Rating: 
Summary: Great, despite being a rewrite of 'Bright Lights, Big City'
Review: 'Guy from N.Y. who works for magazine loses model wife' - sound a familiar plot for a Jay McInerney novel? Despite (as the review summary says) being a rewrite of 'Bright Lights, Big City', this is most of the things we have come to expect from McInerney - deep, touching, erudite (I especially appreciated the reference to Godel's incompleteness theorem) and of course hilarious. Back with the 1990's 'vibe' after his chronologically rootless journey in 'Last of the Savages', this is not one of McInerney's masterpieces ('Brightness Falls' being his best novel to date, in my opinion, and 'Ransom' being an overlooked classic - I had to obtain it on import in the UK), this is a welcome addition to his oeuvre. (The UK edition is merely a novel, and not stories also...)
Rating: 
Summary: This book was beyond bad...
Review: (I'd give it 0 stars if I could.)What a total disapointment. I was really looking forward to reading J.I's new book and as soon as I bought a copy of "Model Behavior" I dove into it. Little did I know that I was jumping into a empty swimming pool and would hit my head on the cement within the first few pages. This book is a self-centered piece of crap. The throw-backs to J.I's life in the 1980's when he was one of the literary world's "flavor of the month" were nauseating. His constant name-dropping was annoying. And the fact that he had the nerve to even mention his own name in a fictional book review just shows that J.I doesn't care about writing good fiction. His only concern seems to be wanting to be a star again. Good luck dear...your 15 minutes has come and gone. PLEASE...do not waste your time reading this book.
Rating: 
Summary: "Bright Lights" for the nineties
Review: As it's been stated before, Jay McInerney's "Model Behavior" is basically his own "Bright Lights, Big City" updated for the late nineties. The stories are similar -- a young professional in the New York City publishing business is unable to cope with the absence of his estranged model girlfriend. Fortunately, the story was good enough the first time around so that an updated version is still enjoyable. McInerney has a great ear for dialogue (and doesn't feel compelled to drop names as much as his best-known contemporary, Bret Easton Ellis), and Connor McKnight, the lead character in the story, has a hilarious, world-weary personality. As a magazine writer, Connor has interviewed countless celebrities, and his frustration of shallow movie stars and supermodels had me laughing out loud. The subplot involving Connor's e-mail stalker, however, gave the book a creepy realism. There are plenty of interesting characters to keep this story entertaining, and even though it is a story we've all read before, it's fairly short (less than 200 pages). Recommended for McInerney fans. A lack of originality keeps it from getting four stars.
Rating:
Summary: "Bright Lights" for the nineties
Review: As it's been stated before, Jay McInerney's "Model Behavior" is basically his own "Bright Lights, Big City" updated for the late nineties. The stories are similar -- a young professional in the New York City publishing business is unable to cope with the absence of his estranged model girlfriend. Fortunately, the story was good enough the first time around so that an updated version is still enjoyable. McInerney has a great ear for dialogue (and doesn't feel compelled to drop names as much as his best-known contemporary, Bret Easton Ellis), and Connor McKnight, the lead character in the story, has a hilarious, world-weary personality. As a magazine writer, Connor has interviewed countless celebrities, and his frustration of shallow movie stars and supermodels had me laughing out loud. The subplot involving Connor's e-mail stalker, however, gave the book a creepy realism. There are plenty of interesting characters to keep this story entertaining, and even though it is a story we've all read before, it's fairly short (less than 200 pages). Recommended for McInerney fans. A lack of originality keeps it from getting four stars.
Rating: 
Summary: tedious
Review: As other reviewers have mentioned, this is basically a 90's version of Bright Lights, Big City. Again, we have the protagonist who's trying to realize big dreams but lacks the determination to make them come true, and we also have the used-to-be-sweet-and-is-now-a-cold model wife. Furthermore, the style of writing, which seemed hip and clever when I read Bright Lights at age 17, now seems tedious and too-clever-for-its-own-good at age 30. I'm not sure if this is because I'm now older or if perhaps Bright Lights' style has been imitated so much that it's now almost a cliche. The only part of the book that really came alive was the dinner scene at the restaurant when the hero's father has a tantrum at the table and drops his pants. It showed just what a good writer McInerney can be, and unfortunately it showed just how mediocre the rest of the book is.
Rating:
Summary: tedious
Review: As other reviewers have mentioned, this is basically a 90's version of Bright Lights, Big City. Again, we have the protagonist who's trying to realize big dreams but lacks the determination to make them come true, and we also have the used-to-be-sweet-and-is-now-a-cold model wife. Furthermore, the style of writing, which seemed hip and clever when I read Bright Lights at age 17, now seems tedious and too-clever-for-its-own-good at age 30. I'm not sure if this is because I'm now older or if perhaps Bright Lights' style has been imitated so much that it's now almost a cliche. The only part of the book that really came alive was the dinner scene at the restaurant when the hero's father has a tantrum at the table and drops his pants. It showed just what a good writer McInerney can be, and unfortunately it showed just how mediocre the rest of the book is.
Rating:
Summary: Where's the story?
Review: Expecting a book that was similar in quality to "Bright Lights...", I was understandably disappointed after only 50 pages into this book. I got the feeling that Jay was told to have a book done by a specific date by his publisher, and he put off writing it until the night before. There was no depth in either his characters or his story. I think Jay read too many of his New York reviews and forgot that the US is larger than just New York City. The worst part is the price. I would gladly have paid the extra amount for this book if it was half as good as "Bright Lights". But instead, this book is worth $9 less that its requested price. Don't waste your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Great, light fun
Review: I absolutely adored the author's "Philomena" story when it appeared in The New Yorker years ago, and I was so happy to read this more elaborate version. The style of the writing is rivoting, the wit and sentiments warming and light. There should be more in the marketplace like this; less drama and violence that will never reach you and me. This story captures a city-goer who has shared experiences most of us have, and talks about them in ways we should all appreciate. This and "Story of My Life" are my favorite works from McInerney, and I hope to read more of him in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Return to sender!
Review: I can't believe how lazy this book is. The author literally takes the plot of his one and only hit book (*how* long ago was that now?) and totally recycles it for a new decade. Give me a break...
Rating:
Summary: Jay has done even better
Review: I can't believe the negative reviews that I read on this page and you better not believe them either. I LOVED the book. It is even better than Bright Lights, Big City (a book that Model Behavior resembles to a great extend when subjects are considered). I read Model Behavior immediately after reading Bright Lights, Big City and I decided that Jay has improved his writing skills and his extremely witty sense of humour. He knocked me down. I laughed and thought and once again fell in love with Jay McInerney's intellect and intelligence. So if you have not read Bright Lights, Big City yet, first read that book, then this one; and you will understand what I mean. (Also read his all other books)
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