Rating: 
Summary: In a class by itself
Review: "Miss Lonelyhearts" is not like anything else in literature (at least in fiction): it's really short, and it covers everything. Everything you need to know is there. It's my short answer to people who ask why I read "books like that"."Day of the Locust" is one of the best novels written this century, and one of the greatest pieces of satire ever written. Too bad West died fairly young and didn't leave much. His other stuff (Balso Snell and Cool Million) are good but not up to the level of these two.
Rating:
Summary: Two American classics in one book
Review: A car accident took the life of Nathanael West when he was 37 years old, cutting off the career of a most original, talented writer, who might have been one of our venerated 20th century literary heroes if he had lived. These two short novels are perhaps the best of his tragically brief opus. They have to be reviewed separately, even if this book combines both of them. "God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son !" I'm not puttin' you on, though, MISS LONELYHEARTS has got to be one of the best American novels ever written and it's only 58 pages long. The language is so electric that it reminds you of the Nobel Prize-winning Toni Morrison. The style is so simple that it recalls Richard Brautigan. And the theme is so universal that you'll recall William Faulkner, another Nobelist. This all in the space of a few pages. If West had lived in the 80s or 90s, he would have been an instant wonder of literature. Or maybe he still would have sunk like a stone in the sea of junk. Never mind punditry. If you ever liked amazing tales of dreams, fights, sex, bold symbolic imagery, confusion, and despair, this novel is for you ! Miss Lonelyhearts is an alcoholic man who writes the "lonely hearts" column in a New York newspaper. He wishes to alleviate the pain in the mass of people "out there", but he cannot stop from causing pain to all those around him, nor most of all, to himself. Do not fail to read this book ! "Dream Factory Produces Mostly Nightmares" Every dog must have his day, but that day would be positively industrious compared to those that fill the lives of dronish hangers-on in Hollywood that populate THE DAY OF THE LOCUST. Tilt 1930s America on its side and every loose cannon bounces its way down to Los Angeles in search of X. Most books on Hollywood or the film industry concentrate on glamor, power, and money, not to mention sex and perversions thereof. West's short novel takes a look at all those who didn't realize their dreams, who didn't even know what exactly their dreams were, or who were too stupid, naive, or drunk to do anything about them. Then there are all those who lived off the dreamers, the people for whom a quick buck or a quick encounter were everything. The book ends in total nightmare; no end to the scream. Life without substance is not much of a life. West never stoops so low as to lecture us about "family values". Another powerful novel in a small-size package. Dynamite.
Rating:
Summary: You have helped me Miss Lonelyhearts
Review: A short novel that gets to the really important questions in life pondered by both the young as well as the seasoned traveller both restless and lost in the woods. This book had an profound emotional impact on me similar to a hammer blow to the head: quick and effective. One philosophical question that the is raised for me is the why evil, pain and suffering exists in the world. That there is no convincing answer you may find depressing or rationally pessimistic depending on your outlook. I plan to read it again and was sad that it was so short as it was an emotional journey that nevertheless was worth travelling even though there are no answers to Miss Lonelyhearts dillema. As Miss Lonelyhearts says: even if I quit my job and not read the painful letters I will never forget that I read them. You read this book you will not forget Highly recommended
Rating: 
Summary: Easy Read with Insight!
Review: Although I have not read "The Day of the Locust," I did use "Miss Lonelyhearts" for a senior essay. It is very short novel (more of a novella, I suppose), but one that literature lovers are sure to drink up like mad. Best of all, readers will walk away with a deeper appreciation of life. The book follows Miss Lonelyhearts (but who else?), a male advice columnist who falls into a depression, egged on by the pitiable letters of his followers. Even though his actions may make you question his morals, Miss Lonelyhearts still triumphs in capturing our attention. Through his miserable life--which, in fact, could be any one of ours--we learn what the purpose of exisiting really is. Try this. If you end up despising "Miss Lonelyhearts," you can always read "Locust." Love it or hate it, this novel will undoubtedly get you thinking, wondering, pondering. Carpe diem!
Rating:
Summary: Easy Read with Insight!
Review: Although I have not read "The Day of the Locust," I did use "Miss Lonelyhearts" for a senior essay. It is very short novel (more of a novella, I suppose), but one that literature lovers are sure to drink up like mad. Best of all, readers will walk away with a deeper appreciation of life. The book follows Miss Lonelyhearts (but who else?), a male advice columnist who falls into a depression, egged on by the pitiable letters of his followers. Even though his actions may make you question his morals, Miss Lonelyhearts still triumphs in capturing our attention. Through his miserable life--which, in fact, could be any one of ours--we learn what the purpose of exisiting really is. Try this. If you end up despising "Miss Lonelyhearts," you can always read "Locust." Love it or hate it, this novel will undoubtedly get you thinking, wondering, pondering. Carpe diem!
