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studenison 's review for:
Gumption
by Nick Offerman
I imagine that listening to this in Offerman's own voice, over a fireside with a glass of whisky, might have made this collection of musings mildly tolerable, even enjoyable.
However, in print, it's a well-meaning but stylistically chaotic, meandering mess. Offerman tries to wear too many hats at once, freewheeling confusingly between flaunting his Ron Swanson alter-ego, spouting ideology like an earnest political spokesperson, and mocking himself and his efforts with cringing self-deprecation worthy of the worst 'dad jokes'.
This is unfortunate, because there's an interesting selection of American figures on offer, and in each section, at least some small slivers of insight. To wade through the dross and nonsense to uncover them, though, involved a wearisome slog and much jettisoning of awful prose. At times, you were left to wonder whether the text was actually edited, or whether the publisher had just left him alone with an audio recorder and a bottle of scotch, then simply transcribed his waffle.
If you enjoy Offerman/Swanson's curmudgeonly ramblings - and why wouldn't you? - this book seems like it'd offer them in plenty, but largely fails to deliver.
However, in print, it's a well-meaning but stylistically chaotic, meandering mess. Offerman tries to wear too many hats at once, freewheeling confusingly between flaunting his Ron Swanson alter-ego, spouting ideology like an earnest political spokesperson, and mocking himself and his efforts with cringing self-deprecation worthy of the worst 'dad jokes'.
This is unfortunate, because there's an interesting selection of American figures on offer, and in each section, at least some small slivers of insight. To wade through the dross and nonsense to uncover them, though, involved a wearisome slog and much jettisoning of awful prose. At times, you were left to wonder whether the text was actually edited, or whether the publisher had just left him alone with an audio recorder and a bottle of scotch, then simply transcribed his waffle.
If you enjoy Offerman/Swanson's curmudgeonly ramblings - and why wouldn't you? - this book seems like it'd offer them in plenty, but largely fails to deliver.