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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I love his writing, and devoured this novel over the course of a few afternoons. An excellent story, told in the first person, which suggests some autobiographical elements might be present. Recommended to middle-aged academics and struggling writers everywhere!
Had a hard time reading about men who don't grow up. I don't mind people "staying young at heart" but staying irresponsible? The movie, for me, was better.
Wonder Boys is wonderful. This is one where I've seen the movie prior to reading the book. I love the movie, and - of course - the book is much better.
The End.
The End.
I really can't decide who's my favorite writer: T.C. Boyle or Michael Chabon. After reading Wonder Boys, Chabon's back on top again.
I really liked this book. It was a BOOK. It was well written, the tangents were actually fairly interesting, you might not like the characters, but you wanted to know what happened to them. The dialogue was actually good, which can be the downfall of a good book. The plot did seem to twist into weird, unimaginable places, but didn't make me like it any less. It all kind of made sense at the end, in a weird way, and you almost can't imagine it happening any other way.
The only real (minor) complaint I had was that I saw the movie before I read the book. The movie was so well cast (Michael Douglas in the lead, with Robert Downey Jr., and Tobey Maguire) that I couldn't picture the characters any other way. It kind of took away a little of the enjoyment of creating what the character look like from your own mind, but not a big deal.
The only real (minor) complaint I had was that I saw the movie before I read the book. The movie was so well cast (Michael Douglas in the lead, with Robert Downey Jr., and Tobey Maguire) that I couldn't picture the characters any other way. It kind of took away a little of the enjoyment of creating what the character look like from your own mind, but not a big deal.
I loved this book. I cannot exactly say why, but it put me right back in Champaign, IL with some of the people I met while doing my Master's degree.
Essentially the story of a writer who is past his prime and has been working on his next book for years. The problem is that it is garbage. He also has a problem with women and drinking/drugs. In short, his life is a mess (like his book). His adventures leave the reader wondering when he will grow up, which I think is the question he needs to answer in the story.
Essentially the story of a writer who is past his prime and has been working on his next book for years. The problem is that it is garbage. He also has a problem with women and drinking/drugs. In short, his life is a mess (like his book). His adventures leave the reader wondering when he will grow up, which I think is the question he needs to answer in the story.
While this was an engaging read, I often found myself feeling very little sympathy for the protagonist. While this was the point--he was written as an asshole, after all-- I didn't find myself rooting for him all that often, even when he was trying to do the right thing and screwing it up badly.
I felt a lot of the action was over the top and fell into unbelievable situations. Again, while this is the point; a lot of times I was taken out of the book while trying to figure out if it was even possible for some of the events to occur.
Overall, it wasn't bad, and the story read reasonably fast and did have some compelling characters and hooks-- but I wish there had been more focus or a return to some characters, and pure cynicism to the book. Also, highly predictable, and somewhat bland ending for a book that was so over-the-top through the beginning and middle.
I felt a lot of the action was over the top and fell into unbelievable situations. Again, while this is the point; a lot of times I was taken out of the book while trying to figure out if it was even possible for some of the events to occur.
Overall, it wasn't bad, and the story read reasonably fast and did have some compelling characters and hooks-- but I wish there had been more focus or a return to some characters, and pure cynicism to the book. Also, highly predictable, and somewhat bland ending for a book that was so over-the-top through the beginning and middle.
Interesting story. Crazy characters. Good writer.