Rating: 
Summary: Stirring capture of human desire in turmoil
Review: I found this book well written but lacking direction. The author describes a man torn with the realities of life and trying to make sense of the life he is leading. Beautifully written vignettes of the characters despite what I said about the direction of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Possibly the best work of American fiction - ever
Review: I know this forum is not a place to cast aspersions but I've noticed something from reading through the previous reviews.This book could serve as a litmus test between the intelligent, thoughtful people you would like to know (those who liked the book) and the shallow, dull, easily confused individuals whom you should avoid. This is a work of genius. If you are at all literate and enjoy American fiction you will enjoy this book immensely.
Rating: 
Summary: A pleasant surprise
Review: I read Independence Day only because the bookstore didn't have The Sportswriter, and I was eager to see what Richard Ford was like. This was a laugh out loud book for me, but also one that I still think about frequently, over a year and a half after I read it. Until I read the other on-line reviews of Independence Day, I would have recommended it to anyone. I assumed everyone would love it as much as I did. Far from boring, I enjoyed reading it, did not find it too wordy, and really enjoyed the narrator's interaction with his son. Remember the basketball hall of fame museum? How about the batting cages? I also loved his interaction with his new girlfriend, the one he may or may not love. This novel was realistic and hopeful. I have yet to read The Sportswriter, but I am sure I will enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Literature, not popular fiction
Review: I laughed out loud, I stopped to think about what I had just read, I looked up some words in the dictionary, I paused to remember my college Emerson and Shakespeare when the author referenced them, I reflected on my marriage and my parenting, I highlighted areas in the text, I will recommend this to friends who are serious readers. It is a serious book and deserving of the honor bestowed by the Pulitzer committee.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst books I've ever read.
Review: This is the first time I've been so moved by a book that I've actually written a review. But I would advise others that like to read to transport yourself to another world -- don't read this book! I kept waiting for something to happen or for a plot to develop, but the clever (I guess) dialog of "everyday" life just went on and on. I couldn't relate to this character at all and found myself wanting to escape back to my own life. Just an opinion I wanted to share.
Rating: 
Summary: A long, weary slog.
Review: Tedious, overwritten and overlong, Independence Day tackles one great theme; the existential human predicament of 'being in the world in time' and misses the mark by miles. To centre one man's crisis around two or three relatively mundane situations is risk enough, and Ford is no E.M. Forster. He lacks the subtle judgement that Forster used to sustain the narrative structure and his use of language, though often clever and evocative disappears in a mire of inaction. This is a hard book to get through, partly because of backward nods in the direction of experimental fiction but mainly because of its length and lack of narrative pointers. Ford's descriptive talents are good and his characterization excellent, but character development over 450 pages isn't much of a challenge if that's all you're doing. Where's the novel?
Rating:
Summary: Awesome talent, wrong vehicle
Review: Ford is an impresario of the thesaurus. He has an exceptional command of the turn of phrase and mood setting device. When Independence Day picks up steam, it's hip, smooth exploration of the "Existence Period" touches a nerve of at least one "almost" middle-aged reader. It's critique on superficial American culture draws inspiration from an appropriate New Jersey setting. Ultimately, however, the book is a train to "nowhere." The insightful exploration of state of mind and stage of life becomes redundant and ultimately tedious. The comments of others on this page should be helpful. It's certain that Ford's prodigious talent has found a less cumbersome corpus in which to shine - the short story recommendations sound promising. Otherwise, I must agree with those whose ask, what were those Pulitzer judges smoking?
Rating:
Summary: Read ROCK SPRINGS, don't read this!
Review: I've read every book Richard Ford has published, I've read articles by him and heard him speak. I'll confess, he's one of my favorite authors. Independence day, however, doesn't cut it. There are some fair scenes in it, some great description, but the overall effect is less than the sum of its parts. Ford has always been a short story writer, not a novelist. And his writing had more fire in his youth. ROCK SPRINGS, in my opionion is one of the best volumes of short stories by an American writer this century. Ford is a better short story writer than Hemingway--or was--in his youth. (Of course Hemingway's written more stories but not of the quality found in Rock Springs.) As a novelist, Ford's never quite found the right story. WILDLIFE was better than INDEPENDENCE DAY, and a hell of a lot shorter. Ford is no longer hungry. Too many wine and cheese gatherings with the Iowa writer's set will do this to a man. I respect Ford though. Who knows, someday he might write the novel of the century. I wish him well.
Rating:
Summary: Wordy
Review: Arduous reading. And wordy-lordy! Maybe I just missed the comedy that is referenced in the reviews, but I didn't smile once. That's ok, but neither did I see any redemption. I'll grant you that it has insight, but it's bleak and depressing. Maybe I am at the wrong stage of my life (mid 30's, one 2 yr old) to sufficiently appreciate it. Also, I read it immediately after a Vonnegut novel (Bluebeard, which was pretty good), which is kind of anti-wordy and has more obvious humor, and so on.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: If you would prefer comedy without canned laughter, if you enjoy movies like Smoke or The Scent of Green Papaya, if you think the world could use a lot less Star Wars and a lot more Mingus, then this book may be for you. I'll read it again and again.
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