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Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award
 
The hero of John Updike’s Rabbit, Run, ten years after the events of Rabbit Redux, has come to enjoy considerable prosperity as the chief sales representative of Springer Motors, a Toyota agency in Brewer, Pennsylvania. The time is 1979: Skylab is falling, gas lines are lengthening, and double-digit inflation coincides with a deflation of national self-confidence. Nevertheless, Harry show more “Rabbit” Angstrom feels in good shape, ready to enjoy life at last—until his wayward son, Nelson, returns from the West, and the image of an old love pays a visit to the lot. New characters and old populate these scenes from Rabbit’s middle age as he continues to pursue, in his zigzagging fashion, the rainbow of happiness. show less

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38 reviews
More of the same from Updike with two exceptions: less happens and there’s more graphic sex. Quite why this novel, of the three Rabbit novels so far, won the most awards including the Pulitzer is beyond me.

My conclusions that Rabbit and his ilk are a complete waste of human space were confirmed by this. How many people are there out there whose lives are of no benefit to anyone except themselves and to the detriment of everyone around them?

No one in this novel is capable of loving anyone around them or even aware that they lack the ability. Instead, they carry on with facade and distortion as if life really is all about their petty concerns.

Rabbit has grown fat, in more ways than one, on the proceeds of the Toyota showroom inherited show more from his now deceased father-in-law. He is estranged from his son, emotionally estranged from his wife, and still beset by fantasies of the sexual grass being greener.

Updike must have thought all women were simply objects. He describes all of them in terms of their bodily appearance and, as far as I can tell from these three novels, created Rabbit to somehow legitimise lust. Even when he does create a character who supposedly loves Rabbit, his expression of that is for her to take him away during a vacation swingers night and have him perform anal sex. How facile do you have to be for this to be what you consider an expression of love?

So, in conclusion, having read the first three books, while Updike can write great prose, he turned his skill to rendering lives that were entirely unworthy of our focus. Either there’s some genius irony there and that’s exactly the point, or these three books are equally unworthy. I think it actually may be both.
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There is a brief passage near the end of Rabbit Is Rich that does a wonderful job of underscoring one of the novel’s main themes: ”Life. Too much of it, and not enough. The fear that it will end some day, and the fear that tomorrow will be the same as yesterday.” Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, author John Updike’s irrepressible mid-20th century Everyman, has reached middle age, relatively unscathed by the travails of his earlier years. He and his wife Janice have settled into a routine that their relative affluence affords them in their Pennsylvania suburb in the late 1970s. But Rabbit finds himself still running—searching is probably a better word—for whatever it is he doesn’t have: improved business prospects, resolution show more about the status of a long-lost daughter, a better relationship with his son, more sex (especially with his friend’s much younger wife), and a more reliable golf swing. In short, he has reached the point in life where he has acquired much of what he wants, but remains unsatisfied with all that he has.

The third of four novels focusing on Angstrom, Rabbit is Rich is ultimately an unblinking character study of a man who has reached his 40s, with all the successes, failures, frustrated hopes, and dreams still to be realized that this age implies. When he is not fretting over selling Toyota automobiles—Harry’s day job, courtesy of his overbearing mother-in-law—he spends most of his time drinking and playing golf with his buddies, thinking about sex, worrying about current economic conditions, reminiscing about the past and contemplating death, or feuding with his son, who has his own secrets to protect. I found Updike’s prose to be precise, insightful, and often very funny. The author was a keen observer of what it meant to be both middle class and middle age during that era and the story he tells here is one that is both richly detailed and compelling. It is also a tale that is occasionally vulgar and profane, but never beyond the bounds of what befits the character. After reading this novel, you may not like Rabbit, in all his self-absorbed and clueless glory, but you will definitely have a better understanding of what makes him tick.
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This is the continuing story of Harry (Rabbit) Angstrom. For those of you that did not read "Run Rabbit" and "Rabbit Redux", I strongly suggest you do so… now. Otherwise, you will never understand what actually makes Harry ‘run’.

