Rating: 
Summary: THE LOVELY BONES meets ANIMAL HOUSE
Review: Bleeding edge novelist Will Clarke's sophomore effort is a literary tour de force, a non-stop ride from the gates of hell that is a Southern fraternity initiation to one man's redemption in a peculiar melange of revenge and other-worldly existence. When freshman Grady Tucker is brutally murdered by his debauched pledge trainer, he finds himself stuck between earth and the afterlife, a wraith with an attitude. There's hell to pay for those responsible as the dead man learns a few things about the meaning of life and comes to terms with his lack of a physical body. At times wickedly funny and always brutally honest, you will be disappointed if you miss this literary event. Also be sure to check out Clarke's first novel, LORD VISHNU'S LOVE HANDLES.
Rating:
Summary: I smell a movie!
Review: Conrad Sutton is a heck of a ghost. I could almost smell his Abercrombie and Fitch cologne lingering around me when I was reading this book. THE WORTHY is one of the saddest, funniest, bittersweet books I have ever read. It was so good that when I finished it the first time, I read it again because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Conrad or Miss Etta or Sarah Jane or Maggie. The author paints Baton Rouge and Louisiana with with such a sexual and sweaty tinge. And I know that a lot of people compare this "ghost's story" to THE LOVELY BONES, and it is similar in that both the narrators are dead, but that's where the similarities end. THE WORTHY delves into a 19 year old's soul (Granted that may not be very deep as most frat boys aren't the deepest souls -- even dead ones) Will Clarke spins a tale so beautiful and gothic that it's hard not to cry AND laugh out loud at the end. Something I never do. I am not a cryer! But some of Clarke's disarms you with his humor and then he throws an image at you that hits you right in heart. THE WORTHY is worth a read or two or three. It's that good.
Rating:
Summary: The best keeps getting better
Review: Dealing with stupid client overages by day and writing stories like this by night, Will Clarke delivers as per usual. Any fan of Vishnu should plug in again as Clarke delivers a tour du force. I spit on Palahniuk. Clarke is the thinking man's writer. There are lucky bastards out there that get to work with visionairies like Mr. Clarke and have no idea what they have at their fingertips. Captain, my captain, now this is a novel.
Rating:
Summary: I smell a movie!
Review: I first picked up a copy of The Worthy at BookSoup in Hollywood and a woman came up to me and went on and on about how her book club had read it and how much they all loved it. I quickly put The Worthy down and walked away from it. I don't do book clubs. And then a friend of mine at work kept going on and on about Will Clarke and that if I liked Fight Club then I would probably like his books. So I reluctantly bought The Worthy. And to my surprise, I devoured it. The characters were so shiny and real. Conrad, the narrator, is such a fratboy. In fact, the entire cast of college students is so sad and funny and so full of life. The Worthy just blew me away. So many quotable lines. And such a wonderful ending. In fact, The Worthy is so good, that I have been converted; I'm starting a book club. The only deal is we're only reading Will Clarke's books.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, but The Worthy is...
Review: I first picked up a copy of The Worthy at BookSoup in Hollywood and a woman came up to me and went on and on about how her book club had read it and how much they all loved it blah, blah, blah. I quickly put The Worthy down and walked away from it. I don't do book clubs. And then a friend of mine at work kept going on and on about Will Clarke and that if I liked Fight Club then I would probably like his books. So I reluctantly bought The Worthy. And to my surprise, I devoured it. The characters were so shiny and real. Conrad, the narrator, is such a 19 year-old fratboy. In fact, the entire cast of college students is so sad and funny and so full of life. The Worthy just blew me away. So many quotable lines. And such a wonderful ending. In fact, The Worthy is so good, that I have been converted; I'm starting a book club. The only deal is we're only reading Will Clarke's books.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, but The Worthy is...
Review: I first picked up a copy of The Worthy at BookSoup in Hollywood and a woman came up to me and went on and on about how her book club had read it and how much they all loved it. I quickly put The Worthy down and walked away from it. I don't do book clubs. And then a friend of mine at work kept going on and on about Will Clarke and that if I liked Fight Club then I would probably like his books. So I reluctantly bought The Worthy. And to my surprise, I devoured it. The characters were so shiny and real. Conrad, the narrator, is such a 19 year-old fratboy. In fact, the entire cast of college students is so sad and funny and so full of life. The Worthy just blew me away. So many quotable lines. And such a wonderful ending. In fact, The Worthy is so good, that I have been converted; I'm starting a book club. The only deal is we're only reading Will Clarke's books.
Rating:
Summary: A dead teenager misses his life and can't move on
Review: Murder victim Conrad Sutton is not cloud-sitting in heaven watching the world continue on without him. He's a callow, sometimes shallow, and sometimes bitter teenager (is there any other kind?) who misses the boozy Frat life that got him killed. So he returns to college to extract revenge for his hazing death. But he has that problem that ghosts usually have: No one can see him, and he can't touch anything. How he gets around the ghost laws of physics will make you laugh. A lot. And out loud. During his haunting, Conrad's motive for his worldly intrusion changes until I was rooting for him to find peace. This is a brilliant piece of work. The humor is sharp-edged and catches you off guard; yet the pathos is there, which made me worry about Conrad's ultimate end.
Rating:
Summary: He's done it again!
Review: Once again Will Clarke has blended two (or more) genres for a delightful, fresh and snappy read. Those who enjoyed LORD VISHNU'S LOVE HANDLES with welcome this novel with arms wide open. THE WORTHY tells the story of a dead teenager who comes back to haunt (and torment) the man who murdered him. The story takes place in Louisana (LSU, to be specific) among the fraternity scene on campus. As usual, the story is packed full of sardonic humor and incisive wit and flows wonderfully from page to page. Clarke has taken the "ghost story" to a new literary level and makes it a journey you will want to take over and over again. There is a sure-fire hit for Palahniuk fans (especially those with a strong heart for LULLABY and DIARY.) There are too many laughs here to list. Just get it and read it! You won't "ignore the dead" any longer!
Rating:
Summary: He's done it again!
Review: Once again Will Clarke has blended two (or more) genres for a delightful, fresh and snappy read. Those who enjoyed LORD VISHNU'S LOVE HANDLES with welcome this novel with arms wide open. THE WORTHY tells the story of a dead teenager who comes back to haunt (and torment) the man who murdered him. The story takes place in Louisana (LSU, to be specific) among the fraternity scene on campus. As usual, the story is packed full of sardonic humor and incisive wit and flows wonderfully from page to page. Clarke has taken the "ghost story" to a new literary level and makes it a journey you will want to take over and over again. There is a sure-fire hit for Palahniuk fans (especially those with a strong heart for LULLABY and DIARY.) There are too many laughs here to list. Just get it and read it! You won't "ignore the dead" any longer!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: Quite a hard book to describe because it's unlike any I have ever read; it is absent of any predictable path. And that is the very best kind of book to read especially when it's written this well, with this much original imagination. It's a book you will not be able to put down and that fascinates because you do not know where it's going and if Clarke can conclude the suspense successfully, with the same level of imagination and unpredictability. That was the burning question in my mind...'how will the author end this?'...I wasn't disappointed. So I'll let you read it to find out for yourself, and then wonder like I do...who incarnates Will Clarke??!!
| 
