The Music of Chance
by Paul Auster
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 October, 1993)
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Reviews (36)

A Book Worth Owning!
Paul Auster uses a unique, engaging tone in all his novels, a somewhat lyrical prose involving chance, a quiet pace and surreal plot lines, and The Music of Chance is my favorite of all his novels.

Jim Nashe is a fireman who suddenly inherits some unexpected money. After buying a new car and going on a road trip, his return sets him about a different path:

He had told them he was planning to go back to Massachusetts, but as it happened, he soon found himself traveling in the opposite direction. That was because he missed the ramp to the freeway - a common enough mistake - but instead of driving the extra twenty miles that would have put him back on course, he impulsively went up the next ramp, knowing full well that he had just committed himself to the wrong road. It was a sudden, unpremeditated decision, but in the brief time that elapsed between the two ramps, Nashe understood that there was no difference, that both ramps were finally the same. ..He could go anywhere he wanted, he could do anything he felt like doing, and not a single person in the world would care. As long as he did not turn back, he could just as well have been invisible.

And so he is off, driving just to drive. So begins this story, which (if you'll pardon the pun) eventually takes a detour when he runs into a beaten Jack Pozzi, a gambler. The two get involved in a poker game - and at this point, I should mention that the whole book is predicated on much the same beat as poker - it's about chance, challenge, bluffs and risk.

The relationship between the two strangers led down an odd path together is original, somewhat disturbing, and incredibly well paced and engaging. Without giving any of the actual plot away, understand that major plot devices center around both the construction of a stone wall, and a mammoth miniature model called the City of the World. Described in the novel, the City of the World "...is more than just a toy,' Flower said, 'it's an artistic vision of mankind. In one way, it's an autobiography, but in another way, it's what you might call a utopia - a place where the past and future come together, where good finally triumphs over evil...It's an imaginary place, but it's also realistic. Evil still exists, but the powers who rule over the city have figured out how to transform that evil back into good. Wisdom reigns here, but the struggle is nevertheless constant, and great vigilance is required of all the citizens - each of whom carries the entire city within himself.'"

The Music of Chance is a loopy, incredibly engaging novel that is an absolute joy to read, but try it for yourself. Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Auster, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition," a funny, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

cop-out ending
As always, Auster excells in the innovative premise of the novel--a man who defines freedom as living entirely on the whims of chance.The plot and the language are entirely engrossing, and I read the novel in breathless one day's sitting simply because I couldn't put it down.After all this, Auster deals with the enormity of what he started with a weak whimper of an ending, the most trite, 70s B-movie-like weak bravura conclusion pretending to be a philosophical challenge.The ending is the LEAST interesting instance of the "chance" that the protagonist takes.

worst read I've had in ages
Flat, boring, pointless, plain stupid. Guy gets too pretentious with all that bunch of alleged existencial symbolism, whatever it is supposed to mean. His writing style is quite poor, he uses tons of cliches, and presumes to be telling more than he does. Too kitshy to be true.

I would give it a -5 star if I could. Just stay away from this garbage. ... Read more

Isbn: 0140154078
Sales Rank: 78440
Subjects:  1. Fiction - General    2. General    3. Movie/Tv Tie-Ins    4. Modern fiction   

Catch-22 : A Novel (Simon & Schuster Classics)
by Joseph Heller
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (05 October, 1999)
list price: $26.00 -- our price: $17.16
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Editorial Review

There was a time when reading Joseph Heller's classic satire on the murderous insanity of war was nothing less than a rite of passage. Echoes of Yossarian, the wise-ass bombardier who was too smart to die but not smart enough to find a way out of his predicament, could be heard throughout the counterculture. As a result, it's impossible not to consider Catch-22 to be something of a period piece. But 40 years on, thenovel's undiminished strength is its looking-glass logic. Again and again, Heller's characters demonstrate that what is commonly held to be good, is bad; what is sensible, is nonsense.

Yossarian says, "You're talking about winning the war, and I am talking about winning the war and keeping alive."
"Exactly," Clevinger snapped smugly. "And which do you think is more important?"
"To whom?" Yossarian shot back. "It doesn't make a damn bit of difference who wins the war to someone who's dead."
"I can't think of another attitude that could be depended upon to give greater comfort to the enemy."
"The enemy," retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, "is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on."
Mirabile dictu, the book holds up post-Reagan, post-Gulf War. It's a good thing, too. As long as there's a military, that engine of lethal authority, Catch-22 will shine as a handbook for smart-alecky pacifists. It's an utterly serious and sad, but damn funny book. ... Read more

Reviews (728)

Shaky first half, Great last half
One night I was half asleep when I caught the tail end of the movie version of Catch-22, where in my semi-conscious state I caught one of the funniest dialogues I'd ever come across-- some guy (Milo) hoping to make it big with a new product of his: chocolate-covered cotton. The next morning, I decided that instead of trying to catch the video of the movie, I'd read the book instead, so I did.

And I'm glad I did. I found Catch-22 to be a very enjoyable read, although very difficult to get into at first. (In fact, were it not for the glowing reviews here at Amazon, I would have never gotten past page 100.)It's a very weird novel-- I'd even call it the anti-novel, because the writing style defies convention. Heller writes in this very rambling, repetitive, disjointed style that compliments the theme of the book (chaos). He's also very funny and clever: some of the dialogue in this book is very *sitcommy*-- and there's irony and sarcasm in most of the writing, plus lots of twists. Sometimes he states something as if it were true; then follows it with a statement that reverses what he previously said. So I thought that was very clever and enjoyed his unique style of thinking.

