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Summary: This book rawks!
Review: I read this book while a student at the University of Iowa in the early 80s and recently re-read the hardback copy for sale here. This is a wonderful, incredibly funny book... and so sad as well.Its a shame that Toole couldn't bear the pain of his own life. He would have been one of the most important authors of the 20th century had he chosen to live.
Rating: 
Summary: hard time laughing at characters who invoke pity
Review: I realize I'm in the minority, as everyone seems to LOVE this book, and finds it MOST amusing. I picked it up based on several recommendations, read close to 3/4 of it waiting for the laughter-invoking part to begin, and it never happened... Can't even make myself finish the book.
Rating:
Summary: ...on my ninth reading...a MUST READ for all who seek fun...
Review: I really don't have to explain, just scroll down through these reviews and notice the ratings. Although, for the few depressed and uninspired, who would disagree with all of us and the Pulitzer group, this book must be read more than once--for certain. The tragedy of Toole's life/death is the only conceivable balance for the joy this book has brought to so many...
Rating:
Summary: I Loved It!!!
Review: When I was about to set off on a long summer journey I almost bought this book, but I didn't have the funds at the time. My endless search for this title lasted two more years before I got my hands on a copy. It was the most worthwhile wait of my life. I have never laughed as much reading a novel in my life. Needless to say, it is a classic piece of literature. Ignatius Reily is a combination of about ten people I know, which made the novel that much more fun. The story was so intriguing that I actually gave up watching some of my favorite TV shows in order to finish it. This book is deserves its award and the outstanding reviews.
Rating:
Summary: If you can't love it, you may be beyond hope
Review: The degenerate, mongoliod, wonder-bread zombies who didn't like this book strike me as being unfathomably dull. If you love to laugh and are not afraid of looking deep into your own ingrained ideas about class and social interaction this is THE BOOK for you.
Rating:
Summary: Insane, Crazy; I loved it!
Review: I first picked up this book in college and have reread it countless times (at least 10) - usually about once a year. It is, without a doubt, the funniest, craziest, nuttiest, most wonderful book I have ever read. The characters are truly unique and the storyline is impossible to describe because it is so ingenious. Anyone who reads this book and doesn't get a kick out of it either has (1) no sense of humor; (2) no appreciation or recognition of a great masterpiece; (3) no sense of awe at what the human mind is capable of rendering. A stupendous achievement!
Rating:
Summary: Richly textured and fall-down hilarious
Review: This is that rare book that lives up to its cult status on every grotesque page. From the first line to the last, this breathless tour de force weaves an intricate story that never ceases to satisfy and delight. Ignatius, his mother, and the other dozen or more characters at the center of the book are so fully-formed and human that their outrageous behavior and exasperation at life seem so fresh and real that it feels like it's happening to you. Even if you're one of those well-read brainiacs who's grown weary of "must-read" suggestions from us amateurs, do yourself a favor and discover the day that Ignatius emerges from his home to buy a new string for his lute. You'll return to this book again and again.
Rating: 
Summary: One of those sleeper hits...
Review: Only as a favor did I read it for the first time...the other three times I read it looking for all the things I missed. A great book and a good summer read, I can't think of any other book to carry along on a road trip.
Rating:
Summary: A sustained comedy but the genius is in the plotting
Review: It is hard to enjoy an entire book of ridiculous ranting and hysteria. Reilly's outbursts grow tiresome and repetitive. He maintains the same one-note level of disgust and anger throughout the book, and any personal growth that he achieves tends to be physical rather than spiritual or philosophical. British readers may find Reilly a mixture of several comic characters from Viz magazine - Spoiled Brat, Mr Brain - but Toole's real skill is in creating the various plot threads and drawing them together and flinging them apart at will. I was truly delighted that Ignatius gets away at the end of the book to wreak further havoc. What a pity that the author didn't.
Rating:
Summary: Read this on a road trip to New Orleans
Review: I read this book on a road trip to New Orleans. My husband must have thought I was crazy because I broke into gut busting laughter so many times. Ignatius J. Reilly is wonderful. When I saw his statue on Canal Street, from a distance, I knew immediately who it was. Ignatius and ALL of the characters in the book were wonderful.
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