Stewart S. (StewartScofield) reviewed The Fortress of Solitude (Vintage Contemporaries) on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
An extraordinary journey into the world of a teenager as he attempts to navigate the conflicts between reality and fantasy, between gang life on the streets of Brooklyn and expectations and pressures from parents. I was hooked by the first chapter.
Janet V. (Perplexia) reviewed The Fortress of Solitude (Vintage Contemporaries) on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
An absorbing, never-really-coming-of-age novel which traces the intertwined lives of two young boys in pre-gentrified Brooklyn. Heartbreaking insights into just what exactly the "school of hard knocks" knocks into people.
Helpful Score: 2
This is one of the most emotionally jarring books I have ever read. A true coming of age novel that ends beautifully. Each page is dripping with vivid description, Lethem really knows of which he rights, and this is most certainly his semi-autobiographical offering.
One critique, I had an especially hard time with it in the beginning. Don't expect a page-turning plot. He spends a lot of time describing the thoughts and mood of pre-gentrified 1970s Brooklyn. Don't get discouraged. If you let it, this book will absorb you and you will be left thinking about it for weeks.
One critique, I had an especially hard time with it in the beginning. Don't expect a page-turning plot. He spends a lot of time describing the thoughts and mood of pre-gentrified 1970s Brooklyn. Don't get discouraged. If you let it, this book will absorb you and you will be left thinking about it for weeks.
Helpful Score: 1
I really liked the idea of the book from the description, but it was very slow to start, and never picked up the pace. I enjoyed what I read, but lost interest.
Helpful Score: 1
I picked this book up since I really loved his first book "Motherless Brooklyn" which was funny, well written, and vivid. What a dissappointment "Fortress of Solitude " was in comparison. Though Fortress accurately captures the Brooklyn vibe of growing up in a rough area during the 1970s, it was a tougher read and not as engaging.
