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ti_leo's review against another edition
5.0
Eines meiner absoluten Lieblingsbücher. Zauberhaft, intelligent, spaßig und voller Anspielungen. Matt Ruff in absoluter Bestform.
ktaylor1164's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book so. I read it in college, and it has been one of my all-time favorites ever since. Whimsical, heroic, clever, and fun.
aleffert's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good time. There were fairies and nerds and bohemians and elaborate social commentary on domestic pets. The plot was kind of on rails in an annoying way. There was lots of foreshadowing and a solid deus ex machina. If you admit that something is a deus ex machina and explicitly make that fact part of the story it does not change the fact that it is a lame way to end a story. That said, I had a lot of fun reading this and hearing about college students causing trouble. Imagine Tom Robbins mixed with Neal Stephenson's The Big U and you have a pretty clear idea of what you're getting into here.
booksntea99's review against another edition
4.0
It didn't necessarily influence me, but it's a very good read and I've read it a couple of times now. It's like coming home and saying hi to all your dear old friends you haven't seen in a while and you have changed a bit and they haven't and now you realise there's something you have never noticed before, even though you have seen them a hundred times before. And that's such a beautiful thing - that everything can change, always, all the time, and that makes life so worth living but can also be the most heartbreaking, cruelest thing in the whole of existence.
tellingetienne's review against another edition
5.0
This was another one of those life changing novels that I read in high school. I need to reread it soon, because I remember it blew my mind.
mrninjaviking's review against another edition
3.0
This was Ruff's debut novel, and the third of his four novels (up to this point) that I have read. From Publishers Weekly via Amazon.Com, here is part of their review as a description:
One of the most interesting things about Ruff's work is the diversity. Each of these three books has been different. And though none of them have hit a home run for me, they are all solid base hits. Might even call one or two of them a double. (Sorry, but I started a baseball analogy with my last review of his work.)
One of the downfalls of this book is too many characters and a weak finish.
First the characters. Like I just said, there are a lot of them. Many, many of them. Some of them are dogs and one is a cat. Many of them get lost in the shuffle. Many of them seem important, only to disappear and not be heard from again. Some of the characters are missed at the end. Some of them could have been written out. The amount of characters didn't hurt the overall product, but certainly didn't help it.
The finish became a jumble of things, many story lines culminating into one big finish. It was tough understanding some of it, especially the reasons why. But there was still some satisfaction. What hurt it though was an outstanding beginning. Halfway through the book I was in "don't-want-to-put-it-down" mode. By the end I wasn't rushing to grab the book to finish. Still found myself wanting to finish, but it wasn't something I kept looking for any spare minute to read it.
There is a lot of appeal to this book. Even though all of Ruff's novels are different, they also bring in elements from many different genres. Not huge chunks where it really mixes it up. Just enough to keep it from being mundane. Some of his ideas and characters in this book remind me of something Pratchett might have written. It's not a rip off of his style or ideas, but more of a homage, an obvious influence, but still well enough of his own work.
Also, what is interesting, is that his writing style has become more to the point. His prose was stronger in this novel then the two other novels I read. So with this being his debut novel, that means he stepped back. Given the nature of those two novels, I think it shows an author well in control of what he is doing. This story gave him the room to use more poetic/flowery prose. It would not have worked at all with his latest novel "Bad Monkeys". I see this as a good sign from an author, who understands how to craft a story and not let his prose chops get in the way.
It ranks as a well written book, especially for a debut. An interesting fact too, is that this was published when he was 23 years old. Ruff has become an author that I will continue to read his books as they come out, and will probably be recommending them more to others as well.
This exuberant first novel unfolds at Cornell University, the alma mater of its 22-year-old author, who has re-imagined his school as the center of a violent and funny modern-day fairy tale. Stephen Titus George is a young writer longing for true love and a great story to tell. With the mysterious appearance of Calliope, a sorceress who can transform herself into anyone's vision of female perfection, both of his dreams begin to come true. Ruff shapes an adventure for his protagonist that includes everything from poisoned apples to winged dragons, all set on a campus where there isn't a professor in sight and where the actions of dogs, cats and invisible sprites are as meaningful as those of the students.
One of the most interesting things about Ruff's work is the diversity. Each of these three books has been different. And though none of them have hit a home run for me, they are all solid base hits. Might even call one or two of them a double. (Sorry, but I started a baseball analogy with my last review of his work.)
One of the downfalls of this book is too many characters and a weak finish.
First the characters. Like I just said, there are a lot of them. Many, many of them. Some of them are dogs and one is a cat. Many of them get lost in the shuffle. Many of them seem important, only to disappear and not be heard from again. Some of the characters are missed at the end. Some of them could have been written out. The amount of characters didn't hurt the overall product, but certainly didn't help it.
The finish became a jumble of things, many story lines culminating into one big finish. It was tough understanding some of it, especially the reasons why. But there was still some satisfaction. What hurt it though was an outstanding beginning. Halfway through the book I was in "don't-want-to-put-it-down" mode. By the end I wasn't rushing to grab the book to finish. Still found myself wanting to finish, but it wasn't something I kept looking for any spare minute to read it.
