Rating: 
Summary: a childlike effort
Review: 'Liquor' the latest release by cult author Poppy Z Brite, is a strange brew indeed. While Brite's 'writing voice' is as seductive as ever, the plot, if it could be said one truly exists, is a watered down stock at best. While it is obvious Brite loves the idea of a 'food book' and indeed seems to have completely relished doing the research necessary for the writing of this novel, her characterization, usually a strong point of Brite's work, is weak indeed, the players in this fiction seeming mere props so that Brite could ramble on about the restaurant biz, like a little child trying to impress her parents with her knowledge of their work. And the dialogue in this lightweight snack of a book makes the speakers seem child like.. in an adolescent way. And as far as the 'feel' of N'Orleans, well lets just say as a native born and bred, I find PZB to be a fairly well informed tourist at best.
All in all Liqour was at best second rate fast food, with but a hint of the flavor of the real thing. I suggest skipping this lightweight novel and reading 'The Value of X', for a far better example of what Ms. Brite is capable of, or her earlier horror work, where she showed so much promise as an up and coming writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Candy is dandy...
Review: (...)
ESPECIALLY don't read this book if you're on a diet; the sumptuous descriptions of food will send you running to the kitchen every few pages.I'll admit I'm one of the people who sulked quite extensively when I heard that PZB was 'abandoning' horror and writing about two middle-aged chefs. Thinking about why I love PZB's writing so much though, it was always the little incidental scenes that stayed in my mind the most- Kinsey making the noodle soup for the kids at the bar, or Terry Bucket just hanging out at the whirling disk. Liquor, better than any of her other books showcases Brite's genius for weaving these little human moments into an exciting storyline to create a book that is warm, human and fiercely emotional. My knowledge of Kitchen work extends to my own short season in heck, working at the local Mac Donald's, so I did wonder how exciting a book the foodie scene would be to someone with no previous knowledge or interest. Brite manages to make the complex restaurant world accessible to the outsider as well as seeming authentic (so I've been told) to anyone in the know, and if you're a lifelong chef or have trouble boiling an egg you'll find yourself caught up in this fascinating world and desperate for Ricky and G-man to succeed. I started reading this book wanting it to be terrible so I could shake my head sadly and mutter about 'burning out' and 'losing the plot'.
Now I find myself searching through short story compilations for more Ricky and G-man fixes and counting of the days until a follow up is released.
Rating:
Summary: Brite's New Orleans is New Orleans
Review: As a life long citizen of this unbelievable City named New Orleans, it is a pleasure to see someone get it right. Brite captures in this novel the look, smell, taste, sounds and feel of this City-State.
For New Orleans is not really part of Louisiana, the South, or the United States. She is an entity on to herself with her own language, food, customs and ways of doing business. Brite reveals a knowledge of the way things are in New Orleans and she can put that knowledge into words that adequately lets a reader become part of that lifestyle.
Lenny Duveteaux is an outsider; not born in New Orleans. But, Brite through Lenny says it all when the character states, " People here love to drink, and they loved to have fun when they drank; they filled the bars and toasted each other across the tables and nattered about the Saints, politics, what they had eaten for lunch, what they were going to eat for dinner."
As we would say here in New Orleans, ain't it the truth. Read Liquor and acquire a feel for the City That Care Forgot.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfaction
Review: Dear Poppy: Please, please, please, continue writing books just like Liquor and don't listen to anyone else, especially the dingbats writing reviews on amazon. Except for me and the other positive guys. I am so satisfied after reading Liquor that I almost wish I hadn't read it yet so I could read it again. More than anything else I could say, it's truly a wonderful story. A great story is hard to find these days. This is the best novel I've read since Gaiman's American Gods. I've also been a loyal fan of Poppy's since high school (27 now) and can really appreciate growing up with her, in many senses. I feel like Liquor is a culmination of everything she's learned about writing until now. Her characters are alive in your head. Their skepticism and passions are clear and true. Like all of Poppy's characters, I cared for them and wished for their success. I also was hungry. Real hungry. But at least I feel like my mind and heart were well fed.
Rating: 
Summary: An exciting new direction with LIQUOR
Review: Fans of novelist Poppy Z. Brite have been waiting for years for a major novel, and finally she delivers it. And is it worth the wait? Absolutely. "Liquor" continues the story of Rickey and G-man, the lovers that Brite introduced in "The Value of X" and her short story collection "The Devil You Know." This novel is a fast, breezy read, and it shows that Poppy Z. Brite has finally put the world of horror behind her. Those fans that are alienated by her genre shift are missing the point. Brite has always wanted to write more honestly about New Orleans, and the fascinating world of professional cooks. She makes an impressive start here.
