Back to Blood - Tom Wolfe

Back to Blood

By Tom Wolfe

  • Release Date: 2012-10-23
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 3.5
3.5
From 350 Ratings
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Description

A big, panoramic story of the new America, as told by our master chronicler of the way we live now.

As a police launch speeds across Miami's Biscayne Bay-with officer Nestor Camacho on board-Tom Wolfe is off and running. Into the feverous landscape of the city, he introduces the Cuban mayor, the black police chief, a wanna-go-muckraking young journalist and his Yale-marinated editor; an Anglo sex-addiction psychiatrist and his Latina nurse by day, loin lock by night-until lately, the love of Nestor's life; a refined, and oh-so-light-skinned young woman from Haiti and her Creole-spouting, black-gang-banger-stylin' little brother; a billionaire porn addict, crack dealers in the 'hoods, "de-skilled" conceptual artists at the Miami Art Basel Fair, "spectators" at the annual Biscayne Bay regatta looking only for that night's orgy, yenta-heavy ex-New Yorkers at an "Active Adult" condo, and a nest of shady Russians. Based on the same sort of detailed, on-scene, high-energy reporting that powered Tom Wolfe's previous bestselling novels, BACK TO BLOOD is another brilliant, spot-on, scrupulous, and often hilarious reckoning with our times.

Reviews

  • Tom Wolfe continues to decline

    2
    By Judi inthesky
    So sad. One would like to see a writer improve with age. It is not happening with Tom Wolfe. His books keep getting worse than the last. I keep buying his books in the hopes that he will recapture the skills that must be hidden down deep somewhere in his being.

  • Art, Sex, and Ego.

    5
    By Polka Dot Testicle
    Quintessential Wolfe. A fun, revealing ride.

  • Sudden ending frustrating

    2
    By Jfdgroup
    Good book until it ended suddenly. It was like hitting a wall. Too many stories unresolved. No recommended.

  • Back to Blood

    4
    By Peg1gy
    This book was just a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it!

  • It's a sexy story!

    5
    By peppypat
    It's about Florida, about immigrants and clashing cultures, and it's so current. And being that it's by Tom Wolfe adds to its panache. I loved this story and its main character, a 25-year old Cuban American police officer. He's truly an unwilling or unwitting hero. I had to cheer for him in his victories and feel sad when his people (gente) turned their backs on him. As Hector is the main character, we learn about the Cuban culture transplanted to Miami. The Russian and Haitian cultures are included, but to a lesser degree. I love this story and you will, too! The issues are real and entertainment value is high, told with a great deal of humor. I was sorry when it ended--I wanted to know what would happen in its sequel.

  • A terrible disappointment

    1
    By Jeff Rudell
    While usually a great fan of Mr. Wolfe's books, this time he has delivered a miss. The characters are two-dimensional, at best, the story is predictable on the few occasions when it is not outright dull. Stylistically, the author has chosen to rely heavily on quirky grammatical devices and oft-repeated adjectives that are distracting, awkward, and ultimately unsuccessful in advancing or improving the story. The book is a joyless slog from beginning to end. Even a great writer is bound to produce an occasional stinker. My advice is to read one of the author's earlier books (A Man in Full, perhaps).

  • Ending?

    1
    By Gamr in the jungle
    Really enjoyed the story but felt like I was left at the alter. What happened to the last chapter? Wolfe could have wrapped up the plot lines to create more finality and reader satisfaction.

  • It ain't no Bonfire of the Vanities or Man in Full

    3
    By urbangal
    I have been reading Tom Wolfe since I was in high school back in the late 1970's. Our teacher assigned "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." I've been hooked ever since. Back to Blood is okay, but Wolfe's writing techniques and descriptions fall flat for me. "Haw, haw, haw" was his description of the Hell's Angel's laughing and that killed me when I was about 17 years old. Bonfire and Man in Full had similar descriptive language, and there war some brilliant, hilarious moments in both books. Bonfire brought us the phrase, "Masters of the Universe" to describe the Wall St. types back in the 1980's. That moniker was spot on and is even more relevant today than it was back then. Back to Blood offers none of that. Nothing memorable, nothing outrageously funny.

  • If you're from South Florida...

    5
    By Kevin Klix
    It depicts the life of Florida exactly. The madness. The rage. The scandalous plot-line. Highly recommend.

  • Back to Blood

    5
    By Skyenick
    I am a third generation Miamian and have lived in Miami my entire life. During my life I have lived in many different parts of Miami and am very familiar with the locales, and the cultural and social issues laid bare in Mr. Wolfe's latest novel. I couldn't put this book down. All I can say is...Dude you nailed it! Amazing. To those critics out there - this is Miami - it's just hard to believe unless you really KNOW Miami from the inside. Great job!

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