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This Boy's Life: A Memoir
by: Tobias Wolff

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780802136688
ISBN: 0802136680
Label: Grove Press
Manufacturer: Grove Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: 2000-03
Publisher: Grove Press
Sales Rank: 14143
Studio: Grove Press

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
This unforgettable memoir, by one of our most gifted writers, introduces us to the young Toby Wolff, by turns tough and vulnerable, crafty and bumbling, and ultimately winning. Separated by divorce from his father and brother, Toby and his mother are constantly on the move, yet they develop an extraordinarily close, almost telepathic relationship. As Toby fights for identity and self-respect against the unrelenting hostility of a new stepfather, his experiences are at once poignant and comical, and Wolff does a masterful job of re-creating the frustrations and cruelties of adolescence. His various schemes - running away to Alaska, forging checks, and stealing cars - lead eventually to an act of outrageous self-invention that releases him into a new world of possibility.

Amazon.com Review:
Fiction writer Tobias Wolff electrified critics with his scarifying 1989 memoir, which many deemed as notable for its artful structure and finely wrought prose as for the events it describes. The story is pretty grim: Teenaged Wolff moves with his divorced mother from Florida to Utah to Washington State to escape her violent boyfriend. When she remarries, Wolff finds himself in a bitter battle of wills with his abusive stepfather, a contest in which the two prove to be more evenly matched than might have been supposed. Deception, disguise, and illusion are the weapons the young man learns to employ as he grows up--not bad training for a writer-to-be. Somber though this tale of family strife is, it is also darkly funny and so artistically satisfying that most readers come away exhilarated rather than depressed.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Obama Voter
When I encounter a dull book like this one that begs a reader's indulgence but offers nothing in exchange, that bores until the face hurts from yawning, I naturally assume the author is an Obama voter. But wait, now, wait. Let this special brand of author explain in his own words what I mean.

I quote the car-pooler, Toby, "When I see someone being rude to a waiter, or blocking the road in a Ford Expedition, or yakking loudly on a cell phone in a crowded elevator, I naturally assume they voted for George W. Bush." (Observer, Nov 16, 2008) And, in a forgeign newspaper. What a snake.

Toby's goofy comment suggests to me that the author has a mental disorder or, to quote Ford Expedition owners, "there's a screw loose."

But, if you want to be published and celebrated in the US, you have to sell your soul to the devil, which is an easy bargain when you are a self-aggrandizing, ... Read More

Rating:

- Must read if you saw the movie
I have seen the movie over and over and love it each time. It was great to read the actual events that happen and note what Hollywood produced. If you liked the movie the book is a must!

Rating:

- Stark portrait of life
Generally the type of book you'd read as a school assignment. Very period - in 50's, I think. Sad story of life as the child of a single mom who marries someone she thinks would be adequate father, even though she knew he wouldn't be a good husband. Not so! Somewhat happy ending....recommend reading if you love to read well-written stories, but definately a downer!

Rating:

- Intriguing...
The memoir is intriguing. Any male who reads this can, at some point, relate to the follies, plunders, and disappointments Wolff encounters during his adolescence. It is explicit and candid making for an interesting read.

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