Women: A Novel

for a long time i've resisted reading bukowski becuase i sort of thought it might be a bit adolescent . How wrong can you be .This was superb honest and moving .A real account of real relationships and real existence. It's also very funny at points . The narrator chinski is unfailingly honest about himself and the live he leads which stops the book becoming a series of macho conquests .The women give as good as they get in the main and chinski comes across as less of an aggressor and more of a victim of his own desires (as men in real life generally are ) He also allows himself to be very vulnerable, which is what is missing from almost all literary novels .The authors have the technique down....but not the desire to show themselves in all their disgusting, faded ,glorious, human detail . After reading this i went on to read 'Factotum' , 'Love is a dog from hell and other poems' and 'Ham on rye'. All were quite superb ...particularly ' Ham on rye '. It's been a very long time since i've discovered a writer who makes me want to read book after book ..... and also effects the way you see life . You begin to understand through bukowski that the pain we all feel at times in life, is not some terrible thing fate has singled us out to suffer.... but is a part of life to be accepted. In cocnclusion, I'd give it 6 stars if i could.....

Love Bukowski’s writing. Slightly disturbed that he admits to rape in this book. But it was a different time. I guess. I mean, we kinda let Washington slide on the whole slavery thing, so why not rape from a great writer? Idk. I don’t make the rules. Still a good read tho.

Let's start off by saying...Wow. This book was a rollercoaster! I first heard of this book when I watched a behind the scenes documentary on one of my favorite shows, Californication. It was mentioned that Henry Chilaski, main character in the book, was the model for the show's hank Moody. After I read the book, I could not agree more. nail, coffin, done. The book has a no holds barred atmosphere. Not a few pages in and Henry Chilaski is in a whirlwind of violation drinking, drugs and constant sexual encounters. I found myself sympathizing with the Chilaski character as the story goes on. In moments of the book it reminded me of parts of my life. It has a way off pulling you in and then slamming your fingers in the door. Bukowski's renegade and raw approach to writing is known world wide and this book does not hold any punches. It's fast and full of life. I read it in a two night sitting and it left me yearning for more. This book is definitely worth the pick up. It's funny, charming, entertaining, dismissive, angry and rude all rolled into one. I hope you have as much fun with it, as I did.

In reading this book, I'm reminded that much of real life truly is 'dirty'. But being 'dirty' is not necessarily a bad thing. People have to seek out their own bailiwick. Contrary to what you might think, this book has a pretty serious moral message embedded in all the raucous behavior. In fact, I came full circle to the conclusion that the women portrayed in the novel were actually using Henry Chinaski more than Chinaski was using them. I mean, exactly why would a nice looking young lady hunt down an old, ugly, fat poet and sleep with him? Who is kidding who here? And I'm reading this book right after hearing the absurd news that Mick Jagger has supposedly slept with over 4000 women. Now someone explain to me who is cheaper, the women throwing themselves at Jagger or Jagger himself. Well maybe a little bit of both in Jagger's case. But with this book by Bukowski, at least you can follow along with the perverted logic. I would challenge Jagger to explain himself. But the point is, life is exactly like this. The fun and games happen before you grow up and the older you get the dirtier everything becomes, till you are primed and ready for a permanent dirt nap. You are born in stink and you will die in stink so you might as well enjoy the trip.

I've concluded that most people who discovered Charles Bukowski in their teenage years eventually grow out of the old crank. The few readers who don't go the other way and come to idolize Bukowski even more. When I was 17 or 18, I went on a Bukowski binge, reading "Post Office," "South of No North" and "Factotum" in about a week. This was around the same time that the movie "Barfly" came out. (The picture stars Mickey Rourke in what remains his best performance as Bukowski's alter ego, Henry Chinaski.) Bukowski then wrote a novel about the moviemaking experience in "Hollywood," which I also read a few years after the initial Bukowski binge. (For the record, I haven't been exposed to any of Bukowski's poetry.) Well, now twenty years have passed, and I decided to revisit a writer who played a role in my formative years and picked up "Women," which, like many of Bukowski's novels features his stand-in, Chinaski, the former postal worker turned poet and novelist. I can't say I was disappointed by "Women," because I knew what to expect going in. That said, the semi-autobiographical work just didn't connect with me on the same level as the books that I remember from decades ago. This could be for a number of reasons. First, Bukowski works better in short doses. "Post Office" was a breezy, hilarious read. "Women" comes in at almost 300 pages, and quickly turns repetitive. It's basically the same story told 20 times: Chinaski meets a much younger woman, beds her, they argue, break up, get back together, break up again, with lots of drinking and gambling in between. Second, Bukowski/Chinaski was a better read when he was a struggling writer. In "Women," Chinaski has achieved a small amount of fame, so the reader has to put up with endless poetry readings in the narrative. Third, and perhaps most important of all, Bukowski's ranting and raving might strike a chord with younger readers, but to more mature readers, he just comes across as a really mean old man. In short, Bukowski is the same, but I've changed.

Love Bukowski! I've read his books over and over for the last 40+ years, needed to replace a few!

Bukowski describes life pure and simple. He's not overly self-aware, not trying to write a flowery literary classic. Doesn't spend 3,000 words describing a sunset, or the expression on a person's face. He cuts to the chase. He's not one of those writers that you have to re-read a paragraph several times to get what he's saying. All of his novels that I've read are memorable (Ham on Rye, Post Office, Hollywood, Factotum), but "Women" is among my favorites. A must read for any Bukowski fan. For a reader looking to give Bukowski a try, I'd start with "Ham on Rye" or "Factotum". This book is very sexually graphic and not for anyone under 16-17. If it were a movie it would be rated R or beyond. I gave it 4 stars because it is imminently readable and engaging, but not an American classic or anything life-changing.

I've read this twice and it's just fantastic. I love his poetry but this book is great too and has the same blunt and beautiful style as the poetry. The crazy women in this book and the alcoholic life of the protagonist are gritty and hilarious. It's a long meandering story without a real plot other than the endless string of girlfriends the famous poet manages to acquire even though he's old and a hopeless drunk. I wonder how much of it was true... a lot I bet.

This is his Greatest BOOK / Writing Ever Period. My only issue is with silly stupid cover, I so wish they ( Amazon ) had the orginal Paperback Version or a better looking and more Regal format of this Book and the others, Instead of this wierd silly Neon Version and small typo form of Books. Someday I will own a copy ( Brown Color Version of Women that I saw depicted in a film recently ) of the orginal print of this Book..... With the signature of Charles Bukowski Inside.

I’ll be honest. Not much of a reader my self (probably read 4 books in my whole life), but this is a great book, from a great author. Couldn’t stop reading (took 10 days), very entertaining and easy to read. Totalmente recomendable.

Que du bonheur, Bukowski dans tout son art. Attention, ici, le livre est un peu "différent" : le livre est très sexe. Il parle et décrit quelques femmes qui ont partagé son lit.. euh sa vie. Il tire à vue sur tout ce qui bouge tout en étant exquis dans les détails !

Uma leitura muito fácil.Cômico em muitos momentos e uma dura realidade em outros. Demonstra muito bem o significado do provérbio: "No free lunch" e como mesmo assim, você pode manter um bom humor perante situações difíceis.

Es una novela que te mete en el personaje y si eres hombre te puedes encontrar deseando tener un poco de su vida, solo mujeres y alcohol. Con forme avanza el libro se puede apreciar como los personajes vienes y van y como algunos trascienden más en la vida de Henry que otros. No solo el personaje crece uno como lector también. Una novela que recomendaría ampliamente.