Customer Reviews

The Pugilist at Rest: Stories

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A good collection of short stories, for sure, however the quality varies. Some (generally the 'Nam stories) are genius, whereas a few other stories fall a little flat. The quality is generally quite strong, though, and the closing story (I Want to Live!) is fantastic. Generally a good read!

7.5/10

Thom Jones writes like a person may think. He truly paints a picture of vivid colors and images in your head with this series of short stories. The three Vietnam stories at the front of the book make this book of short stories worth puchasing alone. So good infact that I had to read one of the stories over the second I finished reading it. Truly an incredible writer.

I last read this book 11 years ago when it came out in its first edition, and I still remember each story with such clarity it's like I just finished reading it this morning. That's nothing to do with my (atrocious) memory, but with the power and clarity of Jones' writing.
I liken Thom Jones to a literary Tom Waits.

Jones' best stories here, the ones that deal with the aftermath of Vietnam, are about the conflict between the soldier's need to develop a predatory, demonic spirit to survive in wartime and how that spirit, so hypermasculine and effective in war, is tragically in conflict with civilian life as the soldiers seem to enter a demonic world of no return. Jones' title story, reading like an autobiographical essay, is about a man who tries to make that return and salvage his life and save it from nihilism. Unlike Krebs in Hemingway's "Soldier's Home," the narrator finds at least some kind of love (he loves his dogs) as he courageously lives on with his deep psychic war scars. About a half dozen stories in the collection develop this same theme, all with power and unflinching brutality.

Gripping, forceful, hallucinatory collection by a writer fully in control of his craft. One of the best story collections ever.

The best of these stories, "The Pugilist at Rest," "Mosquitos," and "A White Horse" dramatize men who are trapped in misguided notions of masculinity, through their fighting prowess and the acquisition of money and power. The men endure severe growing pains as they realize that they have to redefine themselves if they are ever to find grace and redemption. I prefer this collection to Jones' more recent collections.

Thom Jones' first collection of short stories is a good one. Eleven stories are included in "The Pugilist at Rest" and they average about 20 pages per story. The first three stories are brilliant Vietnam War stories (the best being the title story) on par with the best writing of this genre (see Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" or Larry Brown's "Dirty Work" for example). These stories are engaging and occasionally graphic and the writing of such quality that the reader is pulled into the story. The remaining eight stories are relationship stories (lovers, friends, family) with the two most moving centered around debilitating illnesses (cancer and alcoholism). "I Want To Live" is a powerful story about a woman's effort to survive cancer as she contemplates death and beyond(the narrator's agnostic viewpoint makes this story even more painful) and the collection closes with a boxer dealing with his trainer's alcoholism. Many of these stories involve boxers (both those in the ring and those on leashes), epilepsy, alcohol, and philosophy. This collection is thought-provoking and well-worth reading. One of the better short story collections I have read. Highly Recommended.

I practically devoured this book. A co-worker, an English major and writer, and I were swapping recommended books and I bought a copy of "The Pugilist at Rest" for her because I couldn't bear to part with my own copy. While the Viet Nam-based stories reminded me of Tim O'Brien, the rest was pure Jones. His ability to write in such disparate voices is nothing short of amazing. In my not-so-humble opinion, Thom Jones is the best American writer working today.

his collection of 11 stories starts with a trilogy of Vietnam war era stories--which are easily the best of the lot. It's also some of the best Vietnam fiction out there. In the other stories, Jones does imagine vivid and distinct characters (some of which reappear), but I personally found it hard to sympathize with many of them--which is probably why I ultimately didn't find this book as fulfilling as many other people did. For all the talk of the stories being "raw," and "full or rage," and "dark," well... maybe if you're only used to reading mainstream fiction. Many of stories link to epilepsy (which I gather Jones has), boxing, and philosophy. It's all too Henry Rollinsish for me.

If you're a foreigner who has read about how Americans are gun crazed...and you want to see how they've actually absorbed this into their literary aesthetics...read it!

Vulgarity is an integral part of contemporary American fiction...I'll stick with my Proust.