Fiction

Oil!

Oil!

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  • Create Date：2022-12-14 06:51:30
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Upton Sinclair
  • ISBN：0486850374
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Summary

Published in 1927， this masterpiece of realist fiction portrays a gripping tale of corruption and greed alongside a son’s coming-of-age story。 The basis for Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film There Will Be Blood， the saga follows the rise of an oil magnate through the eyes of his loving but increasingly pessimistic son。 After writing The Jungle， a groundbreaking book that exposed harsh labor conditions， novelist Upton Sinclair was inspired by the 1920s Teapot Dome Scandal during Warren G。 Harding’s presidency。 Sinclair delivers a scathing， satirical critique of social injustice during the early years of the California oil boom。
 

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Reviews

Glen Elder ，

Really Good early on and gets a bit worse toward the end。

This Film is Lit ，

I have a competition in me。 I want no one else to succeed。 I hate most people。 There are times when I。。。 I look at people and I see nothing worth liking。 I want to earn enough money I can get away from everyone。 It’s There Will Be Blood， and This Film is Lit。Listen to us on Spotify， Stitcher， Apple Podcasts， and more！ I have a competition in me。 I want no one else to succeed。 I hate most people。 There are times when I。。。 I look at people and I see nothing worth liking。 I want to earn enough money I can get away from everyone。 It’s There Will Be Blood， and This Film is Lit。Listen to us on Spotify， Stitcher， Apple Podcasts， and more！ 。。。more

Kellan Weyer ，

Paul Thomas Anderson is a genius。Score: D

Richard ，

As usual， it's hard to assign stars， and they're a blunt rating system that usually indicate nothing more than a reader's pleasure。 So， the question I'm asking myself is whether or not the author accomplished what he set out to do。 The answer is yes。 Is it a terrific read？ Yes and no。 First off， a single word title followed by an exclamation point definitely tells you what the book is going to be about。 Oil！ it is。 Oil is the lubricant （sorry） for every turn of the plot， for every motivation of As usual， it's hard to assign stars， and they're a blunt rating system that usually indicate nothing more than a reader's pleasure。 So， the question I'm asking myself is whether or not the author accomplished what he set out to do。 The answer is yes。 Is it a terrific read？ Yes and no。 First off， a single word title followed by an exclamation point definitely tells you what the book is going to be about。 Oil！ it is。 Oil is the lubricant （sorry） for every turn of the plot， for every motivation of character， and for Mr。 Sinclair's social and political critique of the corrupt workings of America's peculiar （in both meanings of the word） ruling class。The book provides a fascinating look at how our earliest oil fields were discovered and exploited， and the story is not different than what has recently happened with the advent of fracking， and for that， see Heat & Light by Jennifer Haigh - a much better novel than Oil！。 The view of oil literally and figuratively staining everything it touches is the take-away from this novel。 It's much like the gold in The Treasure of the Sierra Leone， and could have just as easily been tiled "Greed，" as Oil！The characters in Oil！ are high quality cardboard， but Mr。 Sinclair provides a large enough cast with varying points of view to keep them somewhat interesting， and even likable， even as they become more nefarious and deluded as the story unfolds， and greater wealth is created。 Even the "good guys，" I must say。The ultimate downfall of all but the most villainous is brought about by a combination of a barely disguised version of the Teapot Dome Scandal， and the wiles of spiritualism。So， yes， Upton Sinclair rakes the muck， exposes the shallowness of society， and the depth of corruption in government and industry， so the book succeeds。 It's been in print since 1927， so it also succeeds on that level， and remains somewhat pertinent - especially in light of all our recent oil wars。 On the level of art it succeeds in the art of muckraking， but not necessarily of literature， except as Ezra Pound may have it， "News that remains news。"PS: If you're looking for the movie "There Will Be Blood，" it's in he first 150 pages， but not the next 400。 Caveat emptor。 。。。more

