I'll admit, I only read this book after having seen the movie. I've seen the movie numerous times and absolutely love it.

Having said that, I have to say I honestly prefer the movie. The movie and book are nothing alike and shouldn't even be compared to each other. As for the book...

I really enjoyed the story pace and the characters towards the first quarter of the book. I really enjoyed following the lives of Bunny and his father for the first part of the book. Once I realized the kind of man Bunny was becoming I began to lose interest. While I may not be politically active in many ways, I do believe in certain fundamental ethics. As Bunny grows into a man I was just disgusted with him on many levels for various reasons. The only people I felt any level of sympathy for was his father and Verne.

I can honestly say the only reason I finished reading the book was so I could see the downfall of Bunny. I won't give the ending away but I will say this; I would not recommend this book to anyone who believes the rewards for their hard work should be portioned out to those unwilling or unable to achieve the same level of success.

Having said all that, from a purely educational perspective it was a very intriguing read. The level of government corruption that was simply accepted, the obvious civil rights infringements, and the historical backdrop all are very well written and something worth taking into perspective.

I will say that I think it's a true testament to a writer to be able to create a character that readers can passionately hate. :)


"The problem with socialism is that you eventually, run out of other people's money." - Margaret Thatcher

Upton Sinclair was perhaps the first muckraker, and certainly one of the most reknowned authors of the early 20th century.

I bought this book after seeing There Will Be Blood. As the movie was exceptional, I thought there could be a good story behind it.

There is.

The handling of social issues was much more diverse than the movie "There Will Be Blood." The oil man is not nearly as bad in the book, but the industry is a pathetic mess.

I purchased the audiobook version of 'Oil', because I remembered enjoying reading 'The Jungle' in High School.

This was a good story, and even though it is set in Southern California in the 1920's the story largely transcends time. However, and this is a big however it was VERY detailed, so much so that it detracted from the story and was too long to listen to it (20+ hours). Go with the abridged version if it is available.

Though set in the California oil fields of the 1920s, the great Upton Sinclair's classic "Oil!" is as relevant and meaningful(aka "alarming" and "frightening")today as it was when it was written more than 80 years ago.

The characters are great, well written and well developed, coming off the pages in living technicolor. You get to know these people, care about some, empathize with few and dispise others.

But the issue, the real isue, is the buying of government and greed. Greed with a capital "G."

Read with John Grisham's latest, "The Appeal," (Judicial "justice" being bought and paid for in Mississippi--fiction there, truth in Alabama and all states where supreme court judges are elected), and looking at the tremendously obscene amounts of money spent on judicial, congressional and legislative races, there is enough to seriously raise questions about the fairness and openness of our government, national, state and local.

As for the greed part, look no further than Wall Street as it was when this book was written 80 years ago and as it is today.

The fact that 80 years have passed since this book was written sweetens the medicine as it goes down..but the poision is still there and it still goes down...

The more things change, the more they remain the same...