I also thought the point he was making was well articulated and still relevant to our own times. Catch-22 is really not an anti-war novel, as many people claim it is. (After all, Yossarian doesn't seem to start rebelling until Colonel Cathcart keeps recklessly *volunteering his men* for additional missions). What Catch-22 is is an anti-military bureacracy novel, much in the same vein as Doctor Strangelove. It's very clear that Heller was skewering the "Armchair General Mentality" that tends to happen in the military, where the very high-ranking officials whose job it is to carry out a war are the ones who have the least perspective in it, because they never actually have to do the fighting themselves, and-- as a consequence-- never become acquainted enough with its horrors to understand the implications of their actions.

Making matters worse is their sense of megolomania and self-absorption; caught up in their own little worlds of rank and self importance, the colonels' perception of war become so removed from reality that they wind up fighting a different war than the one Yossarian is fighting-- not of Allied Powers against Axis Powers, but of egos, promotions, and perceived personal slights (or *black eyes*). Unfortunately, this war of egos-- for all its detachment from reality-- will still have dire consequences in the real world, where their fight for rank will play out in the decision to bomb innocent civillian villages, or in the assignment of Yossarian and his buddies to suicide missions. Of course, nothing that Yossarian or the others like him can say or do can shake them from their break from reality; the high ranking officers create an entire world of illogic that-- insulated from the realities of the war-- has its own kind of twisted logic that even the squadron's chaplain can't squirm his way out of.

Despite my like of the novel, I did think Catch-22 had a few faults. Ironically, and in a *Catch 22* of its own, what's great about it is also its biggest flaw. Heller, as I said, has a great writing style. Unfortunately, in the first 120 or so pages of the book, he completely overdoes it a bit, making it a somewhat challenging read. Luckily, Catch-22 picks up and becomes better and more focused towards the end, but the first half of the book-- when Heller is being ironic, disjointed and clever-- is so heavy handed, you sometimes feel worn out by it and want to give up for the want of something less quirky and unconventional. Plus, the nonlinearity of the book makes it hard to keep track of who anyone is or what's going on because Heller does everything out of order. That, once again, may have been the *point*-- to keep the reader confused and as disoriented as the chaotic environment that Yossarian lives in-- but it works a little too well at times.

One last gripe-- the first half of the book could have been condensed a little. Like I said, the book *does* become focused later on, but the first 100 pages will make it tough for some to get through, so some readers will initially be scratching their heads, mumbling, "Where is this all going?"

But all in all, I really enjoyed this novel, and thought that the last half-- especially the final scene-- was outstanding. However, I must admit that C-22 is an acquired taste, and while some people may love this book to death, others might be left cold by it. My verdict? I really wanted to give it three and a half stars, but given that there isn't a half star rating at Amazon.com, have decided to be generous and give it four stars instead.

Catch-22
Catch-22 is a brilliant satire that plays out like an old war sitcom, such as Hogan's Heroes or M*A*S*H*.The story takes place in an airbase, on a small island off the cost of Italy, during the end of World War II.The sitcom feel comes from the over twenty central characters, each with their own different fears, ambitions, passions, personalities, goals and beliefs.Not to mention each character is INSANE in his own personal way.From the rebellious Yosarrian, who believes everybody is out to kill him, to the capitalistic Milo, who bombs the base himself as a business investment, the misadventures that occur on the island when all these characters try to survive with one another bestows upon the story its sitcom-like charm.

The author, Joseph Heller, uses elements such as dark humor, explicit violence, and everything in between to craft this novel.By making you laugh out loud on one page, and then sicken you with disgust on the next, Heller demonstrates the utter insanity of war.He blatantly accuses the government and the military of turning their back on the innocent men they USED to do their dirty work.The generals in Catch-22 are portrayed as irrational, ignorant, and power hungry because they are more concerned with the prestige they may receive than the number of men they pointlessly send to their death.

On the whole I would recommend this book because of its ability to be humorous, appalling, and thought provoking all at the same time.By the end, the reader begins to understand the hopelessness of all the characters because they are not evil men, but the war forces them to choose between doing evil and being killed.

Great Catch
My name is Kayleigh Gunnoud, and I am a senior at Mercy High School, CT.Catch 22, by Joseph Heller is a novel which makes a strong statement about the effects of war.While there are many novels which address this topic, this novel is unique in that it comedy and sarcasm.These methods help show the overall madness and lunacy of war, and truly make the reader rethink their opinions on war.
The main character in the novel is Captain Yossarian.Yossarian's view on the war change after seeing the death of his friends and after Colonel Catchart's continuous raising of the number of missions the men need to fly.Yossarian finds himself unable to leave because of a mysterious law, Catch 22.Yossarian becomes an extremely defiant of the military authority.
This novel reveals another side of war.While people are very quick to think about the glory of war, Catch 22 introduces you to the many soldiers in the war and gradually shows you their demise and death.After developing a relationship with these quirky characters throughout the novel, one fails to see any glory provided to them after their death.
I would recommend Catch 22 to anyone.The comedy in certain passages is literary genius.It is a very dynamic novel, with many unique characters and scenes one will never forget.
... Read more

Isbn: 0684865130
Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. Heller, Joseph - Prose & Criticism    4. Historical - General    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. War & Military    7. War stories    8. World War, 1939-1945    9. Fiction / General   

Survivor : A Novel
by CHUCK PALAHNIUK
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (04 January, 2000)
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Editorial Review

Some say that the apocalypse swiftly approacheth, but that simply ain't so according to Chuck Palahniuk. Oh no. It's already here, living in the head of the guy who just crossed the street in front of you, or maybe even closer than that. We saw these possibilities get played out in the author's bloodsporting-anarchist-yuppie shocker of a first novel, Fight Club.Now, in Survivor, his second and newest, the concern is more for the origin of the malaise. Starting at chapter 47 and screaming toward ground zero, Palahniuk hurls the reader back to the beginning in a breathless search for where it all went wrong. This time out, the author's protagonist is self-made, self-ruined mogul-messiah Tender Branson, the sole passenger of a jet moments away from slamming first into the Australian outback and then into oblivion. All that will be left, Branson assures us with a tone bordering on relief, is his life story, from its Amish-on-acid cult beginnings to its televangelist-huckster end. All of this courtesy of the plane's flight recorder.

