lorimichelekelley's review
4.0
Audible version: I might not be being generous enough in only giving this four stars. This book is good, if not a bit too self aware. I don't know if that makes sense, but it seems to me that the best authors are never found to overshadow their own characters; in this one, he does a bit, but only a bit. I don't know that I have the words to say what I liked about this book. It is sad. Heart wrenching. This man Charlie was such a failure and so human and I just wanted to hug him and slap him at the same time. He was me. And his kids with their grudges and their wounds. They are all of us. So good on ya Joshua Ferris. I'll read more of you.
djvill's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have to digest this one some more, especially given the ending. The first half of the book, "Farce", describes a day (or so) in the life of Charlie Barnes, in which he discovers, un-discovers, and re-discovers a devastating pancreatic cancer diagnosis. This is interlaced with flashbacks that illuminate Charlie's character and lifestory. The second half, "Fiction", describes his long and difficult recovery, culminating in him finally getting his big break. Along the way, the book muses on the nature of storytelling and memoir (with meta-novel elements), searching for one's "calling" in life, and the broken promises of the American Dream.
I kept waiting for the cover blurb, "Not just a daredevil of a novel, but something truly new", to pay off. I've really enjoyed Ferris's previous novels, but as the book developed, I failed to see what was so groundbreaking about it. The ending comes so late and with such a gut punch that I didn't get a chance to really process it. (This isn't a critique of the book!)
One unforgettable section is chapter 16 (pp. 46-50), a poignant vignette about how Charlie's mother withheld affection when he was a baby to avoid making him soft. I've got a newborn, so this section hit hard.
Spoiler
The ending, however, reveals that the entire second half of the book was a fantasy and Charlie had basically died on the operating table midway through the book.I kept waiting for the cover blurb, "Not just a daredevil of a novel, but something truly new", to pay off. I've really enjoyed Ferris's previous novels, but as the book developed, I failed to see what was so groundbreaking about it. The ending comes so late and with such a gut punch that I didn't get a chance to really process it. (This isn't a critique of the book!)
Spoiler
In retrospect, the ending has shades of M. Night Shyamalan at his "it was there all along" best. The book literally titles the second half "Fiction"!One unforgettable section is chapter 16 (pp. 46-50), a poignant vignette about how Charlie's mother withheld affection when he was a baby to avoid making him soft. I've got a newborn, so this section hit hard.
jay_richmond's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
leeleeinok's review
3.0
None of the characters are likeable, and yet I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It felt like real life had been turned on its side. How much of our past (and future) can be manipulated to save face? Ferris has a knack for pushing boundaries, and this book will stick with me.
saraklem's review against another edition
3.0
This was a slow burn for me -- all the way through it's well-written, funny, and smart, but it was hard to care too much until you start to see what's going on. For me, that didn't happen until maybe 2/3 of the way through. I don't think i could ever say i was mildly entertained by a story but found the ending redeeming until now. And, let me say, the ending is so, so great.
alli_grunk's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
rebus's review
5.0
I took copious notes when I first read this and have been unable to figure out how to review it for several months. The tone of the book was more like Jonathan Franzen than the Kafkaesque surrealism and body horror that marked his earlier work, so I was a bit surprised and slightly disappointed until the end (despite the fact that he does that better than Franzen, though it sometimes also evokes Toole, Thomas Berger, and Vonnegut).
It's truly gratifying to see mainstream literature express such far left ideology, but I shouldn't be that surprised since Ferris is a late bloomer from Gen X and not the first hope of the Millennials (who still don't even have a good writer). Indeed, during events taking place in 2008, Charlie admits that all of our institutions up to the White House are completely corrupt. It's a tale of the dispossessed and forgotten man who has failed at nearly enterprise, including family, coming to terms with the lie that is the American Dream and a life that he never planned. It's also a bit of a ghost story...
I connected greatly with Charlie, but I often found myself drawn to his son Jerry, the ultimate iconoclast. It's Charlie's true love, his final wife, that is the mystery at the heart of the novel, though she in no way constitutes the twist that will shock the reader. It's all about the power to control the narrative, as the son Jake asserts, and while it isn't necessarily a happy ending, it's an honest one that will make the reader happy in the end.
All hail to the writer and those who cling to their fictions.
It's truly gratifying to see mainstream literature express such far left ideology, but I shouldn't be that surprised since Ferris is a late bloomer from Gen X and not the first hope of the Millennials (who still don't even have a good writer). Indeed, during events taking place in 2008, Charlie admits that all of our institutions up to the White House are completely corrupt. It's a tale of the dispossessed and forgotten man who has failed at nearly enterprise, including family, coming to terms with the lie that is the American Dream and a life that he never planned. It's also a bit of a ghost story...
I connected greatly with Charlie, but I often found myself drawn to his son Jerry, the ultimate iconoclast. It's Charlie's true love, his final wife, that is the mystery at the heart of the novel, though she in no way constitutes the twist that will shock the reader. It's all about the power to control the narrative, as the son Jake asserts, and while it isn't necessarily a happy ending, it's an honest one that will make the reader happy in the end.
All hail to the writer and those who cling to their fictions.
bookswithstace_'s review
4.0
A Calling for Charlie Barnes - Joshua Ferris
Another wonderful read from Joshua Ferris, a story about life, death, and family, full of laughter and panic. This book at times had me actually laughing out loud, and for the most part, I thought Charlie was hilarious getting up to all his antics.
A calling for Charlie Barnes is a story about a man who goes from having a cancer scare to being in perfect health to actually having cancer. Told by his son Jake, he writes about his father, once known as "Steady Boy" to his friends.
Charlie has not had much luck in his life, whether that's with women, (he's on his 4th marriage) career or his children. At the start of the story, Charlie is down on his luck and struggling to just make ends meet after several unsuccessful ventures.
Jake, telling the story of his father, helps Charlie to realize his true purpose in life, where he least expected it. With sacrifice and selflessness, Charlie manages to become the man that Jake always thought he could be.
I loved this book.. it was so wholesome and the way the ending was written was unlike any other book I have read.
I have already recommended this to a lot of my friends and know they will love it as much as I did.
Thank you to Netgalley/Author/Publisher for an advanced copy of this wonderful read.
Another wonderful read from Joshua Ferris, a story about life, death, and family, full of laughter and panic. This book at times had me actually laughing out loud, and for the most part, I thought Charlie was hilarious getting up to all his antics.
A calling for Charlie Barnes is a story about a man who goes from having a cancer scare to being in perfect health to actually having cancer. Told by his son Jake, he writes about his father, once known as "Steady Boy" to his friends.
Charlie has not had much luck in his life, whether that's with women, (he's on his 4th marriage) career or his children. At the start of the story, Charlie is down on his luck and struggling to just make ends meet after several unsuccessful ventures.
Jake, telling the story of his father, helps Charlie to realize his true purpose in life, where he least expected it. With sacrifice and selflessness, Charlie manages to become the man that Jake always thought he could be.
I loved this book.. it was so wholesome and the way the ending was written was unlike any other book I have read.
I have already recommended this to a lot of my friends and know they will love it as much as I did.
Thank you to Netgalley/Author/Publisher for an advanced copy of this wonderful read.
pharmdad2007's review
3.0
Interesting book about a man of many (or few?) talents. Charlie Barnes spends his life chasing the next big thing...
camrynnmeadows26's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0