"Rabbit Redux" ended in 1971 with the hippie era. Now it is 8 years later. Harry and Janice managed to salvage their broken marriage. Harry is running a Toyota Dealership and son Nelson is away at college. On the surface things look good, but there are problems... major problems.

The dealership is owned by Harry’s mother-in-law and his wife Janice, so all major decisions are in their hands.
In addition, Nelson has gotten his girlfriend pregnant and wants to drop out of school to join the family business. show more And if Harry is not enough of an unlikable character… Nelson is even worse. A chip off the old block and then some, Nelson has a sense of entitlement that even Harry never had. And it doesn’t help matters that Nelson is rude, unkind, selfish, and despises his father.

Meanwhile, Harry is 46 years old and going through a mid-life crisis. By today’s standards 46 is generally an enjoyable age, but not for Harry in 1979. All the vibrant, enlightened Baby Boomers are coming of age and Harry is not one of them. He sees himself as being tied down- married to a woman he never fully loved- having married her only because she was pregnant. And Janice is just not enough to make Harry happy. When Janice left him- back in Rabbit Redux- he had no self confidence and ended up bedding down with an 18 year old hippie child. It was not for love but mostly to boost his ego and to spite Janice. And now he is obsessed with sex. Harry is constantly thinking about sex, making metaphors about sex, and analyzing the physical attributes of every female with whom he comes in contact.

What makes this series unique is that the story revolves around the domestic issues of Harry Angstrom’s entire adult life… his family, their careers, health issues, relationships with each other, family members and friends… all from the male perspective. From the trivial details of daily life to the major life defining moments, Updike covers every detail.

The author cleverly weaves into the story lots of current events of that year: politics, economics, world news, entertainment, and sports: the Carter administration, gas shortages, Kennedy’s Chappaquiddick scandal, the Iranian hostage situation, inflation and the run on gold, real estate development, and the new wealth that afforded Caribbean vacations, Japanese electronics and foreign cars.

"Rabbit is Rich" has a deep, more substantial style- less poetic and flowery metaphors and more blunt and to the point prose. And the plot moves along at a brisk pace. But the sex? Spare me the details… please! Once again there was never anything romantic, tender, beautiful or passionate about Harry’s sex life. It was mostly sad and degrading. What is with that? Perhaps it is a result of Harry’s resentment due to the emasculation of having to work for his wife and mother-in-law. Or maybe he’s never actually experienced real love. Whatever the case, Harry’s obsessive daydreams about sex seem out of proportion with all his other concerns in life.
Having no other experience with John Updike’s writing other than the Rabbit series, I am unable to determine if it is just a characteristic of Rabbit, or Updike’s own personal idiosyncrasy.

John Updike definitely created a memorable cast of characters you won’t soon forget.

Winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer.
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½
I am on a mission to complete the Rabbit series , although I often do not like him.
Updike's books in this series are a mirror of the times.
Harry is an every man whose dreams, desires and foibles reflect those of the mainstream culture of the time. (So perhaps that is what I sometimes do not like!)
I find some of the sex scenes overly descriptive. Rabbit is obsessed.
Somehow, Updike keeps me interested in his fate, and surprises me with Rabbit's redeeming qualities.
The third novel in the Rabbit Angstrum series, Harry is middle aged, his son is away at college and he and Janice live with Janice’s mother. Harry is running Springer Motors and believes he is owner but really, he works for his mother-in-law and his wife. Harry has become obsessed with money. His son can’t make a decision and appears to be irresponsible (a lot like Harry) and he is also obsessed with the daughter he had with Ruth.
Rabbit is Rich was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction in 1982 and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 1981. Of the three that I have read so far, I liked this the least and I like Harry the least in this book. There is way too much sex talk and show more thoughts on Harry’s part and the words used are offensive. What Updike does so well is capture time. In this book, the reader revisits the first oil shortage, Carter administration, eighties inflation. It just wasn’t a very interesting time as the previous book but still a walk down memory lane. Harry does redeem himself with the last sentences of the book when he is holding his granddaughter. show less
"How can you respect the world when you see it's being run by a bunch of kids turned old."