Speaking of little black boxes, Skinnerians would have a field day with the presenting behavior of the folks who make up Palahniuk's world. They pretend they're suicide hotline operators for fun. They eat lobster before it's quite... done. They dance in morgues. The Cleavers they are not. Scary as they might be, these characters are ultimately more scared of themselves than you are, and that's what makes them so fascinating. In the wee hours and on lonely highways, they exist in a perpetual twilight, caught between the horror of the present and the dread of the unknown. With only two novels under his belt, Chuck Palahniuk is well on his way to becoming an expert at shining a light on these shadowy creatures. --Bob Michaels ... Read more

Reviews (314)

Big Dissapointment
This is the third book by Palahniuk I've read, and I must say I wasn't very pleased.
About the book:

This book has an amazing satirical premise. The lead character is Tender Branson. He's the "survivor" of a cult that had it's own isolated comminity that was similar to the Amish, only this was a suicide cult, and he's the only survivor. That is, he's one of two survivors, the other survivor is killing other members of the "Creedish" cult to make it look like they were suicides.
Being the "Survivor" Tender Branson is made into somewhat of a hero on TV all across America, and he's turned into something like a Televangalist. ONly he doesn't have to work. ALl his agents do it for him. They write all his sermons, they make him handsome, they write all his books,
Until the book starts to get chaotic toward his downfall.

Sounds good, doesn't it?

I'm not going to spend a lot of time hacking it up. I'll simply say that with everything I've said so far, it makes for an interesting and wildly satirical plot, yet it just misses everything that moves the story to where I care.
I didn't care about the characters.
The narrator didn't seem to have real feelings like chuck's other books.
The imagery wasn't fleshed out enough. I just couldn't see the big stages and crowds and superbowl half-time effects. Maybe I don't have a good imagination, but the book seemed very rushed.
It was as though the author had this wonderful idea, and then just wrote a very rough storyline in order to work the plot he wanted.
If you want something that's similar to this by Palahniuk, only much better, read Choke. I recommend it.

I give this book two stars for the wonderful plot and for the few moments in the book that actually made me laugh out loud. I know people say that all the time in reviews, but I'm being honest to god, I laughed out loud on a few parts.

At least it didn't take long to read. It's a short book with little chapters. If anything, read it for the plot and laughs, but don't expect a masterpeice of literary genius.
Again, if you want something that's wickedly funny, wonderfully satirical with social statements, and a wonderfully weaved plot, read Choke. It wins where this book fails.

big fan of palahniuk, but this one is ok at best
boring read...better palahniuk books out there.

Testing, testing Flight 2039 do you hear me...
This is the first novel I have read from C.Palaniuk, and I was very impressed.

The story start with someone tells you everything that went wrong into the flight recorder of flight 2039. The story is really brought to life by being told from end to start. Periodically you will learn just how close you are to the end by learning which engine has just flamed out. Throughout learning all of the misfortune of lead role Tender Branson his teaches you all the little odds and ends of do certain unappealing household chores or cooking different types of food. Which makes this book terribly funny. Also I just loved Fertility Hollis! You learn about his young with his Creedish cult, and his uneventful jobs, the people he meets and the rise and fall of the "last known" survivor of the Creedish death cult. As I said with my fist statement I was impressed. This book really kept me attached until you learn that "The sun is total and burning and just right there, and today is a beautiful day.

The story and demises of the Creedish cult and Tender will keep you fasten to each chapter until that phrase... Testing, testing, one, two---
... Read more

Isbn: 0385498721
Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Autobiography    3. Cults    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - General    6. General    7. Psychological    8. Suicide victims    9. Fiction / General   

Island of the Sequined Love Nun
by Christopher Moore
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 July, 2000)
list price: $13.00
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Editorial Review

Pilot Tucker Case has a weakness--well, Tuck really has two--and the combination of drinkingand sex in the cockpit of the pink Mary Jean Cosmetics Learjet puts him on the front page of papers allover the planet. But he finds another job with a mysterious employer--someone with a brand-new Lear 45--who's willing to pay Tuck generously and ask no questions about his record. The jet and job are on Alualu,a speck in the Pacific Ocean, and Tucker has nowhere else to go. But first he has to get to Alualu, and oncethere, he faces a hurricane, Shark People, atypical missionaries, and boredom ... and the responsibilitiesassigned to him by Capt. Vincent Bennidetti, U.S. Air Force, deceased bomber pilot and present-day deityof the Shark People. ... Read more

Reviews (92)

Quirky, Funny and Keeps you hooked.
For a while there I went through this phase of not being able to get into a book. Then I discovered the Island of the Sequined Love Nun, by Christopher Moore.I enjoyed this book more than The past three books that I have read.There were great funny scenes, and the storyline was so wild that you can't imagine how he came up with it!!! I also read the Melancholy Cove book by Christopher Moore, but the island of the sequined love nun is about 10 times better!!!

The whole book reads pretty easy. The chapters almost read like scenes in a script, which made it really easy to visualize what everything was in your mind.I love books like this.It really invoked imagination on my part, and I had a hard time putting the book down. If you can't read a book straight through like I did, Christopher Moore did a great job of breaking up the chapters into small segments, so you can read a little here and there without feeling like you're putting the book down mid chapter.

Kudos Christopher Moore for writing a book that finally hooked me!! This book is fantastic!

