excited about it than say Miller's Plexus or Pynchon's Against the Day. Not really into historical fiction either.

That I found "The Executioner's Song" among novels as opposed to true crime/non-fiction books in my local bookstore should indicate the caliber of writing in this book. It is so meticulously detailed that it's hard to believe this is a true story, and that any author could cull so much information about so many people and events without some part of it coming from his imagination. That seamless blending of story-telling and reality serves as a testament to Norman Mailer's skills as a writer and his exhaustive research.

As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I found some parts of it to be rather monotonous and uninteresting. I suppose that's part of its charm and prestige, but it wasn't necessarily the most fascinating, compelling thing I've ever read. I doubt there is a more thorough true crime book out there, however. Mailer really leaves no stone unturned in his exploration of humanity's role in, reactions to, and repercussions of the justice system. ( )

Almost as good as Ancient Evenings. ( )