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Fortress Of Solitude (Hardcover)


4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)

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Fortress Of Solitude 4.0 out of 5 stars (59)
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Customer Reviews

59 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
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3 star:
 (7)
2 star:
 (5)
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4.0 out of 5 stars (59 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2.0 out of 5 stars All that talent, but no plot, Aug 2 2005
By Tommy Tom Tom (toronto canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Fortress of Solitude (Paperback)
This was the first time I read Jonathan Lethem, and for the first 20 or 30 pages I was undergoing a sense of shock regarding what a tremendously talented writer he is. His descriptive power is wonderful, and he paints his New York setting with great depth and compassion, but...
this book is unreadable.
After 140 pages, with still no plot in sight, and a unredemtively boring main character, I'm giving up. To this point, Lethem has been painting Dylan's life and world for us - Dylan's mom leaving the house, Dylan getting beat up routinely at school, Mingus Rude trying to show Dylan the ropes of life on the street. Fine and dandy, but there's no plot here, and despite how much we know about Dylan's life, we still hardly know anything about Dylan. He hardly ever says or thinks or does anything... he just drifts, and he has yet to become a character I care enough about to see how things turn out for him.

I hope to read Lethem again, I hope his talents are matched with some taut plotting to make a truly engrossing read, but it did not happen in this book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars FILLED WITH GREAT MEANING, Jun 17 2005
This review is from: The Fortress of Solitude (Paperback)
Set in the Bronx amid a period of integration and spanning decades, "FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE" is not only a fascinating book but an impacting and meaning-filled one at that. The title of the book is a reference to comic hero Superman's secret layer in which he may try to escape for the briefest of moments the pains and pressures of the world's reliance on him. It is a deliberate reference and one of multiple meanings. Most obvious is the use of comic heroes as figures of authority for a character who lacks such role models in his real life. On a more figurative level, the reference is to everyone's need to escape the feeling of being alone in a crowded world by seeking out a place to literally be alone away. Judged on impact and merit, "FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE" is in the same league as "MY FRACTURED LIFE" and "ATONEMENT."
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5.0 out of 5 stars Like a Bob Dylan Song, Mar 24 2005
This review is from: The Fortress of Solitude (Paperback)
Like a Bob Dylan song, "Fortress of Solitude" is a poetic and biting commentary on the human condition without resorting to being flowery, angry, or political. It is simply a fantastic book about coming of age in the face of adversity. The reviewer who made the comparison to "My Fractured Life" by Rikki Lee Travolta raises a valid point. There is the struggle for identity, the fallen idol, the inherent sense of tragedy, and the spanning of time. There is also the incredible subtle undertones of the main characters of both books being fascinated with superheroes because they represent a pain-free life that contrasts the brutal reality they - the hurt child inside - have struggled to live through. Many writers have tried to capture that kind of fascination but fall into the fantasy world the heroes represent as opposed to keeping that world distanced and maintaining a true sense of reality to the writing. "The Fortress of Solitude" and "My Fractured Life" are the only two books I've read that manage to fully maintain that divide and cement the integrity of the reality of the story.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Despite Controversy
I was fascinated by Jonathan Lethem's "Fortress of Solitude." I couldn't help but be struck by the parallel writing style of Lethem to that of "My Fractured... Read more
Published on Mar 21 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It!
If you liked "Atonement" (four stars) or "My Fractured Life" (five stars) then you will like "The Fortress of Solitude" (five stars). Read more
Published on Feb 7 2005 by Naomi Tessman

5.0 out of 5 stars A Blossoming Friendship in Brooklyn
Jonathan Lethem's FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE is a graceful and lyrical look at the friendship between two boys, Dylan and Mingus who are, respectively, white and black. Read more
Published on July 1 2004 by Rocco Dormarunno

5.0 out of 5 stars A Junius Brutus Complex
The one complaint that a few readers have with 'Fortress' is that the second part is inconclusive - that Dylan Ebdus, the smart, white kid protagonist, now grown, doesn't... Read more
Published on Jun 28 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars exceptionally good
i finished johnathan lethem's "the fortress of solitude" today, and i'm trying to comprehend what he tried to pull off and if in fact he pulled it off. Read more
Published on Jun 3 2004 by J. Black

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
With its themes of race, family dysfunction, coming of age, and everything in between, Jonathan Lethem's novel, THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE is a stellar achievement, reminiscent of... Read more
Published on May 22 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Terrific -- don't miss it!
This is the story of the long and difficult friendship between two boys: Dylan Ebdus, a white kid brought to the projects by a fierce Brooklyn mother determined to have her child... Read more
Published on May 9 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars More realistic than magic!
Although the title is taken from a Superman comic, FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE is definitely not about super heroes (although the lead character is given a magic ring by a homeless man... Read more
Published on May 7 2004 by Dave Schwinghammer

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Excellent
The Fortress of Solitude is quite simply an excellent novel. Jonathan Lethem's prose is wonderful--he really is the poet of Brooklyn. Read more
Published on April 20 2004 by Elizabeth Hendry

5.0 out of 5 stars authentic feeling novel
"The Fortress of Solitude" is a difficult book for me to review. The story being told by Lethem is so broad, and at the same time so simple that capturing it in a... Read more
Published on April 7 2004 by Joe Sherry

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