My first Christopher Moore, but not my last.
***** I MEANT TO GIVE THIS 5 STARS, BUT CAN'T EDIT THE RATING, SO I'M ADDING THIS TO THE REVIEW. *****

OMG.It's hard to believe there's someone out flying under my reading radar that's writing such hysterical, irreverent, yet surprisingly touching and insightful work.

ISLAND OF THE SEQUINED LOVE NUN was my first Christopher Moore book, but it will NOT be my last.

I have a feeling Moore musta spent some time on the payroll of Mary Kay or BeautiControl.;-)Otherwise, how could he have so much insight into the way a corporation like "Mary Jean Cosmetics" works. . .or the idea of a pink corporate jet?

Tucker Case, pilot and self-described "a geek in cool guy's body," is in a world of trouble AND hurt when he crashes Mary Jean's jet during a "delicate" moment with a lady of ill repute.He loses his pilot's license, but finds a job custom-made for him on a secluded island in the south Pacific.

How Tucker gets to the island is a story in and of itself.What he does when he gets there is the icing on the cake.

Moore's twisted humor and irony is not for everyone.But, if you've ever "puffed, puffed, passed," this is your guy.His plot line is not as simple as it might appear and things are never as they seem.

World War II pilot Vincent, cross-dressing Kimmi, the old cannibal and a talking bat named Roberto are fresh voices and belong in a completely new genre of fiction.In fact, I'd like to know more about Roberto . . . and I'd like to see how Vincent's card game is coming and if Kimmi is teaching "the guys" how to navigate.

This is one of the best reads I've had in years.


Enjoy!

Please Sir, Can I Have Some Moore?
Christopher Moore is a great writer. I have said this before. He is not onlya great writer in the snese that he is a hysterical writer, but the fact that he can pull it off without compromising the quality of the book. I have read Bloodsucking Fiends, Practical Demonkeeping, and Lamb, all of which were wonderful, my favorite being Lamb mainly because it deals with something a lot bigger, has a grander scale, and is the funniest of them all in my opinion. I went into this book expecting something a little different to tell the truth. I have to say that Moore gets funnier and funnier as he goes on, but I was expecting something completely different from this book. I don't know what though. It starts just like a Moore book would with Tucker Case hooking up with a prostitute in a pink jetplane then crashing to the ground and suffering a large wound to his, uh....you know. But from there it almost takes on a realism, not totally real considering the talking fruit bat and references to Oprah. But a realism that is sort of mellowing. That is why I took away a star. Because although the book is outrageously funny, there are times when it gets too sober, too unfit for its surroundings. Moore is a genius at mixing these two traits, reality and farcity, but it is a little weaker in this book. Make no mistake, that is no reason not to read it, everyone should. But if you want a better introduction to Moore, read Lamb or Practical Demonkeeping then read this, you will like it much better. ... Read more

Isbn: 0380816547
Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Humorous    5. Literary   

Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard
by J. G. Ballard, Anthony Burges
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (06 July, 2001)
list price: $15.00 -- our price: $10.20
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Reviews (7)

Great collection of short stories
All the stories here are great.I really liked Manhole,the Cloud-sculptors of Coral D, and Thirteen for Centaurus.Most of the stories here really show Ballards visionary view of the world and its future.

The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard
I am much displeased to see that the current version of this story collection features such lackluster cover art.My original copy features a breathtaking portrait of a crowd and some cars in the desert, dwarfed by a towering pink collosus, while hand gliders dots the sky above and an enormous unicorn appears in the clouds.But what's most amazing is that this isn't just whimsy on the artist's part; it's actually a scene from one of Ballard's stories.That's the thing about Ballard.To him the idea that a ragtag but energetic crew of pilots might create enormous sculptures out of clouds in the desrt sky wasn't just possible, it seemed perfectly natural.His imagination ran to places that most science fiction authors couldn't even conceive, and once there it plopped into an armchair and started spinning a story that readers won't ever forget.

In Ballard's view, the human race is in decline.It's not because of human weakness or bad political decisions, it's just in the nature of the universe that we'll fade out, and (possibly) make way for something else.In "Concentration City", we live in a gigantic metorpolis stretching out in every direction with no open spaces.One man sets out on a quest to reach the city's edge.Along the way, he finds troubling signs of encroaching urban decay.But if nothing other than the city exists, does this spell the end of the world?In "The Deep End", technology sets of a chain reaction of unintended consequences, leading to Earth's oceans running dry.Most people depart for other planets, but one crotchety old-timer insists on staying behind, hoping to protect the world's last fish.

Other stories more directly tackle social issues.Some folks believe that modern society is too obsessed with schedules and deadlines.In "Chronopolis" we respond by outlawing clocks and watches.But as always there will be rebels who refuse to accept the revolution.Which side will win in the end?"Billennium" takes on overpopulation, while "Thirteen for Centaurus" looks at scientific ethics while also considering how easy it is to fool people ... or then again maybe not.

Among the most memorable images in this collection is "The Drowned Giant".The title is self explanatory: a giant washes up on shore near a major city.Ballard worries less about where it comes from, more about how we'll react to seeing it.While the unnamed narrator reflects on the giant's mythological appearance, the body ends up getting chopped up and used as fertilizer, while the bones decorate doorways around the city.You can try tagging metaphorical meaning to that ending if you wish, but to Ballard it was just one analysis of how modern society functions, which isn't too well.

