Criticism > Contemporary Literary Criticism > Hinton, S. E. - Jane Powell (review date 2 April 1976)

1. Printable Version
2. Download PDF
3. Cite this Page
4. Tweet This

Jane Powell (review date 2 April 1976)

SOURCE: "Urban Guerrillas," in The Times Literary Supplement, April 2, 1976, p. 388.

[In the following excerpt, Powell faults Rumble Fish for lacking a protagonist who, like those of The Outsiders and That Was Then, This Is Now, possesses superior wit and insight that enable him to rise above the violence and turmoil of his surroundings. Rumble Fish's Rusty-James, Powell argues, is victimized by his environment, and his victimization creates a pervasive air of failure and despair which diminishes the novel.]

S. E. Hinton's Rumble Fish was disappointing. Hooked on Ms. Hinton since I discovered how popular The Outsiders and That Was Then, This Is Now are with adolescents, this came as a let-down. The earlier two books also deal with the American delinquent scene, but in both the central character has an intelligence and sensitivity which set him apart...

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass

1. Introduction
2. Principal Works
3. Criticism
   1. Zena Sutherland (essay date 27 January 1968)
   2. Times Literary Supplement (review date 30 October 1970)
   3. Jane Powell (review date 2 April 1976)
   4. S. E. Hinton with Lisa Ehrichs (interview date November 1981)
   5. Gene Lyons (essay date 11 October 1982)
   6. Jay Scott (essay date April 1983)
   7. Michael Malone (essay date 8 March 1986)
   8. Charlene Strickland (review date October 1988)
   9. Elizabeth Ward (review date 12 February 1989)
   10. Patty Campbell (review date 2 April 1989)
   11. Charles Solomon (review date 12 August 1990)
   12. Steven L. VanderStaay (essay date November 1992)
   13. Susanna Rodell (review date 19 November 1995)
4. Further Reading
5. Copyright

1. S. E. Hinton