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Title: The Monkey Wrench Gang
ISBN: 0072434244
Author:
Edward Abbey
Publicate Date: 2000-07
Publish: 2000-07
List Price: $15.65
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $13.61
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $4.00
Amazon Merchant Price: $15.65
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Transgressional Fiction at it's Best.
Easily Edward Abbey's most brilliant of works... The Monkey Wrench Gang hits on all cylinders. If you're a fan of the ramblings of Bret Easton Ellis or the visionary worlds of Chuck Palahniuk then stop right now and add this book to your shopping cart; you won't be dissapointed.
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2: Evergreen of Desert Lit
This novel is a great companion to a Four Corners vacation. You can visit all the places that Edward Abbey's tale of eco-mayhem takes his characters and, if you're intrepid, get in some challenging hikes. Even though Abbey is having fun here, the novel sizzles with his righteous indignation about the inroads of construction and exploitation on the desert wilderness.
I loved his characters--nurse Bonnie Abbzug (a tribute to Bella?), surgeon Doc Sarvis, the many-wived Seldom Seen Smith, and deranged Vietnam vet George Hayduke. Pursued by their nemesis the (Mormon) Bishop of Blanding, Mike Love, they're a little like Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters with moral intent.
The new paperback with an intro by historian Douglas Brinkley and a timeline of Abbey's life (which ended in 1989) demonstrates the relevance of this work for contemporary audiences. Last time I looked, the Glen Canyon Dam was standing, but Abbey would be pleased that there's still talk of tearing it down.
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3: Where the hell do all these people come from?
I hadn't read Monkey Wrench Gang for 15+ years, and I don't know why, but back then I kind of blew it off. Re-reading it really surprised me. It may even be more timely now than then. Peabody Coal's descendants continue to rape the West(and anywhere else they can get their hands on), land is gobbled up for yuppie hives, planned communities, and SCD's(suburban cluster developments). While I don't totally agree with the Eco-Warrior ethos, Monkey Wrench Gang really got me thinking, and I've started renewing my old acquaintance with Ed Abbey, Wallace Stegner, & someone I've never lost touch with, Ivan Doig. Oh, by the way, this book was a serious page-turner....my vitals were elevated for quite a few pages.
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4: fantastic
The book on amazon was cheaper than at my college bookstore and local bookstores. Brand new, came in time, and all together fantastic service, plus the free shipping was nice.
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5: A Book to be Read Again and Again
I received a pre-publication copy of The Monkey Wrench Gang at an American Booksellers Convention and took it home, along with a lot of other freebies. A few weeks later, my teenage son said to me, "Mom, you have GOT TO READ THIS BOOK!" This was 30 years ago. I read it then, and I have read it at least once a year since then, so that the characters have become my good friends. I love this book, and over the years I have given copies to many people. I grew to love Ed Abbey, too, through biographies about him, and I wept and grieved at his death.
Yes, buy this book and see for yourself!
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