Reviews

I'm not going to harp on any part of this novel. I had no issues with the writing or the plot or anything... I just don't enjoy postmodern fiction (except for Vonnegut, of course). I had to read this book for a class and I didn't hate, but it definitely wouldn't have been a book I would have chosen for myself.

harvio's review against another edition

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4.0

- BIZARRE!
- More structured than his "My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist", which I read a year ago, and made somewhat more comprehensible for having the previous exposure, I kind of enjoyed this go-round with Leyner. So very appropriately compared with Burroughs and Hunter S. Thompson, but I think that his wit is more accessible. I'll long-remember the 'baking donuts' section, and if the idea of visceral tattoos wasn't drug-inspired (despite the author's avoidance of the issue), I'll eat my hat.
- "He taught me a secret style of Kung Fu that's based on ballroom dancing steps - the Foxtrot,the Lindy, a waltz, etc - but that's lethal and terrifying."
- how about transdermal banana daiquiri patches that transmit the cocktail directly into your capillaries?

jonjeffryes's review against another edition

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3.0

I think this is a book I would have loved fifteen years ago...right up the alley of late-teens Jon. But for whatever reason, I the book felt a little thin (at ~170 pages). But it was a quick read and funny.

brandonjones05's review against another edition

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3.0

Well, this book certainly accomplished making me feel delusional much like the fictitious Leyner but without the chaotic fun it was meant to have. I was super eager to finish this book and began reading at a Leyner-esque meth induced pace. My favorite part was the imagery of his gigantic muscles giving him odd tan lines. That will probably stick in my brain for awhile.

earlc's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is a very funny book, and genuinely made me laugh out loud at certain parts. It's also quite clever, as each chapter takes a different form and structure from the one before (epistles, excerpts from fake books, standard narrative, etc.), and it's a wonderful exercise in surrealism and cyberpunk. Some of the most fun is seeing the degree to which the life of the fictional and outlandish Mark Leyner reflects the real life of author Mark Leyner; he is a self-proclaimed gym rat, and he really was married to a woman named Arleen Portada, whom he subsequently divorced. However, though a great exercise in meta-fiction, this isn't a great book; the characters are intentionally portrayed as caricatures through the fictional gaze of Mark Leyner, and what it has in cunning it lacks in heart.

luckylico's review against another edition

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4.0

I think this is the type of book people either love or hate. I loved it. The main character is a sex-crazed, drug addicted, violent, delusional ego maniac. Mother flipping hilarious. I rarely laugh out loud reading a book, but this one was just so outrageous. If you have a wicked, morbid sence of humor read this book. Otherwise you may want to steer clear...

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