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p_t_b's review against another edition
3.0
i am a known willeford stan and this delivers on some of the charles willeford brand promise: it's filthy, but in a tossed-off way; the gaze of the characters, both interior and exterior, falls on the randomest shit (dietary benefits of cottage cheese, finer points of 1970s menswear, miami apartment building safety standards). all of those elements come through but this book is pretty inessential, apart from the cottage cheese. overstays its welcome and wilts in the too-long saga of hank vs the pseudo-cuckolded husband. still, i got small joy out of it.
"my dry mouth seemed to full of unwashed pennies"
"a club sandwich is easy to eat, of course, and it has all of the life-sustaining ingredients"
"his Spanish leather tie was the color of dried blood"
there was another page i dogeared but in reviewing it, i dont know what line caught my eye.
"my dry mouth seemed to full of unwashed pennies"
"a club sandwich is easy to eat, of course, and it has all of the life-sustaining ingredients"
"his Spanish leather tie was the color of dried blood"
there was another page i dogeared but in reviewing it, i dont know what line caught my eye.
jerikajoy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
This is not a book written for women. Or for people who like women.
It was dark and mean, kind of graphic (in terms of violence and sex), and pretty matter of fact about it all. While reading this book it was helpful to remember that it was written in the 1970s which gave contact to some of the references as well as some of the language. It was a really unpleasant story to read. I also was not impressed with the writing- the number of typos, run on sentences, and weird syntax that I had to reread to understand should embarrass the publisher and editor (if there even was one) of this book.
In spite of all that, I finished the whole book. It was weirdly compelling. I read the first couple chapters, decided I hated it and wouldn't finish it but then I kept picking it back up.
I read the entire book expecting a turn off some explanation of why the characters where such awful people-it never came, that's just how they are. I kept wondering if the whole book was supposed to be a honorless satire or hyperbolic commentary on the awfullness of humanity; but when I tried to look it up, all I could find were articles and reviews of what a great writer the author is supposed to be and "reviews"of the book that really were just summaries. I can't tell if the author hated women or had an awful perception of human behavior and motivations or just wanted to write a really dark story with an awful cast of characters.
It was dark and mean, kind of graphic (in terms of violence and sex), and pretty matter of fact about it all. While reading this book it was helpful to remember that it was written in the 1970s which gave contact to some of the references as well as some of the language. It was a really unpleasant story to read. I also was not impressed with the writing- the number of typos, run on sentences, and weird syntax that I had to reread to understand should embarrass the publisher and editor (if there even was one) of this book.
In spite of all that, I finished the whole book. It was weirdly compelling. I read the first couple chapters, decided I hated it and wouldn't finish it but then I kept picking it back up.
I read the entire book expecting a turn off some explanation of why the characters where such awful people-it never came, that's just how they are. I kept wondering if the whole book was supposed to be a honorless satire or hyperbolic commentary on the awfullness of humanity; but when I tried to look it up, all I could find were articles and reviews of what a great writer the author is supposed to be and "reviews"of the book that really were just summaries. I can't tell if the author hated women or had an awful perception of human behavior and motivations or just wanted to write a really dark story with an awful cast of characters.
mcf's review against another edition
3.0
It's a very well-woven story that rewards patience because it doesn't really start to come together until about 2/3 of the way through. It's also quite cutting and clever at times, which is appealing. That said, none of the four central characters is remotely appealing (by intent, one assumes), and the casual racism and rampaging misogyny are pretty hard to take, even if they are somewhat accurate representations of mid-1970s attitudes.
traciemasek's review against another edition
4.0
I warned you I was going to be reading nothing but Willeford for awhile. But for some reason the NYPL only has 1 other of his books in the catalog, so time to start searching the used book bins. (I'm a little peeved that I directed my annual gift to NYPL to go "where it's needed most" rather than specifying they should use it to buy the complete Willeford oeuvre.
The way he writes about fucked up things with such nonchalance is just...I don't have words.
