Rating: 
Summary: A Big Disappointment
Review: Thunderously bad. I honestly can't believe that there are so many glowing reviews -- good taste is definitely a scarce resource. Although this novel is within the comic or "caper" mystery genre and is meant only to entertain, Block's creation still fails miserably.First, there's the dialogue. Whenever the protagonist is speaking with a character he knows, the latter will incessantly reiterate his name throughout the conversation ("That's right, BERN." "Of course, BERNIE." etc.) This is an extremely irritating mannerism and it's also a lazy and amateurish way of showing familiarity and informality between the characters. Next, we have what has been referred to as "witty wordplay" and "droll digressions" -- I saw neither. Instead, there are a plethora of prolix passages that are pointless, contrived, forced and thoroughly unfunny. Block takes what are essentially one-liners and shamelessly milks them for an interminable number of pages (see the boring and overly long portions regarding the Paddington bear, the femininity of Bernie's lesbian friend, the would-be jocular drinking jokes, etc.). Also, throwing in intermittent bits of obscure trivia and quick faux-literary allusions does not constitute (and is no substitute) for intelligence and wit in a writer. The basic plot, themes, and characterization are not necessarily inadequate. Instead, it's Block's endlessly chatty, repetitious and boring digressions that sink the success of this novel. In addition, a good editor would have cut this book in half in order to tighten and streamline the narrative. CAVEAT EMPTOR: This is the only Lawrence Block novel that I've read thus far. Therefore, I don't know whether this novel is representative of the quality (or lack thereof) of his writing. Hopefully, Block's other works aren't as poor as this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Adrienne's Review
Review: Upon reading Lawrence Block's latest Bernie Rhodenbarr installment, "The Burglar In The Rye", I was once again entrigued by Block's mastery of the genre. I found myself unable to put the book down and finished it within 3 days. His use of strong character contrast and suspenseful plot lead to an electrifying mix of fiction writing that I'd strongly recommend to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Literary Whodunnit-Cum-Send-up Is Great Fun
Review: When they're well done, books about books, and metafiction, and metacinema, and roman-a-clef writing give me great pleasure. ("Bookworm's Delight," right?) Indeed. This particular Bernie Rhodenbarr book--and, I surmise, the series in general--works at two levels, at least: as a rather straightforward genre whodunnit, but one infused with Block's clever writing and--I found--amusing dialogue (with enough lightly-tossed-off literary allusions to satisfy readers attracted by the book's bookish associations), Bernie Rhodenbarr's attractive "honorable thief" persona, the agreeable NY City 12th-and-Broadway book district locale. The Rhodenbarr book is also a gentle send-up of the whole damn genre, which surely needs sending up from time to time. To discuss at length any particular aspect of the fun Block has in doing so would be to deprive readers of their own pleasures of discovery, so I'll say no more. What I most enjoyed, however--but what other readers have found particularly objectionable--is Block's use of the JD Salinger-Joyce Maynard materials. Sensing a kindred perspective, I for one am wholly with Block here, having read Maynard's original NY Sunday Times Magazine piece, wondering what the editor could have been smoking when s/he decided to print it, and rankled at how it came to pass that someone more than a decade younger than me--Maynard was 14--could be designated by the authoritative NY Times as the voice of MY generation!!! The nerve. Given my 35-year-old peeve, I LOVED the way Block has worked the Salinger-Maynard story and would, moreover, love to believe his insights were authentically based in fact. Alas, we--or at least I--will never know, but it's fund to conjure. It's easy to recommend The Burglar in the Rye for the beach, for the airplane, or just as an afternoon's entertainment--yes, it is, in Block's larger oeuvre, an "entertainment" in Graham Greene's sense, as opposed to, say, the Matthew Scudder books, which are darker and more probing--a suitable distraction in a difficult time (exactly my purpose in picking it up), filled with sweetness, light, good cheer, and hardly anything--aside from a chaste lesbian romance--that the Legion of Decency would find objectionable.
Rating:
Summary: Literary Whodunnit-Cum-Send-up Is Great Fun
Review: When they're well done, books about books, and metafiction, and metacinema, and roman-a-clef writing give me great pleasure. ("Bookworm's Delight," right?) Indeed. This particular Bernie Rhodenbarr book--and, I surmise, the series in general--works at two levels, at least: as a rather straightforward genre whodunnit, but one infused with Block's clever writing and--I found--amusing dialogue (with enough lightly-tossed-off literary allusions to satisfy readers attracted by the book's bookish associations), Bernie Rhodenbarr's attractive "honorable thief" persona, the agreeable NY City 12th-and-Broadway book district locale. The Rhodenbarr book is also a gentle send-up of the whole damn genre, which surely needs sending up from time to time. To discuss at length any particular aspect of the fun Block has in doing so would be to deprive readers of their own pleasures of discovery, so I'll say no more. What I most enjoyed, however--but what other readers have found particularly objectionable--is Block's use of the JD Salinger-Joyce Maynard materials. Sensing a kindred perspective, I for one am wholly with Block here, having read Maynard's original NY Sunday Times Magazine piece, wondering what the editor could have been smoking when s/he decided to print it, and rankled at how it came to pass that someone more than a decade younger than me--Maynard was 14--could be designated by the authoritative NY Times as the voice of MY generation!!! The nerve. Given my 35-year-old peeve, I LOVED the way Block has worked the Salinger-Maynard story and would, moreover, love to believe his insights were authentically based in fact. Alas, we--or at least I--will never know, but it's fund to conjure. It's easy to recommend The Burglar in the Rye for the beach, for the airplane, or just as an afternoon's entertainment--yes, it is, in Block's larger oeuvre, an "entertainment" in Graham Greene's sense, as opposed to, say, the Matthew Scudder books, which are darker and more probing--a suitable distraction in a difficult time (exactly my purpose in picking it up), filled with sweetness, light, good cheer, and hardly anything--aside from a chaste lesbian romance--that the Legion of Decency would find objectionable.
Rating:
Summary: A Nice Read, but not his best Burglar
Review: While Lawrence Block's Burglar series is a bit formulaic (some of the scenes are virtual repeats, at times), his characters are simply a riot. The plot is probably not the best part of these books--the characters and dialog are. So, if you are looking for a hard boiled or serious mystery, read Block's Scudder series or an Agatha Christie. While there is fun in this book and a great quote for my collection: "Do you prefer women? To almost anything" on page 54), this is not, IMHO, his best Burglar/Rhodenbarr book. Try "The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams" or a few others. Still, I'd recommend reading them all as light entertainment, similar to Block's Tanner series.
Rating: 
Summary: Earth to Lawrence....please come up with a better ending.
Review: You cheated, Larry! Per usual, the dialogue is sparkling, the characters amusing, but the ending is ridiculous. This wasn't even out of left field...this was from an entirely different ballpark! I'm willing to give Block the benefit of a doubt and still eagerly await his next book.
|
