Scan barcode
constantreader471's review against another edition
2.0
I have read 3 previous books by Christopher Buckley and enjoyed them all. However, this one did not work for me. The narrator is a somewhat successful screenwriter isolating in South Carolina during Covid. He has gained so much weight that he can no longer see his toes. He wallows in self pity and thinks about huge sandwiches at the local fast food restaurant all the time. He also is trying to think about writing a new screenplay. His idea is to have German commandos kidnap FDR in 1944 and get FDR to abandon D Day and surrender to Germany.
But the humor fell flat and I started skimming halfway through the book, skipping chapters. I can't honestly recommend this book. I rate it 2 stars.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
But the humor fell flat and I started skimming halfway through the book, skipping chapters. I can't honestly recommend this book. I rate it 2 stars.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
cwe115's review
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
jhoffmann's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jnni41's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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
ayane's review
informative
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
annarella's review
4.0
It's the first book i read by this author and won't surely be the last as I laughed a lot.
It's very funny but also realistic. I think it reflects plenty of different people one met during the pandemics.
Funny but also thought provoking.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's very funny but also realistic. I think it reflects plenty of different people one met during the pandemics.
Funny but also thought provoking.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
jansreading's review
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Fatphobia, and Racism
Satireemmadalrymple's review
3.0
I love Christopher Buckley but this was… odd. For the first half of the book, there’s virtually no dialogue unless imagined or in the form of a screenplay within the novel. The whole thing reads like a somewhat deranged stream of consciousness. This is billed in the blurb as typical Buckley humor applied to the pandemic (much as Make Russia Great Again was Buckley’s parody of the Trump White House), but the pandemic is barely mentioned.
Despite its brow-furrowing aspects, this still has Buckley’s trademark erudition, humor, and zaniness, so it was an entertaining enough read and gets 3 stars from me.
Many thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Despite its brow-furrowing aspects, this still has Buckley’s trademark erudition, humor, and zaniness, so it was an entertaining enough read and gets 3 stars from me.
Many thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
More...