Rick Goff ，

Another terrific novel by Upton Sinclair。 Set in early 20th century southern California， the novel follows the progress of a boy who is raised to follow his father as a millionaire oil baron。 During his adolescence he meets a boy who awakens his class consciousness。 The plot proceeds to unfold as he tries to reconcile his love for his father with his intellectual commitment to the working class， all the while enjoying the advantages and privileges of wealth。 What can he offer- what will he offer Another terrific novel by Upton Sinclair。 Set in early 20th century southern California， the novel follows the progress of a boy who is raised to follow his father as a millionaire oil baron。 During his adolescence he meets a boy who awakens his class consciousness。 The plot proceeds to unfold as he tries to reconcile his love for his father with his intellectual commitment to the working class， all the while enjoying the advantages and privileges of wealth。 What can he offer- what will he offer- to the movement whose aims he admires beyond a sliver of his father’s fortune？ What chance does the working class have under a government ruled by capitalists？Reading Sinclair is not taking your medicine。 His purpose is surely to raise the topic of class domination， sketching processes and citing facts in evidence。 But in so doing he crafts novels populated by interesting characters facing difficult choices， and his telling is punctuated with just the right cynical wit。 。。。more

Daniel Koch ，

I knew what to expect going into Oil！ by Upton "Socialism is the future， just hear me out" Sinclair。 In fact， I was eagerly anticipating some Grade A socialist shenanigans。 Sinclair has a gimmick and by gawd， he's going to beat you over the head with it。 With that said， to be perfectly honest， the first 150 pages or so are actually quite good。 We meet James Arnold Ross， oil baron extraordinaire， and his son James Arnold Jr （he goes by Bunny） as they land some oil deals， go camping， and have a gr I knew what to expect going into Oil！ by Upton "Socialism is the future， just hear me out" Sinclair。 In fact， I was eagerly anticipating some Grade A socialist shenanigans。 Sinclair has a gimmick and by gawd， he's going to beat you over the head with it。 With that said， to be perfectly honest， the first 150 pages or so are actually quite good。 We meet James Arnold Ross， oil baron extraordinaire， and his son James Arnold Jr （he goes by Bunny） as they land some oil deals， go camping， and have a grand ole time。 And a grand ole time is had！ The first major section of the novel detailing the oil industry and exactitude of technology behind drilling is well written and fascinating。 I got excited， maybe Oil！ was a more subtle version of the socialism is the cure to all that ails the world story The Jungle wasn't。But then， oh yes， it turns。 Like the trademark "nice guy" who at last shows his true intentions， Sinclair can't help himself。 WE MUST TALK ABOUT SOCIALISM UNTIL YOUR EARS BLEED。 As Bunny joins adulthood， he radicalizes more completely than a STEM student on social media。 Soon， every relationship he has is shaped by socialism vs communism vs capitalism。 He dates women who don't understand the seriousness of the class struggle。 He talks to workers struggling for the cause， and eagerly lends money to pay bail， or start newspapers。 That's kind of all Bunny can do， because he's not particularly GOOD at anything involved in a labor uprising。 He's a cipher， and a complete bore。 When we switch to SOCIALISM TIME， James Arnold Ross diminishes from savvy oil baron to a guy who feeds lazy talking points for Bunny to rebut。 The story meanders， until we Paul periodically shows up to give Bunny his radicalism booster shots。 You see， Paul is a committed communist and pretty much everything he says doesn't age well when you look back at the history。 However， Bunny ideologizes him as a big brother despite the fact that Paul is somehow less interesting of a character than Bunny。 Self serious bores love other self serious bores I guess。It's amazing that this novel is over 500 pages long， because hardly anything happens for 300 pages。 Well that's not entirely true， the Teapot Dome scandal happens （largely in the background）， there is a union strike， and Bunny goes to Europe。 Poor Bertie （who Sinclair seems to dislike greatly） suffers from the stupidity of her brother， and Vernon Roscoe runs amok （the capitalist super villain of our tale）。 So I guess， SOME things happen， but these events are squeezed in the MANY conversations about the labor movement。 At the end of the day， it's fine。 It's what I expected， and it is clear that Sinclair didn't learn from The Jungle。 I would give it 2。5 stars if I could， but I'll round up to 3 stars because the first 150 pages is very good， and the next 300 or so is not terrible。 。。。more

Samwise Chamberlain ，

I'm torn。 At times， very well written and informative。 At others， painful to read， cliche， and just blatant idealism。 If it wasn't so long maybe would've gotten more sympathy。 I'm torn。 At times， very well written and informative。 At others， painful to read， cliche， and just blatant idealism。 If it wasn't so long maybe would've gotten more sympathy。 。。。more

