Reviews

Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley

rachaelreads_'s review against another edition

5.0

hysteeeeerical. i got it on a whim in an airport & actually laughed outloud while reading this on the plane.

wunderbread384's review against another edition

4.0

Buckley specializes in satire for good reason: he's a smart and funny writer with a knack for pointing out the absurd in ways you'd never dream of. In Thank You for Smoking (you've probably seen the movie) he tells the story of Nick, a tobacco spokesperson in the '90's.

I could go on and on about how this is a good read because Buckley makes you take the side of a tobacco spokesperson, but really you should read this book because of Buckley's skill at satire and because it's just plain funny.

hahn2read's review against another edition

3.0

I liked the beginning, and I liked the end, but everything in between is very repetitive in both tone and content

toreadistovoyage's review against another edition

4.0

This was great (even though I did see the movie first, which was also great).

bitterindigo's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed this more than I expected to (I had to read it for book club and I'm not a big lover of satire, especially extended over an entire novel). It's very formulaic, but there are some hilarious moments and the writing style is skillful.

lizakessler's review

4.0

A coworker gave me this book when he left the job. I have no idea if he thought he'd borrowed it from me or thought I would like it or was just trying to get rid of stuff.

Solid satire. I enjoyed it. And I appreciated that the author lives in DC so didn't send people down nonsensical streets just because the road has a recognizable name.

xallroyx21's review against another edition

4.0

It took longer than usual, but I finally finished it. Let me start off by saying that I did enjoy reading the book. I saw the movie years ago so I had an idea of the satiric elements. I don't know why I got sleepy before I had even finished reading 10 pages almost every time I picked it up! The book revolves around Nick Naylor, chief spokesman for the tobacco lobby in Washington DC. He lunches with the other member of the "Merchants of Death" (MOD Squad) consisting of the gun and alcohol lobbies. Nick is great at lying to the American public about the harms of tobacco, but ends up being kidnapped and doused with nicotine patches. He makes it out alive and then the mystery of who kidnapped him takes Nick all over the East Coast and Hollywood. I would recommend to those who like political satire.

aje9065a's review against another edition

5.0

so what happens when you have educated people representing and defending products that are degrading to human life? how do they live with themselves? how does one write about such people (in a fictional context, but nevertheless) without incurring the wrath of educated readers?
answer: snark. i am a fan of some good snarkiness. nick naylor is exactly the kind of smart ass i want to be--just not while representing big tobacco.
the plot is sharp, the characters entertaining. you may be able to call some of the twists, or that might just be a sign that i don't trust people.

somechelsea's review against another edition

4.0

Bitingly funny, and very clever. It's a little like The West Wing in reverse - smart people saying smart things, only not for the greater good in this case.

bookishuniverse's review against another edition

4.0

Very sarcastic and funny. A little dated, but not by much if you consider all the other "merchants of death" that are out there. The last part of the plot is a little ludicrous, but overall I liked it.