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rlinnyc's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
raspberryvanguard's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
3.7…I had fun! If you wanna read about two guys being full of shit and being scammers, this is for you!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Homophobia
piddlepiddle's review against another edition
2.0
Nothing was technically wrong with this book but it was just... boring lol. I felt to writing style did it a disservice (really was just reporting what happened rather than being what happened?) and the relationship between the characters felt really flat, the characters in general felt flat idk. I was just bored the whole book.
kmcnulty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kurdt's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fantastic con-artist novel with a complicated quasi-romance at its core. About our capitalistic hellhole but also a tragic story of someone so devoted to somebody else that they'll lose their body and mind over them. One of the best books I read all year.
*Spoilers* - the ending is bittersweet. Obviously they deserve their comeuppance for the pyramid scheme, but it always felt like Ezra was doing all this because of his loyalty and love for Orson, rather than anything particularly nefarious (although obviously he knew what he was doing). And it was tearing him apart that Orson was going to marry Emily. But now, in prison, with Ezra practically blind and his mind mostly broken from isolation, they're back together. In the strangest way, Ezra has Orson back to himself, with nobody else, and it's just the two of them scheming again. But what's even more tragic, and what the book smartly never addresses directly, is whether Orson truly cares emotionally for Ezra or has just been using him as a means to an end. Ezra loves Orson, but Orson never seems to really feel the same way. All of Ezra's devotion for someone who perhaps only sees him as a way to help him make more money.
*Spoilers* - the ending is bittersweet. Obviously they deserve their comeuppance for the pyramid scheme, but it always felt like Ezra was doing all this because of his loyalty and love for Orson, rather than anything particularly nefarious (although obviously he knew what he was doing). And it was tearing him apart that Orson was going to marry Emily. But now, in prison, with Ezra practically blind and his mind mostly broken from isolation, they're back together. In the strangest way, Ezra has Orson back to himself, with nobody else, and it's just the two of them scheming again. But what's even more tragic, and what the book smartly never addresses directly, is whether Orson truly cares emotionally for Ezra or has just been using him as a means to an end. Ezra loves Orson, but Orson never seems to really feel the same way. All of Ezra's devotion for someone who perhaps only sees him as a way to help him make more money.
jacquatch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mhoffrob's review
4.0
While not satire, this novel is surely a bitter commentary on scam artistry and the constant seeking of "enlightenment" as a concept sale. Orson and Ezra meet at "last chance" camp for boys going down the "wrong path." Their friendship becomes one of desire and opportunities for taking advantage of the rich. Culminating in their founding of NuLife and it's related "The Farm" where their customers/followers come to be Synthesized by Orson. Ezra's diminishing eyesight, Orson's increasing distance, and a series of financially questionable decisions lead to their ultimate demise.
mwcw1matt's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jarthur's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thelowlysloth's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75