Download Rule of the Bone A Novel Russell Banks 9780060927240 Books

Product details Paperback 390 pages Publisher HarperPerennial; Reprint edition (May 1996) Language English ISBN-10 0060927240

Rule of the Bone A Novel Russell Banks 9780060927240 Books Reviews

• Rule of the Bone is an intriguing field study into the human coping mechanism. Chappy, also known as Bone is a damaged young man. He is the product of a broken family, sexual abuse, drugs, and parental apathy. His story is one of self discovery, maturation, and the loss of innocence. With that said, I found Rule of the Bone a fairly engaging read, not without its difficulties. It is told from the perspective of an under educated, drug using 14 year old boy, so naturally the language itself is going to be a bit touchy. Rendered in a lengthy, run-on stream of consciousness style of writing, Rule of the Bone may lose you from time to time, and force you to stop, backtrack and reread to gain the proper understanding. It is not perfect, then again, it is not intended to be. Complain all you want about the style of writing, but Banks delivers the story how he intends to. He gets you into the head of Chappy/Bone, and thus give you the closest possible vantage. Was this the easiest book to get through? No. Do I think it provides us some important lessons about human growth, maturation, and the loss of innocence? Definitely. With that said, I recommend you give Rule of the Bone a read.
• As good as it gets. A homeless teenager, yes it is heart-hurting, copes with his wild and difficult life. He knows drugs, bikers - with and without bikes - abused children and their abusers, and a large hearted Rasta, in the process of getting through his days. He changes his name from Chapman to Bone in the course of all this. Bone is a fabulous boy, young man. All the time you spend with him is a gift. Very light humor, much sorrow, sweetness, change and courage shown. The best.
• Russell Banks has an amazing command of his fictional worlds. His ability to portray a wild range of characters leads to complex works where there are not easy answers to the questions about human nature that he poses. This novel seems to be an earlier version of Lost Memory of Skin in its depiction of a lost teen age boy. This novel is more focused on providing a variation of the traditional coming-of-age work. Subtle references to Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye add even more depth. With Banks the world is not a happy place, but he shows us how to survive.
• I love this novel. Just read it for the 3rd time in a span of many years. Tough, funny, tender, wonderfully developed characters, and story line that's wonderfully inventive and unpredictable.
• Fantastic read. It was interesting throughout, but the second half is where it really picked up steam for me. I-Man and The Bone are great characters, and there is much insight to be gleaned from a careful reading. I couldn't help but be reminded of A Clockwork Orange while reading this. Chappie is a juvenile delinquent, like Alex in Clockwork, and they even have similar ways of speaking. I loved it, and I'll be rereading it soon!
• A tour de force. I've read all of Mr. Bank's books and this is by far the best. The author submerges himself so thoroughly into the character of a 14 year old homeless boy it is eerie . . . and often hilarious. The journey, from upstate New York to Jamaica, the insane plot twists, by turns magical and poetic, lead -- unlike some of the author's other books -- to a beautifully satisfying ending.
  I've never read anything like it.
• Excellent - loved this book from the moment I read it years ago. One of the few books I re read. Have a hardcover first edition by my bed to flip through to random pages of genius. This should be up there with the all time great novels. Love it.
• Banks, a consummate writer, keeps the reader wanting more with every turn of the plot. The title character, a homeless teenager who struggles with adult moral questions and faces big disappointments with the failings of most people in his life, neverthless finds and recognizes his personal compass as he makes his way through almost picaresque adventures ... The ending is satisfying, but leaving the world of "Bones" is not. Highly recommended.