sandraagee's review
3.0
The main character is kind of what I imagine an older Stewie Griffin would be like. When you learn that the author has done work on The Daly Show and the Simpsons, this style of humor comes as no surprise. Oliver hides his evil genius behind a mask of sub-mediocrity and hatches a plot to win the 7th grade student council presidency as a means of crushing his father's spirit. Crazy, unlikely, and convoluted? Definitely. But that's why I bet people will like it.
The narration is wonky and lots of fun and I liked the footnotes (mostly), but I just couldn't figure out why the book was laid out in block paragraphs.
I list the book in my tags as being good for either teens or adults. It's really more of a teen book, but I can think of a number of adults who will appreciate the Family Guy-style humor and possibly even better understand some of the jokes.
The thing is: While I personally enjoy the unlikely and convoluted, this style of humor isn't always my thing. I appreciate this book, but didn't love it so I only gave it three stars. But other people will surely love this book more than I did.
The narration is wonky and lots of fun and I liked the footnotes (mostly), but I just couldn't figure out why the book was laid out in block paragraphs.
I list the book in my tags as being good for either teens or adults. It's really more of a teen book, but I can think of a number of adults who will appreciate the Family Guy-style humor and possibly even better understand some of the jokes.
The thing is: While I personally enjoy the unlikely and convoluted, this style of humor isn't always my thing. I appreciate this book, but didn't love it so I only gave it three stars. But other people will surely love this book more than I did.
beanmom's review against another edition
4.0
Hilarious YA book from one of the Executive Producers of The Daily Show. Recommended for all maniacal middle schoolers, and the dimwitted parents who love them.
krtfkurnick's review
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
csdaley's review
2.0
This book just didn't catch me. It tried really hard to be different and funny but I was mostly uninterested.
pwbalto's review
1.0
I can't with this book. Maybe it was the audio performance that made it so insufferable for me, but the book just went to such insane lengths to establish the main character as not just bitter and hateful, but possibly mad, that the story suffered. To the point that it took an age to even start, and then didn't seem to have a point. Nope, nope.
librariann's review
3.0
Ages 10+
A mix of Stewie Griffin and Artemis Fowl from a Daily Show writer. Some of the jokes might go over the heads of middle school audiences, but a good humorous recommendation.
A mix of Stewie Griffin and Artemis Fowl from a Daily Show writer. Some of the jokes might go over the heads of middle school audiences, but a good humorous recommendation.
mcallan0627's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this. The book seemed to struggle to find a consistent audience, though.
sliverphish's review
2.0
While reading this I kept wondering if this was the story of a kid who is being bullied and kept retreating into the confines of his imagination to come up with a coping mechanism. I kept hoping that Oliver would finally admit to the reader that all these evil schemes were not true. However, everything was supposed to be taken at face value. Oliver was really evil, really powerful, and only pretended to be a moron to the people in his real life. When that never happened, and I realized that Oliver was who he represented himself to be, I didn't like him.
While I understand that the "Oliver" that everyone believes him to be is just a facade, I found very little that I could sympathize with.
I found little redeeming qualities in his story and I don't feel he grows at all.
In the same vein, [b:Diary of a Wimpy Kid|389627|Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #1)|Jeff Kinney|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255573105s/389627.jpg|2617009]'s Greg Heffley doesn't have any redeeming qualities whatsoever. That is why I don't rate the books very high. However, I can understand the popularity of the series because kids can relate to Greg. I don't think Genius will be popular because no person can relate to Oliver. He's a billionaire, whiny, selfish glutton who could have friends if he stopped acting like a baby.
While I understand that the "Oliver" that everyone believes him to be is just a facade, I found very little that I could sympathize with.
I found little redeeming qualities in his story and I don't feel he grows at all.
In the same vein, [b:Diary of a Wimpy Kid|389627|Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #1)|Jeff Kinney|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255573105s/389627.jpg|2617009]'s Greg Heffley doesn't have any redeeming qualities whatsoever. That is why I don't rate the books very high. However, I can understand the popularity of the series because kids can relate to Greg. I don't think Genius will be popular because no person can relate to Oliver. He's a billionaire, whiny, selfish glutton who could have friends if he stopped acting like a baby.
dannb's review against another edition
1.0
I have seen this title around a lot...we listened for about 10 minutes on our car ride to our FL spring break. Both parents and kids had enough...every phrase is hateful and disrespectful...not even remotely interesting or amusing. I give this ZERO stars!