Rating: Summary: a confederacy of dunces Review: Loving and living in new orleans makes this an eventual must-read. How odd to find a book that can whimsically and realistically portray a city with the multifaceted jewel-depraved soul of america quality that this coffee metropolis is all about, i suggest the book to anyone from the audacious age of 15 to probably folks on porches, it is a feeler of the life vibe and if you've ever had occasion to eat a lucky dog then you'd be thrilled just for that portrayal. i'm thrilled cause my ride has a portrait of a twenty year luck y dog salesman. Hmmm hello marcus if you ever read this stuff.
Rating: Summary: A MONSTER Review: A Confederacy of Dunces should be required reading for the Human Race. It is a 20th century masterpiece. Featuring some of the funniest, most perceptive, and original writing in the English Language, the book is unparalleled in plot, humor, and scope.
Rating: Summary: This is a book that makes you laugh out loud over and over again Review: This is a book that makes you laugh out loud over and over again, as you eagerly await the next moves of a protagonist who is brilliant, yet pathetic at the same time. The characters remind me of those in a Thomas Wolfe novel, with their faults and foibles right out in the open. Ignatius disgusts, yet compels you to cheer him on at the same time. When you get to the Ladies Auxiliary art show scene -- BE WARNED -- you may not want to read this on a public plane, train etc. because you will be laughing so hard the tears will be running down your face! I was sorry to see this book end, and wish Kennedy had lived to write more. I would have liked to see where Ignatius' travels lead him to next!
Rating: Summary: One of my all-time favorites Review: Add my name to the list of five-star reviewers. Ignatius is not disgusting, as some have written, he is real. His brilliant mind trapped in a capitalist world is what makes the story so hilarious, and so sad. A man whose valve slams shut, whose hands break out in white bumps, who is told to shut up when he plays his music, and who tries to help the downtrodden around him despite continually failing, is a good man indeed. I'm not sure I would like Ignatius if I were to meet him -- not sure that I'd pass the scrutiny of his gimlet eyes -- but I'm glad he exists on paper to point out some of the craziness in our world. I like to think that he and Myrna live happily and hilariously ever after in New York, and that Toole has found peace. The dunces may have been in confederacy against the book's initial publication, but the thinkers have formed a confederacy of support around this shining story.
Rating: Summary: Boring Rubbish Review: I also was suckered into buying this book based upon some user comments. Hopefully my comments and those of a couple of others here will enable someone else to escape the same fate. In summary, this book is boring rubbish! The characterisations are good but that is all this entire book has going for it -- the story is bland and boring. We do not care one iota for any of the characters. However, with great determination I struggled through the whole book in the vain hope that some element in the story would make the exercise worthwhile. But no, reading this book was a complete waste of time.
Rating: Summary: ATTENTION NEBRASKA, TEXAS, COLORADO & UTAH... Review: AND ALL YOU OTHER BACKWOOD HILLBILLIES THAT DIDN'T GET IT. IGNATIUS REILLY IS SUPPOSED TO BE A BIG OBNOXIOUS JERK, THATS THE WHOLE STORY...ALSO PAY ATTENTION TO THE IMPOSSIBLY SERPENTINE RELATIONS BETWEEN EVERY CHARACTER IN THE BOOK. (NOT ONE IS THERE AS WINDOW DRESSING.) PAY ATTENTION TO JONES...JUST PAY ATTENTION, YOU'LL GET IT.
Rating: Summary: Don't Be Fooled By The Hype Review: I finished reading this book a few weeks ago, and have since totally forgotten about it, which I dare say is probably not a good thing. I did not find "Dunces" funny, nor even amusing and barely entertaining. I read it at the urging of a friend whose opinion I respect - I no longer respect his opinion (at least about what books to read.) I will nonetheless give credit to Mr. Toole for the flawless structure of his book. His ability to make seeingly unrelated events interact to eventually produce a coherent picture is truly remarkable. But, other than the well-planned narrative, I found this book wholly uninteresting.
Rating: Summary: Buy this Book! Review: Plain and simple, A Confederacy of Dunces is one of the finest works of fiction written in the last century, perhaps ever! Okay, maybe I'm going over the top a bit, but this is one heck of a good book. That snicker will turn to a full-fledged belly laugh by the end of the first chapter. The characters are real, mad, and insanely perfect. Buy this book!
Rating: Summary: A masterpiece of our era Review: Simply hilarious. One of the most imaginative books I've ever read, obviously written by a genious. It's at the same time original and classic, it follows a path started by other universal masterpieces such as "Don Quixote" or even Nabokov's "Lolita" (another American gem). In my opinion, it's the best Christmas present for sensible readers,and lovers of sharp, surrealistic sense of humour. You get to love every single character of this book, even when you feel pity about them.
Rating: Summary: Hilarious Review: This book gets better every time I read it. Toole develops the characters wonderfully and the dialogue is tremendous. Ignatius is a man born in the wrong century and he gives a good funny critique of this one. Although Fortuna spins his wheel down through most of the book, at the end it takes an upward turn. This is the only book J K Toole wrote as an adult so savor this one fine read. There is an e mail discussion group on this book. Order this one now. You will find yourself reading and re-reading this classic.
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