Rating: 
Summary: An Astounding Work of Death and Embarrassment
Review: I know perfectly well that the title is drenched in sarcastic irony, not to be taken seriously. But it does provide a neat little model for this review, so here goes (I'll skip the prepositions 'a' and 'of', for lack of anything relevant to say about them):Heartbreaking? Well, yeah. Its ability to break your heart is its best feature. The entire opening chapter, in which Eggers intersperses poetic description of his father's unexpected death with a touching story about his mother's relentless bleeding nose, is actually quite beautiful in its bleakness. Work? Well, partially. At times it feels like a verbatim transcription of his manic tape-recorded ramblings. Not impressive. But there are great moments of meta-fiction mixed with juvenile comedy that are startling. The scenes with Toph capture perfectly the typical brotherly relationship (at least it reminded me of the relationship I have with my little brother: a flurry of inside jokes and insults, hiding a subtext of true affection). Staggering? Sometimes. I almost expected the tone he uses. He's a young man whose feelings are constantly measured against mediated images, which are again measured against mediated images, which are again... Only it never gets tiresome. The most staggering moments are those in which he breaks from the memoir, to comment on its fictionality (such as when an interview with a 'Real World' producer suddenly implodes in on itself when the author admits that it's a sham, just an excuse for some exposition he couldn't fit anywhere else... you've gotta respect that). Genius? No such thing, in my humble opinion. But Eggers knows that well enough himself, so I don't think he's worried. His greatest strength is giving us his real thoughts. When trying to stop the bleeding nose, his thoughts focus mainly on the cramp in his arm (which he remedies by lying above her on the couch, the better to see the TV). When he leaves little brother Toph alone with a babysitter for the first time, his paranoid thoughts focus on the babysitter's potential as a pedophilic rapist. It's this lack of filtering that allows the book to transcend the expected style of ironic detachment, and contributes greatly towards the pathos. Miscellanea: * It's peopled with many dropped celebrity names. Look for cameo appearances by Robert Redford, William T. Vollman, Mr. T, Robert Urich, Adam Rich, Vince Vaughan, and Judd and Puck from 'The Real World: San Francisco'. * I've never encountered 'Might Magazine', but I think I might now (pun intended). I appreciate Eggers' honesty in explaining that while the "anti-establishment" Might staff intended to poke holes in hypocrisy, they were a bunch of trust-fund kids trying to act credible. * FYI Dave, Crispin Glover played 'George McFly', not 'Marty McFly' in 'Back to the Future'. Enjoy. I did.
Rating:
Summary: A Dissection Of Dastardly Deification....
Review: ....via verbal defecation. This is Dave having a laugh. Who cares what you or I or other reviewers say or think about his work of proclaimed genius, it won't stop Dave doing what he likes to do best, which is making Dave laugh. Probably. I like best the 'reviews' section of the extended media circus which surround the parodic memoir which surround the opaque, affecting (exploitative?) pathos, the author-penned reviews here are not hard to spot and can perhaps be considered a part of some new literary whole, an extension of the "Pre-" section of the novel into uncharted territory opened up to Dave by the time he is living in and the opportunities it affords; to carry on laughing, but also to accomplish things untried. What he is doing from the position he is in is both surprising and commendable.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a novel.