Rickey and G-man are incredibly talented cooks and longtime lovers who are currently out of a job. Their big chance comes when they hatch the idea of opening a restaurant called Liquor, in which every dish contains some kind of alcohol. In a town where drive-through daquiri stands are a mainstay, they are convinced it is a brilliant idea. Those who have critisized "Liquor" for being low on plot are correct, but they are also missing the point. The joy of this novel is in the characters, especially the relationship between Rickey and G-man, although there are no boring characters in the book. It's about observing the uniqueness of New Orleans and its people, and about the world of restaurants, which is never dull.
As a huge fan of Poppy Z. Brite's work, I love the new direction she has taken. Disappointed horror fans should simply get over it and read this book. It is a great read. Be on the lookout for Brite's next novel, "Prime," which is due out in March 2005.
Rating:
Summary: Poppy's bright new cocktail
Review: For some time I've hesitated writing a review of this book, for a number of reasons... Chief among them the fact that Poppy Z. Brite actually seems to take the time to read the comments people type on here (I wonder if other writers do this. If I ever hit it big I suppose I probably will too). There has been some controversy over this book, that it is a sell-out piece of trash, that it abandons her old fanbase, etcetera etcetera. First off, I'd hardly call this work a sell-out. All the old touchstones of her past work are featured here: Gays, alchohol, New Orleans, you get the idea. All that's missing is the usual blood and guts, but really, after "Exquisite Corpse", how COULD she of topped that crimson-stained abatoir of words without repeating herself? (that book even turned my stomach, and this is from a guy whose read Dennis Cooper, "American Psycho", De Sade and EVERYTHING by arch-sicko Peter Sotos). Face it, a change of pace was needed otherwise she'd just end up repeating herself, and who wants to read the same thing over and over again (William S. Burroughs, as gifted a writer as he was, sometimes fell into this trap). Furthermore, how can it be a sell-out if it's not even being published by a major publisher (and, sadly, the Barnes & Noble I work at only had two copies in stock.) Of course, I would be lying if I said that at one point I never thought such things either. I WAS very much let-down by "The Value of D", mainly because it just didn't feel like a novel and also because I just couldn't relate with the two leads. PLus there wasn't much of a plot, wasn't much momentum. Fortunetly "Liquor" does indeed feel like a novel and I like the characters a little more now. Okay, I'm still not a G-Man fan, but at least I can associate some parts of myself to Rickey, who I liked more in this one. The best character in "Liquor", though, is Lenny. If they ever turn this into a film, Saul Rubinek would be perfect to play this guy. He's unlike any character Brite has ever written, and he's really funny and likeable, despite his shady side. I like the fact that deep down he's a nice guy but he's still no saint (in fact you can say this about almost all of Brite's protagonists). Also, this book had much more momentum, it MOVED, it kept me as a reader interested in what happened. And once again New Orleans is just as important a character as the characters themselves. Regarding the goth fans who claim Brite sold out... After thinking this through I've concluded that the problem may be more in the lines of the reader projecting themselves into the author. I recall my initiation into the goth/industrial subculture a few years back. It was in college and I was into the music, the scene, the art, and the literature (of which Poppy Z. Brite was a part). One of my favorite college memories is of me huddling in my car wearing my trenchcoat every saturday night in the campus parking lot, listening to the campus radio's goth/industrail radio station while reading Poppy Z. Brite's "Lost Souls" in rapture. Ah, happy days. At the time I was very much impressed with how Brite transcribed her obsessions so vividly (obsessions, that, at the time, seemed to be drugs, gay sex, serial killers, vampires, and other hot topics). At the time, I could relate. I felt, "she's just like me". I read all her interviews and really could relate to her life outlook, philosophy, political views, blah blah blah. At the time I was morbid, confused about my sexual orientation... It's easy to see how her works spoke to me on a deeper level, to sound pretentious. Over time I realized that in many ways she's not all that much like me. I mean, I don't really care about food all that much, for one (though I do love men, cats, and other of her interests). Bottom line, she's still gay (a married gay man I should add!), she's still a good writer, and she's still writing about her obsessions! (just now Jeffrey Dahmer has been replaced by cooking and O'Toole). Get over it! Having said all this, I do have a few problems with the book. The first is that, after all these years, Brite still seems to have trouble with female characters... ALL the main characters in this work are male (G-Man, Rickey, Mike, Lenny, Terrance, Tanker, Anthony) but as far as I could tell there were no female main characters apart from Laura (and Tanker's girlfriend?), and she was a minor character at best. It's really a shame... Brite seems like such an interesting woman in real life, you would think that some of that energy would dribble down into her female characters (then again, to quote the author she does seem to be a "gay man in a woman's body", so... ah, this is a silly tangent. You don't need to be a certain gender to write good characters). My other main quibble is a minor one... The sex scenes were kinda dull. Odd for a writer who says that she knows how to type with one hand. The sex scenes in her earlier works were so erotic and unabashadly homosexual in nature (much like some of Nine Inch Nails early 90's videos) that they really were hot. I just didn't get that with Rickey and G-Man (Sex alone isn't the be all and end all of erotica. In my opinion the most erotic thing Brite's ever written was that great kiss between Ghost and Steve way back when in "Lost Souls", though the sex scene in "Drawing Blood" comes close. (...) Bottom line, this book was way better then "The Value of D" (and ranks among some of her best work) and I look foward to her next work. My favorite writers are the ones who inspire me to raise my own writing efforts to a higher level, and Brite has always ben such a writer in my book. To all the people who loved "Lost Souls" I say to just give this one a chance, it's fun and breezy, you'll learn new things you never knew before and you really need to keep an open mind... Otherwise you're just as bad as the small-town right-wing homophobic hicks the author has so pricelessly put down in the past!
