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Rating: 
Summary: a fast, enjoyable read.
Review: I have no idea how I came across this book, but I'm glad that I did.
I enjoyed all of the charchters in it, even the ones I'm sure I wasn't supposed to. Everyone is very lively and belivable, even with a few extraordinary quirks thrown in.
I can't give a very detailed review; since it took me just a day or so to read it- and that was about 20 or 25 days ago.
I just wanted to give the author his due (which he has already gotten) and just say something positive aobut his writing... I uses the term 'doofy tooth' for... almost anything now.
Rating: 
Summary: A very good novel.
Review: I read this bood after hearing a short interview with Lavalle on NPR, so I may have had more information about the characters (and Lavalle's own life) than is actually in the book, but I really liked it. The book is first person from the perspective of Anthony, not just his thoughts and observations, but his deepest thoughts, the ones that we don't usually share. In Anthony's case, he often shares those thoughts not only with the reader, but also with other characters due to his speaking his mind unintentionaly and due to Lavalle's wonderful writting talents, which make this fit without giving the reader pryor notice as to the fact that Anthony is speaking and not just thinking.
Rating:
Summary: Tired of the bull
Review: I'm writing because I'm just concerned, straight up, with some of the reviews this novel has been given by people who meant well but, if I'm being honest, simply can't give other people a fair minded picture of this spectacular novel. First of all, IT'S NOT CONFUSING!!!!!!!! I can't say that enough. The problem is that if you've only been used to eating candy your whole life you're not going to know how to take a steak. Some of the people who've posted before me have been talking about how the novel loses them at times, but if you're used to reading smart fiction, even slightly literary, then you can breeze through this book. In fact, at times you'll have to slow down because you're enjoying the poetry of the language so much that you forget to take notice of the story. Are we ever going to just come out and say you should have to take an IQ test in order to read certain books? Probably not, but maybe we should. I mean, I don't think great literature means that it's got to be confusing, but I get mad when I see good, decent folks trying to pretend that just because there's not a straightforward romance going on the book is Finnegan's Wake! Of course, I realize that now I've made nothing but an in joke, but what saddens me the most is that there are people for whom that reference was over their heads. My god, the state of American readers is dismal. Okay, I shouldn't turn this review into nothing but a big complaining session so let me tell you that I haven't read a book this ambitious and profound in ten years. Imagine a novel that tries to be funny and heartbreaking at the same time, sometimes in the same line. I put this book down feeling like I'd discovered my eyes after years of being blind. It just made me so happy to see that this painful and touching novel was actually published.
Rating:
Summary: It's easy
Review: Picked this book up after hearing about it at school, there were two grad students talking about how the book was really special. I got it and read it in a weekend and then reread it the weekend after that. The first time through I was just laughing and laughing. It's pretty funny. Okay, it's hilarious. Then there'd be these moments where some big heartbreaking thing happens and you'd be so surprised because the whole time it felt like a comedy. I found that it was written in poetic language, but that it wasn't difficult to understand. Which is rare. It was literary book that didn't make me want to throw up from all the pretentions. How many times can I say that I enjoyed it? A thousand times wouldn't be enough. Truly spectacular.
Rating: 
Summary: Not all fat people are nuts.
Review: This book pissed me off!!!!I didn't get that the character was suffering from a mental disorder I just thought he was plain...straight up stupid. The book truly made no sense to me. The only reason I finished the book because the back drop was my home Jamaica, Queens and I love to read books that take place around my way. Please do not waste your time with this book. I can't even explain it it was so....uuuggghhhh!!!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Dark!
Review: This was a very interesting novel. The style, transition, characters, dialogue, realism and humor make this a stand out read. I was initially compelled to read this novel based on the synopsis, but from page one I was hooked! The author was able to reveal the antics of life for a very dysfunctional family and let us ride the insanity with the main character, Anthony. Anthony is the 300+ pound paranoid schizophrenic. We journey with Anthony and his family as they try to live life, but are compounded with obstacles such as insanity. The story has a myriad of characters who kinda come into Anthony's life for several reasons, but they add to the dark humor that is consistently displayed throughout the novel. The author's play with humor and realism of insanity was compelling and scary at the same time. This book is dark. That is the one word that for me relates this story. As the story continues, the darkness continues which makes the humor almost horrifying. The author's use of the English language is beautiful. His style is very different, but quite refreshing. The characters are well-developed and thorough characters. The story is a mirage of several incidents that take place in Anthony's life and this is a literal perception of how one is mentally ill, but can do nothing to stop the insanity. It is like a roller coaster ride of the insane. I do wish for a different ending, but because of the subject matter no other ending would probably work. This is one novel everyone should pick up and read if for nothing more than a change and read something that is brilliantly written.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Dark!