Nikki ，

3。5 stars。The movie this book inspired is one of my favorites， and so the book fell onto my TBR and had been there for years。 I finally got around to reading it and I really enjoyed it。 This is my first Sinclair， The Jungle is still sitting on my bookshelf。 Oil！ Is dense， but the layers and weaving of the narrative become more and more intriguing as our POV character， James Arnold Ross， Jr。 （“Bunny”）， begins to learn about the greed of capitalism， and is continually question his father， an oil m 3。5 stars。The movie this book inspired is one of my favorites， and so the book fell onto my TBR and had been there for years。 I finally got around to reading it and I really enjoyed it。 This is my first Sinclair， The Jungle is still sitting on my bookshelf。 Oil！ Is dense， but the layers and weaving of the narrative become more and more intriguing as our POV character， James Arnold Ross， Jr。 （“Bunny”）， begins to learn about the greed of capitalism， and is continually question his father， an oil man who worked his way up， about his morals。 I read using the audiobook， I don’t know if I could’ve plugged thru this beast without someone reading it to me。 。。。more

Q ，

I read The Jungle as a kid and was extremely disturbed， but， regardless， it remains in the pantheon of books that have stuck with me。 For this reason， I decided to dive into this other iconic work by Sinclair。 I was not disappointed， through a third-person narrative of an oil baron's son Sinclair explores the role of oil in America， as well as， generational and class divides， the first world war， and labor relations。This was one of the best books I've read in the past three years and， consider I read The Jungle as a kid and was extremely disturbed， but， regardless， it remains in the pantheon of books that have stuck with me。 For this reason， I decided to dive into this other iconic work by Sinclair。 I was not disappointed， through a third-person narrative of an oil baron's son Sinclair explores the role of oil in America， as well as， generational and class divides， the first world war， and labor relations。This was one of the best books I've read in the past three years and， considering， that many of my top-rated books all relate to the Gilded Age， muckraking， and oil it may be time to admit that is my main area of historic interest。 。。。more

Eric ，

I guess I didn't really realize how different this was from the movie。 I was drawn into the capitalist world of watching a man overcome competitors through good intentions but not so good means。 But as the socialist arguments evolve it becomes an interesting exploration of all that is wrong with capitalism when taken to the extreme。It is fairly critical of its own arguments and I feel didnt quite come to full conclusion of some of the more interesting plot lines but it was a compelling read that I guess I didn't really realize how different this was from the movie。 I was drawn into the capitalist world of watching a man overcome competitors through good intentions but not so good means。 But as the socialist arguments evolve it becomes an interesting exploration of all that is wrong with capitalism when taken to the extreme。It is fairly critical of its own arguments and I feel didnt quite come to full conclusion of some of the more interesting plot lines but it was a compelling read that didnt pull any punches and its interesting to think how this would have been received in 1927。The writing is excellent and I am looking forward to The Jungle。 。。。more

Dylan Walgate ，

Oil！ is two things: A political treatise first， and a narrative novel second。 As a novel， it isn’t the best written or greatest plot ever。 However， as a work of politics， written in the 1920s when the left-wings ideals of Upton Sinclair were still often ostracized by the mainstream， it is spectacular。 Oil！ challenges much of conventional thought about the world of the 1920s， and tells a deep story about the flawed characters seeking to understand their world。 If you’re looking for good political Oil！ is two things: A political treatise first， and a narrative novel second。 As a novel， it isn’t the best written or greatest plot ever。 However， as a work of politics， written in the 1920s when the left-wings ideals of Upton Sinclair were still often ostracized by the mainstream， it is spectacular。 Oil！ challenges much of conventional thought about the world of the 1920s， and tells a deep story about the flawed characters seeking to understand their world。 If you’re looking for good political theory in your storytelling， this is worth a look ！ 。。。more

Jan Norton ，

This novel takes place in early 1900’s。 The story revolves around the contentious relation of a father and son。 The father is in the oil business。 The son is a playboy and influenced by socialists。 I found the novel too long and repetitive。 Sinclair relies mostly on his socialistic convictions in detailing the petroleum industry， its corrupt leaders， exploitation of workers， and political corruption。 These are things that are part of EVERY political system The son， spoiled by his father’s money， This novel takes place in early 1900’s。 The story revolves around the contentious relation of a father and son。 The father is in the oil business。 The son is a playboy and influenced by socialists。 I found the novel too long and repetitive。 Sinclair relies mostly on his socialistic convictions in detailing the petroleum industry， its corrupt leaders， exploitation of workers， and political corruption。 These are things that are part of EVERY political system The son， spoiled by his father’s money， becomes a loud voice for the socialistic movement of the early 1920s。 The father not only accepts the son's activity but almost seems to enjoy it。 Sinclair promotes the ideals of socialism versus the evils of communism throughout the book。 The father gets involved in the occult。 I was expecting to learn more about the oil industry and not be preached at about socialism。 The book disappointed me。 。。。more

