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Summary: For anyone who's ever rushed head-first into a windstorm...
Review: AND LOVED IT!Joe Keenan is my favorite living fiction writer. _Blue Heaven_, and his second book, _Putting on the Ritz_, make me laugh in ways that only my best ... friends previously could; comparisons of Mr. Keenan's writing style and humor to Noel Coward's are every bit deserved. Buy it for one of those days when you crave fabulousness but are too tired to put your hair in a twist.
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Summary: Humor so funny, you'll lose your mind
Review: Blue Heaven is an exceptionally funny first novel. Though contemporary in its setting, readers are likely to be reminded of classic humorists such as P.G.Wodehouse. Keenan tells his story well: The book reads swiftly, and you just can't wait to find out what's going to happen to the characters next. But here's a warning: Do not read this book in a public place. You will be laughing out loud and people will look at you as if you're an escapee from an insane asylum!The story is about a marriage of convenience that goes awry when certain relatives turn out to be mafioso. The narrator is cajoled - against his better judgement - into being Best Man. The setting is New York, and I always get upset when New York is presented inaccurately in works of fiction. Well, Keenan's got it right.You will enjoy Blue Heaven so much that you'll be elated to learn that some of the characters return in a sequel, Putting on the Ritz. But then, after finishing that, you'll agree with my one complaint about this book: it's too short. Fun while it lasts, you'll wish the fun could go on forever.
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Summary: SO WACKY AND INSANE!!!!! HA HA HA
Review: Gee, this book is like watching a sitcom - and not a particularly funny one. Maybe it should come with a built-in electronic laughtrack. I give it one star for trying so hard.
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Summary: Absolutely hilarious!
Review: I was introduced to this book about six years ago by my writing partner and I still try to re-read it at least once a year. I have given away so many copies to my friends and family that I should get a percentage of the sales. This is probably my favorite book of all time. Every two pages (at least) there is some laugh outloud moment, which like other readers have mentioned gets embarrassing when you read this on a train or plane. People will think you're crazy. He has a second part to this book called "Putting on the Ritz" which is about as good as "Blue Heaven", but not quite. But there is a short story nugget that you can find in the compilation book "Men on Men 3" which is a little segue between the two novels. By far this is the most hilarious short story I have ever read. It does a great job of mentioning details in the first book and starts to set up the second book. It begs to be a short film, which my screenwriting partner and I have thought about doing (with Mr. Keenan's permission, of course!). Okay, maybe I'm going overboard with the "Best I've ever read" stuff (or I don't read that much) but honestly, you should read them all.
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Summary: Wonderfully ludicrous!
Review: In Joe Keenan's first book, "Blue Heaven", he introduces us to characters void of scruples, totally motivated by their own greed, and wholly, unabashedly hilarious. No, it's not a group of politicians, but gay Gilbert and irascible Moira, two societal climbing spendthrifts who decided to hitch up for the great gifts in a sham marriage. What ensues, through several unexpected plot twists and deceiving and conniving, is a fictional farce that works so well, you actually laugh out loud. The writing is witty and brilliant, fast-paced and timeless. Most admirable is how Keenan takes these rotten people and truly makes them horrible, back-stabbing folk, yet in a way, you do actually like them. If you are looking for a light-hearted romp, read "Blue Heaven", as I have been telling all of my friends since diving into this treasure.
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Summary: Approach this book like Will and Grace
Review: The other reviews cover the basic plot, and the style is something you'll either love or hate. However, approach this book as a Will and Grace movie in which Jack and Karen decided to get married because they're broke and want the presents. If it doesn't give you a chuckle, well, to paraphrase Phillip from the book, you're "so cold that when you suck on an ice cube it didn't melt, it grows." It's camp, it's schtick, it's light, frothy, great fun, it's Will and Grace quality. If you want broadway and depth, don't get it. If you want fun and chuckles, it's a decent bet.
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Summary: Approach this book like Will and Grace
Review: The other reviews cover the basic plot, and the style is something you'll either love or hate. However, approach this book as a Will and Grace movie in which Jack and Karen decided to get married because they're broke and want the presents. If it doesn't give you a chuckle, well, to paraphrase Phillip from the book, you're "so cold that when you suck on an ice cube it didn't melt, it grows." It's camp, it's schtick, it's light, frothy, great fun, it's Will and Grace quality. If you want broadway and depth, don't get it. If you want fun and chuckles, it's a decent bet.
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Summary: Exceptional Farce
Review: This is quite literally the funniest book I have ever read. Structure, wit, timing: all exceptional. You needn't be a New Yorker to enjoy it, but I've no doubt it helps.
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Summary: Channeling Wodehouse through Gay New York
Review: This was another author mentioned ... in response to the inquiry for Wodehouse-like authors (some of the others were Lawrence Durrell, E.F. Benson, Tom Sharpe, and Tom Holt). Keenan is not only like Wodehouse, if he were any younger, I'd be tempted to say he was Wodehouse reincarnated....P>But enough about Wodehouse--this is Keenan's work, and fine work it is. The narrator is Philip Cavanaugh, a struggling lyricist on Broadway, who is also gay. His friend, Gilbert Selwyn, is also gay and a man with an allergy to work, and who has just shocked their circle of friends by announcing that he plans to marry--a woman! Not just any woman, either, but Moira Finch, a conniving she-animal with a history of bad investments. Gilbert lets Philip in on the scheme because he needs Philip to help pull it off. Gilbert and Moira are actually getting married because of the expensive gifts that they expect to receive from their respective wealthy families. The catch? There's plenty, the most important of which is the fact that everything Gilbert ever gets involved with usually goes bad. If I say any more, I'm going to start giving away too much. Suffice to say that this novel was incredibly funny, and that I've got the sequel, Putting on the Ritz, and it's calling me.
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Summary: Laugh Out Loud Funny
Review: Well, what can I say that hasn't be said by other reviewers before.... It has to be one of the funniest madcap adventure for sure. All the characters are exaggerated but I see shades of people I know in them. This is a perfectly executed farce. It is not just the plot but the choice of words that makes the the book so funny. Love the bitchy repartee, the quips, the wisecracks. And despite all their faults and neuroses, you can't help but remember them fondly at the end and look forward to their next disaster in waiting.
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