Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - A Confederacy of Dunces

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

12 reviews

gs_wells's review against another edition

funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Absurd and laugh out loud funny most of the time, sad in parts, and very o casionally uncomfortable. If your preferred works of comedy include The Onion or It's Always Sunny, I think you'll enjoy this. Like those works, ignorant and reprehensible characters and their behavior are depicted in absurd scenarios, but the author is very clearly not endorsing them or their views. The voices and depictions of New Orleans' diverse cast of weirdos are vivid and consistent. Apart from a handful of moments that maybe haven't aged well given this book was written in the 60s, I think there is a great deal to enjoy for fans of satire.

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alaskanlad's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really wanted to like this book but it was just so easy to put down despite being an easy read. The characters are grating and the plot is ludicrous, and though this was obviously intentional, that doesn’t make it easier to swallow. The stakes just didn’t matter to me because it was so difficult to care about Ignatius or anyone in his life when they were so one-dimensional and pathetic. That being said, I enjoyed learning a bit about New Orleans of that era and Toole presciently skewered a specific type of loser incel that has become all too prevalent these days.

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onewoman_bookclub's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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niamhbereading's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

i picked up this book because the foreword was so touching. the book was not as touching. i'll start w/ what i like:

it was funny! the conflict was silly so i didn't take the book too seriously. the protagonist, ignatius, talks like a thesaurus & it's fun too read.

there were many characters & they were all distinct. they each played a role & had unique personalities, so reading each one of them was compelling.

i liked the new orleans setting. i've never been there but the author must have a genuine love for this city.

ok now for what i don't like:

every chapter followed the same formula: mrs reiley sends ignatius off to work. ignatius gets into a fight w/ someone there. they argue using big words & ignatius is a general asshole. he returns home to mrs reiley & she's distraught bc his son is an asshole. rinse & repeat. it got boring once i caught the pattern.

there's some homophobia & racism in this book. there's a black character- jones- & he speaks with a thick accent written into his dialogue. every word of his is written phonetically. i'm white so i can't 100% say this is racist, but it did rub me the wrong way. also some homophobic insults are thrown around, too.

ignatius is a fatphoic stereotype. a lot of his bad actions are followed up w/ "and he's FAT!" i'm fat too & this rubbed me the wrong way.

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