The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel: Amazon.ca: Edward Abbey: Books

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Just before he died in 1989, Ed Abbey published what he called his "honest novel," one loosely based on his own life. Early in its opening pages, Abbey's alter ego, Lightcap, takes off from his nearly empty home (its contents just removed by a disgruntled spouse) in Tucson, Arizona--but not before shooting his refrigerator, a hated symbol of civilization. Lightcap makes a winding journey by car to his boyhood home in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, calling on old friends along the road, visiting Indian reservations and out-of-the-way bars, and reminiscing about the triumphs and follies of his life. Readers would be mistaken to view this as pure autobiography, but The Fool's Progress nonetheless is an illuminating look into Abbey's time and his way of thinking, especially on matters of ecology and other social issues. It's also a picaresque tale humorously and artfully told, a book that Abbey himself rightly regarded as one of his best works of fiction. --Gregory McNamee --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In a wild, picaresque novel, nature-loving Henry Lightcap makes a despairing odyssey across a lovely but ruined land from Tucson, Ariz., to the Appalachian family farm g run by his brother; penniless, Henry has nowhere else to go. PW found this "as absurdly moving as anything you have read in years." (July)Penny, do you have a copy of this?robin
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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...slamming the door behind her. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews

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4.9 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Good novel about life's journey., April 29 2004

By

Peter LaPrade (worcester ma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel (Paperback)

This was Abbey's second-to-last novel, and should be known as his swan song. It is about a dying man, and his journey backwards through time and space, to his beginnings. Harry Lightcap is definately not a "politically correct" character, but he is a deep thinker, and a free man. This book is unsentimental, and a bit funny. I definately recommend reading this book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK, Nov 28 2003

By

M. Chesnut - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel (Paperback)

There aren't a lot of books that you read in your life that stay with you for very long. This is one that does. This book was given to me by a friend when I was starting my own personal journey. I literally was also on a journey across the country in hopes of finding myself. This was 10 years ago. I am now on my third copy of this book. The first one was eaten by my one year old Labrador. He liked the book too.

This is without a doubt my favorite book to give to people to read in the hopes that they will experience some of the same things I did after reading this. It's actually been a while since I last read this book, but I think it's time to read it again so I can relive the journey.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Uncommon Beauty, Oct 25 2003

By

Bob NothingElse (al-ba-ker-kee.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel (Paperback)

After his third wife leaves him, Henry hops in his truck, his dying dog following faithfully behind, and travels east, (from his small home in Arizona), to the place of his childhood. As he travels, he reminisces upon his past life and past loves. A man unwilling to submit to society, Henry and his beautiful character give a valuable lesson to the reader. Learn from it.

As the book progresses, you learn more and more about Henry, (Henry may be a fool, but Henry is far wiser than the worker in the cubicle). Flirtatious, he is quick to fall deeply in love; extremist, does anything to protect the wilderness; and extravagant, he's a philosopher with no job. He values freedom more than anything else ... and NOT the kind must Americans think of. He takes the freedom to sleep miles from the city, under the stars, for most of the year and to pee in sinks. He takes the freedom to carry around a knife and gut his own goat. He takes the freedom to never have a full time job. (Americans usually take the "freedom" to own a house, SUV, a wife, two happy kids, a stable job and have no ambition other than to retire). He has a love for the West, for the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, the geological formations and the multi-cultural people of Albuquerque. Edward Abbey himself is so present in this novel ... you could call it autobiographical.

This book can tell you so much ... please learn from it. But it's beauty is unusual. I admired Abbey's writing before I read this, but he sweeps up all the common archetypes of literature and life, and puts them all in one classic novel.

Highly recommended.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Live. At least until you die.
This is one of the best and most memorable books I've read (having just finished it for the second time). Read more

Published on May 15 2003 by Andrew Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book by a Fascinating Man
I recently read this book for the second time after ten years had passed from my first encounter with Edward Abbey. Without a doubt this is the best book I have read in years. Read more