Rating: 
Summary: The title says it all.
Review: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Highly recommended.He's egotistical, erudite, ejaculatory (literally), and explosive. He's "emptily verbose" (Merriam-Webster's definition number 3 for "gassy"). He's also that-gassy, a man with a flux. He's Ignatius J. Reilly, a monster of a man with a master's degree, a faulty pyloric valve, a love for Boethius and The Consolation of Philosophy, a hatred for modern life, a passion against anything to do with sex (at least sex involving a second person), and a distinctly lower-class New Orleans lifestyle. He's also a man about whom his own pet phrase could apply: "Do I believe what I am seeing?" Set in the New Orleans of the 1960s, A Confederacy of Dunces begins with an incident with an overzealously inept policeman that leads Ignatius, one of the most unforgettable characters of American fiction, into a world with which he is unfamiliar and ill-equipped-work. As a result, he encounters a cornucopia of characters-from the cynical female owner of the laughably named "Night of Joy" to the wizened owner of the equally ill-named "Paradise Hotdogs"-who are as unforgettable as Our Hero. The most memorable is undoubtedly the generically named Jones, who, behind his dark glasses and his cloud of cigarette smoke, manages to see the world, its people, and the ironies of situation all too clearly. There are also Ignatius's wine-loving mother, his irascible neighbor, and "Myrna Minx"-the closest Ignatius has ever had to a girlfriend. Ignatius, taken away from his magnum opus (written on a series of Big Chief tablets strewn everywhere in his room in his mother's house) and the modern movies he so likes to deride, touts the value of The Consolation of Philosophy and bemoans the work of Fortuna while attempting to leave nothing to chance. To feed his laziness and lack of desire to work, he works hard at being sly, devious, and manipulative. He carefully plans and plots his efforts from the perspective of a man who has little perception of human nature; the results are hilariously unexpected-the whims of Fortuna. In the end, Ignatius's life, such as it is, will never be the same thanks to his forced interaction with the outside world. A Confederacy of Dunces will make you laugh out loud and, at the same time, you will probably detect an undertone of sadness, even hopelessness. As Walker Percy notes in his introduction, perhaps this is due to the knowledge that author Toole committed suicide. But perhaps it is equally due to the absurdity of modern life that the adventures of the larger-than-life Ignatius reveal at every turn. Diane L. Schirf
2 June 2002.
Rating: 
Summary: Strange book
Review: Funny in parts. Weird in parts. Sometimes I asked myself why I was reading this; other times I felt compelled to read more. Can't see that it could be called "great literature" but at the same time I found myself thinking about the characters when I wasn't reading. Strange.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: The first time I picked this book up, I was mesmerized by Ignatius J. Reilley. I've seen some people come close to matching this guy's personality, but I have to say that he's a an original. From his appearance, you'd think that this guy would be a target for humiliation and ridicule, but it's exactly the oppossite. Ignatius is an elephant of a man who actually believes that his gargantuan size makes him superior to others. There's just an example. He looks down on literally EVERYONE who crosses his path and would have no trouble, I'm sure, picking an arguement with a telephone pole. For such a pathetic and dispicable human being to have so much self-confidence and show so much arrogance almost seems unreal, but it's all done very convincingly and he actually has a reason for every scene that he creates. Our story starts off in downtown New Orleans, with our hero waiting impatiently for his mother outside of a shopping mall. When he is mistaken for a pervert by Patrolman Mancuso, the chaos starts. His observations of the passersby, before the cop shows up, are actually what got me hooked. When Mancuso starts his interrogating, things only get funnier. An old man stops to help Ignatius, and in turn for his troubles, gets himself arrested after Ignatius turns the situation around on him. Remember, this poor old guy was just trying to help. That's just another example of our hero's kindness. While the novel branches off into many different subplots and side characters, it always comes back to Ignatius and you can be sure that all of the characters and situations will collide sooner or later. The side-characters, themselves, are something to marvel at. We get Dorian Greene, an almost stereo-typed gay guy, Miss Trixie, a senile old lady who is desperate to retire, George, Lana Lee, Jones, too many to list. I'm in my second reading right now and I know that this book is only going to get better as I get older. I'd reccommend this book to anyone who appreciates good writing and good humor. Find a copy and see what all the hype's about.
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Summary: Ahead Of Its Time
Review: If you ever watch The Simpsons, Ignatius P. Reilly is a lot like the Comic Book Shop Guy, and I think they are both hilarious. This is a book everyone should read. I know a several people who are a lot like Reilly, which makes the book both funny and depressing; realistic and absurd. A literary classic because it encapsulates our American Society into a story. Amazingly enough, it is more relavent now than it was then. Some people would say that it has been overrated which might be slightly true, but the bottom line is it is a damn fine novel and a classic. It deserves at least one read.
Rating: 
Summary: "Snowball"
Review: For me this novel was all about momentum. It started out rough, but then picked up until by the end I wanted more. Think Toole found his stride about a third of the way through. The ending left me feeling like if he wouldn't have committed suicide, we'd certainly have gotten to see more of Ignatius & "that minx" as a mismatched frenetic (as opposed to 'dynamic') duo. A-
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Summary: Eyebrows raise, mouths drop open, laughter follows...
Review: I don't know why it took me thirty years to pick up this book and read it...but wow! I'm glad I did. Ignatius J. Reilly is arrogant, smelly and wickedly hilarious! His distaste in everything and everyone cracks me up. So many times during the read I was baffled yet thoroughly entertained by this character and all of his misadventures. I laughed out loud many times reading this book. It's too bad the author never lived to see it win a Pulitzer...but for some reason, I think that he may have scoffed at the idea anyway.
Rating:
Summary: A Book to Make You Laugh Out Loud
Review: Simply put, this is a very funny book. I rarely laugh out loud when the joke is auditory or even visual, but this book just killed me. So, buy it already. Or borrow it from a friend. Or from the library. Just read it. Now.
Rating:
Summary: All-around great, funny book
Review: A Confederacy of Dunces is chock-full of unforgettable and unique characters, especially its "hero" - Ignatius J. Reilly, an obese, egotistical, self-proclaimed authority on EVERYTHING. He has a knack for failing at whatever he does; in many ways he's an almost grown-up Charlie Brown (without all of Charlie's good points). His misadventures are downright hilarious, as are those of the other characters. The plot isn't terribly complicated, but pay attention, because even seemingly insignificant encounters ultimately play a larger role in the novel. In my opinion, this book truly deserved the Pulitzer Prize and I highly recommend it; John Kennedy Toole was able to not only bring the characters to life but also give the reader an idea of what life is like in vibrant New Orleans. However, this is not a book for the easily offended because it is definitely not politically correct.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful read, a real page turner
Review: This book came to my by way of my sister who hates to read, but said that it was really funny. In this case, she was right. It was a hilarious book, with unlikely characters. I wish there were more books like it.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: To be honest, I had never even heard of this book. I bought it at B and N's because it was on sale, and the first few pages were interesting enough. Fate, she was kind that day. :) It's one of the most engaging books I've ever read. Hilarious and tangible. It also uses a vocabulary that would be easy reading for a 9th grader. If you're a night reader like me, be prepared to stay up late! You won't want to stop reading!
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