Oil!
by Upton Sinclair
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Book Reviews of Oil!
Book Review: Great Story - Easy to Read
Summary: 5 Stars
After the first chapter this book takes off. The story chronicles the tale of a father and son. Or is it the story of oil development in Southern California, or perhaps a the story which pits labor vs. business? Well it is all of that and much more. His tale is finely woven with elements from early parts of the story coming back which wraps the story very tightly. This authors style reminds me very much of James Michener. For me when a story is good I am able to imagine the actors that would portray the parts. In this story I imagined Brian Denehy as the father and Matt Dillon as the son. To keep the story fictitious the author uses "Angel City" and vicinity as the setting, but you easily convert all of Southern California in your mind. Since the story is very much about a father and son relationship, I see this a very male oriented book. But there are also themes of greed, love, jealousy, and alturisum. It will now be interesting to see the movie. UPDATE: I saw the movie and it didn't even come close in doing justice to the book, the book is soooooo much better.Book Review: Book/film
Summary: 4 Stars
It must be pointed out that the film-makers of There Will Be Blood were INSPIRED by the book, they didn't suggest that the film was actually BASED on the book, therefore the movie and novel are different. I haven't as yet, seen the movie , but I did enjoy the novel, and I'm glad to see it is in print.
Sinclair can tell a good story, even though he didn't write books just to tell a story.
H G Wells was another one of those "message to spread" writers, denouncing those who thought of a novel as a mere form relaxation, or just an entertainment. A lot of his "message/topical novels are now unread. (In fact, it is mostly his entertainments, like the science fiction tales, that are read/in print today).
The same may apply to Sinclair, but even despite of a tendency to "lecture" he can still tell a good story, while concurrently giving the capitalists a bashing,(one of his favorite themes).
Book Review: Highly Entertaining!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought "Oil" because I really enjoyed "The Jungle." I didn't expect the book to be like the movie (which I personally thought was boring and pointless, but that's beside the point) and I wasn't disappointed. "Oil" is much more interesting in its complexity; the father in the book is neither a villian nor a hero, he just wants to do the "right thing" according to his own set of morals ... and he is not helped by his son, who questions everything as young people just beginning to discover the "world beyond the front porch" often do. Upton Sinclair does an excellent job of character development and expertly weaves together the lives of his many characters -- including one millionaire who lives with his actress girlfriend in a mansion high on a hill overlooking Pacific Ocean; methinks this person was loosely based on a real-life newspaper magnate? :-)Book Review: Somewhat puzzling
Summary: 3 Stars
Yes, I am one of those that read the book after seeing the movie. And overall,
I didn't think it was that bad. In particular, the first quarter (on which the movie
is based) is a well-told story with memorable characters and events. The problem
with the remainder of the book is that it becomes progressively more like a
recruiting pamphlet for the Socialist Party. Sinclair makes many good points,
but does so in a heavy-handed manner. As the book progresses, the world
becomes increasingly more black and white. The second half is an unequivocal
indictment of capitalism, and near glorification of the Russian Revolution. We
all know how that turned out...
Book Review: Enjoyable Story from 80 Years Ago
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great fictional story based on the real life of Edward Doheny, who was from my home town of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Doheny was a larger than life character and is well known in California.
I somehow missed reading any of Upton Sinclair's work over the years and now I know what I have missed. This is a fast moving story that tells of the early years, and greed, of the oil industry. Sinclair's descriptions are so real that I can smell the orange groves and the oil from a gusher and his characters are portrayed as real people. This is a very informative and enjoyable read. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the oil industry in California.