Malaise : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: an American treasure
Review: Nancy Lemann is about the most original and hilarious writer I've ever read. Her observations on people, places, and things are so nutty and funny, I find myself reading them again and again. On top of that, every sentence is full of melancholy and longing. They're actually intoxicating. Am I going overboard? I just love this writer and was so happy to have a new novel from her, I took a day off work to read it. (OK, so I hate my job, too.) Malaise is as wacky and wise as all her other books, and in its own oddball way, it's a great novel. Very mature and a little bit risky. There's no pulse pounding plot, it's true, but when I open one of Lemann's books and hear her voice, I can't put it down. I swear, this is one of those writers people are going to "rediscover" in fifty years (Dawn Powell anyone?) so hang on to your first editions.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: Nancy Lemann's Malaise is a wonderful novel--witty, clever and delightfully snide at times. Lemann has a marvelous, unique approach to storytelling which may turn off some readers, but I really enjoyed it. Reading this novel is like spending time with an old friend with a rapier sharp sarcastic wit. In terms of plotting here, not much happens, but for a novel of about 250 pages, that is OK. Fleming Ford, the narrator, is a 40-year old Southerner living in Esperanza California who becomes a bit obsessed with an older widower she knows from New York. Her out-of-place-ness enables her to observe all around her with a deadpan aloofness that is always funny and at times hilarious. This is a terrific novel and one I highly recommend if you a looking for a brief little sarcastic interlude.

Rating:
Summary: Dude!
Review: The one thing I'm really impressed about in this book is the number of worn-out, overused cliches about Southern California that can be fit into one book. And repeated so often. Truly, she is a good writer in terms of characterization and plot. Let's just hope her next book isn't about stupid Southerners, African Americans addicted to watermelon, or women who have hysteria.