Rating:
Summary: The Days of Crushed Hopes
Review: As I was reading The Day of the Locust, I found myself noticing the similarities between 1930's and present day Hollywood. The main observation I made was of ambitious people heading out to Hollywood expecting to become a star, and failing at their dream. This book depicts those failed experiences, and is honest about living with the torment of unfulfilled dreams. The main character, Tod, has had all sorts of weird encounters, and he still thrives. The superficiality of Hollywood has the power to humble a person. Despite changes in his friends, Tod manages to remain true to himself, and most importantly, sane. This brilliant effort on the part of Nathaneal West, showing how life goes on despite broken hope, kept me enthralled.
Rating:
Summary: when tragedy becomes hilarity
Review: Both Miss Lonelyhearts and The Day of the Locust are miserable stories about optimism crushed by the heartlessness of the real world. Miss Lonelyhearts sees a good-hearted man overwhelmed by his required, professional commission over the desperate squawks of the truly hopeless. People write anonymous letters outlining their most unspeakable unhappiness and literally plead with the faceless voice writing an entertainment column for a local tabloid to solve the urgent emptiness of their lives, usually with trite, hopeful cliches. Miss Lonelyhearts himself is hardly better off than his readers, a young guy unwilling to commit to anything and therefore mostly confused and unhappy. Here is a brush with the underside of hopeful reality: those despensing advice are often just as wayward as those most in desperate need of any sort of help. As the cries get louder and human outlook become completely mundane Miss Lonelyhearts finds himself both unwilling and unable to muster even the faintest idea of concern. He even suggests suicide to one reader if only to get himself fired from his hateful job. As with everything else, he is unsuccessful. The Day of the Locust is a different sort of monster. Here is a story so harsh, so utterly hopeless and bleak that it is easy to overlook how grounded in reality it truly is. Take this story out of its 1930s historical context and the face of the tale would not change. Here is a story of the dreamers flocking to Hollywood usually with unrealistic and terrifyingly desperate hopes of their own future success. These dreams are not even well thought out, based solely on the unreal idea of a 'celebrity culture' entertainment press and studio propaganda build around their handful of stars. But here everyone believes in their own superstardom, everyone imagines their buried talents becoming public property and every ranging idea they have is absorbed into the unreality of their increasingly hopeless dreams. Even the parody of Hollywood cults is contemporary, of these flighty ideas that the desperate flock to when things aren't going their way; these opportunistic religions, translated today into Scientology, Kabbalah and several other currently in vogue practices that ravage the West Coast nightlife in a mingle of true faith and a drug-induced party atomosphere. Is The Day of the Locust an exaggeration, exploiting legitimate weaknesses in character in the name of satire? Perhaps, although I tend to think of it as a much truer picture of those not quite making it, of those growing tired from their ceaseless efforts and daily failures and how they rattle apart under the pressure of their dreams. This book is honestly one of my favorite of all books, all its brutality, misery and cruelty notwithstanding. It paints a very delicate picture of the fragile human soul being consumed with reckless abandon by the self-serving greed of all aspirants who need to somehow make themselves greater than they are. There are all sorts of psychological explanations one could give to explain away this horror, but even this becomes sort of cultish at its extreme, some terrible excuse that ignores individual human motive. West has written a masterpiece undermining all of these futile ideologies while at the same time telling a swift-moving, entertaining story about something given birth to by the American cult of celebrity. A very important and perpetually lasting fable, The Day of the Locust is happening every day.
