Independence Day Summary
Richard Ford

Richard Ford's place in American letters has been established by his five novels, and many critics consider him one of the finest contemporary short-story writers as well. While he is often discussed ... Read more

In the following review, Kennedy applauds Ford's Independence Day, calling it a great American novel about suburban American life. To many, the 1980s were the decade of American excessȁ... Read more

In the following review, Hiney describes Ford's Independence Day as well-written but crippled by a boring subject. When a good novelist chooses a boring subject to write about, the results c... Read more

In the following essay, Bone compares Ford's writing with that of Barry Hannah, in terms of both authors' designation as Southern writers. Bone argues that Ford's Independence Day... Read more

[In the following interview, Ford talks about the act of writing, his career, and his life.] In Richard Ford's fiction, characters wince at a painful moment, extract its grudging truth, and ... Read more

[In the following review, Johnson discusses Ford's characterization in Independence Day, and asserts that "Frank Bascombe has earned himself a place beside Willy Loman and Harry Angstrom... Read more

[In the following review, Kakutani praises Ford's accomplishments in Independence Day, asserting that Ford moves beyond Frank's state of mind to create a portrait of middle-class America... Read more

[In the following review, Rubin praises Ford's Independence Day as "a fully realized portrait of modern American life as filtered through the mind and heart of a unique, yet typical Amer... Read more

[In the following essay, Hardwick praises Ford for his talent as a storyteller, tracing his use of lavish detail, strong characterization, and sense of time and place throughout his work.] From the... Read more

[In the following review, Dyer praises Ford's ability to capture the psychological dynamics of a situation by describing a few simple movements.] Richard Ford's narrator, Frank Bascom... Read more

[In the following interview, Ford talks about the realty industry and how he used his experience with real estate agents to create the character of Frank Bascombe in Independence Day.] When the nov... Read more