Skirt and the Fiddle

Rating:
Summary: Another classic
Review: I've been looking forward to Tristan Egolf's second novel for a long time, wondering how the hell he was going to better his previous effort. 'Skirt and the fiddle' is a very funny book, with the same kind of deep belly laughs on almost every page of Lord of the Barnyard. Inevtiably, as Barnyard was such a remarkable book, comparisons will be made, and yes, Barnyard is a better book, but let's be fair: it would take some doing indeed to top Lord of the Barnyard, an unenviable task by anyone's standards, even Egolf's.

His style of prose changed considerably with this new one. This time he's adopted more the style of Fight Club and 'Survivor', which basically amounts to less words on each page. The territory is still the same- it's pure grit, with the kind of humour that was on display in Barnyard: "look at us, what a bunch of bottom-feeders ... laughing about it is all we have left." This one has the same atmosphere as Barnyard, with its down-and-out characters and the other-worldly decriptions ('Heroin Ghouls,' for example.) Also in this book was much more dialogue, whereas Barnyard had virtually nil- my personal theory that Egolf had a weakness for dialogue (it would have been his only weakness) was disproven. Jealous writers across the globe cringe.

This is well worth repeated readings. I can't wait for his next book, but alas- I must.

Rating:
Summary: crazy, wonderfully, crazy
Review: After paying $5 for lord of the barnyard 2 yrs. ago and loving every minute if it, I had to get this book. It is part love story, and part insane mayham. It kept me rollimg till the last page. This guy is one hell of an author. Good book, but it, read it, you will love it.

Rating:
Summary: crazy, wonderfully, crazy
Review: After paying $5 for lord of the barnyard 2 yrs. ago and loving every minute if it, I had to get this book. It is part love story, and part insane mayham. It kept me rollimg till the last page. This guy is one hell of an author. Good book, but it, read it, you will love it.

Rating:
Summary: Stephen Hawking vs. Christopher Reeves
Review: After the absolutely amazing 'Lord of the Barnyard', i went into this book hoping for the best and, admittedly, expecting the worst. What i got was much closer to the former than the latter, but still this book is as nothing compared to Egolf's first book. I would definitely recommend this if you're not looking for too much meaning in a book. it's one of the most fun reads i've had in a long time, and it only took me one night, so if you're strapped for time, you've got a winner. however, i can't write this review without stating that Tristan Egolf's first book is the finest piece of literature i've ever had the pleasure of reading.

Rating:
Summary: He must have wrote this over a long weekend.
Review: I loved Lord of the Barnyard. This was not good, plain and simple. The chapters didn't connect with each other, therefore a coherent story was never formed. Another problem is that you never really care about the characters. The chapters are such "skits" that they never seem remotely real or compelling. Finally, there is zero follow-through in anything that occurs. Everything is what it is with no resonance or greater importance. I'm guessing his next book will be better.

Rating:
Summary: Still a breath of fresh air to modern Lit
Review: Over all I believe this Novel was one step below Lord of the Barnyard, but the sole reason is the length of the book. If you liked Lord of the Barnyard then you will love this as well, you will also be let down with how short it is.
Fortunately for Egolf fans that is the only flaw I really see in this book, I partially expected a sophomore slump, especially with the long wait for this release. But no, it held all the wit and humor that Barnyard held.
With such mediocrity in lit now a days, I dearly hope egolf continues to write, and is right now hard at work for a third novel... I just hope it doesn't take 4 years for his next one.

Rating:
Summary: great
Review: This book is, above all else, very catching. I saw it while I was browsing at my local bookstore and started to read the first page. I had a great deal of trouble checking myself and remembering to buy the book instead of just reading the whole thing standing there. With moments of both insanity and downright strangeness, this book entertains from cover to cover.

Rating:
Summary: So Hip
Review: This book was my introduction to Egolf who is an interesting writer. At times this was so hip, I really wasn't sure what was going on. Charlie is a half Cambodian, half black, alcoholic violin virtuoso whose gigs fall through and decides to live in a flop house. He works at a deli and moonlights bashing rats in the sewer on a pay per carcass basis. He buddies up with his friend sometimes called Tinsel, sometimes called Greetz, who does not believe in bathing or cleaning, calls himself an anarchist, and dreams of robbing a bank someday. After several spurts of bad behavior, the guys meet up with Louise Gascoyne, a wealthy jetset reporter who circles the globe looking for danger. She lures the guys out to an elegant restaurant, dresses them in Armani, gets Tinsel to take a bath, and then suffers from crabs which she extracts from the anarchist. The boys create havoc for a movie crew filming just outside of the upscale hotel as Charlie falls for Louise. Escaping through the lobby, Tinsel steals Louise's purse and camera. To get back at him, Charlie goes back and robs the deli, steals their truck, and sets up Tinsel to rob a bank as revenge. It's a fast-paced, improbable, but quite fun romp, filled with lunacy. We don't really get a sense of character which is sacrificed for the witty barrage of dialogue and the ambiance of the street. Eglof handles dialogue exceptionally well. Maybe the sequel will allow us to know the characters' motivating force. This one goes down quick and sweet. Enjoy!