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pivic's review against another edition
3.0
A dark, modern comedy with ruined-relationship ends strewn through old friendships and fiendish colleagues, Milo Burke goes through life in a seemingly endless game where he's suddenly rehired at his old job, specifically to successfully lure a big donation from an old friend.
Lipsyte's second most-used weapon is using the protagonist as a simple prop to display interesting characters and milieus, but his forté is wordplay; sometimes, he seems to me a bit like an old man trying to play younger than he really is:
Other times, he mashes words into something new:
Yet, when at his seemingly least lucid, he conjures up magnificent sentences using quite a few words:
Lipsyte's writings about Milo's connection to his child and his estranged wife range from so-so to excellent; diamonds are found in the rough.
The same goes for Milo's connection with his old friend Purdy, the former school-mate who made a fortune in IT.
All in all, the humor is tight and the flow is good. It's a recommendable book which needed more editing.
Lipsyte's second most-used weapon is using the protagonist as a simple prop to display interesting characters and milieus, but his forté is wordplay; sometimes, he seems to me a bit like an old man trying to play younger than he really is:
He was the kind of man you could picture barking into a field phone, sending thousands to slaughter, or perhaps ordering the mass dozing of homes. People often called him War Crimes. By people, I mean Horace and I. By often, I mean twice.
Other times, he mashes words into something new:
"I mean," I said now, "I used to know him." "Well, that's just swell," said Cooley, rose, petted his mustache with a kind of cunnidigital ardor.
Yet, when at his seemingly least lucid, he conjures up magnificent sentences using quite a few words:
I felt as though I were snorting cocaine, or rappelling down a cliffside, or cliffsurfing off a cliff of pure cocaine.
Lipsyte's writings about Milo's connection to his child and his estranged wife range from so-so to excellent; diamonds are found in the rough.
The same goes for Milo's connection with his old friend Purdy, the former school-mate who made a fortune in IT.
All in all, the humor is tight and the flow is good. It's a recommendable book which needed more editing.
nv6acaat's review against another edition
2.0
Abandoned. I like this guy's short stories - nasty, funny, dark. The writing here is similar, but I just don't care about this particular main character. Too many other books to read, to keep going on this one. Will still keep Lipsyte on my short-story radar.
bookishuniverse's review against another edition
4.0
Hilariously written with many memorable lines, but became rambling and the plot got wonky toward the end.
bookingaround's review against another edition
2.0
I don't know what was supposed to be so funny about this. Reasonably well observed but not enjoyable or funny.