Gino DiClemente ，

The first half of book was an astounding piece of historical fiction。。。the second half devolved into a communist rant by Sinclair。

Erik Swanson ，

Upton Sinclair is one of my favorite authors。 The film “There Will Be Blood” is loosely based off of this work of Sinclair’s。 The film although differs a lot from its source， which dives into the social and， to a degree， political interests of the main character， Bunny， with him being raised by his oil tycoon father。 The first half of the book goes into the actual world of the oil drilling field of those times， but becomes interesting with shedding the light on parts of history not taught in sch Upton Sinclair is one of my favorite authors。 The film “There Will Be Blood” is loosely based off of this work of Sinclair’s。 The film although differs a lot from its source， which dives into the social and， to a degree， political interests of the main character， Bunny， with him being raised by his oil tycoon father。 The first half of the book goes into the actual world of the oil drilling field of those times， but becomes interesting with shedding the light on parts of history not taught in schools such as mentioning of the American armed venture into Siberia during the Russian Revolution。 。。。more

Dheraj Ganjikunta ，

Probably now in my top 10 favorite books， I devoured most of it in the past week。

Completelybanned ，

Oil！ is rich with speedy， intricate prose which goes on and on like a fantastic column of black gold bursting from the ground， both magnificent and menacing。 Sinclair steam rolls the reader with the very thickness of description， the manifold details which he arranges for our pleasure， and the chains of events which he reconstructs for our edification。 Nothing escapes Sinclair’s eye。 Take for example an early passage describing automotive travel in Southern California during the 1910s: “There we Oil！ is rich with speedy， intricate prose which goes on and on like a fantastic column of black gold bursting from the ground， both magnificent and menacing。 Sinclair steam rolls the reader with the very thickness of description， the manifold details which he arranges for our pleasure， and the chains of events which he reconstructs for our edification。 Nothing escapes Sinclair’s eye。 Take for example an early passage describing automotive travel in Southern California during the 1910s: “There were people still engaged in converting， you learned: they had gone out on the highway with pots of vari-colored paint， and had decorated rocks and railway culverts with inscriptions: “Prepare to meet thy God。” Then wold come a traffic sign: “Railroad crossing。 Stop。 Look。 Listen。” The railroad company wanted you to meet your God through some other agency， Dad explained， because there would be damage suits for taking religious faith too seriously。 “Jesus waits，” a boulder would proclaim; and then would come， “Chicken Dinner， $1。” There were always funny signs about things to eat–apparently all the world loved a meal， and became jolly at the thought。 “Hot Dog Kennels，” was an eating place， and “Ptomaine Tommy，” and “The Clam-Baker，” and the “Lobster-Pot。” There were endless puns on the word inn– “Dew Drop Inn” and “Happen Inn，” “Welcome Inn” and “Hurry Inn。” When you went into these places you would find the spirit of jolity rampaging on the walls: “In God we Trust， All Others Cash。” “Don’t complain about our coffee; some day you may be old and weak yourself。” “We have an arrangement with our bank; the bank does not sell soup， and we do not cash checks。” These details populate the coming-of-age story which forms the basic plot of the novel: ten years in the life of J。 Arnold Ross， Jr。， nickname “Bunny。” At first a precocious young boy learning the business from his up-and-coming father， fictional oil man J。 Arnold Ross， Bunny eventually becomes a young “Oil Prince:” a polite， idealistic， and highly intelligent young heir to a massive fortune。 Beyond that， Oil！ is part adventure novel， part testament to development and urbanization， and part （an attempt） at literary grandeur。 Make no mistake， however， the heart of Oil！， its breath and pulse， is labor。 Early on， Bunny meets Paul Watkins， a character with no appetite for charity and an indeterminable drive to lift up his fellow laborers。 As the novel progresses， Paul and Bunny sporadically interact until Paul finally comes under the employ of Bunny’s father。 From then on， we follow the two through boom and bust， from Wilson to Coolidge， World War I to Teapot Dome: Bunny learns more about the business world and the machinations of power， and becomes increasingly invested in the labor movement （much to the chagrin of his family）; Paul abandons his dream of becoming a scientist in order to take up the cause of labor in Southern California， organizing， agitating and eventually proselytizing for the Communist Party。 The alternation between rags and riches in the petroleum industry is far from mawkish or facile。 Over the course of the novel， we become acquainted with the armies of men who toil to extract oil from the ground， refine it， and eventually pump it into your automobile。 There are characters of every political stripe， Republican， Democrat， Socialist， Communist， Wobbly， pro-union， anti-union， etc。 Moreover， we come to know the peculiar web of contradictions preventing any individual from being completely free。 It is a web which other armies of men stand to profit from， and for this reason they have worked to maintain the web， even strengthen it: they are the men who accept bribes， who buy votes， who break strikes， who purchase Presidents， and otherwise exploit the working class。 Sinclair’s greatest success with his novel is surely the burning， overwhelming feeling of indignation which it inspires。 According to the cover of the latest paperback edition of Oil！， the novel loosely inspired the critically-acclaimed film There Will Be Blood （2007）。 Maybe you have been squirming in your seat this whole time， or even shouted at the screen， “But what about the Daniel-Day-Lewis-shaped elephant in the room？ What about milkshakes， and evangelicism， and arbitrage， and America？” In a way that only film can do， There Will Be Blood is certainly a delightful evocation of a time and place where we would feel all too home if it weren’t for the Model Ts and funky hats。 But writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson seems interested in telling a fundamentally different story about oil than Sinclair。 Andersons’s is a story which de-centers oil workers and corruption in favor of focusing on the oil man himself （Daniel Day-Lewis’s character， Daniel Plainview） and the parallels between religion and business （something the novel does to a lesser extent）。 Most analyses assert that Plainview is a pressure cooker of shameless greed， ambition， and deception。 But references to such so-called universal human qualitites only conceal the larger system of incentives which envelops our lives。 Oil， and I think this is why Sinclar chose the sticky stuff， is quintessentially captalistic: oil is such an important commodity that it can buy a President， concoct a city where once there was only desert， and even topple a government。 It isn’t as simple as greed。 No， Plainview is evil because he succeeds at unscrupulosuly using oil to fulfill the circuit of money （i。e。 M → C → M’）: without the slightest regard for charity or decency， he obtains money， invests it in capital， and is rewarded with more money。 But the film is not exhaustive of the mentality which succeeds in capitalism。 On the other hand， Oil！ focuses on the extreme sense of entitlement and learned helplessness which fuels the machine: the bountiful crop of American ideology。 Why do some have so much while others have so little？ As one oil man tells Bunny， “it’s because I had the brains to make the money， and I got the brains to use it。 Money ain’t power till it’s used， and the reason I can buy power is because men know I can use it— or else， by Jees， they wouldn’t sell it to me。” There are echoes of Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five in this reasoning: “If you’re so smart， why ain’t you rich？” In opposition to those who would romanticize the Southern Califronia oil boom， Sinclair demands that we see how limited the limitless opportunity actually was。 For every rags to riches story， there are countless stories of people who have worked and worked for nothing in the end。 Unfortunately， Sinclair’s successes are watered down by myriad issues。 The characters are tediously two-dimensional。 Their motivations are simple， and their conflicts unsatisfying。 It’s not as if Sinclair does not give his characters enough to do， far from it。 But the stakes are rarely so high for our hero， Bunny。 More often than not， either a nameless worker or one of Bunny’s few acquaintances is locked up in jail， sent to the jute mill， or run out of town。 A single episode from the novel asks Bunny， for once in his life， to make a sacrifice on par with his working class friends: though he is madly in love with Viola Tracy， Hollywood actor， she refuses to let him continue on with his “red friends。” A marriage with Viola would guarantee Bunny’s fortune， while a decision otherwise would irreversibly pull him away from the oil business and push him towards the radical movement。 The suspense in such a moment， and many others， is often dashed by Sinclair’s curious tendency to break the classic rule of writing to “show， don’t tell。” Many scenes are followed by a litany of redundant statements: “Bunny went away with the question of his conscience。 Would he tell， or wouldn’t he？ Would he begin by telling his darling or the world？ Would he mention that the young Prince Marescu， whom she so greatly admired， was the son of one of the bloodiest of these ruling class thugs？” Bunny’s inner monologue is not nearly as interesting as Sinclair wants it to be， and the novel would benefit from a merciless editor。 Other issues stem from more subjective criteria。 At a time when other authors were experimenting with form and style， Sinclair doubles down on his encyclopedic， journalistic style and his run-on-sentence of a plot with easy to understand characters。 Like one of his contemporaries， Sinclair Lewis， his prose always has one foot in the 19th century。 The two have much more in common which illuminates Sinclair's continued relevance。 Perhaps even more than Sinclair， Lewis was one of the most highly respected American authors of his generation。 He published five immensely popular books。 （One only has to look at the reception of Sinclair's The Jungle as evidence of his popularity as an author）。 Lewis was nominated for the Pulitzer once， and was later awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930。 （Sinclair was awarded the Pulitzer in 1943 for his novel Dragon's Teeth）。 Like Sinclair， after he passed away， Lewis quickly receded into the background of American literature。 Occasionally， Lewis might be mentioned in a college course for the sociological value of his novels。 Most recently， his 1935 novel It Can't Happen Here has enjoyed renewed interest for its similarities to the Trump presidency。 However， Lewis remains relatively unimportant in comparison to the moderns such as Ernest Hemingway， Ezra Pound， and F。 Scott Fitzgerald。 Here， I think Sinclair breaks from Lewis。 On the one hand， it's tempting to attribute both authors' decline in readership to changing literary tastes。 The collective impact of New Criticism was that readers wanted ambiguity， subtext， and subtlety in contrast to elaborate， but morally straightforward texts。 But it is hard not to think that Sinclair's support for the Socialist party and labor in general also played a role in deciding his legacy。 As Daniel Handler writes， "[Lewis's] influence is such that his books are so familiar we don't need to read them。"[1] If the reader thinks they don’t need to read a 500+ page novel to understand how tough work can be， I challenge them to recount one important strike from American history。 The sad fact is that the history of labor in America has been deprived from most of us， and it is our duty to recover it， piece by piece。 Ultimately， although Sinclair's text may buckle and bend under the weight of his ambitions， the novel succeeds in making the case that no matter how tired， ragged， or insignificant our lives may seem， there is a chance that suffering might be rendered meaningful， and taken as an impetus for change。 And that， folks， is one of the primary signs of literature。1。 https://culture。org/what-the-swedes-r。。。 。。。more

