City Boy [Paperback]

While kids would naturally interest themselves in Herbie, there is an adult story, of Herbie's parents and their business troubles, going on just beyond Herbie's nose. This doesn't really hit Herbie, and the juvenile reader, until near the end of the story, but the adult reader can watch the subplot building until the resolution of all at the end of the story.

Well worth reading, perhaps not as great as Wouk's later books, but written with conviction, probably from his personal experience (at least as regards the school and camp scenes!).

Herbie is, to borrow Wouk's words, a "facile fictioniser," whose elaborate tales become reality in his mind as he ponders or shares them. Though many of Wouk's "side comments" show sophistication, everyone is actually presented according to Herbie's point of view, with evil in this world "traced mainly to adults or Lennie Krieger." This is actually far more accurate a depiction of an adolescent's mind (as also offered in the Tom Sawyer to whom Herbie is often and well compared) than one would see today. Those who would find the adult characters to be unbalanced in presentation must recall that Herbie would see only their main influence on him.

Though Herbie's crush on Lucille Glass is the source of much of the far-fetched action in this novel, this is not actually a romantic book. The reader, who can see through Lucille all too well, can enjoy Herbie's glorified version of her. One regular theme in this book, and one very true, is that the highly intelligent Herbie is so lost in dreams and ideals that those far less intellectually gifted (Cliff, Elmer Bean come to mind) actually have a far deeper grasp of the situations.

Though this is not a children's book, it certainly is suited for kids' reading. I would caution anyone who passes it on to a youngster not to ruin the book's delight by using it for "a talk" or to explain differences between "then and now." Herbie's version of life, entirely his own self-centred and humorous creation, should not be muddied by Mrs Bookbinder's lack of career opportunities; whether he sees the girls only in relation to his own dreams (what 11-year-old would not?); or whether his bizarre midnight ride violated safety rules. (No parts of this plot are intended to be taken this seriously.) And anyone, in the context, would see Herbie's having to deal only with a spanking, not years behind bars, when he is... beyond naughty as a welcome substitute. The continuing theme in the book is that Herbie, like all children, never considers consequences for any action, and gets the message that such can exist - don't spoil the impact with a discussion of 1990s attitudes towards corporal punishment.

The characters are memorable, the camp settings a happy fiction of songs, shows, and remarkable freedom, and the school scenes enough to make anyone laugh in recognition. I, who am not a fan of Herman Wouk, count this as the funniest book on any of my many shelves.