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Summary: You will laugh, cry & realize this is what life is all about
Review: If you can find this book, buy several copies, as they will disappear. People will borrow it, and you will never see it again; it is that good (I have lost three copies that way). When you read the cover description of the book ("It's New Year's Eve...") , you immediately realize that you have had bad days like that, and you want to know if his day was worse than yours (...it was). I have found this to be one of the funniest, most touching, " go for the gut" books I have ever read, and I recommend it to all! I just wish I could find another copy!
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Summary: The Ultimate Feel-Good Story!
Review: If you ever felt like you'd hit rock bottom, felt like
giving in, felt as if one more thing happened, you'd snap,
then you need to read this book. The characters are sad, funny and ultimately uplifting. You cannot put this book
down once you start reading it, so set aside a long, lazy
afternoon before you even pick it up. Be prepared to lose
many copies, as you will be compelled to pass it along to
a friend in need. Quite possibly the best book of our time.
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Summary: you will never laugh harder, or loan - & lose - more copies
Review: if you love witty writing - this comedy of errors, losses and loves will break your heart with laughter. buy all the copies you can find. you will loan them all, lose them all - and happily go to great lengths to find more. it will make you lifelong friends with your local used book stores. . . life is never funnier, and rarely more challenging. "P.S." lampoons the seriousness with which we hold pale tragedy, and forces deeper examination of what is profound and important in life. and of the enduring nature of trust. part bombeck and buckwald and robin williams, part 'zen and the art', and as atmospheric as 'la cage au folles' and 'midnight in the garden' - this gentle philosophical picture of the oddest of couples celebrates hidden eccentricity, and the humanity that binds us all - through the most trying of circumstances. as james kirkwood is long gone, we will never know what happened to jimmy and vito. and, like people who touch us as they pass through our lives before disappearing into the mist, we will always wonder... if you've ever felt like - you just can't go on. and you're taking life far too hard, and far too seriously. and life's small and inconsequential problems are about to bury you, despite their seeming pettiness... then read. and laugh until your face aches, and smiles cramp your cheeks,,, and fall in love with life again. then buy every copy you can find. because the honesty and whimsy are too special to go unshared. and you will always know someone who will love to read this book, and then share it too. where ever you are, james kirkwood - for this, and for 'the chorus line' - thank you.
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Summary: Kirkwood makes the absurd utterly readable
Review: If you, much like the main character, want to jump off a bridge, then read this book. It will grab you by the ankles, dangle you over water and demand "what's your problem?" To which your most likely reply is "nothing, please, I love my life". It's a boredom-saver, if not a life-saver.
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Summary: The ultimate diversion
Review: It is, definitely, the book you'll lose. I passed my copy along to a friend and came back here hoping to order another. One lonely night in university (when I was supposed to be studying for an exam) I picked up the book and read it instead of studying! It did nothing for my exam score, but it improved my disposition immensely! It's a wonderfully, off beat classic to be shared!
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Summary: To Be Read Over and Over
Review: It's really a shame that this book is not currently being kept in print. This is one of those funny, heartwarming books that I find myself taking off the shelf every year or so. James Kirkwood did a wonderful job of taking a seeming tragedy (the breakin of your home) and blending it with a series of life problems that places the main character in a total funk. When the protagonist walks in during the apartment breakin, he's had it. Everything is wrong in his life and he goes over the top. Unafraid of the burglar, he ties him down to his kitchen counter and hold the burglar hostage. The hysteria starts as he ties down the stripped down burglar and forces him to hear all of life's woes. The interchange is absolutely laugh out loud funny. This great book will take you out of any slump you find yourself in. When things can't get much worse, maybe it's time to do some laughing! That's exactly the tonic for the main character, and it can be just as so for the reader. Save this for a bad week! A wonderful anti-depressant! Also highly recommended is James Kirkwood's "Good Times, Bad Times." A wonderful coming of age tale.
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Summary: Your cat is dead, but your spirit can live on!
Review: It's wonderful to read reviews of Kirkwood's books and know that other people felt about his stories the way that I did when I first read them. I too 'lost' my (much taped and taped and taped) copy of this book (the fourth or fifth copy I had purchased, I might add!). This incredible author and his offbeat, engaging characters pulled me through some of the most difficult moments of my life and helped me to come out laughing and or crying (sometimes, both). I would have loved to have had the pleasure of meeting him. I connected with him so much through his books and characters. Mr. Kirkwood really had insight into what makes people tick...or, in this case, get ticked off! If anyone knows where I can get a copy, please email me! If anyone knows anyone who has a copy, please do yourself a tremendous favor and borrow this hilarious book. You won't regret it!
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Summary: My best loved book.
Review: Jimmy and Vito are real people, you swear you'd know them walking down the sidewalk. I've lent (and then bought and lent) this book so many times, I've lost track of the number I've owned (and lost). I want another couple of copies, I'll only lend it to people who will read it in my presence, preferably in my house! It's just that good.
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Summary: Philosophy made funny
Review: My first meeting with this one was in a used bookstore. I was captivated by the title, and the back cover sounded familiar: "It's New Year's Eve. Your best friend died two months ago, you've just been fired, you've been robbed twice, your girlfriend broke up with you and the only one you've got to talk to is a gay burglar you've got tied up in the kitchen. P.S. Your cat is dead" If you've ever had a day like that - get this book. Even better, get five and give four to your closest friends.
Rating:
Summary: Influentially funny
Review: My mother gave me this book when I was eleven or so. She'd read it and thought it was incredibly funny. For the last thirteen years it's been an absolute favorite, re-read at least once a year. It's amazingly cool, open-minded, and slick. Everyone should read this book.
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