'Rabbit is Rich' is the third of four novels about the life of Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom. Each novel, written in approximately 10-year intervals, explores some upheaval in Rabbit’s life. In this novel, Harry is no longer running but has dropped to a slow walk in order to enjoy the fruits of middle-aged affluence, however, his cosy country-club lifestyle is thrown into upheaval when his son, Nelson, quits college to return home with a mystery girl.

The two earlier novels found Rabbit longing for his former glory days as a high-school basket ball star. In this novel, things seem to be going his way again. In the midst of the 1979 oil crisis, Harry show more is owner of a fuel-efficient Toyota dealership and business is brisk. But Rabbit seems unsettled by his good fortune and is just waiting for some catastrophe to occur.

Like the other books in this series this novel is full of richly textured detail but there is deliberately very little action. Updike is unsparing in his description of Rabbit's selfishness and in particular his sexual exploits. But quite why this particular book i was the one that won the Pulitzer Prize I don't quite understand nor do I understand why Updike felt the need to litter it with so many explicit sexual episodes. I don't think that I'm a prude but I felt that most of the sexual details were simply unnecessary.

Overall this was my least favourite book in the series thus far but will be looking to finish it off at some point.
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This novel was a little better than Rabbit Redux. It was more focused on the social dynamics of a dysfunctional familial relationship- in the veneer of the "Rabbit" family. I viewed it as an intimate character study of an individual and his family and I believe herein lies the strength of the novel in full. There were parts that were a bit long and overdone, but overall it was plausible (I suppose) as the work of fiction that it was setting out to be. Updike is an odd writer, that much I am assured of, but with everything that happens in this novel, I do believe that he's managed to capture something (even if it is fragments of a tattered life that is beset by difficulties and decadence.)

3 stars.

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ThingScore 88
"Rabbit Is Rich," a novel by John Updike published in 1981, is the third book in the "Rabbit" series, following the life of Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom. Set in the late 1970s against the backdrop of the American economic boom and the energy crisis, the novel captures Rabbit in middle age, now running his father-in-law's Toyota dealership, a symbol of his newfound prosperity and the shifting show more economic landscape of the time.

As Rabbit navigates the complexities of wealth, family, and societal change, the novel delves into themes of materialism, dissatisfaction, and the search for meaning beyond the trappings of success. Rabbit is depicted as a character who, despite achieving what appears to be the American dream, grapples with a sense of emptiness and the challenges of adapting to a changing world.

"Rabbit Is Rich" is notable for its rich character development, intricate narrative style, and the way it captures the zeitgeist of the era. Updike's portrayal of Rabbit's life, with its ups and downs, reflects broader themes of American identity, generational conflict, and the pursuit of happiness. The novel won several prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award, cementing its status as a significant work in American literature and continuing the deep exploration of one man's journey through the latter half of the 20th century.
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Rarely has a single character been so faithfully followed for so many years by so many readers. Rarely has anyone written like John Updike. As a writer, he dared his fellows to be perceptive, to be honest, and above all to be specific. How large his footprint, how ghosted.
Aug 22, 2009
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Author Information