parts of this book are brilliant
I would rate a few of the stories contained in this book with five stars, but other stories bring the total rating down to 3 stars.These are the stories which I would rate with 5 stars: "The Concentration City", "Chronopolis", "Thirteen for Centaurus", and "The Sublimiminal Man"."The Concentration City" is set somewhere in the future where somethings taken for granted now have long been forgotten.Hence things have to be reinvented and rediscovered.Because of "development" however, there are almost insurmountable barriers to reinvention."Chronopolis" is a fascinating story of how using watches and clocks became illegal."Thirteen for Centaurus" is about a space station supposedly travelling to a distant gallaxy."The Sublimiminal Man" is aptly named because it is about exactly what the title says.The rest of the stories just didn't hold my interest.Some of them were very complex while others were simple but didn't have a good plot.Indeed, some of the stories had no plot at all.As far as climax is concerned, none of his stories had a climax.Most of his stories should be read mainly for the experience as opposed to a good meat and potatoes story.One thing about J.G. Ballard is that he certainly is very imaginative and creative. ... Read more

Isbn: 0312278446
Sales Rank: 275080
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Science fiction, English    4. Short Stories (single author)    5. Fiction / Short Stories (single author)   

Confederacy of Dunces
by JOHN KENNEDY TOOLE
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (12 December, 1994)
list price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

"A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head.The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank intolittle folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs."

Meet Ignatius J. Reilly, the hero of John Kennedy Toole's tragicomictale, A Confederacy of Dunces. This 30-year-old medievalist lives athome with his mother in New Orleans, pens his magnum opus on Big Chiefwriting pads he keeps hidden under his bed, and relays to anyone who willlisten the traumatic experience he once had on a Greyhound Scenicruiser boundfor Baton Rouge. ("Speeding along in that bus was like hurtling into the abyss.") But Ignatius's quiet life of tyrannizing his mother andwriting his endless comparative history screeches to a halt when he is almost arrested by the overeager Patrolman Mancuso--who mistakes him for a vagrant--and then involved in a car accident with his tipsy motherbehind the wheel. One thing leads to another, and before he knows it, Ignatiusis out pounding the pavement in search of a job.

Over the next several hundred pages, our hero stumbles from oneadventure to the next. His stint as a hotdog vendor is less than successful, andhe soon turns his employers at the Levy Pants Company on their heads. Ignatius'spath through the working world is populated by marvelous secondarycharacters: the stripper Lana Lee and her talented cockatoo; the septuagenarian secretary Miss Trixie, whose desperate attempts to retire areconstantly, comically thwarted; gay blade Dorian Greene; sinister Miss Lee,proprietor of the Night of Joy nightclub; and Myrna Minkoff, the girl Ignatiusloves to hate. The many subplots that weave through A Confederacy of Dunces are as complicated as anything you'll find in a Dickensnovel, and just as beautifully tied together in the end. But it is Ignatius--selfish, domineering, and deluded, tragic and comic andlarger than life--who carries the story. He is a modern-day Quixote beset by giants of the modern age. His fragility cracks the shell of comicbluster, revealing a deep streak of melancholy beneath the antic humor. JohnKennedy Toole committed suicide in 1969 and never saw the publication of hisnovel. Ignatius Reilly is what he left behind, a fitting memorial to atalented and tormented life. --Alix Wilber ... Read more

Reviews (769)

Beats me
Maybe it's an American thing, or a Catholic thing, or a south-of-the-Mason-Dixon-line thing, but, as an English reader - and one far from averse to bodily function jokes - I found this book tedious, repellent and (ultimately) pointless. At the risk of being numbered among the 'confederacy' by some of the more smug reviewers, I find the showers of praise heaped on this pile of ordure incomprehensible, let alone the fact that it won a Pulitzer.

Leave aside the inherent and all-pervading meanness of every single character. Leave aside the constant inconsistencies in their behaviour and the ridiculous unreality of the situations they find themselves in. Even leave aside the loud grinding of machinery heard throughout, as the author laboriously winches the pieces into place for the next piece of utterly implausible 'slapstick' comedy. The real question is, what is the reader supposed to take away from all this? Are we supposed to sympathise with the odious Reilly? What point is the author trying to convey? As the heading says, beats me.

In the final analysis, do any of the characters learn anything? Do they grow and develop? Has there been some unifying meaning to their experiences? Do we genuinely care what happens to any of them? No to all.

Never laughed so much reading a book
This book is a comic masterpiece, it narrates the adventures and misadventures of Ignatius a not too young, highly educated gentleman who is pushed by his mother to find a job in a hostile New Orleans.

Because of his humanistic studies Ignatius has a medieval and poetic perception of the reality surrounding him that results in hilarius misunderstandings when he shares his views with other characters.

I truly believe this novel is unique, the author must have had an extraordinary sense of humor!

Unlike Anything You've Ever Read Before
I usually don't read 'Pulitzer Prize' winning books, which are usually literary and often academic and 'nuanced' (which is another word for 'boring') -- so it came as some surprise for me to pick up a copy of this book and get sucked right in. Frankly, this novel is like NOTHING I've ever read before; Ignatius, the main character, is described as a beast, with 'paws' and elephantine thighs, a misanthropic psuedo-intellectual loser who doesn't have a clue -- and who is finally forced to get a job by his doting but fed-up mom. This is truly an outrageous book, full of broad strokes and over-the-top characters. Just a great hilarious slapstick riot. You'll laugh! It's really fun!

Also recommended: THE LOSER CLUB (Complete Restored Edition) by Richard Perez ... Read more

Isbn: 0517122707
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. General    3. Humorous    4. Humorous stories    5. Literary    6. Mothers and sons    7. New Orleans (La.)    8. Sale Adult - Fiction - General    9. Young men    10. Fiction / General   

Breakfast of Champions
by KURT VONNEGUT
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (11 May, 1999)
list price: $13.95 -- our price: $11.16
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Editorial Review

"We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane." So reads the tombstone of downtrodden writer Kilgore Trout, but we have no doubt who's really talking: his alter ego Kurt Vonnegut. Health versus sickness, humanity versus inhumanity--both sets of ideas bounce through this challenging and funny book. As with the rest of Vonnegut's pure fantasy, it lacks the shimmering, fact-fueled rage that illuminates Slaughterhouse-Five. At the same time, that makes this book perhaps more enjoyable to read.

