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jmcphers's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up this book because it had a glowing endorsement on the cover from several institutions I respect. Also, I had about 2 minutes to select a book and it was both brightly colored and on the display shelf at the library.
The book opens with our hero, Matthew Prior, near rock bottom. He's lost all his money in the financial meltdown. Also, he's pretty close to losing his house, and his wife. Things do not look good. And there's nothing like constantly impending disaster to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The best thing about this book is that I really couldn't predict what was going to happen next. Just when I felt that I'd settled into the current plotline, Walter threw a curveball. Dang it, Walter!
And the worst thing? This is a book for the beat poet generation. There's some pretty good tongue-in-cheek poetry in here, but the prose gets a little too grandiose at points.
This is the kind of book you should read while drinking a beer on a warm summer evening. If you don't analyze it too much, it's really good writing, and an engrossing story. I'm really glad the cover was so orange. Three stars.
The book opens with our hero, Matthew Prior, near rock bottom. He's lost all his money in the financial meltdown. Also, he's pretty close to losing his house, and his wife. Things do not look good. And there's nothing like constantly impending disaster to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The best thing about this book is that I really couldn't predict what was going to happen next. Just when I felt that I'd settled into the current plotline, Walter threw a curveball. Dang it, Walter!
And the worst thing? This is a book for the beat poet generation. There's some pretty good tongue-in-cheek poetry in here, but the prose gets a little too grandiose at points.
This is the kind of book you should read while drinking a beer on a warm summer evening. If you don't analyze it too much, it's really good writing, and an engrossing story. I'm really glad the cover was so orange. Three stars.
izarravarela's review against another edition
3.0
Fluffy, funny summer read about the financial perils of suburban life. I'm suddenly very glad I don't have a giant over-leveraged home or a high debt-to-income ratio.
shellwitty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jodygerbig's review against another edition
3.0
While the writing is enjoyable and the premise good, I often felt I was being lectured to about the recession and its effects on the middle class, as Walter has a tendency to ramble a little too long about the current state of affairs. I also felt that the protagonist was too naive and found his repeated stumblings into sales traps frustrating, falling to pieces every time pressure landed in front of him. I could have done without the longer poems, but I enjoyed the haikus and limericks.
amslersf's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great book about our economic and poetic malaise. Chalida thinks it's a boy's book, and I wouldn't deny it. The main character's challenges and strategies are certainly connected to the gender expectations of a father and husband. That seems to sell it short though and I highly recommend this hilarious account of one man's struggle to get his head and family above water despite the sinking economy.
lyonnishizawa's review against another edition
2.0
I will forever remember July 2022 as the month I have been the most financially vulnerable out of my 21 years so far. I had my wallet stolen last month, and until about two weeks ago I had a grand total of 20 cents in my collective bank accounts. I was living off of emergency cash in a ziploc bag I gladly spotted in my well-traveled suitcase.
As a few reviews mention, this book hits too close to home to be funny. Job insecurity and quarter/mid-life crises are so widely talked about in fiction and elsewhere that you need to make a terrific spin out of it to still be interesting. I loved Beautiful Ruins, so I’m disappointed that Jess Walter didn’t vibe with me on this front.
In the afterword he mentions he got the seed of this novel from one of his readers confusing 7/11 for 9/11. I mean, that’s funny and everything, but it seemed like Walter made a big deal out of the Seven Eleven joke and made it his book’s entire personality. Seven Eleven is not nearly as funny or original for a book to revolve solely around it (and the junkies that huddle about it) and expect to have a great audience.
With that said, he had a few nice words to say. How the livelihoods of families are so heavily defined by their economic situations, but their dignity need not be. How close we are from the edge — but how the “edge” isn’t as unspeakable as it seems, and how you always have a chance to haul yourself up the ladder. It’s distinctly American, and I both appreciated and hated that.
As a few reviews mention, this book hits too close to home to be funny. Job insecurity and quarter/mid-life crises are so widely talked about in fiction and elsewhere that you need to make a terrific spin out of it to still be interesting. I loved Beautiful Ruins, so I’m disappointed that Jess Walter didn’t vibe with me on this front.
In the afterword he mentions he got the seed of this novel from one of his readers confusing 7/11 for 9/11. I mean, that’s funny and everything, but it seemed like Walter made a big deal out of the Seven Eleven joke and made it his book’s entire personality. Seven Eleven is not nearly as funny or original for a book to revolve solely around it (and the junkies that huddle about it) and expect to have a great audience.
With that said, he had a few nice words to say. How the livelihoods of families are so heavily defined by their economic situations, but their dignity need not be. How close we are from the edge — but how the “edge” isn’t as unspeakable as it seems, and how you always have a chance to haul yourself up the ladder. It’s distinctly American, and I both appreciated and hated that.
spiderfelt's review against another edition
5.0
Listening to the audiobook version of this work, I was thoroughly enchanted by the author's word play. Some people build broccoli forests, Jess Walters builds towers of metaphors. I laughed out loud and then snorted a little more at the dialogue. When I discovered the production was narrated by the author, it made even more sense. He shifted rhythm, timing, cadence and attitude seamlessly, allowing the characters to be fully real.
I picked up this title after reading Beautiful Ruins earlier this summer, a title I wasn't fully expecting to enjoy. The authors phrasing so delighted me, I looked for something else, anything else that he'd written. When I discovered that Book-It Repertory Theater had adapted it for their literary brand of stage production, I knew it had to be good. My suspicions were confirmed: first rate.
I picked up this title after reading Beautiful Ruins earlier this summer, a title I wasn't fully expecting to enjoy. The authors phrasing so delighted me, I looked for something else, anything else that he'd written. When I discovered that Book-It Repertory Theater had adapted it for their literary brand of stage production, I knew it had to be good. My suspicions were confirmed: first rate.
luarentaylor's review against another edition
In a perfect world, I would have time to finish a novel before writing a review on why I didn’t like it. But, alas, file under: “could not make it through the 'woe-is-me-middle-class-white-dude-ness' before moving on to something that I could connect with more."
Might come back to this at a different time in my life, only because I still consider myself a fan of Jess Walter.
Might come back to this at a different time in my life, only because I still consider myself a fan of Jess Walter.
leilaniann's review against another edition
5.0
Jess Walter is fast becoming my second favorite author, behind Sherman Alexie, (Who is how I was introduced to his writing! They host a podcast together). This book is hilarious, but all the other good things I have to say about it would give the whole story away.
christiek's review against another edition
4.0
laugh out loud funny, unexpected characters, believable enough, and the ending is satisfying (I wondered throughout how it could possibly end satisfyingly). This is my 2nd Jess Walters book and I'm pleased there a several more to go.