Reviews

The Deer Park by Norman Mailer

zoebeketova's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

uhhlexiconic's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Following a first person who simply isn't there for a good chunk of the novel, and given more to descriptions of scenes rather than scenes themselves, The Deer Park still works with bursts of insight into Hollywood and men in relationships. The humor in some of the scenes, particularly the ones where Mailer allows the characters to be present, is what I wish the whole novel had to offer. The women don't receive nearly the same craft as the men.

kingfan1993's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

nicoleiovino's review against another edition

2.0

I'm glad I read this, because now I will never, ever feel obligated to read anything by Norman Mailer ever again.

j_m_alexander's review against another edition

2.75

Sum it up in one quote: 

There is a no man's land between sex and love, and it alters in the night. We go to sleep convinced we are in one state, we awaken in the other, and murderous emotions patrol the ever-changing border.

Setting:
Palm Springs(y) area of California [Desert D'Or] in the era of the House Un-American Activities Committee; sort of a classy but trashy refuge for the amoral Hollywood set to get out of town [the Capital] and do what those with no real personality, but plenty of money do.

Primary Characters:
(1) Sergius O'Shaughnessy, a fighter pilot fresh out of the Air Force with an sudden influx of cash and no real direction crash lands (figuratively) in this resort town of drinks and debauchery. Maybe he'll write??? [portions of book are written from his first-person perspective]
(2) Charles "Charley" Eitle, a blacklisted major director that refused to name names who has his standards, his pride, a last refuge at his vacation home, and a budding screenplay. Likable enough, but perhaps willing to knuckle under to get his career back.
(3) Women, don't worry about them, none have much personality or depth, mostly needy, dependent and willing to participate in musical chairs of physical coupling. (yes, this book is rather misogynistic - product of the time? maybe. Still reads gross and degrading? yes.)

Final Impressions:
An evisceration of the Hollywood culture at the time written by a clearly great writer, but I don't know if it sticks, because I find even the best of characters to be somewhat amorphous, unlikable drifters just trying to get theirs. A big sweaty, sticky train-wreck of a bleh. Perhaps if it had a little more of a sense-of-humor and little less of a liquor-drenched cleverness. Falls into the category of I can appreciate it more than like it.

bookbar's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.0

mistermisslonelyhearts's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

4.0

leucocrystal's review against another edition

4.0

Wonderful. Marked so many passages throughout to return to later. Definitely among my favorites I've read from Mailer (so far). All the manner of ways in which we screwed up people are kidding ourselves.

abbimorrison's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

eleanorefrances's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for gorgeous contemplative ideas.

A raucous, reckless romp through 1950s Hollywood. I can’t help but feel it could have done with a serious edit (in his Appendix, Mailer explains he did a lot of this himself after several rejections of the manuscript).

It’s a very confusing, frustrating and altogether appallingly beautiful book. I just can’t hack the sentences that go on for what seems like an eternity. That is a stylistic preference, though, and not too much about the content, which is deeply intelligent. It’s the best holding-up-of-a-mirror to the vacuous moral black hole that is fame and fortune that I can ever remember reading.