Breakfast of Champions is a slippery, lucid, bleakly humorous jaunt through (sick? inhumane?) America circa 1973, with Vonnegut acting as our Virgil-like companion. The book follows its main character, auto-dealing solid-citizen Dwayne Hoover, down into madness, a condition brought on by the work of the aforementioned Kilgore Trout. As Dwayne cracks, then crumbles, Breakfast of Champions coolly shows the effects his dementia has on the web of characters surrounding him. It's not much of a plot, but it's enough for Vonnegut to air unique opinions on America, sex, war, love, and all of his other pet topics--you know, the only ones that really count. ... Read more

Reviews (211)

No longer relevant
This review is for the audio CD version of the novel. I read the book for the first time 20+ years ago. At the time, we lived in a different world. As a teenager, I thought Vonnegut was cool, and I devoured this novel. 20+ years later, I can no longer stomach it. Back when it was hip to bash American and all it stands for, this book seemed important. I can see now that it is not. Don't bother reading this.

ZZZZZZZ.... what a boring book
I just simply don't recommend this book to anyone, it doesn't make sense and in most of the cases, makes you sleep. One of the worst book I ever read, Breakfast of Champions is an horrible book that tries to make you laugh but, at last, it doesn't. In others words: don't buy this book because you will regreet it.

You Owe Yourself This Great Read!

Breakast of Champions was a book that Kurt Vonnegut wrote for hlmself as a 50 year old birthday present. Having reached half a century of this life, he had decided that it was time to let all of his 'repeat' characters - characters that showed up in several different novels of his - finally go. It's also the story of Dwayne Hoover and how the chemicals in his brain made him believe he was the only living human on the planet, a test by God, and that everyone else was a robot, a machine. And it talks a lot about beavers and penis size.

If you have never read this novel before, I can honestly say this is something you have never seen the likes of. Vonnegut's novel comes replete with drawings, absurd non-sequirors, and a good dose of both laughter and heartbreak. His often simplified language reveals myraids of information - when it comes to less meaning more, Vonnegut is a true artist. He can fit more emotion (both good and bad) into one sentence than most modern novelists can manage in an entire chapter.

The story itself tells the tale of two men, destined to meet, and change each other's lives forever. Why? Because the author wanted them to. How do I know this? He himself appears in the penultimate scene in which they meet; he realizes they are both just staring at him, and then rememebers that's because they're waiting for him to give them something to do or say. The two men, Dwayne Hoover (the man with the bad chemicals in his brain that make him slowly go crazy) and Kilgore Trout (the most frequently used character in Vonnegut's previous ouevre) meet at The Festival of the Arts in Midland City, where the incredibly wealthy Dwayne Hoover lives and runs a car dealership. (There is also a Wayne Hoobler in the story, but that's not important right now.) Trout is the author of the book Now It Can Be Told! that, upon reading, makes Dwayne Hoover crazy. Trout's book takes the form of a letter from the Creator of the Universe addressed to the reader, assuring him that he/she is the only real human on the planet, and that everyone else is a machine designed to test him. Their are loving machines and hating machines and sports machines and war machines and lying machines, etc. The reader is the only one with true freedom and choice and feeling. To many readers of such a book, they would think it clever and perhaps even funny. For Dwayne Hoover it becomes the Gospel truth.

The book is about many other things as well, and to give too much away would be criminal. But I can tell you that, no matter how hard you try not to, you will laugh at some point at this book, and you will feel incredible sadness at others. And you won't know exactly how or why Vonnegut is able to achieve this. Therein lies his magic. Read it and see for yourself! Another quick Amazon pick I'd like to recommend is 'The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition' by Richard Perez -- another exceptional, unconventional and FUNNY book, truly wonderful.


... Read more

Isbn: 0385334206
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Literary    5. Fiction / General   

A FEAST OF SNAKES: A NOVEL
by Harry Crews
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (07 January, 1998)
list price: $11.00 -- our price: $8.80
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Editorial Review

Welcome to Mystic, Georgia. This going-nowhere town hosts the annual Rattlesnake Roundup, which attracts thousands of visitors for a rough 'n' rowdy weekend of your basic primate behavior--hard drinking, ogling bikini-clad contestants in the Miss Mystic Rattle beautycontest, betting on dog fights, snake catching, and snake eating. Meet Joe Lon Mackey. He lives in a trailer in Mystic with his lumpy, devoted wife and two hollerin' young'uns. His days of glory as the Boss Snake of the Mystic Rattlers football team are over, and he didn't havethe grades to go to college. He's just now realizing that his drearybusiness selling beer, bonded whiskey, and moonshine is all he's gonna get in the way of a destiny.

As the crowds for the Roundup start to overfill the camping area, JoeLon feels on the inside like a barrel of snakes: "a writhing of thedarkness, an incessant boiling of something thick and slow-moving." As he and his good ol' buddy get ready to wander around and check out the scene, JoeLon says, "Just a bunch of crazy people cranking up to git crazier. Butthat's all right. Feel on the edge of doing something outstanding myself."

A Feast of Snakes is probably the most skillfully crafted and entertaining novel ever written in which a fed up person goes violently berserk.But Harry Crews belongs to the tradition of great Southern weird writers such as Flannery O'Connor, so A Feast of Snakes is richer than that: Crews serves up the reality of people's savage and unrelenting cruelty toward animals and toward each other, stark truths about human despair, male-female face-offs at their sexiest and most ruthless, and (here's his real genius) humor so powerful you can't help but laugh--even though it hurts when you do.

