Independence Day

In this second novel of Richard Ford’s Frank Bascombe quartet, I was drawn further into the microcosm life and lifestyle of not only the man, but also the macrocosm of America – the environment and history that parallels the structure of his life. In this second novel Frank is experiencing what he ca......more

As much as I enjoyed The Sportswriter, I felt that this book was even better. Frank Bascomb is not in 1987 with a Vote Blue! bumpersticker on the Crown Vic(toria) rolling towards his mid-40s and the end of the Existence period. His wife (we finally learn her name is Ann) has moved to Deep Valley, Co......more

Another Home Run in the Frank Bascombe Series Okay, let me just say it: Richard Ford’s fictional alter ego, Frank Bascombe, seems more real to me than many people I know. How is this possible? In Independence Day, the second and most celebrated of his four Bascombe books – it won the Pulitzer Prize an......more

"To λυπηρό, φυσικά, με την ενήλικη ζωή είναι ότι διακρίνεις στον ορίζοντα να έρχονται πράγματα στα οποία δε θα προσαρμοστείς ποτέ. Τα αναγνωρίζεις ως προβλήματα, ανησυχείς στο έπακρο γι αυτά, προβλέπεις, παίρνεις προφυλάξεις και κάνεις διάφορες διευθετήσεις, λέγοντας στον εαυτό σου ότι πρέπει να αλ......more

Like Frank Bascombe, Ford's protagonist, I'm middle-aged and sometimes given to contemplation. And while I wouldn't consider Frank a role model, I do give top marks to the book. I give it bonus points for: - Inner thoughts that are meaningful and articulate--the kind that make you say, "Wish I'd thou......more