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ula_j's review against another edition
1.0
I loved Shteyngart's latest novel but this one I kind of almost hated. I didn't think it was funny and it wasn't nearly as interesting or clever as I would've expected from a book that was so well reviewed. Maybe I just didn't get it but it seemed like a more offensive Confederacy of Dunces.
charliezegers's review against another edition
3.0
The illegitimate child of Catch 22 and A Confederacy of Dunces.
adammaid's review against another edition
4.0
"how can one be angry at a man of so few qualities?"
I love that.
I love that.
gjmaupin's review against another edition
2.0
"It was ok" says the GoodReads when you click the two-star option. There you have it.
ivanssister's review against another edition
2.0
This just didn't work for me. Another reviewer compared it to A Confederacy of Dunces and that felt extremely correct.
ajkhn's review against another edition
4.0
As much as I'm not a fan of satires, I had to do a balancing act with Absurdistan. Yeah, its told from the point of a sorta-Russian, sorta-American joke of a human being. Yes there's the awkward rapping and pathetic 'hood queen. This is what bad books are made of. But with a Caspian setting, mockery of the American military-industrial complex, and lots of funny little Turkic and Kartveli men, it's actually kind of awesome.
Whenever I read a good book about the region, I find myself thinking, "my God, somebody actually did their research here!" This is no different, Shteyngart definitely did his research here. He knows enough about Azerbaijan and Georgia (and Daghestan, I think) to use them to create his fictional Absurdsvani. And he's a good enough writer to pull off the satire with as few cringe-inducing moments as possible. This is a good thing.
The best thing, though is a chapter which is just a grant proposal for a Holocaust Museum entitled "A Modest Proposal." Pretty much my favorite chapter I've read in a really long time. Its honest enough to be hilarious, and cagey enough to bite. I'm a huge, huge, fan.
So again, very funny book. A bit too esoteric, maybe, but the New York Times got it and loved it, so maybe not. And putting in himself as the antagonist was a pretty fantastic touch. There are probably enough bits for everyone to like it (I, for example, am a deaf-mute when it comes to New York references) so maybe...everyone will like it. I at least did.
Whenever I read a good book about the region, I find myself thinking, "my God, somebody actually did their research here!" This is no different, Shteyngart definitely did his research here. He knows enough about Azerbaijan and Georgia (and Daghestan, I think) to use them to create his fictional Absurdsvani. And he's a good enough writer to pull off the satire with as few cringe-inducing moments as possible. This is a good thing.
The best thing, though is a chapter which is just a grant proposal for a Holocaust Museum entitled "A Modest Proposal." Pretty much my favorite chapter I've read in a really long time. Its honest enough to be hilarious, and cagey enough to bite. I'm a huge, huge, fan.
So again, very funny book. A bit too esoteric, maybe, but the New York Times got it and loved it, so maybe not. And putting in himself as the antagonist was a pretty fantastic touch. There are probably enough bits for everyone to like it (I, for example, am a deaf-mute when it comes to New York references) so maybe...everyone will like it. I at least did.
higuma's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this book. I really did. But, the main character was spoiled and obnoxious. The author tried to create a sort of Russian expat Ignatius Reilly, sans any heart or likeability whatsoever. Also, I get really annoyed when authors interject themselves into the book as an auxilary character. It smacks of "hey! look at how clever I am"-ism, which is my least favorite literary "ism".
Why did I give this book three stars rather than two? I did enjoy his descriptions of "Absurdistan," a mixture of the Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The descriptions of the people and conflict of this fictional nation were also entertaining. Although I despised the main character, I did think that the author did a fairly good job of depicting events as seen by Misha.
With that said, I think I would have liked this book more if the main character were anybody else. I did like him a little more at the end, but not by much.
Why did I give this book three stars rather than two? I did enjoy his descriptions of "Absurdistan," a mixture of the Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The descriptions of the people and conflict of this fictional nation were also entertaining. Although I despised the main character, I did think that the author did a fairly good job of depicting events as seen by Misha.
With that said, I think I would have liked this book more if the main character were anybody else. I did like him a little more at the end, but not by much.
jarsh's review against another edition
2.0
i understand what he was trying to do. i wanted to like it, but no.
mattap1016's review against another edition
4.0
If you understand Russian culture, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. It is absolutely hysterical--that is, if you can understand the jokes of russian culture. You can still enjoy it, but having been to russia and having many russian friends, this book just made me so happy.
sjmaxa's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book after reading The Russian Debutante's Handbook but found it hard to get through. There was not much to like about the main character, Misha who is arrogant and immature. Other reviewers thought this book was funny -- I didn't laugh once.