Rating:
Summary: when tragedy becomes hilarity
Review: Both Miss Lonelyhearts and The Day of the Locust are miserable stories about optimism crushed by the heartlessness of the real world. Miss Lonelyhearts sees a good-hearted man overwhelmed by his required, professional commission over the desperate squawks of the truly hopeless. People write anonymous letters outlining their most unspeakable unhappiness and literally plead with the faceless voice writing an entertainment column for a local tabloid to solve the urgent emptiness of their lives, usually with trite, hopeful cliches. Miss Lonelyhearts himself is hardly better off than his readers, a young guy unwilling to commit to anything and therefore mostly confused and unhappy. Here is a brush with the underside of hopeful reality: those despensing advice are often just as wayward as those most in desperate need of any sort of help. As the cries get louder and human outlook become completely mundane Miss Lonelyhearts finds himself both unwilling and unable to muster even the faintest idea of concern. He even suggests suicide to one reader if only to get himself fired from his hateful job. As with everything else, he is unsuccessful. The Day of the Locust is a different sort of monster. Here is a story so harsh, so utterly hopeless and bleak that it is easy to overlook how grounded in reality it truly is. Take this story out of its 1930s historical context and the face of the tale would not change. Here is a story of the dreamers flocking to Hollywood usually with unrealistic and terrifyingly desperate hopes of their own future success. These dreams are not even well thought out, based solely on the unreal idea of a 'celebrity culture' entertainment press and studio propaganda build around their handful of stars. But here everyone believes in their own superstardom, everyone imagines their buried talents becoming public property and every ranging idea they have is absorbed into the unreality of their increasingly hopeless dreams. Even the parody of Hollywood cults is contemporary, of these flighty ideas that the desperate flock to when things aren't going their way; these opportunistic religions, translated today into Scientology, Kabbalah and several other currently in vogue practices that ravage the West Coast nightlife in a mingle of true faith and a drug-induced party atomosphere. Is The Day of the Locust an exaggeration, exploiting legitimate weaknesses in character in the name of satire? Perhaps, although I tend to think of it as a much truer picture of those not quite making it, of those growing tired from their ceaseless efforts and daily failures and how they rattle apart under the pressure of their dreams. This book is honestly one of my favorite of all books, all its brutality, misery and cruelty notwithstanding. It paints a very delicate picture of the fragile human soul being consumed with reckless abandon by the self-serving greed of all aspirants who need to somehow make themselves greater than they are. There are all sorts of psychological explanations one could give to explain away this horror, but even this becomes sort of cultish at its extreme, some terrible excuse that ignores individual human motive. West has written a masterpiece undermining all of these futile ideologies while at the same time telling a swift-moving, entertaining story about something given birth to by the American cult of celebrity. A very important and perpetually lasting fable, The Day of the Locust is happening every day.
Rating:
Summary: Undiluted sensationalism!
Review: I had a hard time trying to decide on my rating for Miss Lonelyhearts. I liked it a lot, but in the end, I have a hard time figuring out what it all meant. The book worked on as a slice of life tale, or as an introduction into the mind of the main character (and the author?). However, when I complete a novel, I like to ruminate on the driving message behind the tale, and in this instance, I just could not locate one. Lack of an overall message notwithstanding, I was hooked on this story from the first chapter. Like The Great Gatsby, this novel is an excercise in brevity. It says what it has to say and draws the curtain on the tale. This book is not for you if you shy from the baser things in life. If you buy your bedding based on the threadcount, you're probably too tender for this hard-hitting novel of life on the edge. However, if you're as comfortable sleeping on the couch or the floor as you are in a bed, then you'll feel right at home as you read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Two nearly perfect short novels
Review: Just before his tragically young death, Nathanael West wrote a friend that he was confident his best work was in front of him. The genius and brilliance of these two remarkable short novels make that prospect seem unspeakably tragic. As it is, these two works have been sufficient to cement West's reputation as one of America's great literary talents of the 1930s. MISS LONELYHEARTS is perhaps the more highly acclaimed of the two, though many find THE DAY OF THE LOCUST perhaps even more entertaining. Either way, this volume contains two of the most remarkable short novels in American literary history. Nathanael West was an exceptionally dense writer, in that his pages contain no wasted words, no needless characters, and no pointless characters. Every sentence, every word, every comma plays an essential role in his work. Both works are distilled to their most concentrated form. As a result, although they are highly readable and brief, they contain far more content than even much longer books. Both of the books are littered with moments of devastating power. In MISS LONELYHEARTS, these are more intimate, deeply personal, miniature scenes. The same is true of THE DAY OF THE LOCUST, though it ends with one of the greatest crowd scenes this side of Tolstoy's WAR AND PEACE. The riot scene ending the novel is so vivid, so clearly presented, so terrifying that one might legitimately argue that it is the greatest crowd scene in literature. On the other extreme, the opening letters at the beginning of MISS LONELYHEARTS are as heartbreaking as anything in literature. They are worthy of comparison with the most horrific examples of suffering that Ivan in THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (a book that Miss Lonelyhearts reads and West loved) comes up with when talking with his brother Alyosha. These are not happy books. West was one of the foremost spokesmen for pessimism of the early 20th century. At the time of his death, however, he was working on a novel that, he claimed, was far less negative and dealt with 'the Milk of Human Kindness.' But in these two, the misery of individual lives and the ultimate meaningless of the lives of all the characters can depress some readers. There are no admirable characters, no one that we can pull for sympathetically. There are, however, some astonishingly vivid characters'Miss Lonelyhearts, his editor Shrike, Tod Hackett, Faye Greener, or Homer Simpson (Matt Groening has indicated awareness of that character). But if one can handle the unrelieved tragedy and the hopelessness that pervade West's pages, one will find these to be two gloriously original and unique masterpieces.
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