A Confederacy of Dunces

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Summary: A book that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Review: I had not thought of "Dunces" until, while surfing the net, I came across the reviews. Most of the reviews, of course, are positive and I agree with every word I have read. I can understand why some would not appreciate the humor, but not to the point of hating the book. Someone said it better than I, but from the moment I finished it I was angry with the author for comitting suicide. How selfish of him to deprive us of his wonderful imagination -- forever.

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Summary: Look at how many wish to review this work
Review: Surely many find this text amusing and sad.The images and delights of New Orleans pop out at every reader. If you haven't read this one, DO. It's not one to miss...

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Summary: Will read for a fourth time
Review: I rarely return to a book I've finished. This is worth a re-read because of the detail and the incredible humor. It helps to know the New Orleans dialect and mindset while reading it. A wonderful book.

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Summary: Never purchase a Dove Audio product.
Review: I have read this book no less than 7 times. I have seen the play and I anxiously await the making of the movie. I have been a big fan of books-on-tape for a long time. However, Dove Audio needs to get out of the business. Whoever wrote or edited this audio book for Dove should stay with Dove because I no longer purchase their publications - I avoid them like the plague. Reader is very important. It is hard to match F. Murray Abraham, Tony Roberts or Judith Ivey as quality readers, which is clearly demonstrated by Dove who employs the likes of Arte Johnson and Roddy McDowall (Batman). Dove may as well retain Danny Sugerman (No One Here Gets Out Alive) or Stephen King (several bad readings) as readers. All in All, A Confederacy of Dunces on tape was a HUGE disappointment. I had to go back and re-read the book to ease my suffering after listening to this Dove Audio product. HMB

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Summary: hooey!
Review: All you ranting people chanting "TEN!!!" must have read a different book than I did. I guess I just had a hard time laughing at a fat person and his drunk mother. This book made me incredibly uncomfortable. I am not surprised it won the Prize, the story about the death of the author even won me over before I was mired down in the dull goings on in the actual book. Toilet humor? You could call it that. But not very GOOD toilet humor. I will watch the South Park kids if I want fart jokes.

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Summary: Amazing book! A great read for almost all ages.
Review: A Confederacy of Dunces- what an interesting name! By Robert Kennedy Toole, this book tells of an extremely smart, elefantile man named Ignatius Reilly and his adventures through the city of New Orleans. It has cops, crashes, and thugs. Ignatius has to go to work for the first time in his life, and is totally unprepared for office work or hotdog selling. His mother doesn't think too, too much of him and plans to get married- it doesn't help that she keeps cheap wine bottles stashed away in her rickety old oven. Finally, she realizes that a whining slob like Ignatius needs some help, so she decides to send him to a -beep-, but a friend of his comes to help, so he gets away to -beep- A great read!! Reviewed by: Codename Wine264, age 12

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Summary: loved the vivid characters
Review: Each time I read (and re-read) this book I am amazed by the vivid rendering of an unforgettable cast of characters - may they live forever!

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Summary: Disappointing abridgement
Review: Arte Johnson gives a wonderful interpretation of the characters' voices and accents. However, the development of Ignatious' personality suffers greatly due to the severity of the abridgement. The plot thread is retained, but many amusing asides and some of the more colorful vocabulary are missing. I would not recommend the audio cassette to anyone who has not read the original version of this exceptional novel.

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Summary: If You're From N.O.L.A...
Review: I am a New Orleans native and have read this book about a half dozen times, starting when I was 12 and I snuck my fathers copy away from his nightstand. I've observed an interesting phenomonon along the way: New Orleans natives, especially those who grew up when D.H. Holmes still existed and you could "Meet me at The Mouth" at Ponchatrain Beach, are often offended by the book's depiction of our fair city. They squeal, "We're not like that," and "No one in the city lives like that," convinced that they lived completely normal lives Uptown, in the Irish Channel, or in Metry. It's difficult to examine yourself in a mirror that magnifies to the intensity of A Confederacy of Dunces - every zit's exposed - and laugh. So, if you're not a native or a resident, read this book and laugh at the hilarity of a culture that is currently waning. And if you are a native, put your pretentions aside and stare at yourself, your parents, whoever, dead on and laugh. Do it for the memory of K&B. Oh - and don't forget to check out the recently unveiled statue of Ignatius - it's under the clock on Canal Street.

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Summary: Excellent Read!!!
Review: I started reading this book expecting to be in stitches with laughter. I was surprised that I found it very sad. All the sadder because we will never be able to enjoy more books by this author. The book is so well written that I could smell Ignatius's room. I could visualize the floor strewn with paper covered with words that only had meaning to Ignatius. I felt sad about the situation he and his mother found themselves in trying to keep ahead of the bill collectors. Sad because this overeducated man had presumably been protected from life by his mother. This is a wonderful book. I did find it humorous in parts, but for the most part I just felt sad.