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The Moviegoer

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1961

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Book Brief

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Walker Percy

The Moviegoer

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1961
Book Details
Pages

241

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

New Orleans, Louisiana • 1960s

Publication Year

1961

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

In Walker Percy’s debut novel, The Moviegoer, published in 1961, the protagonist Binx Bolling, a young stockbroker from a New Orleans suburb, embarks on a quest for meaning and authenticity amidst the chaos of Carnival and Mardi Gras. Struggling with life's ordinariness and influenced by his past war trauma, he grapples with his family's dynamics, particularly his cousin Kate's deteriorating mental health, while seeking connection through movies and television. The book includes discussions of thoughts of suicide and despair.

Contemplative

Melancholic

Bittersweet

Mysterious

Nostalgic

Reviews & Readership

3.8

30,771 ratings

59%

Loved it

27%

Mixed feelings

14%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Walker Percy's The Moviegoer is lauded for its introspective depth and philosophical undertones, capturing the existential malaise of the 1960s. Critics praise its poetic prose and compelling character study. However, some readers find its pacing slow and the plot meandering. Overall, it remains a thought-provoking exploration of modern disconnection.

Who should read this

Who Should Read The Moviegoer?

A reader who enjoys philosophical introspection and a poignant exploration of existentialism would appreciate Walker Percy's The Moviegoer. Fans of Albert Camus' The Stranger and J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye will find similar themes of searching for meaning and identity.

3.8

30,771 ratings

59%

Loved it

27%

Mixed feelings

14%

Not a fan

Character List

Binx Bolling

A veteran of the Korean War working in New Orleans, known by different names to various people in his life. He grapples with personal complexity and is drawn to movies and women as a form of escape.

A 25-year-old cousin of Binx, marked by her wealth and complicated emotional history. She struggles with instability and seeks solace in her relationship with Binx.

Binx's aunt who took an active role in his upbringing after his father's death. She has a complicated relationship with both Binx and her stepdaughter Kate.

Binx's secretary, whom he pursues romantically. Despite spending time together, Sharon remains emotionally distant due to her engagement to another man.

Remarried after the death of Binx’s father, she is depicted as emotionally resilient, with a large family from her second marriage. Her stories about Binx's father play a role in revealing more about Binx's inherited traits.

Binx’s half-brother, a 14-year-old boy with significant health issues who is bound to a wheelchair. He shares a close bond with Binx and enjoys going to the movies.

Book Details
Pages

241

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

New Orleans, Louisiana • 1960s

Publication Year

1961

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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