Rating: 
Summary: A review
Review: I do not have any affinity with either cooking or New Orleans, nor have I read any of PZB's previous works. Then, one might ask, what on Earth compelled you towards this book? Put simply: interesting characters, humorous (but realistic) dialogue and the prerequisite of clearly written prose. If it weren't for me reading PZB's blog, I wouldn't have ever noticed this book. I wasn't expecting anything revolutionary, though, just an amusing read. Hence the rating.
Rating:
Summary: Foodie fun
Review: I don't know of many authors who could make the transition from gothic/horror to "roman a chef" so effortlessly. Poppy has been one of my favorite authors for years and, I must admit, I felt some trepidation when I bought this book - wondering what it would be like to read something other than a horror novel. This was a great book, and I wasn't disappointed at all. Poppy is so good at "getting things right." She somehow worked into this novel description and dialogue that is truly authentic geographically and within the restaurant industry. I was rooting for Rickey and G-Man throughout the book. A great read - leaves me hungry for more.
Rating:
Summary: Poppy's Perfect Prose
Review: I don't usually write reviews, b/c I'm not very good at expressing what I really feel about a book. However, when my all time favorite author publishes a new book, I couldn't resist adding a few words to her honor. I've been a follower of Poppy Z. Brite's work since 'Lost Souls' like so many other readers. I still love the novels about the vile V-word, but Poppy's movement into other genres has opened my mind to new things. I get sucked into the world she creates and even though I hate to cook and am hesitant to try new food, 'Liquor' had me wanting to taste everything that Ricky and G-man created in the kitchen. I wished that I could hop on a plane to New Orleans to sample the interesting cuisine. Beyond the culinary education, the relationship between Ricky and G-man matured from in 'The Value of X'. The bond they have is so incredible and is a driving force in the novel. Ricky's controlling nature made me smile to realize how I can do the same things at times. G-man really balances him out, like my boyfriend does for me. I wish more readers knew how great Poppy is. I'm so tired of all the mainstream novels on the best seller list. That's where Poppy belongs-
Rating:
Summary: My two cents.
Review: I liked "Liquor" well enough - just not enough to devour it the way I had been expecting. In my opinion, this book lacked the characterization that has made me love all of Brite's previous work. I'm a simple creature, really. I like vivid characters and the interaction between those characters more than thick plots and flowery scenery. I'm the type who'd be perfectly happy reading a book in which the main characters did nothing more than work, have sex, talk to their mothers on the phone, watch cartoons - i.e. live perfectly ordinary lives ... as long as I felt I could understand the characters living those lives. I didn't feel that with this book. I feel that the characters took a back-seat to the industry Brite was writing about, making them feel like little more than plot devices through which Brite's love of good food and the resturant business were portrayed. Don't get me wrong - I love food. I could read about the in's and out's of the resturant scene and about fabulous food ideas all day (drooling all the while). I just think the characters needed to stand out a bit more to balance out the story as a whole. I loved Rickey and Gary (now G-Man) from "The Value of X" ... that book is actually my favorite of all that Brite has written and I was looking forward to seeing them develop in "Liquor." Hence my disappointment. The bottom line to my opinion is this: if you are interested in learning more about the resturant business through fiction - this book is perfect! If you liked "Value of X" and wanted to see where the characters went from there - don't expect much passion or intense characterization. And if you're looking for horror like Brite's earlier works or crying because this book isn't like those works - move on, get some therapy and grow up.
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