Rating: 
Summary: Gentle homespun humor from a master of the genre
Review: I regard Calvin Trillin as the living master of the fictionalized memoir. His work is obviously a retelling of the life he has lived and those he has lived it with rendered with a thin, classy veneer of fictionization to protect the innocent-and virtually everyone Calvin seems to come into contact with would qualify as the innocent.Tepper Isn't Going Out is a gentle political farce on the one hand and a nostalgic ode to the more mundane aspects of urban life in New York-particularly the dilemmas of parking in Manhattan-on the other hand. In Trillin's capable hands both stories cohabit the pages amicably together. While the blurbs on the book give the impression that this is a rolling in the isles sort of comedy the reality is that this is a gently amusing book full of chuckles and good feelings rather that some slapstick comedy. It works because the characters are genuine, the farce mostly plausible, the action sufficient to keep interest and the story genuinely heartfelt-as is all Trillin's work. This is a slim novel well suited to a long days plane travel-a book to comfort, calm and amuse. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent. Reminiscent of "Being There"...for a while
Review: I thought this little novel was just great and highly recommend it. At first I was concerned about whether this amusing little premise--a guy who parks in legal parking spots and just sits there and reads the paper--could sustain a whole novel, but in Trillin's hands, it can and it does. I thought it was inventive and amusing throughout and I loved Tepper's occupation. Throughout much of the book, I was struck by the seeming similarity of Tepper with Chauncy Gardner of the movie "Being There" as played by Peter Sellers. Though Tepper is not of course as "slow" or autistic-seeming as Chauncy, both men have monomaniacal obsessions with one subject (Chauncy-gardening and Tepper-parking), both are men of few words (and yet the rest of the world has come to believe that those few words are imbued with genious), both men mind their own business (to a fault), both men become semi-famous seemingly through no effort or intent on their part, and both men think that every question posed to them relates to their respective areas of obsession and thus their answers relate to that obsession. Of course, appearances can be deceiving...
THE REMAINDER OF THIS REVIEW IS ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FINISHED THE BOOK!!
By the end of the book, it seems apparent in fact that Tepper is nothing like Chauncy Gardner becuase everything he did seems to have been scripted and choreographed by him to achieve exactly the result he was hoping for. It is true that his response to Fannon's theory is ambiguous. However, there seems to be alot of truth to his theory. After all: (1) Tepper's parking spots had nothing in common with each other, other than their apparent proximity to media types; (2)they were not near his home on West 84th; (3) he continued to return to the same spots even after he know that his appearance would create a circus; (4) he did absolutely nothing to avoid the groundswell of fame that was forming around him; (5) he was willing to sepak on or off the record to whoever desired to come into his car; and (6) he was willing to participate actively in the potential book and movie deals. It is also worth noting that the only answer he ever gave as to the "why" of what he did was the non- sequitor response of having time left on the meter--in other words, since he did not want to lie, and couldn't give the real reason, he gave the non-sequitor reason. It seemed somewhat far-fetched (i.e. unrealistic) to me that a person could hatch a scheme like that in the hope that it would wind up the way it did (as Tepper himself says, the person would have to be cynical), but he seems to have done it. But whether the "plot" was unrealistic or not does not change the fact that I though it was a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: Just OK
Review: I would have rated this novel much higher if Trillin were able to write dialogue between his characters more successfully. The interior voice of Tepper is actually quite good--funny, well-written--and I think New Yorkers will love some of his observations about their town. However, when the characters start speaking to each other the language gets very stilted and I have the feeling of being in a play--specifically a really bad Arthur Miller play. Especially the words coming out of Linda's mouth--awful! Who talks like that? As the novel gets going there is more and more dialogue. If the story sounds interesting to you please pick this book up from your local library and read just the first chapter (before he starts talking to anyone).
Rating: 
Summary: The Inscrutable Tepper
Review: I would recommend this book to anyone who lives near a major city and who has to contend with the rather byzantine rules regarding parking their car.
This is a very funny novel. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Ho Hum!