Ian Phillips ，

Extremely radical and prescient。 Went in thinking that it was gonna be a book about There Will Be Blood， but there’s no milkshakes in this book。 What’s in there instead is the laying of the groundwork of 21st century consumer capitalism by describing the class war waged in the 20th century all throughout the United States。 More people should read this book。

Alexi ，

Sinclair writes beautifully， but as “classic” authors are wont to do， he writes for too long。

Thomas George Phillips ，

Upton Sinclair's novels are never want of interesting and colorful characters。 This particular novel was published in 1927。 It tells the story of the oil business in Southern California prior to America's entry in World War One。 Considered a muckraker by many of his contemporaries， Mr。 Sinclair exposes the corruption and greed of the oil business， its leaders， the politicians and even some of the more religious fundamentalists。 Upton Sinclair's novels are never want of interesting and colorful characters。 This particular novel was published in 1927。 It tells the story of the oil business in Southern California prior to America's entry in World War One。 Considered a muckraker by many of his contemporaries， Mr。 Sinclair exposes the corruption and greed of the oil business， its leaders， the politicians and even some of the more religious fundamentalists。 。。。more

Selena ，

This is not at all what I thought it was going to be。 I enjoy books that tie into the history of Los Angeles and has read that this was one。 I suppose that is loosely accurate。 There is an “Angel City” in the book。 But there is realms more about Communism and Socialism。 The lead character was very smackable。 I was tired of him early on， and the more that I read， the worse that he got。Do not recommend。

Alison Hart ，

I read this book because I loved the movie " There Will Be Blood"。 Well， the movie certainly took a lot of liberties with the script， for one making the father a villian where as in the novel， not so much a bad guy。 The violence in the movie was over the top and much less in the book。 Hmm。 That's predictable Hollywood。 I recommend the book if you want a historical account of the corrupt oil industry in the early 1900's。 I read this book because I loved the movie " There Will Be Blood"。 Well， the movie certainly took a lot of liberties with the script， for one making the father a villian where as in the novel， not so much a bad guy。 The violence in the movie was over the top and much less in the book。 Hmm。 That's predictable Hollywood。 I recommend the book if you want a historical account of the corrupt oil industry in the early 1900's。 。。。more