Review: Eggers clues us in on the copyright page, where, and I'm paraphrasing, he says that "making up" something makes about as much sense to him as driving a car while wearing a clown suit. I mean, that tells you where it's at, eh? I can't say I blame him: fiction is hard work; navel-gazing is much easier. I suppose I could've done this, i.e., immerse myself in teen angst, used my friends' real names, so forth, but I always thought that I had too much class to do that . . . too much pride. "Confessional" literature has obviously come to be confused with "Truth" -- God help the while. . . . This novelish book is about a young man who loses his parents to nonrelated cancers. Forced to raise his younger brother, off he goes to San Francisco, where, presumably, he'll secure a spot on MTV's "Real World". The young man spends a lot of time trying to get some sex. He describes some of his young friends in Frisco -- they are not in the least interesting. Neither for that matter is his overriding ambition, the whole "Real World" thing. I guess I just don't find people who are, have been, or want to be on "Real World" very fascinating. Yeh yeh, he admits the show is stupid and market-driven, but he devotes a good third of the book to this "po-mo", faux-interview (hey, I thought this was a MEMOIR, not a "novel"!) with the producer of the show. Dave Eggers is obsessed with MTV. Good for him. It's really bad reading, though. Finally, I was embarrassed to read the searingly accurate -- and, yes, well-written -- first part of the book, wherein he describes the ugly death of his mother. I mean, whatever . . . you know? How does anyone feel when a complete stranger approaches one at, say, a bar, and commences telling an epic of grief? It's embarrassing and uncomfortable to listen to, right? I mean, supporting FRIENDS and FAMILY through tragic events is something we all do, but do I really need to hear a cancer tale from a guy who's hyping the whole thing as a "po-mo" "novel"? Myself, I'd never shame the memory of MY mother by describing in intimate, ghastly detail the way she died . . . for all the world to read . . . solely for profit! Tacky, dude. But hey, I'm just a "wuss" who can't handle the "truth". Whatever. The book merits two stars for the sake of potential. Eggers has some native talent. Now that he's got this juvenile spaz attack out of his system, we'll see if he's got enough right stuff to write a real novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Truth is stranger than fiction: fiction has to make sense
Review: I've lost an aunt, uncle, brother and fiance' to terminal illnesses, plus I'm the oldest of seven kids, so I know a little bit abou the territory Dave Eggers is covering. I bought this book after hearing about it in one of Roger Ebert's columns - hey - if a book can make a movie maven stand up and take notice - that's worth a gander. I have become increasingly weary of the TV-movie version of death and suffering. Mostly, it is immediate demise at the hands of some criminal, or the long, airy, choir-filled backgrounds of Love Story, most soaps, or otherwise noble stories. The truth is that dying people can be just as funny, ornery, quirky, pathetic, or inspiring as they were in life. This is not to diminish what is happening to them or their surrounding families and friends, but it is to remind us that yes, in the midst of this struggle, you still have to pay the light bill, your parking tickets, clip your toenails and scratch your lottery tickets. Dave Eggers does all this with a free spirit, pulls no punches, and gives what is arguably one of the most realistic recountings of what it takes to carry on. It's not awe-inspiring, it's plain, but at the same time elevates whatever you're doing to a new height of sensitivity. You suffer fools less gladly when things have been Really Bad, and Dave shows us this. His flippant style is welcome - you begin to want to tear the sad trappings off of everyday life and expose most of what we worry about for what it really is - mindless detail. So he makes fun of cliches, turns them on their ear, and generally shows just how expansive a mind can get when it it confronted with a test of its limits. Bravo. And Dave - if you're reading this - I'm taking you up on the disk offer - the photos from Cadillac Mtn. and the hardcover are on their way. And I don't care if it was a joke! ;-) *JP*
Rating:
Summary: SUNNY SIDE UP!
Review: Have u ever read McSweeneys? If you haven't , then you don't know it's the kewlest websight on the web. And Dave Eggers IS Timothy McSweeney. But he is NOT Neal Pollack.:-) In this book he talks about growing up with his eleven year old brother who is much younger than him. It's touching and funny and it totally ROXXX! (I love that he loves Journey... I DO TOO!) Also, I took away one star because of the stuff about the Real World. (Zzzzz). BUY THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: glad i'm not related...
Review: such a book: it'll make a big-money movie..high piano music..crybaby chick flic..reviews on "oprah", "barbara walters"..yes, i'm envious, why didn't i do a parody of upper-middle class life.. the characters - no wonder i never had any children, they might of grown-up to be like: the complainer, whiner: beth; the missing-in-action: bill; the bratty: toph - think that's mongolian for "indulged": the mother's nose bleeding to death..author dave boy plays ambulance, taking her to the hospital..toph wants pizza, on the way, eat it in the car..what a family..even dave boy's girlfriend: her mother's got a brain tumor..me: i want to stay away from this gang..the father's the first one out - dead, too much smoking..the mother's stomach cancer - makes me wonder: second hand smoke maybe..and for dave boy to assume guardianship for toph, what a man: single dad.. a little nitpicking for this formulaistic "true story": dave boy needs a synomyn book: overuses "incredible", "actually", "whatever"..sit-com words..he'll correct this as he matures..for a young man: great work..i've not laughed so much since princess di kicked off..read, have fun, like watching professional wrestling..
