Post Office
1971 • 204 pages
Ratings54
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings54
Average rating3.7
"It began as a mistake." By middle age, Henry Chinaski has lost more than twelve years of his life to the U.S. Postal Service. In a world where his three true, bitter pleasures are women, booze, and racetrack betting, he somehow drags his hangover out of bed every dawn to lug waterlogged mailbags up mud-soaked mountains, outsmart vicious guard dogs, and pray to survive the day-to-day trials of sadistic bosses and certifiable coworkers. This classic 1971 novel—the one that catapulted its author to national fame—is the perfect introduction to the grimly hysterical world of legendary writer, poet, and Dirty Old Man Charles Bukowski and his fictional alter ego, Chinaski.
Reviews with the most likes.
Mostly what I've learned from reading this one is that I don't like Charles Bukowski. The man himself, not his books, though if this one is anything to go by that's true too. I've rarely seen such a disagreeable protagonist. No idea what people saw in this book. I thought Henry Chinaski was unlikable, but I also didn't think he was believable.
My first Bukowski novel. It was full of rage and good writing, cynicism and brief moments where the hero gets the upper hand. A good novel to relax to after a stressful day.
I realise that this is supposed to be a critique of society and so forth, but it doesn't stand out to me in any way. Read it in one go, but mainly because it's so short and very simply written; that is not a criticism, having just forced myself through a very dense SF book.
Easy to read, but I'm left with nothing, just meh. It really reminds me of another book, can't place it though
