Oil!


Lu par Bob R

(3.9 stars; 9 reviews)

The two main characters of “Oil” are James Arnold Ross, called “Dad”, and his son James Jr., called “Bunny”. The book is loosely based on a real character (Edward L. Doheny) and some real events and locations, mostly in Southern California. The period was World War 1, and the events were not unlike those of the Teapot Dome Oil Scandal during the Harding administration. Like many of Sinclair’s novels, themes concern social conflicts and injustices, labor vs. management, democracy vs. socialism, and morality vs. immorality. In this story, Bunny’s father is a very successful oil entrepreneur, and ultimately a millionaire. There is great love between Bunny and his father, but over time, Bunny begins to question his father’s ethics. Bunny is a seeker for truth, throughout the story, as he grows through several decades—as a youth, as a soldier, as a college student, and as a wealthy oil producer. Religion plays a big role in the story, as one of the characters becomes a charismatic evangelist preaching a new faith, “the third revelation.”
The film “There Will Be Blood” bases much of its story on this book. - Summary by Bob Rollins (26 hr 26 min)

Chapitres

Preface 2:00 Lu par Bob R
The Ride 1:07:15 Lu par Bob R
The Lease, Parts 1-5 41:08 Lu par Bob R
The Lease, Parts 6-9 34:50 Lu par Bob R
The Drilling, Parts 1-5 44:24 Lu par Bob R
The Drilling, Parts 6-8 44:36 Lu par Bob R
The Ranch, Parts 1-5 43:41 Lu par Bob R
The Ranch, Parts 6-9 37:09 Lu par Bob R
The Revelation, Parts 1-4 40:53 Lu par Bob R
The Revelation, Parts 5-7 40:27 Lu par Bob R
The Wildcat, Parts 1-4 40:00 Lu par Bob R
The Wildcat, Parts 5-8 46:25 Lu par Bob R
The Strike, Parts 1-4 47:36 Lu par Bob R
The Strike, Parts 5-9 50:08 Lu par Bob R
The War, Parts 1-5 36:18 Lu par Bob R
The War, Parts 6-9 22:40 Lu par Bob R
The Victory 1:00:13 Lu par Bob R
The University, Parts 1-5 34:18 Lu par Bob R
The University, Parts 6-11 43:33 Lu par Bob R
The Rebel, Parts 1-6 34:50 Lu par Bob R
The Rebel, Parts 7-11 37:01 Lu par Bob R
The Siren, Parts 1-6 32:59 Lu par Bob R
The Siren, Parts 7-12 35:17 Lu par Bob R
The Monastery, Parts 1-7 44:46 Lu par Bob R
The Monastery, Parts 8-14 33:49 Lu par Bob R
The Star, Parts 1-7 40:56 Lu par Bob R
The Star, Parts 8-16 49:27 Lu par Bob R
The Vacation, Parts 1-6 44:11 Lu par Bob R
The Vacation, Parts 7-11 33:56 Lu par Bob R
The Killing, Parts 1-5 29:22 Lu par Bob R
The Killing, Parts 6-10 38:47 Lu par Bob R
The Exposure, Parts 1-5 36:33 Lu par Bob R
The Exposure, Parts 6-11 40:52 Lu par Bob R
The Flight, Parts 1-7 42:54 Lu par Bob R
The Flight, Parts 8-11 30:23 Lu par Bob R
The Penalty, Parts 1-5 31:27 Lu par Bob R
The Penalty, Parts 6-10 28:36 Lu par Bob R
The Dedication 54:20 Lu par Bob R
The Honeymoon, Parts 1-7 47:08 Lu par Bob R
The Honeymoon, Parts 8-15 41:16 Lu par Bob R

Critiques

Not for me


(2 stars)

It was excellently read(apart from the French & Russian bits). What a good job to portray the story. Unfortunately, it was so negative from beginning to end. I suppose much of the world is like this, happily, my world isn’t. I learned a lot about oil & government corruption, but this is not the type of content to uplift. I prefer to hear stories that are not so dark & depressing. I’m surprised I got through it. Phew!