<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Mark Leyner: It's Love or Hate. I Love, Love, Love.
Review: As you can see from the assortment of past reviews, people either love Mark Leyner or hate him (I wanted to use "get him" or "don't get him" but then this becomes snooty, and I'm trying to avoid snooty). He's different, what can I tell you? If you're a traditionalist who demands plot, theme and some semblence character development, you'll do better to move on past. However, if you fancy something a bit different, where the words and imagery take precedence over literature style-points, you've got to give Leyner a shot. I've found him to be especially popular with those who enjoy contemporary poetry, if that's more helpful. "My Cousin" was the first Leyner book I ever read and my mouth hung agape the whole way through- I never realized that anyone could get away with writing like that and be so great at it! Anyway, keep in mind, he's not for everyone, but if he's for you, you won't be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: Fizz
Review: He is one of the best writers in America, but this one is definitely not as good as 'Tooth Imprints on a Corndog' or 'Et Tu, Babe.' Get the others first. If you're a collector, then get this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Drained
Review: I'll take a good laugh anytime, but the flashes of humor sprinkled throughout this wimpy book do little to rekindle my interest in what reads more like the back of a cereal box than a novel. I spent less than two hours reading Leyner, not because I skipped around or put it down early, but because that's how long it took me to read the whole thing, and I'm glad, because any longer would have been bestowing too much attention on a novelty item. Leyner is gifted, but seems to have no idea what to do with those gifts. In an expanded form, with a grander sweep and firmer grasp of narrative, and a warmer interest in flesh-and-blood characterization, he could very well have turned this well-titled piece into - oh, third-rate Pynchon imitation maybe? As is, the reader is left with colorful squirts of words and imagination-stetching set pieces leading absolutely nowhere - the literary equivalent of channel surfing. Huzzah, another postmodern breakthrough. For an experimental novel that transcends its own gimmicks (which this book never does), try Mark Danielewski's "House of Leaves," as crazy and fantastic as Leyner tries to be, but with enough discipline and respect for the reader to ultimately prove rewarding.
Rating: 
Summary: Why no love?
Review: In a world of hate and war, we must take a look back on this book. "My Cousin" was the first book by Leyner I read.
And, I still read it. This tome of delightful, poetic anarchy is not for everyone; But, if you can be distracted by the rantings of a stick figure in a Jhonen Vasquez comic, then this should definetly be a treat for you.
I recommend "Enter The Squirrel".I say "Ole`!" to this author. (That's a good thing.) And, I recommend this book to everyone I meet, pass by, or steal from.
My rating?
Two fists up.
Rating:
Summary: Why no love?
Review: In a world of hate and war, we must take a look back on this book. "My Cousin" was the first book by Leyner I read.
And, I still read it. This tome of delightful, poetic anarchy is not for everyone; But, if you can be distracted by the rantings of a stick figure in a Jhonen Vasquez comic, then this should definetly be a treat for you.
I recommend "Enter The Squirrel". I say "Ole`!" to this author. (That's a good thing.) And, I recommend this book to everyone I meet, pass by, or steal from.
My rating?
Two fists up.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes it's not the plot....
Review: In the hyperkinetic style of writing, one Leyner has been doing for well over a decade now you have to take what happens as a fever dream or the author inviting you into his acid flashback world. Mark Leyner has a gift for prose and uses it along with cultural icons to create smart, if sometimes near-incoherent fiction. I remember reading this to a class of computer music students after class and they were laughing so hard they were near tears. Perhaps it is a love/hate thing but there is no denying Leyner can conjure up some witty situations and absurdist comedy. It isn't that Leyner is a bad writer, rather it is readers expectations that make "My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist" polarizing. Leyner's metaphors are great fun, he does not spend much time with scenic description unless it has significant import to the story. The dialog is crisp and, well weird, but in a droll way. His choices of charaters and their stories are funny and merit re-reading. If you can check the book out try the first page or two. If you find it funny or engrossing you probably won't be let down. If it makes no sense you might as well put the book down as it's not going to get any easier to deal with. To the right minded reader this book is a treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Fiction on crack
Review: My visual arts analogy for the experience of reading this book: Take a can of Andy Warhol Campbell's soup, open it, and splatter it in maniacal fashion all over a wall, then lick it all off. Expose the sticky, tangy contents of prissy Andy's 'art' and then eat it up. This book will not change your life, but it will entertain the hell out of you. These days, you can't ask for much more without taking yourself too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Laugh hard again...
Review: Remember how hard you laughed at "Without Feathers" by Woody Allen? You'll laugh that hard again. That is, unless you're a frustrated English lit professor wannabe. Then you'll find it pretentious and pointless. Who cares. It's still the funniest prose I've ever read and the funniest of all of Leyner's books.
Rating:
Summary: Laugh hard again...
Review: Remember how hard you laughed at "Without Feathers" by Woody Allen? You'll laugh that hard again. That is, unless you're a frustrated English lit professor wannabe. Then you'll find it pretentious and pointless. Who cares. It's still the funniest prose I've ever read and the funniest of all of Leyner's books.
Rating:
Summary: THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL !
Review: yES, i KNOW YOU MAY THINK IT'S A BIT OF A BLOATED STATEMENT, BUT THIS IS MOST DEFINITELY THE (TRIED AND TRUE, WRAPPED IN PLASTIC DESERT BLUE...jeans) great, great American Novel. Now, if only I could get a budget to option this piece of electro-hypnotic energy into an indie film. It'd be harder to realize than both "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Battlefield Earth" combined, demanding more tangential thinking and brilliant imagery than the late, great Douglas Adams' works. Mark Leyner has kept the spirit of nihilism, absurdity, and the art of self-expression alive. It' the funny, peyote-induced, latte-driven, Lynch meets Tim Leary meets Pee Wee Herman meets Marcel Duchamp meets Traci Lords meets Mr. Rogers view of USA Today, MTV, CNN, and the world of fashion, modern medicine, and of course, human relations. Keep it real! sincerely, Ramzi Abed
<< 1 >>
|