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340+ Works 53,354 Members
American novelist, poet, and critic John Updike was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1932. He received an A.B. degree from Harvard University, which he attended on a scholarship, in 1954. After graduation, he accepted a one-year fellowship to study painting at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford, England. After returning show more from England in 1955, he worked for two years on the staff of The New Yorker. This marked the beginning of a long relationship with the magazine, during which he has contributed numerous short stories, poems, and book reviews. Although Updike's first published book was a collection of verse, The Carpentered Hen and Other Tame Creatures (1958), his renown as a writer is based on his fiction, beginning with The Poorhouse Fair (1959). During his lifetime, he wrote more than 50 books and primarily focused on middle-class America and their major concerns---marriage, divorce, religion, materialism, and sex. Among his best-known works are the Rabbit tetrology---Rabbit, Run (1960), Rabbit Redux (1971), Rabbit Is Rich (1981), and Rabbit at Rest (1988). Rabbit, Run introduces Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom as a 26-year-old salesman of dime-store gadgets trapped in an unhappy marriage in a dismal Pennsylvania town, looking back wistfully on his days as a high school basketball star. Rabbit Redux takes up the story 10 years later, and Rabbit's relationship with representative figures of the 1960s enables Updike to provide social commentary in a story marked by mellow wisdom and compassion in spite of some shocking jolts. In Rabbit Is Rich, Harry is comfortably middle-aged and complacent, and much of the book seems to satirize the country-club set and the swinging sexual/social life of Rabbit and his friends. Finally, in Rabbit at Rest, Harry arrives at the age where he must confront his mortality. Updike won the Pulitzer Prize for both Rabbit Is Rich and Rabbit at Rest. Updike's other novels range widely in subject and locale, from The Poorhouse Fair, about a home for the aged that seems to be a microcosm for society as a whole, through The Court (1978), about a revolution in Africa, to The Witches of Eastwick (1984), in which Updike tries to write from inside the sensibilities of three witches in contemporary New England. The Centaur (1963) is a subtle, complicated allegorical novel that won Updike the National Book Award in 1964. In addition to his novels, Updike also has written short stories, poems, critical essays, and reviews. Self-Consciousness (1989) is a memoir of his early life, his thoughts on issues such as the Vietnam War, and his attitude toward religion. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1977. He died of lung cancer on January 27, 2009 at the age of 76. (Bowker Author Biography) John Updike was born in 1932, in Shillington, Pennsylvania. Since 1957 he has lived in Massachusetts. His novels have won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, & the Howells Medal. (Publisher Provided) John Updike was born in 1932 and attended Harvard College and the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford, England. Form 1955 to 1957 he was a staff member of The New Yorker, which he contributed numerous writings. Updike's art criticism has appeared in publications including Arts and Antiques, The New Republic, The New York Times Book Review, and Realites, among many others. He is the author of such best-selling novels as Rabbit Run and Rabbit is Rich. His many works of fiction, poetry and criticism have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the American Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. For the past 40 years he has lived in Massachusetts. (Publisher Provided) John Updike is the author of some 50 books, including collections of short stories, poems, & criticism. His novels have won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, & the Howells Medal. Born in Shillington, Pennsylvania, in 1932, he has lived in Massachusetts since 1957. (Publisher Provided) show less

Some Editions

Henninges, Barbara (Übersetzer)
Morey, Arthur (Narrator)
Rambaud, Maurice (Translator)
Veldhuizen, Dorien (Translator)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Rabbit Is Rich
Original title
Rabbit Is Rich
Original publication date
1981
People/Characters
Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom
Important places
Brewer, Pennsylvania, USA
Epigraph
'At night he lights up a good cigar, and climbs into the little old 'bus, and maybe cusses the carburetor, and shoots out home. He mows the lawn, or sneaks in some practice putting, and then he's ready for dinner."
... (show all)i>GEORGE BABBITT of the 'Ideal Citizen'
The difficulty to think at the end of day,
When the shapeless shadow covers the sun
And nothing is left except light on your fur...
WALLACE STEVENS
'A Rabbit as King of the Ghosts'
Dedication*
/
First words
Running out of gas, Rabbit Angstrom thinks as he stands behind the summer-dusty windows of the Springer Motors display room watching the traffic go by on Route 111, traffic somehow thin and scared compared to what it used to ... (show all)be.
Quotations
Rather than face who it is, he runs. (p. 113)
Rain, the last proof left to him that God exists. (p. 125)
...all the souvenirs of the dead bristle with new point, with fresh mission. (p. 184)
He enunciates with such casual smiling sonorousness that his sentences seem to keep travelling around a corner after they are pronounced. (p. 191, of the Rev. Archie Campbell)
As always when he sees his son unexpectedly Harry feels shame . . . Run, Harry wants to call out, but nothing comes . . . (pp. 240-41)
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Another nail in his coffin. His.
Publisher's editor
Jones, Judith
Original language*
Anglais (Etats-Unis) (Etats-Unis)
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genres
General Fiction, Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
813.54Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991945-1999
LCC
PS3571 .P4 .R25Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1961-
BISAC

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