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Summary: Get out your Zoot Suit for a good old time of Ragtime
Review: I saw the musical first and throughly enjoyed it which encouraged me to read the book. I must admit, I thought that the book may lack, or make the musical look horrible. Luckily, neither happened.
Both musical and book were adapted to one another with courage, fear, love, hate etc in the characters. Each character was described so percisley they were like family or friends by the end for the reader.
The imagery expressed through Doctorow's words are plump and exotic to read. To put the cultures of white rich and black poor (it was set in times of segregation) as one proves the that Doctorow is an incredible writer. To be able to make the black persons be segregated but, seem not to be is incredible. The epic he wrote should be read by all. This literary work is a remarkable achievement.
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Summary: Simply the Best
Review: I first read Ragtime when it was published back in the 70's. I am rereading again, this is probably the 5th or 6th time.I love this book, the sense of period, the depth of character, the way three worlds intertwine with each other throughout the story (rich/white, tenament Jewish immigrant, black Harlem). I wish I could say I have enjoyed Mr. Doctorow's other books as well. I have read them all, hoping for another Ragtime, and though some are quite enjoyable, nothing he has written has come close to his masterpiece.
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Summary: Gently tinted lavender-pink, lemone and lime
Review: I'm actually taking a class based on this book, which is what got me interested in reading it. Umm..... the book is great, it's one of my new favorites, but i have to say that at the beginning, i couldn't stand Mother. She truely needed some kind of reality check. But, I highly suggest reading the book. It's kind of like a soap opera, only not as tacky.
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Summary: RagTime
Review: Ragtime is set at the turn of the century at a time when the country was undergoing many political, economical, and social changes. There are many historic characters introduced throught the novel including Houdini, Freud, J.P. Morgan, and Ford. However the main characters are eventually connected into the story. After reading Ragtime I have learned of the dificult situations the people had to live through, and of all their struggles. Life was hard back then, after the stock market crash of 1929, no one had any money. Our country was in a depression and there was no place for anyone to turn. This novel shows us that although times may get rough, and that maybe things will never be the same, but if you try your hardest and never give up then you can survive anything.
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Summary: Ragtime
Review: This book is great. It is not only a pure entertainment but also a great chunk of history. You can find all you need to complete yourself after reading The Great Gatsby. If you expected an every day boring story about the thirties, you will be dissappointed.
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Summary: Doctorow hates the Irish and the Irish dont need him!
Review: Doctorow must have carried a grudge against the Irish, they are always shown as horribly racist, cruel and stupid, as opposed to the morally, though naive, WASPS and the aspiring Jews and Blacks. Despite the fact that the Irish were also oppressed and led the Labor Movement, they only show up as agents of repression; cops, vicious firemen and the like. Its funny Doctorow tried to capture life at the turn of the century and inherenct racism in this country while espousing hiw own bigotry and ignoring the plight and triumph of Irish, catholics and other ethnic groups besides WASPS, Jews and Blacks. What a crock! The play is even worse for its portrayal of "Micks".
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Summary: A Beautifully-Written Story of the Early 1900's
Review: Ragtime has been made into a motion picture and a Broadway show, but the book surpasses both. It's the story of four families - wealthy, poor, black, and immigrant - in the New York of 1906. Doctorow weaves their stories into a tapestry of turn-of-the-century America. Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, and other notables stalk through the pages, and we are on the sidelines watching the grand scandal of the time, when a millionaire murders a famous architect over ex-chorus girl, Evelyn Nesbitt. The writing is so rich that you can almost hear Scott Joplin's music. It's an exceptional story and a pleasure to read.
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Summary: Scattered Look at the early 1900's
Review: Really scattered, connected yet disconnected, overview of life in the early part of the 20th century. Well researched, but did not lead me to care about the characters or what was happening to them.... they don't really grow as people....had to struggle to finish, simply because I was not compelled by the material.
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Summary: Thank God For Summer Reading Assignments
Review: I read "Ragtime" very reluctantly- I'm so glad I did. It is the best book I have ever read. Not too hard a read, but not too easy either, it was the perfect combination of humor and melencholy.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: This book wasn't bad from a fourteen year old's point of view. It was an easy read, but wasn't the most enjoyable book that is out there. I found it interesting and good though and you will also probably like this historical story by E.L. Docotrow.
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