The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Executioner's Song
Book Review: Long Journey, but Worth it in the End
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an excellent true crime book, despite Mailer's verbosity and arrogant style. Gary Gilmore--a bright man who spent half his life in jail and eventually murdered two men in cold blood while on parole before being given a death sentance--is a fascinating example of a modern criminal. His life before his final crime and then his court battles to speed up his execution is an interesting case study and since this book is written like an extended newspaper article, it provides great insight. It also contains terrific accounts of the other tragic characters in Gilmore's life (his mother, father and girlfriend). The big fault of this book, of course, is its overwhelming length. There is no reason it needed to be over 1000 pages and after finishing it I was more than ready for it to be over. There is enough drama and action to keep the narrative flowing and to keep readers interested, but it isn't a book you can sit down and read in an afternoon, you will have to devote serious time and energy to finish it. I think the effort is worth it, but for people who do not want to commit to such an endeavor, do not read this book and buy the book by Mikal Gilmore (Gary's younger brother) or avoid Gilmore all together and buy In Cold Blood, which is a must read book and the best true crime I've ever read.Book Review: Mesmerizing
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was my second experience with Norman Mailer's work. There will most definitely be a third. Although it may have been slightly too long, it was nevertheless meticulously detailed. It reads wonderfully as a "non-fiction" novel. After reading this book, I didn't develop much sympathy for Gary Gilmore, but my view of the death penalty has changed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime and history. If you can get through the 1000+ pages the ride will be well worth it. For comparison, Grisham's "The Chamber" was vastly inferior.Book Review: Much Ado About Nothing
Summary: 2 Stars
Executioner's Song is the story of Gary Gilmore; the first convicted murderer to be executed after the death penalty was restored in the United States. Gilmore, a career criminal who had spent one half of his life incarcerated, had been sentenced to death for robbing and killing two people. He did not want to spend any more time behind bars so he insisted that the State of Utah carry out his sentence. Norman Mailer makes a verbose attempt to turn Gilmore's story into an epic. Not having much to work with, he exaggerates the story to the point that some claims seem unreal. An example would be Gilmore's mother having had a strong feeling when he was three years old that his life would someday end by execution. Other trivial details include allusions to the Gilmore family being related to Houdini, the great escape artist.
While trying to turn Gilmore's relationship with his lover Nicole, who is a lost and aimless soul with a taste for drugs, into a modern Romeo And Juliet, Mailer is uncharacteristically brief when describing his victims. The story of Gary Mark Gilmore could have been the subject of a fine true crime book. However, Norman Mailer's extra long version turned it into a melodramatic account that does justice to no one.
Book Review: Norman Mailer delivers a masterpiece of work
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read the Executioner's Song several years ago and was fascinated by it then. I have just read it again and the same holds true now. Nothing that I have ever read before compares with this book. The true account of Gary Gilmore and those who's lives he forever affected will leave you literally haunted. The true story of one man's attempt to reintroduce himself into society after half a lifetime locked away in the prison system only to commit double murder a short time after he is out of prison. And his personal battle to make the State of Utah execute him only nine months after he was let out of prison is a tragic and gripping portrayal of American History.
Norman Mailer's delivery of this story is more like a window into the actual lives of Gary Gilmore and his girlfriend Nicole. It's not like your reading a book but rather being transported into their realm. I at times found myself completely depressed when reading certain parts of the book. I had to put it down for a time because it was upsetting. The book contains themes that deal with religion, sexual abuse, human rights, the law, suicide, love, and manipulation just to name a few.
I came away with the sense that I knew these people intimately. that I knew their friends and family members.I was caught up in the inner turmoil of the ill fated lovers Gary and Nicole. The last half of the book chronicals the lives of the lawyers, people who worked for the ACLU, and others who become involved with Gary. At times there are so many people involved in the circus like atmosphere that surrounds the case that you easily forget who is who.But this book is based on reality and these people all played a part in the case. Some large and some small.
This book is a keeper for one's bookshelf. An outstanding piece of American Literature from a gifted writer.
Book Review: One of Mailer's Most Fully Realized Works
Summary: 5 Stars
Norman Mailer puts together one of his most successful efforts in this piece of new journalism. Recounting the tale of Gary Gilmore, the first person executed in the United States following the Supreme Court decision legalizing the death penalty, this book goes into Gilmore's life, crime, and thought at length. Mailer's writing is straightforward and engaging, although it rarely reaches the lyrical quality of his very finest prose. Mailer is quite at home with the subject matter, and brings the sordid world of the characters home to the reader. A great book, a disturbing story, and impossible to put down before it's done.