A review by jwmcoaching
Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara

4.0

4 1/2 stars. The comparisons to The Great Gatsby are inevitable, even though the characters in this would be about a decade younger, considering the time period. What this really reminded me of was a darker, more menacing version of It's a Wonderful Life. Just imagine if the narrative perspective hadn't been from George Bailey's viewpoint and was, instead, from Mr. Potter's social strata. That comes closest to describing the tone and feel of this.

That being said, I really enjoyed this. It's a fairly easy read, but has considerable depth to it at the same time. The characters are written in a way that allows one to immediately see what kind of people they are and where they belong in the world around them. That world, the fictional Gibbsville, feels incredibly realized and the reader immediately feels like they are eavesdropping on an actual town instead of a fictional construct.