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karenleagermain's review
1.0
Walter Kirn’s “Mission To America” had been sitting on my TBR bookshelf for years, so I finally decided to pick it up. I had no idea, that Kirn also wrote the book for “Up In The Air.” I loved that movie and that gave me a lot of hope going into this novel.
This novel was a huge let down. It’s too quirky for its own good and quickly becomes ridiculous. It’s about two missionaries from an obscure cult who go out into America to recruit new members for its dwindling sect.
The book has far too much back story about their cult. It simply wasn’t interesting and didn’t seem like it should be the focus of the book. Their society seemed much like the one in the movie “The Village.” The only interesting part of the book was early on as the missionaries are discovering American culture.
I actually can’t believe I stuck it out and read the entire novel. It was tedious and dull.
This novel was a huge let down. It’s too quirky for its own good and quickly becomes ridiculous. It’s about two missionaries from an obscure cult who go out into America to recruit new members for its dwindling sect.
The book has far too much back story about their cult. It simply wasn’t interesting and didn’t seem like it should be the focus of the book. Their society seemed much like the one in the movie “The Village.” The only interesting part of the book was early on as the missionaries are discovering American culture.
I actually can’t believe I stuck it out and read the entire novel. It was tedious and dull.
mighty_lizard_queen's review against another edition
The cult’s a matriarchy, which is a “clever” way to include backhanded misogyny.
The toilet humor was also not for me.
The toilet humor was also not for me.
poenaestante's review
2.0
This book had lots of vivid detail, a few cute moments, and absolutely no point. It was trying to be super clever and ended up just being pointless and dumb. If your two favorite characters are going to be from an isolated cult then don't try to sell me on them knowing how to use a remote control and recognizing Cher. If these cult members are on a mission to recruit new members, why is there precious little detail about them actually doing any of it? I just don't get it, and frankly I shouldn't have bothered. Walter Kirn wrote Up In The Air, and I also found that movie to be quaint and full of details and totally pointless. Oh well, I am glad to have at least read some fiction. It'd been ages. I do hope my next fiction is better than this stinker!
escapegrace's review against another edition
4.0
My introduction to Kirn's work was his appearance at the Central Library for Lost in the Meritocracy. If you were there, you know the excerpt he read was memorable. (Teaser: there is college humiliation and piano destruction.) So I started this book, which had been on my shelf awhile. Mission to America is enjoyable as a subtle parody of the current state of American spirituality and lack thereof.
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