Rating:
Summary: Grew up in Lake Bluff, Illinois
Review: The famous story of "Mr. T.", McCormicks, the occasional freak "accidents" amidst the otherwise quiet and insular world of Lake Forest...Dave captured Lake Forest/Lake Bluff, an area I grew up in, in a way that held me like a string of tasty gourmet potato chips. It was hard to put down. His merit was in his genuine love of making others laugh or react through good story-telling, of analyzing his younger brother's antics, of attempting to capture youth angst in the 90s, and of his amuzement with the many layers of John Barthian self-consciousness -- the attempt to depict, exploit, understand that exploitation, and somehow make art out of one's own tragic loss. This is a fresh voice and well-worth one's time. I laughed a lot, enjoyed the description of the interior of his own house, the description of San Fransisco, his interview with a landlord, jogging naked for Might magazine, among others. Although I was never really brought to any lasting depth or tears, I did feel less alone in the hours I spent reading this book. Because I had grown up in this same area, I was interested in how MY area was portrayed...and he pretty much captured it in terms of a younger man's point of view. I was especially entertained by his reading in person at a bookstore in Seattle, complete with a banjo player and spoons. He kept a crowd laughing on that rainy night, poking fun at the absurdity of the whole "reading" thing, and he took advantage of the platform to plug his own publishing company. Clever, self-conscious, entertaining ... I loved it, but felt that at times it traveled too cleanly on the surface a little too easily and for too long to bring the reader to satisfying depths. His comfort zone is in humor and he has a healthy sense of self-deprication. "I am a monster." I look forward to his next work when his voice matures and he is less urgent about keeping us so entertained.
Rating: 
Summary: One-third of something wonderful.
Review: Shop around the internet for long enough and you're bound to stumble across a site that is as self-consciously quirky and ironic as you would expect a site run by a late teen to be. Dave Eggers, the very average fellow that penned a book that sent paperback distributors into a frenzy over release rights, seems all but completely inspired by the quirky teen fighting for emergence within him. Within him, within me, within any reader, really. A Heartbreaking Work... is the first loud scream from the average fellow who wishes to write a novel about his very average life. Granted, Dave Eggers hasn't lived the most banal of existences but, and let's be fair here, his eye for detail and interpretation of the scenarious he was dealt are typical of the cynical and must-be-ironic nature of me, Dave Eggers, you... I liked the book. I like that Dave needs people to understand while concurrently being irritated with people for not understanding already. I like that Dave knows how self-conscious and pretentious he is at times and, on top of that, beats himself up right there on the page. Once in a while I may have even liked the contrived conversations that Dave has with himself via other characters. But, and this is what really matters, I distrusted Dave Eggers The Narrator for the entirety of the book simply because he implemented these narrative devices of which I speak. Again, I'm sure this was intended by the author. The first 66.67% of the book is dry, repetitive, greatly frustrating, and as pretentious as Dave Eggers wanted it to be. The last 33.33% of the book was as readable as anything I've come across this year. And I'm not saying that the entirety of the book should have been the last third, no. It simply seems, to me, that at some point along the way an editor would have asked Mr. Eggers to bring a bit of consistency, and a bit more detail, to portions of the text. I liked it nonetheless-- the last 100 pages or so are just too wonderful for words.
Rating:
Summary: Comedy is tragedy plus time ....
Review: Dave Eggers approaches the death of his parents in an almost amusingly mocking way. Somehow he manages to bring humor to the situation, giving the reader a rather a unique experience in to Eggers' seemingly satirized world of autobiographies. If you can take Eggers' occasional ramblings (sans punctuation at times) and bursts of what may be perceived as a super ego, pick up the book. A good, entertaining read.
Rating: 
Summary: i woulda give "no" stars, mon
Review: dis book vex me much-much! in da words of de immortal johnnyrotten: "ever felt like you been cheated! " oh man, dat be me! dis book fly out da window from my hands--dis book de zenith of solipcistic charletanism, mon. dis book stinky-stinky--much-much! mon, dis guy want be david foster wallace (not a good ambition, mon, david foster wallace way pretentious too), but he no dwf! one giant yawn for dis doorstop of book. i see dis author somewhere, i give him "what for" dat's what i do! don't believe dah hype!
|