jazlyn aisya ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 this was taxing to read but hey！ 4。5 stars for the first 150 pages but 3 stars for the rest， it felt like two different books and there was barely any tension between eli and j。 arnold ross :/ wish sinclair just focused more on oil and less in the war politics but this was largely bearable for something written in the 1920s。 sinclair has a keen eye for observations and it was （surprisingly） funny at times。 but daniel plainview （in twbb） and j arnold ross share nooo personality traits like i read this was taxing to read but hey！ 4。5 stars for the first 150 pages but 3 stars for the rest， it felt like two different books and there was barely any tension between eli and j。 arnold ross :/ wish sinclair just focused more on oil and less in the war politics but this was largely bearable for something written in the 1920s。 sinclair has a keen eye for observations and it was （surprisingly） funny at times。 but daniel plainview （in twbb） and j arnold ross share nooo personality traits like i read this to see him go batshit insane！ but i guess not lol。 ross is just a respectable old dude who happens to contribute in corrupting the government so he'll stay afloat， so not what you would call a maniacal oil man。 also the main character （bunny） is honestly so flavorless？ the book outright keeps repeating that he's 'soft' and in the end he didn't really accomplish anything so what was the point？ ig he's used as a bridge to try and ground both capitalist and communist perspectives in the book， though sinclair could've been subtler in showing the nuance of both sides to the reader。 maybe this was just not my cup of tea， maybe there are hidden messages and morals that i didn't catch bc i have a shrimp brain， who knows？ this is a solid ok， i guess 3。5/5 stars 。。。more

Stephanie Regester ，

Too long and trivial。 Did not finish

Jake ，

This book is fantastic， as a big fan of Daniel Day Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" I must say I was only slightly disappointed that the movie departs so far from the narrative in the book， but the two separate stories are riveting in their own right！Expectations aside， it was astounding to me that the problems of a hundred years ago are still much the same。 The division of capital and labor and volatility in how to solve those when communities come together。 How the rivers of greed flow to the to This book is fantastic， as a big fan of Daniel Day Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" I must say I was only slightly disappointed that the movie departs so far from the narrative in the book， but the two separate stories are riveting in their own right！Expectations aside， it was astounding to me that the problems of a hundred years ago are still much the same。 The division of capital and labor and volatility in how to solve those when communities come together。 How the rivers of greed flow to the top and leave many desperados in the wake。 Movie stars and business tycoons making headlines。 The tearing of conscience and the rise to the top of wealth。It's all there， told about a family from a hundred years ago but astoundingly relevant today。 Gets to be a bit of the slow trudge about halfway through and I put the book down for awhile but the ending plays out satisfyingly and speeds up just right at the end！ 。。。more

Onur Umut ，

Çok iyi roman çok iyi bi siyasi drama。 Bu kitaptan o filmi çıkarmak da büyük iş。 Kitabın yüzde 50’si çekilmiş ancak bence zaten mümkün değilmiş。 İyi bi tv serisi de olabilirmiş。 Amerika’nın kuruluş amacı petrol fonu üzerinden karşılaştırmalı olarak güzel anlatılmış。

Barb ，

Love the writing but plot very monotonous - find a well， drill a well， make tons of money and move on！

Tom ，

Interesting story with no real conclusion。

Nitesh ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I initially began reading this book， thinking it was the same plot as There Will Be Blood。 In some ways， this story proves to be more intimate than the film because it follows the journey of Bunny growing up with his father being one of the largest oilmen in California and his turn to Socialism and its ideals。Overall， the book is best when it focuses on Bunny's relationships with Paul， Ruth， his father， etc。 and his own intellectualism。 It flounders when trying to get political （perhaps a relic I initially began reading this book， thinking it was the same plot as There Will Be Blood。 In some ways， this story proves to be more intimate than the film because it follows the journey of Bunny growing up with his father being one of the largest oilmen in California and his turn to Socialism and its ideals。Overall， the book is best when it focuses on Bunny's relationships with Paul， Ruth， his father， etc。 and his own intellectualism。 It flounders when trying to get political （perhaps a relic of its time）。 But， when it's good， it makes you feel for Bunny， an isolated Red billionaire， trying to figure out how to be a good person。 And in all honesty， that is what kept me reading。 。。。more

Rolf ，

As with The Jungle， it is not the narrative that sets this apart， but the class-conscious attention to detail， the way you can just imagine yourself in a turn-of-the-century oil boom town。

Perry ，

4 stars for the societal aspects of the story

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Oil!

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Oil!&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Oil!&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0