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cherithe's review against another edition
2.0
Imagine if Chuck Palahniuk rewrote A Confederacy of Dunces as a modern day short story, complete with fourth wall breaks, where Ignatius was only slightly more competent and the prose was almost poetic in places. Oh but then only released it as an audiobook read by Sean Penn. That's this.
tmah23's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
I would throw this book out if it didn’t belong to the library
chasetothecut's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t know what crime alliteration ever committed against Sean Penn, but I truly hope he found peace after completing this novel.
pbobrit's review
4.0
If you are fan of the writing style of Hunter S. Thompson, Chuck Palahniuk etc. I think you'll get a kick out of this book. Whoever the mysterious author Pappy Pariah is (I hope it is Sean Penn) is no slouch in terms of their writing skills, the writing is tight, punchy, evocative and at sometimes beautiful. It is a book of the moment, but seems to me that it could stand the test of time (as long as you know your late 20th / 21st century). The audio-production is superb, and if you can get hold of this I would highly recommend it.
jdsatori's review against another edition
1.0
Um.
*Takes off glasses, rubs eyes, leans back in chair, offers a sympathetic smile.*
I’m more than cool with absurd story lines full of logic holes and main characters propped up by the righteousness of their own anger, especially if that anger is directed at capitalism and Trump.
But the writing.
For example: “Whenever he felt these collisions of incubus and succubus, he punched his way out of the proletariat with the purposeful inputting of covert codes, thereby drawing distraction through Scottsdale deployments, dodging the ambush of innocents astray, evading the viscount vogue of Viagratic assaults on virtual vaginas, or worse, falling passively into prosaic pastimes.”
(Translation: “To avoid thinking about sex or simply wasting time, Bob focused on work.”)
The entire book is written with this bombastic barrage of broadcasted bits, their cacophony cratering your contentment, insolency its illogical intent. I know, because I read all 160 pages. Generously, I wonder if this is Penn’s “voice” for Bob. If so, did NO ONE point out that death-by-alliteration-and-assonance does not equal personality?
I want to be able to say, at least, that “it was ok…” but it’s just not.
*Takes off glasses, rubs eyes, leans back in chair, offers a sympathetic smile.*
I’m more than cool with absurd story lines full of logic holes and main characters propped up by the righteousness of their own anger, especially if that anger is directed at capitalism and Trump.
But the writing.
For example: “Whenever he felt these collisions of incubus and succubus, he punched his way out of the proletariat with the purposeful inputting of covert codes, thereby drawing distraction through Scottsdale deployments, dodging the ambush of innocents astray, evading the viscount vogue of Viagratic assaults on virtual vaginas, or worse, falling passively into prosaic pastimes.”
(Translation: “To avoid thinking about sex or simply wasting time, Bob focused on work.”)
The entire book is written with this bombastic barrage of broadcasted bits, their cacophony cratering your contentment, insolency its illogical intent. I know, because I read all 160 pages. Generously, I wonder if this is Penn’s “voice” for Bob. If so, did NO ONE point out that death-by-alliteration-and-assonance does not equal personality?
I want to be able to say, at least, that “it was ok…” but it’s just not.
kathleendayle's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
simonmee's review against another edition
1.0
Reading this made me doubt everything Sean Penn believes in. Terrible.
rosexgold's review against another edition
3.0
For how short this was, it took me foreverrrrrr to get through.
It was fine. Sooo many alliterations. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it took away the meaning for me.
I don't know why the reviews for this are soooooo bad though. It wasn't amazing but it wasn't awful. If I was into more experimental/creative writing styles I would have enjoyed this more. But it was a totally fine story. All the footnotes were totally unnecessary for me though. Either say right away what your abbreviations are, or just don't use abbreviations at all. Don't explain them to me in a footnote. It got very old, very fast.
It was fine. Sooo many alliterations. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it took away the meaning for me.
I don't know why the reviews for this are soooooo bad though. It wasn't amazing but it wasn't awful. If I was into more experimental/creative writing styles I would have enjoyed this more. But it was a totally fine story. All the footnotes were totally unnecessary for me though. Either say right away what your abbreviations are, or just don't use abbreviations at all. Don't explain them to me in a footnote. It got very old, very fast.
paulcowdell's review against another edition
4.0
This flags in its latter stages, where the alienated frenzy tips over into more of a self-loathing Democrat what-iffery (funnily enough, a failing he shares with our mutual hero, Phil Ochs: smart enough to see through it, but unable to escape it). But the frenzied writing of the first half is bracing and refreshing and - which you might not realise from all the 'give the alliteration a rest' one-star reviews - pretty technically accomplished, in a mad sort of way. I'd really like to hear an audiobook read by Tom Waits.