Rich Man, Poor Man

Shaw knows how to write a good story. He keeps you reading until the last page. His plot is complex and interesting (albeit a tad trashy and potboilerish at times), but he really invests you in these characters and their trials and tribulations and makes you root for them to win in the end. Unfortunately, his representation of women is extremely dated and off-putting. They're sexually objectified, and only important in their relation to the men characters, who are Shaw's central focus.

The one exception is Gretchen, who finds several creative sparks that surprise and motivate her to pursue a handful of different careers. Out of all the women within the novel's pages, she comes the closest to being an independent character in her own show more right. But Shaw muddles this up too, by making the main thrust of her arc revolve completely around her failed romantic relationships and not her career.

Even the disappointing ending hinges on the "salacious" behavior of an important woman character. And, yes, it's primarily to provide a moment of pathos for one of the male characters at the novel's conclusion.

I realize sexism was normalized and accepted in the time period of the story, as well as the one in which it was written, but it doesn't make it any easier to read. And it's all the more surprising that the story ends in 1969, at the dawn of the women's liberation movement. This could've been a great opportunity for Shaw to address the events his women characters have gone through and reflect on how things are possibly beginning to change. But nope, the most he does is have his characters offhandedly criticize "those damn pot-smoking hippies" and that's as far as he delves into progressive social movements. What a waste. show less

This novel focuses on the Jordache family - a family made up of people who are fundamentally flawed. Irwin Shaw seems to dare the reader to choose a favorite, if that were even possible. By the end of the novel, the characters have undergone rather dramatic personality changes, based upon their life experiences (mostly all tragic), and I would venture to guess that many readers switched alliances by novel's end. Overall, this work was depressing, but strikes a chord with those who have been disappointed by life time and time again.

The good, the bad, the rich and the poor family saga. I really enjoyed the book and liked the mini series even better with Peter Strauss.

Story of a German family in America during WW II, before and after. Of 2 brothers and a sister who each go their separate ways but are connected by events throught 20 years from their teenage years, upwards

I saw the miniseries on T.V. in the 70's and loved it. I decided to read the book and was disappointed. The characters were not the same.

A certain farmer got the check for 100 pounds.
However, it was not able to turn a check into cash after all.
He has become poor feelings, too.

#348 in our old book database. Not rated.