A Feast of Snakes, first published in 1976, is a dazzling and flawless horror novel. --Fiona Webster ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Who are the real snakes?
Maybe it's just a matter of taste, but novels by Harry Crews grab me in a way that few others do."A Feast of Snakes" and "The Knockout Artist" are my two Crews favorites.Crews, of course, is best known for his portrayal of depravity, amorality and sin of all types, but there always seems to be (if one looks hard enough) a moral compass present throughout most of his books.The main character here, Joe Lon Mackey, is certainly no saint, and perhaps despicable in several ways, but he seems to sense the wrongness of the behavior of those around him, especially with reference to the annual rattlesnake round-up for which his otherwise dead-end town is known.Joe seems to want to change, he just does not know how to.

All the typical Crews elements are present in this novel, i.e. quirky and deviant characters, dark humor, and a shocking ending.Crews also makes a powerful statement in general about cruelty towards animals.Overall, a great read from an incredible author!

exposing the dark underbelly of a hopeless population
Harry Crews takes the dark underbelly of the South and spins a talethat exposes even the most minute details to the scorching light of day.
The rattlesnake hunt is beginning in Mystic, Georgia and with the snakes the skeletons in the closets begin to pour out. Harry Crews has a cast of charaacters for his story that run the gamut from dark to hopeless, yet intriguing! An ex-football player who was the townsuper star is found running a squalid liquor store, unhappily married with two ever squalling babies.He is anticipating running into the "hottest" girl from high school days.That seems to be his only bright spot in his dead end life and he realizes that fact. The sheriff is a sexual predator, taking advantage of anyone he can and seemingly never pays the price for his crimes.
There is a young woman who is not sane, and who listens to TV 24/7.An older man who abuses dogs into becoming dog fighting champions is also a major character.
The trailer park that houses the visitors for the Rattlesnake festival is occupied by religious fanatics, snake freaks, and some stereotypical "good ole boys", and none of these people are anyone you would ever hope to meet.
The amazing thing is that CREWS brings them altogether in a finely detailed plot with an ending that is a real shocker.
This is not for the faint of heart, but this is a unique take on the down and dirtyunderbellylives in a dirt-poor southern town.

Crews at his best
Despite heavy dialogue and a vision for the violent that would, perhaps, even make O'Connor a bit nervous; Crews has managed a story about a man on the edge that touches the gritty corners of the Southern experience.Crews characters are surprizingly dymanic for people who are almost gloriously "redneck" in their approach to life.

This book manages to make you laugh at some of the most profoundly disturbing aspects of rural southern life.The cruelty of the book is almost naturalistic in nature.

The only reason I don't rate this book with five stars is some of Crew's female characters can be a little harder to shallow than his men as well as the dialogue in the book being almost unnecessarily thick at points. ... Read more

Isbn: 0684842483
Subjects:  1. Crews, Harry - Prose & Criticism    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Literary    5. Thrillers    6. Fiction / General   

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
by Hunter S. Thompson
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (12 May, 1998)
list price: $12.00 -- our price: $9.00
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Editorial Review

Heralded as the "best book on the dope decade" by the New York Times Book Review, Hunter S. Thompson's documented drug orgy through Las Vegas would no doubt leave Nancy Reagan blushing and D.A.R.E. founders rethinking their motto.Under the pseudonym of Raoul Duke, Thompson travels with his Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo, in a souped-up convertible dubbed the "Great Red Shark." In its trunk, they stow "two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers.... A quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls," which they manage to consume during their short tour.

On assignment from a sports magazine to cover "the fabulous Mint 400"--a free-for-all biker's race in the heart of the Nevada desert--the drug-a-delic duo stumbles through Vegas in hallucinatory hopes of finding the American dream (two truck-stop waitresses tell them it's nearby, but can't remember if it's on the right or the left). They of course never get the story, but they do commit the only sins in Vegas: "burning the locals, abusing the tourists, terrifying the help." For Thompson to remember and pen his experiences with such clarity and wit is nothing short of a miracle; an impressive feat no matter how one feels about the subject matter. A first-rate sensibility twinger, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a pop-culture classic, an icon of an era past, and a nugget of pure comedic genius. --Rebekah Warren ... Read more

Reviews (345)

Sad and Funny
For those of us who never smoked dope or attended an AA meeting, Mr. Thompson allows us a glimpse into an overly medicated mind. The result is both humorous and sad.
The plot: Journalist, Thompson, travels to Las Vegas with his Samoan attorney to cover a dirt bike race and a convention of District Attorneys, who are gathering to discuss America's drug problem. Of course, the real story is the obscene amount of drugs that Thompson and his attorney absorb, and the bizarre interactions those two have with the unlucky sober.
Yes, it's very funny. I especially enjoyed Thompson's blow by blow description of DAs trying to come to grips with the "drug crazed" of 1971, betraying the full depths of their ignorance. No wonder the drug problem has only become worse since then.
While I laughed, however, a strong undercurrent of sadness stuck with me throughout the book. Each chapter includes at least one drug-charged encounter of Thompson and his attorney with an unfortunate, wide-eyed waitress, cop, concierge, bar tender, pedestrian or average Joe. For those who have friends or family member suffering from drug addiction, you will sympathize with these poor people. The author wrongly suggests that he repeatedly fools people with his antics; rather, what most likely happened from the perspective of his sober observers was that they saw no point in challenging an obviously drug deranged psycho.
While it was funny and poignant, I give this book 4 stars because it could have been better. Thompson was able to write this book on drugs because he carried a recorder with him at all times. After a drug binge, he would return to the tapes and weave them into a somewhat coherent story when he was more sober. But he still could have added more meaning. For example on page 179 he makes several insightful comments about the meaning of the 1960's, but cuts them short. Too bad, really. Thompson obviously had more to say of real meaning, but he was too high to do it.
The irony of the book is that the heroes (if you can call them that) were searching for the "American Dream." Thompson merely showed us some of the worst aspects of American life. By killing himself lately, he added the final blow to that story.

