lola425's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. Stoner with a heart of gold fiction is just not for me, I guess. It read a lot like Jonathan Ames to me, the same kind of sad sack, social misfit who can't quite make it with girls befriends a strange, vaguely pathetic older man of the world and through the friendship starts to fund out who he is and who he is not. Liked it well enough, although I did not care what happened to any of the characters. Strong writing though, at times funny, but not the side-splitting tome Shteyngart's blurb claims it is.
elkensky's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
corrompido's review against another edition
2.0
Eh, my impression is that this book tried hard to be a modern, hip, somewhat ironically gritty (at least in the drug use,) take on a basic story of a young adult loser dealing with family and romantic issues. It never really managed to be any of those things, and a weak narrative made for an unfulfilling reading experience.
earlapvaldez's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not quite used to this contemporary Jewish fiction, but I enjoyed all the film references, the light storytelling, and the way characters interacted with each other.
mountie9's review against another edition
3.0
The Good Stuff
Totally bizarre and unique
Some of the dialogue (and inner dialogue) is LMAO funny
Good writing
Excellent character development
All of the characters feel very realistic like people you would see on the street
Dark and quirky - sort of reminds me of something that Apatow would make into a movie
The Not So Good Stuff
Eli is a loser and I just found myself disliking him and feeling uncomfortable because he was so pathetic
Language is over the top base and vulgar at times & I am no prude, but it just really irritated me
This is definitely one that men will enjoy more
This was not my sort of book, so its hard to review positively - but please Adam if you read this review do not be offended, its just not my bag - you got talent though
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"She's a sucker for men who are the opposite of me," Kahn said. "In that I taught her well."
"She'd bought a Mercedes SUV after the divorce, but sold it later to pay medical bills when her brother got prostrate cancer. Now Ned was dead and I bet she wished she'd kept the car, as the money she'd spent on health care didn't help in the end, and the medical costs had sealed her fast as a social pariah among the wallet-conscious women of Quinosset."
"If you don't write back just know that I don't mean anything weird by this message. I'm a good soul who's gone a bit off the deep end. My brother is a nerd, my mother is a drunk, my father is an asshole. I'm trying here, I'm really trying. Please write me back."
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
Hate to be sexist but this is one I think will appeal to the male reader
Those who like something just a little bit different, this one is for you
Think my brother would like this one
3 Dewey's
I received this from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review
Totally bizarre and unique
Some of the dialogue (and inner dialogue) is LMAO funny
Good writing
Excellent character development
All of the characters feel very realistic like people you would see on the street
Dark and quirky - sort of reminds me of something that Apatow would make into a movie
The Not So Good Stuff
Eli is a loser and I just found myself disliking him and feeling uncomfortable because he was so pathetic
Language is over the top base and vulgar at times & I am no prude, but it just really irritated me
This is definitely one that men will enjoy more
This was not my sort of book, so its hard to review positively - but please Adam if you read this review do not be offended, its just not my bag - you got talent though
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"She's a sucker for men who are the opposite of me," Kahn said. "In that I taught her well."
"She'd bought a Mercedes SUV after the divorce, but sold it later to pay medical bills when her brother got prostrate cancer. Now Ned was dead and I bet she wished she'd kept the car, as the money she'd spent on health care didn't help in the end, and the medical costs had sealed her fast as a social pariah among the wallet-conscious women of Quinosset."
"If you don't write back just know that I don't mean anything weird by this message. I'm a good soul who's gone a bit off the deep end. My brother is a nerd, my mother is a drunk, my father is an asshole. I'm trying here, I'm really trying. Please write me back."
Who Should/Shouldn't Read
Hate to be sexist but this is one I think will appeal to the male reader
Those who like something just a little bit different, this one is for you
Think my brother would like this one
3 Dewey's
I received this from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review
thrifty_librarian's review against another edition
1.0
Lazy, basement-living, probably depressed, college-aged non-college-student does various drugs while feeling sorry for himself.
Too bad there's no story here because I liked how the book was formatted, with strange lists and asides. Quick read but very little substance. Author shows certain depth of feeling that isn't present in any of his characters. Didn't like the writing style.
Too bad there's no story here because I liked how the book was formatted, with strange lists and asides. Quick read but very little substance. Author shows certain depth of feeling that isn't present in any of his characters. Didn't like the writing style.
isaschokkin's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
wardegus's review against another edition
1.0
I just couldn't with this book...I got half way through and it was just fuck awful. I can handle less than lovable protagonists but this kid was just so goddamned privileged I wanted to give myself paper cuts on my eyeballs.
harvio's review against another edition
1.0
- meh
- an early-20's disillusioned loser struggles to rise to the challenges presented by adulthood - struggles and loses
- I just didn't like the protagonist that much - and the plot kept veering into the far-fetched (and stupid)
- I almost gave up a couple of times
- just wasn't for me
- an early-20's disillusioned loser struggles to rise to the challenges presented by adulthood - struggles and loses
- I just didn't like the protagonist that much - and the plot kept veering into the far-fetched (and stupid)
- I almost gave up a couple of times
- just wasn't for me
drewsof's review against another edition
5.0
Funny, smart, and sad all at the same time. It's a book about suburbia and what it'd actually mean to stay here and live an unexamined life. Drugs, sex, music, and mostly a whole lot of boredom - that's Eli's life. Even after he lands a surrogate father figure, he can't quite rouse himself out of this stupor... because it just doesn't really seem worth it. It's a "slacker novel to end all slacker novels" because he isn't disaffected or rebelling - he just doesn't really care. There's nothing behind it.
Read it when you go home to see your parents, when you're walking up your driveway and the whole town is silent, when you see your high school friends still going to parties in the same basements as they were five years ago. It's funny and sad and you'll be happy you made the choices you did - or maybe you'll feel deeply uncomfortable about the fact that you're still living in your mom's basement. Either way, this is a brilliant book.
More about it at RB: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-lF
(PS: a big thanks to Harper Perennial for sending along a review copy!)
Read it when you go home to see your parents, when you're walking up your driveway and the whole town is silent, when you see your high school friends still going to parties in the same basements as they were five years ago. It's funny and sad and you'll be happy you made the choices you did - or maybe you'll feel deeply uncomfortable about the fact that you're still living in your mom's basement. Either way, this is a brilliant book.
More about it at RB: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-lF
(PS: a big thanks to Harper Perennial for sending along a review copy!)
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