![](/uploads/bookImages/r/ragtimeANovelmodernLibrary100BestNovels_4002.jpg)
by E.L. Doctorow
Kindle Edition-
Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time
Published in 1975, Ragtime changed our very concept of what a novel ...
Overall rating:
How would you rate this book?
Member ratings
It was a bit hard to get into the heart of the book from the start with so many characters, plots and stories but then it all came together. It was interesting the whole way through
One of the comments made at our meeting was that the reader had learned more reading this book than she had reading any one book for a long time. I found the allegorical style to be compelling. Not having any clear answers or the typical battle of white and black hats was refreshing. You could talk about the characters without resorting to saying he was bad or good, they were multidimensional. The mixture of fictional characters acting with the historical characters helped to bring the historical characters to life and suggested their motivations.
Blending real-life people and fictional characters and events, sometimes to the point that it's hard to distinguish between fact and fiction. That may be one of the points of the book. Lots to discuss: American society, race relations and immigration, the role of women, wealth, stereotypes.
Book Club HQ to over 88,000+ book clubs and ready to welcome yours.
Get free weekly updates on top club picks, book giveaways, author events and more
![](images/button-close-x-fs8.png)