Luridly Entertaining and Brilliant! Now and forever!
This nonfiction account of Hunter S Thompson's search for the American Dream is a trip you won't soon forget. It is not for the meek or squeamish. The substance abuse is staggering. I imagine there is some degree of exaggeration. Thompson himself had admitted as much in interviews. I must warn that the consumption in this book will be shocking if not scandalous to many.

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS rocks with an unerring intensity. This book is written like a typewriter tanked on meth. The road trip, the hitchhiker, the booze and the drugs, spending an employers money destroying hotel rooms. It is a full force assault on the senses. It left me dazed and confused. It is hilarious at times but in that guilty way when you know that you really shouldn't be laughing. Raoul Duke is like Jerry Seinfeld in that you know he's a jerk but you can't help liking him.

Thompson was an extreme individual. He was notorious for missing deadlines. Reading this book makes it easy to see why. He was very absorbed in the moment. He seemed more intent on getting hammered than on writing the book. But in the end, his extraordinary talent allowed him to produce an amazing book.

Thompson is able to convey the sensation of being there as all this insanity unfolds. The carefree excitement of youthfulness is captured here. I always feel more alive when I finish this novel.

This book is for readers who like an intense, tumultuous trip into madness. It is shocking and even offensive to some but it is a great ride for those that like a bit of shock value in their entertainment. Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "THE LOSERS CLUB: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, manic novel I can't stop thinking about, by an author whose style was very much influenced by Thompson.

This book is unique.
This is some brutally crazy funny stuff.

Let's say you hate drugs, have no interest in the social landscape of the 60s, the politics of freedom, or the meaning of the American Dream. Let's say you are comfortable with certain high standards of morality and have no interest in what appears to be a story about hedonism and irresponsibility.

Why should you read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?

Because of the language, the energy, the life. As a result of some weird galactic alignment, Hunter S Thompson somehow produced this slim volume of depraved genius then spent the rest of his life trying to reach the same heights again (and succeeding only infrequently). Every page is filled with passion - anger and lust and joy - tempered by an adolescent rejection of responsibility and driven by a kind of demented anti-logical momentum. And the words he uses to convey all this are really something else, something original. The imagery is nasty and shocking and the sense of being both outraged and self-consciously outrageous is infectious. Fun becomes inextricably linked with proximate disaster of the nastiest kind, and after a time as a reader one simply accepts this. Just to put the icing on the cake, Thompson's ear for dialogue is superb - conversations stay with you.

This book spawned a cult of wanna-be Hunters, and if you don't read it you'll never understand why.
... Read more

Isbn: 0679785892
Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Journalism    5. Journalists    6. Literary    7. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    8. Popular Culture - General    9. Thompson, Hunter S    10. United States    11. United States - 20th Century/60s    12. Current Events / American   

Among the Thugs
by BILL BUFORD
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 June, 1993)
list price: $15.00 -- our price: $10.20
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Reviews (56)

ultra violence at its best
The old saying of "don't judge a book by its cover" does not apply here.I saw this book, its cover and title, read the back and bought it.It did not dissapoint.

If anybody is looking for insight into soccer hooliganism, then this is the book for you.Buford, an American ex-pat, infiltrates the Manchester United hooligans.At first he attempts to share their perspective in his book, but as the story unravels, he becomes one of the hooligans.This gives readers a first hand account of their lives.

The scenes are ultra violent.This book is truly a modern day Clockwork Orange and the Man U fans are so crazy and violent that they make the Raider Nation look like a Girl Scout Troop.

GREAT BOOK!!

A Worthy Read!
When my friend recommended this book, I was skeptical. I didn't believe an American journalist could successfully infiltrate a gang of European football hooligans. I was introduced to the notoriety of hooligans when I attended a match in Turkey. There I witnessed 200 soldiers armed with assault rifles and riot gear, lined up behind the goalie. This severity made me believe what I'd heard about fans ending up trampled, stabbed, beaten, and killed in the aftermath of a match.

Starting with a few lukewarm leads, Bill Buford, a true journalist, is relentless. He transports the reader to England, Germany, and Italy as he tries to understand what fuels hooligans. You experience the helplessness of being caught in a body-crushing crowd, being ambushed by the brutal mobs after the match, and riding the fan-crammed trains. His characterizations are so vivid, you can almost smell the charged atmosphere in the streets and in the stadiums.

This book is about violence. The descriptions are fierce and don't let up. The history behind the European football fury is discussed. Even if you aren't a fan of football (better known to Americans as soccer), this book is an excellent read on the sociology of mob mentality. You become aware of what propels crowd violence and its devastating effects on the victim, whose only blunder might be unfortunate proximity and timing.

Not Accurate.
I was there and this book is not accurate and does not represent what was going on in English Football at the time.For excellent alternatives try Steaming-In, Hoolifan, 'Armed For The Match' or 'Congratulations you just met the ICF'.

It's a well written book, but as is documented in other books on the subject, he never had any contact with any of the top faces on the scene (why not read a book by one of them that are available), nor was he ever involved in any major incidents.In the book he talks about people as if he knew them, but is relaying stories he was told by wannabes.Likewise he tells a story of a Millwall fan attacking a West Ham fan based on a newspaper account as if he was there (a very poor thing to do in a book like this).

However it is well writen, and an interesting account from an outsider - just beware of the taking contents as fact. ... Read more

Isbn: 0679745351
Sales Rank: 64124
Subjects:  1. Europe - Great Britain - General    2. Great Britain    3. Hoodlums    4. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    5. Soccer    6. Soccer fans    7. Social aspects    8. Sociology    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Sports & Recreation / Soccer