Review: I'd heard so much about this book and had read another Calvin Trillin book some years ago, so I got this one at the library hoping for a fun read. I was disappointed. This would have been an O.K. short story, but a short novel.......no! Much too repetitive; I mean how many times do we want to hear about the specific details of these New York streets? The people that come out to Tepper's car to speak with him are not believable at all. It was silly in places , but not fun..............
Rating:
Summary: Not Just for NYC Drivers
Review: I'm a pedestrian in NYC, and I greatly enjoyed Trillin's Tepper. Calvin Trillin has always been a favorite humorist of mine, and he never disappoints. Here he perfectly nails the absurdity of New York life and politics, skewering the self important, summoning the apparently bland Tepper to act as straight man to a cast of zany characters. It doesn't matter that we never know why Tepper parks -- it's a great set up for the quintessentially New York scenes that follow. I do feel most of Trillin's working class characters are a tad too articulate for credibility. But no matter. Trillin's ear for absurdity always rings true.
Rating:
Summary: A pleasant little read
Review: If books are like food, some novels are three-course meals, meaty and filling. Others are the diet plate, good for you but not very tasty. Tepper Isn't Going Out is cotton candy: sweet, light, quickly consumed...an enjoyable mid-afternoon snack. Calvin Trillin's novel follows New Yorker Murray Tepper, a mild-mannered man with a mild-mannered job and a mild-mannered family. In short, he's a pleasant but unspectacular man who has started parking his car throughout the city and just enjoying his spot, sitting and reading the paper. Initially irritating other drivers who want his spot, Tepper eventually develops a following as people visit him in his car and relate their problems to him. Tepper's advice is minimal, but seems to always work. Opposing him is the mayor, an extreme parody of Rudy Guliani who is obsessed with the forces of chaos and finds Tepper to be a vicious social agitator. Thus, without really doing anything, Tepper becomes a minor hero and is getting lots of notice from both press and politicians. This is a wonderful little story, both funny and well-written. Trillin shows that his gift for humor is as strong as ever. Like cotton candy, you won't really get a lot of great "nutrition" here, but you will have a good time. And unlike cotton candy, there is no risk of cavities here.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat entertaining
Review: It's an OK read, not a waste of time, but nothing special. Not laugh-out-loud funny by any means, but a bit amusing at times. Pretty unrealistic story, and a few of the characters (notably the mayor) are overdone charicatures.
Rating:
Summary: Tepper: Refreshingly quirky
Review: Like its title character, the novel "Tepper isn't going out" is quirky, refreshing, and worth acquainting yourself with. It chronicles Murray Tepper's penchant for parking in a lighthearted but dry-wit manner, enhanced by vibrant writing and scenes that could only happen in New York. One of the many surprises is that the novel's protagonist is a 67-year-old man. He's puzzling in the way that our fathers and grandfathers are puzzling -- why *do* some of our loved ones do the things they do, with such odd behaviors and strange habits? Calvin Trillin doesn't provide answers to those questions, but he does allay our fears, implying that we needn't worry so much. In doing so, the novel offers some charming insights into the private life of the fictitious-yet-realistic Murray Tepper. Although we readers get to know him, we don't *really* get to know him; that is, his quirks and ticks remain beyond our full comprehension. Rather than toying around with omniscience, the author wisely takes a 3rd-person perspective, which leaves questions unanswered in a good way. (I happen to prefer books whose endings aren't *too* tidy.) All in all, then, this is an entertaining but realistic read, full of individuality and refreshing little quirks. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Who ever would think parking would be so interesting?!
Review: Murrary Tepper is a pretty normal 60-something year old. He works in the mail order business. He's still married. He dislikes his only daughter's husband. He adores his grandson. Yet, Tepper has one strange habit. He likes to read his newspaper...in his car, on the streets of New York City. He always parks in legal spots, and always pays if there's a meter. He's even perfected ways to get rid of the people asking him "You going out?" Tepper's life gets turned upside down when an innocent article about him is stuck into a small newspaper and the nitpicky mayor decides something MUST be done about him. The book flips from Tepper and his life to of a pollster, who tells the mayor's side. Some might wonder what they have to do with each other, but they do connect. You'll fall in love with Tepper, and the unique story and characters. Guaranteed.
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