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briandice's review against another edition
5.0
This is the book that treads meaningfully upon the question of gambling addiction. Written by both Frederick and Steven Barthelme (younger brothers of the literary stalwart Don), it is intimate in its honesty about what makes a family, about losing one's parents, about that green-eyed demon Gamblor. This is the book I want my family to read when they ask why I spent too much of my 20s and early 30s in Las Vegas at a blackjack table. This is the book that makes me want to read all of the Barthelme brothers' works.
mrjoe's review
4.0
The writing about gambling is really good - there's a certain clarity that really shines at times. There are a few other things going on here: the brothers confront the applicability of the teachings of their strong-willed father in their grown up lives, react to the death of their parents, and briefly explore the ennui of being middle class intellectuals without children. There's also the story of their court case, which has lots if potential, but gets abruptly dropped at the end, which is a bummer. All in all I still recommend this book. It's a quick, fun read.
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