There is a lot of appeal to this book. Even though all of Ruff's novels are different, they also bring in elements from many different genres. Not huge chunks where it really mixes it up. Just enough to keep it from being mundane. Some of his ideas and characters in this book remind me of something Pratchett might have written. It's not a rip off of his style or ideas, but more of a homage, an obvious influence, but still well enough of his own work.
Also, what is interesting, is that his writing style has become more to the point. His prose was stronger in this novel then the two other novels I read. So with this being his debut novel, that means he stepped back. Given the nature of those two novels, I think it shows an author well in control of what he is doing. This story gave him the room to use more poetic/flowery prose. It would not have worked at all with his latest novel "Bad Monkeys". I see this as a good sign from an author, who understands how to craft a story and not let his prose chops get in the way.
It ranks as a well written book, especially for a debut. An interesting fact too, is that this was published when he was 23 years old. Ruff has become an author that I will continue to read his books as they come out, and will probably be recommending them more to others as well.
violinknitter's review against another edition
2.0
What. The. Heck.
That was an INFURIATINGLY pointless book!!! Like, whaat????
The only (fiction) books that make me this angry are ones I’m veryclose to loving, except for whatever *really* rubs me the wrong way.
Things I should love: sooo many references to all kinds of literature, especially fairy tale & fantasy; the college setting; the talking animals, the (fairly cute if a bit banal) human lovers.
Ruff puts a massive cast of characters on his stage, but only some of them are actually relevant to his story. There’s more than one plot thread that’s just... there? Because he couldn’t bear to cut it? He manages to gather up a good number of those threads & tie them up in the last few chapters, but... it’s kinda pointless?
The WHOLE PLOT happens because Phoebus Apollo wants to... tell a story with??? Have a duel with??? a fellow storyteller. Which, ok, maybe? There’s a lot of mayhem on a tiny stage, but none of it has any POINT because it’s LITERALLY deus ex machinas all the way down. And the story ends because... um... maybe another god got involved? Possibly??? Definitely not because George was ANY good at storytelling AT ALL. And waaaayyyyy to sideline the princess, Ruff!!! The freaking CAT had more to do in the story than she did.
Ok, that’s probably enough book rage for now. TL;DR, this came very close to being just the right book for me, but lack of any real motivations and too much plot armor made it an INCREDIBLY frustrating miss.
(Rating 2* instead of 1* because there was some nice language, and the book’s premise had a high degree of difficulty that I feel Ruff should get at least a drop of credit for.)
That was an INFURIATINGLY pointless book!!! Like, whaat????
The only (fiction) books that make me this angry are ones I’m veryclose to loving, except for whatever *really* rubs me the wrong way.
Things I should love: sooo many references to all kinds of literature, especially fairy tale & fantasy; the college setting; the talking animals, the (fairly cute if a bit banal) human lovers.
Ruff puts a massive cast of characters on his stage, but only some of them are actually relevant to his story. There’s more than one plot thread that’s just... there? Because he couldn’t bear to cut it? He manages to gather up a good number of those threads & tie them up in the last few chapters, but... it’s kinda pointless?
The WHOLE PLOT happens because Phoebus Apollo wants to... tell a story with??? Have a duel with??? a fellow storyteller. Which, ok, maybe? There’s a lot of mayhem on a tiny stage, but none of it has any POINT because it’s LITERALLY deus ex machinas all the way down. And the story ends because... um... maybe another god got involved? Possibly??? Definitely not because George was ANY good at storytelling AT ALL. And waaaayyyyy to sideline the princess, Ruff!!! The freaking CAT had more to do in the story than she did.
Ok, that’s probably enough book rage for now. TL;DR, this came very close to being just the right book for me, but lack of any real motivations and too much plot armor made it an INCREDIBLY frustrating miss.
(Rating 2* instead of 1* because there was some nice language, and the book’s premise had a high degree of difficulty that I feel Ruff should get at least a drop of credit for.)
gjmaupin's review against another edition
3.0
Lovely; such fun reading. I'm told Ruff only gets better from here and I'm putting more on my list.
ari__s's review against another edition
4.0
Matt Ruff is so bizarre. and I love it.
So far, in my reading experience, he is three for three with weird, nonsensical novels that exactly hit the mark. He capitalizes on telling stories that are so outside the box that there is no way they can't work. Fool on the Hill was a massive amount of character and plot development, with a very quick climax of the many, many story lines involved. While some may view it as an abrupt end, I found the intricate weave of the novel was remarkably enjoyable. At the very least, it was a delightfully fun read.
So far, in my reading experience, he is three for three with weird, nonsensical novels that exactly hit the mark. He capitalizes on telling stories that are so outside the box that there is no way they can't work. Fool on the Hill was a massive amount of character and plot development, with a very quick climax of the many, many story lines involved. While some may view it as an abrupt end, I found the intricate weave of the novel was remarkably enjoyable. At the very least, it was a delightfully fun read.
cynje's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
0.5