Review: This was a very interesting novel. The style, transition, characters, dialogue, realism and humor make this a stand out read. I was initially compelled to read this novel based on the synopsis, but from page one I was hooked! The author was able to reveal the antics of life for a very dysfunctional family and let us ride the insanity with the main character, Anthony. Anthony is the 300+ pound paranoid schizophrenic. We journey with Anthony and his family as they try to live life, but are compounded with obstacles such as insanity. The story has a myriad of characters who kinda come into Anthony's life for several reasons, but they add to the dark humor that is consistently displayed throughout the novel. The author's play with humor and realism of insanity was compelling and scary at the same time. This book is dark. That is the one word that for me relates this story. As the story continues, the darkness continues which makes the humor almost horrifying. The author's use of the English language is beautiful. His style is very different, but quite refreshing. The characters are well-developed and thorough characters. The story is a mirage of several incidents that take place in Anthony's life and this is a literal perception of how one is mentally ill, but can do nothing to stop the insanity. It is like a roller coaster ride of the insane. I do wish for a different ending, but because of the subject matter no other ending would probably work. This is one novel everyone should pick up and read if for nothing more than a change and read something that is brilliantly written.
Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Blend
Review: Victor D. LaValle is astounding. Before this great work, he wowed the world with his debut book of stories, Slapboxing with Jesus, and this is a definite requirement for your list if you've not yet picked it up. In The Ecstatic, LaValle delivers characters and imagery filled with a quirky blend of humor and depression, excitement and self-loathing. It's a wonderfully straightforward story of aspirations and hopes that he paints over a landscape of melancholy and disappointment. You can't leave this book not feeling compassion for the characters within. A must for your reading shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark Comedy, Depressing Illness...
Review: Victor Lavalle's The Ecstatic left me feeling ambivalent. I found the novel to be well written, original, and crafty; but at times I also felt lost and confused. Perhaps the latter is intentional since the story is narrated by Anthony Jones, an obese schizophrenic, who lives with his equally schizophrenic relatives. Anthony is rapidly deteriorating and although he seems relatively in control at the beginning of the novel, it is quite clear that he has lost all of his mental faculties at the end. The book is divided into three sections. In "The Whale" segment, Lavelle opens with Anthony's younger sister, mother, and grandmother rescuing him from Cornell University. He has not attended classes in a couple of years, is living in squalor, and has supported himself with menial jobs. He returns home to live in the basement and reacquaint himself with the old neighborhood. It is in this section that we learn about Anthony's atrocious eating habits, his mother's mental disorder, and his family's relationship with the neighbors. He tries to reinsert himself into society by losing weight, dating, and getting a job. Sadly, he is exploited by his employers and neighborhood thugs, fails at weight loss, and is jilted by his love interest. In the "Miss Innocence" segment, a family road trip to the sister's beauty pageant goes awry, largely due to Anthony's worsening condition. They meet a few questionable characters along the way that seem equally insane as the Jones clan. The last segment, "The Hounds" is Anthony's final descent into dementia where he becomes a danger to himself and others. He is literally trapped physically in his neighborhood by the patrolling dogs and mentally in his weakened mind. At most, The Ecstatic is entertaining. As mentioned earlier, Lavalle lost me on a few twists and turns, but I continued reading to see how it would end. I think the pacing of the story was solid, but character development was somewhat lacking. Anthony's character was the most developed and that is putting it mildly; the other characters were lightly sketched and void of any real definition. There were plenty of dark comedic episodes sprinkled throughout that caused me to laugh aloud, but more importantly, I felt pity for the central character as he surrendered to his illness. I would not recommend this novel to everyone, only those who are curious and courageous enough to venture down a dark and disheartening literary side street. Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club
Rating:
Summary: but some fat people are clearly stupid.
Review: What exactly do people expect from literature? To be portrayed in a "positive" light. To be made to look good to the rest of the world? How terribly insecure. While there have probably been "nicer" fat main characters than Anthony from this novel, there have rarely been more complex ones. See, people sometimes treat novels like they're supposed to be cheerleaders. One of the points that was made in a bunch of articles about Victor LaValle is that he used to be over three hundred pounds. So if he doesn't know what it's like to be a fatso, who does? Just because he makes it seem funny sometimes doesn't mean that he's being insulting. While I've never met Oprah (what on earth does that have to do with anything?) I can say that I've read a great novel about a complicated, wise and powerfully developed character. I notice that this person below, who was so offended by the portrayal of fat people, didn't really pipe up about the portrayal of the mentally ill. Perhaps he or she hasn't ever struggled with that problem and therefore feels free to laugh at them, but heaven forbid we laugh at her. (And I'll out myself, I'm a former student of Victor's--class of 99!-and want to defend a great book from simple minds.) Congratulations Professor LaValle
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