The Fortress of Solitude Audiobook

" Lethem is a word magician. Beautifully written, with a strange and always changing pace. Must read for brooklynites. "

" Catcher in the Rye moved on 50 years. Growing up as a Jewish kid in the black neighbourhoods of Brooklyn. Full of obsessions with soul music and comic books and a sad, doomed friendship. Super book. "

" I had high hopes for this, widely considered Lethem's "masterpiece." The first chapters were lushly written, full of poignant descriptions of a 1970s Brooklyn viewed through the lens of a child--a Brooklyn tough and in the midst of the confusion of gentrification, full of racial tensions and intricate childhood alliances. The first part of the book is narrated in the third-person, but as the protagonist ages, he takes over the narration, and I found that I didn't like his voice very much--too self-indulgent, too whiney, too pretentious. The central theme of the book is his struggle to understand his identity, as his life follows along the tricky trajectory of his neighborhood's shift--but I found I didn't really care if he found himself among all the drugs and lofty mentions of obscure music and geek-centric descriptions of comics and superheroes. He's looking in all the wrong places, and unfortunately, we have to follow him there. "

" I was a bit disappointed by this book. I thought the superpower theme was a little overused and distracting (and I even come from superhero comic reading background). I think he tried to incorporate too many aspects to the story. I really like the basic premise of the narrative of a white kid growing up in a gentrifying black neighborhood though. "

" I finished this nearly a year after I began only because I dislike loose ends slightly more than I dislike this book. Dull, sentimental and contrived novel with boring sentences and a recourse to the supernatural only because the narrative was so grindingly dull. "

" I was left wondering what was real and what was metaphor. If Dylan and Mingus really found super powers, why isn't this a big game changer? The ability too fly is not as thrilling as the satisfaction of spray painting a lamp post. What we really have here is a story of growing up in Brooklyn, where, apparently strength of character matters little; things eventually work out for the white people and end up in disaster for the black people. Invisible rings belong in Middle Earth where they know you cannot have one and ignore it. "

" good but slow at parts... "

" I admire this book greatly but can't say I that loved it--the superhero elements didn't hold together for me, I found my identification with the protagonist slipping away towards the end. Still, much of it was deeply engrossing... "

" I absolutely loved the first part of this book, but then as a lot of people have mentioned, the last part just wasn't as good. So that was disappointing, but I still enjoyed it very much overall. "

" Sadly, this is probably the last book I actually read from start to finish. If you like reading about super hero powers, childhood friendships, and gentrification in Brooklyn, this is the book for you. "

" I couldn't help but shake the fact that Lethem plays into (even reinforces?) the racial stereotypes that his protagonist supposedly grapples with. It didn't upset me enough not to enjoy the book, but really what I want to know is: Lethem, what were you thinking? "

" Another reasonably good narrative spoilt by po-mo hijinks. Everyone needs to stop trying to be so "clever." "

" Wonderful five-star descriptions in the first part - made me feel I was on that street with Dylan and Mingus. And then it lost me. I just couldn't buy the magical ring in a world that seemed so of this earth and that time. I stopped caring. "

" I actually had to put this book aside, I was having a hard time getting thru it. Maybe I will have better luck next time I pick it up. "

" Why wasn't this edited down more? Too long and song plot angles were not well mixed. The mixture of fantasy and reality did not work well for me. "

" Didnt like this as much as motherless brooklyn or chronic city "

" Sad to say, but this is the first book I've read in a while that's even worth writing about. Dense and at times difficult to get through, but ultimately a really satisfying read. Let's me know my brain is ready again for some serious lit. Bring on the recs. "

" An interesting commentary on race and urban life, that avoids any of the easy cliches. "

" poo-pee. couldn't even get 100 pages in. "

" This novel is pretty ok "

" I liked the first part of the book, but a lot of that might be because I live in the neighborhood. "

" A great book that is just so very depressing. "

" This is one of those books that I became too absorbed in and had a panic attack for the last forty pages. "

" It took a while before this book reached a pace that allowed me to read more than ten pages at a stretch, but when it did I finished it in one afternoon. All I can say about it right now is that it is very, very good. "

" There's some really good stuff here, but unfortunately it just didnt sit quite right with me. Solid 3.5 stars, maybe a 4 but I wasn't feeling generous this morning. "

" I think this is my favorite Lethem book - combines great characters with typical Lethem plot wierdness and magic. "

" Liked it a lot, including the 'infamous' last half, which jars so much because it points to the dangerous romanticism of the first half. A book that argues with its own self. A writer who warns you against his own seductive skills. I can get behind both of those things. "

" I didn't have the same disgust at the second half that some reviewers had. A solid novel. "

" Absorbing, elegantly written, evokes time and place beautifully. The characters are interesting, strongly developed, and Lethem has a gift for making us care about them and their lives. This was a thoroughly satisfying read and I will look for more of his work in the future. "

" I finished this nearly a year after I began only because I dislike loose ends slightly more than I dislike this book. Dull, sentimental and contrived novel with boring sentences and a recourse to the supernatural only because the narrative was so grindingly dull. "