The Moviegoer

by Walker Percy
The Moviegoer cover
Good Books rating 4.12
Technical
  • ID: 91
  • Added: 2025-09-02
  • Updated: 2025-09-02
  • ISBN: 9781453216255
  • Publisher: Open Road Media
  • Published: 2011-03-29
  • Reviews: 4

In this National Book Award–winning novel from a “brilliantly breathtaking writer,” a young Southerner searches for meaning in the midst of Mardi Gras (The New York Times Book Review). On the cusp of his thirtieth birthday, Binx Bolling is a lost soul. A stockbroker and member of an established New Orleans family, Binx’s one escape is the movie theater that transports him from the falseness of his life. With Mardi Gras in full swing, Binx, along with his cousin Kate, sets out to find his true purpose amid the excesses of the carnival that surrounds him. Buoyant yet powerful, The Moviegoer is a poignant indictment of modern values, and an unforgettable story of a week that will change two lives forever. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Walker Percy including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Reviews
Go Into The Story · Scott Myers · 2025-09-02
existential 4.25

The novel is appreciated for its depiction of existential anomie and the protagonist’s philosophical reflections, with movies serving as a vital escape and source of intense meaning.

Scott Myers discusses how Walker Percy uses the motif of moviegoing to illustrate the protagonist’s sense of alienation and his complex search for meaning amidst the decline of Southern traditions. The review highlights the existential depth of the novel, noting Binx’s wandering and philosophical musings as emblematic of a broader search for identity and purpose. It portrays the novel as a profound, dreamlike meditation on the human condition, where the movies provide rare moments of clarity and emotional intensity in an otherwise diminished everyday life.

Quick quotes

    "The movies served as an ideal contrast... more intense, more real, than everyday life."

    "Afternoons, when he generally went to the movies, were for him times of anomie and even despair."

    "The Moviegoer tells the story of Binx Bolling... left him alienated from his own life."

eNotes · 2025-09-02
thoughtful 4.00

The story is seen as a thoughtful exploration of societal mediocrity and personal yearning, with the protagonist's journey reflecting a persistent search for meaning despite life's futility.

This review emphasizes the philosophical and existential themes woven through the novel, particularly Binx's confrontation with societal expectations and his own desires. The narrative culminates in a sense of new beginnings, where marriage marks a shift but not an end to the search for meaning. It highlights how Binx’s reflections on mediocrity and desire reveal the novel’s deeper message about the human condition and the ongoing quest for authenticity in a flawed world.

Quick quotes

    "Ours is the only civilization in history which has enshrined mediocrity as its national ideal."

    "Nothing remains but desire—a relentless yearning for life, love, and meaning, despite recognizing the futility of such pursuits."

    "The pursuit itself may be the only certainty."

Goodreads · Jeffrey Keeten · 2019-08-21
classic 4.50

The novel is praised for its rich irony and romance, portraying a protagonist adrift in life yet embarking on a profound quest for authenticity and spiritual meaning.

Jeffrey Keeten highlights how the protagonist, Binx Bolling, drifts through life with a mix of aimlessness and existential searching, reflecting the dislocation of modern man. The review appreciates the novel's blend of Southern sensibility, existential questioning, and deep Catholic faith, making it a genuine American classic with wry and wrenching tones. Binx's journey through everyday life and his quest during Mardi Gras are seen as powerful metaphors for the search for meaning in a seemingly mundane world.

Quick quotes

    "Wry and wrenching, rich in irony and romance, 'The Moviegoer' is a genuine American classic."

    "Percy's work displays a combination of existential questioning, Southern sensibility, and deep Catholic faith."

    "Binx embarks on a quest - a harebrained search for authenticity that outrages his family, endangers his fragile cousin Kate, and sends him reeling through the gaudy chaos of the French Quarter."

Novelreading (WordPress.com) · 2013-01-12
thoughtful 3.75

The book is appreciated for its gentle yet profound style, with some disappointment expressed regarding the ending and comparisons made to other coming-of-age novels.

The reviewer enjoyed 'The Moviegoer' for its unique blend of a gentle narrative style paired with profound thematic depth. They found the book's exploration of personal search and spiritual longing compelling, but felt that the ending was somewhat lacking in resolution, which slightly diminished their overall experience. The reviewer also draws parallels to classic coming-of-age stories like 'The Catcher in the Rye', suggesting that while Percy's novel shares some thematic elements, it carves out its own niche through its Southern setting and philosophical undertones. This reflection invites readers to appreciate the novel's subtlety and introspection while preparing for an ending that is more suggestive than conclusive. The review encourages a thoughtful reading that values the journey of the protagonist’s inner quest over conventional plot closure.

Quick quotes

    I enjoyed The Moviegoer, but I was a little disappointed in the ending.

    The Moviegoer is a wonderful novel - gentle, yes, but profound also in a characteristically dreamy and oblique way.

    I also compared it to Catcher in the Rye, as well as The...

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