The way he writes about fucked up things with such nonchalance is just...I don't have words.
nickdleblanc's review against another edition
5.0
Some people mistake first person narratives as the voice of the writer. Those people also usually think that the characters represent ideas the author actually believes and wants to express as his own. Then, there are people who actually know how to read. These people know that characters, even the POV character are not the author and that with good authors, sometimes the discomfort the author is giving you through a POV character is the point. If you don’t get that or don’t believe that, don’t read Willeford, and especially do not read this book.
Willeford puts you right inside the head of true sociopaths with zero schlock. These are not redeemable characters and you are not supposed to like them. This is probably how these behave in reality. We all know someone like them.
The prose is dry and funny, with some laugh out loud passages and other sections that become more chilling every time you think about them. Willeford knows people and knows characters and assumes you’re already in on the joke.
His descriptions of food and people are often equally hilarious and disgusting (this goes for all of his novels). He seems to have a deep knowledge of strange and very human character traits that normally one wouldn’t think would appear (false teeth, body odor that makes a guy horny, strange jobs). His characters love to order hamburgers. They also like to speak in medium size monologues telling people what to do. He’s not for everyone, but man I like to read it. I would almost call it satire but it isn’t really that, and it’s definitely not crime/detective fiction but it isn’t NOT that. Definitely mischaracterized and under appreciated.
But anyway, Miami is the custard and men like our four protagonists are the sharks. Good stuff.
Willeford puts you right inside the head of true sociopaths with zero schlock. These are not redeemable characters and you are not supposed to like them. This is probably how these behave in reality. We all know someone like them.
The prose is dry and funny, with some laugh out loud passages and other sections that become more chilling every time you think about them. Willeford knows people and knows characters and assumes you’re already in on the joke.
His descriptions of food and people are often equally hilarious and disgusting (this goes for all of his novels). He seems to have a deep knowledge of strange and very human character traits that normally one wouldn’t think would appear (false teeth, body odor that makes a guy horny, strange jobs). His characters love to order hamburgers. They also like to speak in medium size monologues telling people what to do. He’s not for everyone, but man I like to read it. I would almost call it satire but it isn’t really that, and it’s definitely not crime/detective fiction but it isn’t NOT that. Definitely mischaracterized and under appreciated.
But anyway, Miami is the custard and men like our four protagonists are the sharks. Good stuff.
billmorrow's review against another edition
2.0
It started out so good. Like Three's Company with a dark twist. Then it turned into something else and quickly got boring. Several chapters dragged on without any pay-off. Had the first part of the book been developed further, it would have been an easy 5-stars.
zachwerb's review against another edition
3.0
probably more like a 3.5, but lets not make it four, don't wanna confuse the readers.
plantybooklover's review against another edition
3.0
This was - most definitely not my favorite read of this year. This crime novel is set in the 1970's and follows the lives of 4 single men in Miami. They are really some of the crassest men ever and I think I was kind of grossed out by them in general.
Williford is a good writer, but this probably isn't his best, even if he thought it was. There is just very little cohesion. I kept expecting the story to kind of come together, the initial deaths to relate to the other deaths, but, no, no they did not, it was sort of a bit of a mish mash of experiences. also- i kept waiting for a shark-custard, but no, that was not included in the novel either.
So meh, I think there are better books out there for certain.
Williford is a good writer, but this probably isn't his best, even if he thought it was. There is just very little cohesion. I kept expecting the story to kind of come together, the initial deaths to relate to the other deaths, but, no, no they did not, it was sort of a bit of a mish mash of experiences. also- i kept waiting for a shark-custard, but no, that was not included in the novel either.
So meh, I think there are better books out there for certain.
nateisdreaming's review against another edition
3.0
Sort of like four short novels; the second one is by far my favorite and the most riveting ... The first is great; and the last two are very bleak. Perhaps the most cynical of Willefords books that I've read; although it's centered around a punchline and set up like a joke. Probably not the book of his I'd recommend to first time readers, but I still enjoyed it highly nonetheless.
mumblingmynah's review against another edition
It’s clear from multiple comments in this book and over the course of the Hoke Moseley series that Willeford really really hates affirmative action. It’s pretty gross and I got tired of it so DNF.