Rating: 
Summary: not worth finishing
Review: The writing was ok, but the characters were all pitiful and sad. I just couldn't make myself finish this book. I have an acquaintance who everyone considers quite annoying, and who has a very rude and unintelligent sense of humor -- I gave him the book, and just as I thought, he absolutely loved it. Still quotes from it, months later. Ugh.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful descriptions of amusing characters
Review: I first discovered this book almost ten years ago while in high school. I even managed to choose it for a history book report as the teacher obviously thought the story was about the war. Toole is a greater writer and it is a shame that we will never be able to read any other of his potential works. The main character is a sad, pathetic man who lives at home but looks at the world as if he is the only normal one around. He spares no expense in puting down his poor Mama and her cohorts. Really, this books is full of humor and you have to like Ignatious even though he is a pompous, gas-bloated recluse. Set in New Orleans, we get a glimpse of just some of the odd-balls that run into our narrator. I've read this book many times and each reading brings more laughs.
Rating:
Summary: Without a doubt the funniest book I've ever read.
Review: I think the funniest aspect of this book is how the author portrays someone who thinks he's a lot smarter than he really is. The opportunities to spot and appreciate that disparity are legion. This book didn't just make me laugh out loud, it made me howl. I laughed myself silly to the point of tears. The images conjured up by Kennedy's masterful descriptions are so ridiculous that if you ever saw it in real life, you'd piss yourself. The only author that has ever come close to evoking the same reaction from me is P.G. Wodehouse, and even he just gets hearty chuckles, nothing like the put-the-book-down-tilt-your-head-back-and-squawk reactions that this book delivers. This book capitalizes on the subtle quirks of simple people and the skewed logic with which they view the world around them. And while you laugh at these people, you occasionally have to check yourself for doing and thinking some of the exact things the characters do. That is what drives the humor home. Do yourself a favor and buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: It's all about visualization.
Review: I noticed more than one customer review that claimed, in not so many words, that it takes a certain intellect or at least a very refined sense of humor to appreciate or even understand this book. I only partially agree.I've been told my more than a few people over the years that I have a good sense of humor. I'm also a word person. I guess I qualified pretty well to be someone who might like this book. The book was easily the funniest book I've ever read. No less than three times it sent me into an uncontrolable laughing frenzy (other books have made me laugh out loud but this was scary). Ignatius' use of language was so perfectly crafted it made me wonder how many re-writes Toole must have gone through to get it just right. Back to the visualization thing. Whether or not one can fully apprecaite what Toole did isn't the only determinate as to if someone will find it funny (or as funny as some of us had). At the risk of sounding mystic, if the reader can literally plant themselves near or next to Mr. Reilly during any of his proclaimations, misdadvetures or diatribes, they might also be a victim of runaway and painful laughter
Rating:
Summary: Ignatius is my hero!
Review: This is no lie. Once when I was confronted with a pile of filing at work, I remembered Ignatius. I thought what would he do? Dump it in the trash,of course! So,I dumped the papers and believe me, the world did not come to an end. In addition to getting rid of work-related stress, I have often gained strength from St. Martin de Porres, patron saint of mulattoes and rats. I can understand why John Kennedy Toole killed himself. If I had written this brilliant novel and been rejected by everyone, I would lose my grip too. When books like Message in a Bottle are on the bestseller's list, it's evident things haven't changed all that much in the publishing business. If you're looking for a true original, this book is a must read!
Rating:
Summary: As if this priceless work of art needs another "10"
Review: I'm one of the few others on this list who cannot help but pile on. Like someone else who wrote a review, I was reading this on a plane and had to close it due to a fit of laughter more uncontrollable than I have ever experienced. 5-10 minutes later, when I tried with every ounce of strength I could muster to resume reading, it took merely one more sentence to bring the tears of laughter streaming back down my face. Right then I new I was alive. Thanks John.
Rating: 
Summary: overrated, but at least it's a quick read
Review: I'd been curious about this book for the past couple of years or so, mainly on the strength of its breathless cover blurbs, its reviews on this page, and what little I knew about the author's short life. Finally my brother gave me a dog-eared copy, and I read it at last. Come on, people... "Brilliant"? "Laugh-out-loud funny"? I prefer my comedy to be humorous, I guess. (Last time I read something that made me laugh out loud, it was by P. J. O'Rourke.) I don't regret having read this book, but I wouldn't go so far as "brilliant" or "hilarious"; I'd draw the line at clever, well-crafted, and droll. While I never laughed out loud, I often smiled. Toole's command of the English language, his eye for detail, and his ear for dialect are all well-employed. Pity all the characters are so unpleasant! You laugh AT these people, most comfortably from a distance. My main regret is that Toole didn't live to write a sequel; I can... or really, can't... imagine what messes Ignatius would get into in NYC.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning, technicolor trainwreck of a story...
Review: Characterizations to beat the band. A smart, funny, romp through New Orleans with several of it's most colorful denizens. I give this book to anyone who'll hold still long enough for me to shove it into an unsuspecting bag or pocketbook. I wonder if we'll ever fully realize the loss of Mr. Toole. I want so badly to know what happened to Ignatious and The Minx upon arrival in NY! Read and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: The best book I've ever read...
Review: A Confederacy of Dunces is the most carefully crafted piece of comic writing I've ever laid eyes on. Bold, unapologetic characters with every imaginable point of view (and a number of serious social pathologies) collide within author John Kennedy Toole's virtuoso rendition of 1960s New Orleans. The star-crossed antics of our hero, the elephantine and manipulative Ignatius J. Reilly, disgust us, shock us, and surprise us. But most importantly, they make us laugh out loud. Don't read this one on your way to work: you might find yourself on a commuter train looking around for the most sympathetic-looking fellow passenger in order to have someone with whom to share the good parts.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST RE-READ
Review: I have read this book three times, each time discovering a few more absurdities about the characters. We have all met an Ignatius Reilly at some time in our lives, we can only be thankful that we have not met this Ignatius. I have recommended this book to several friends and family members and none of them have been disappointed. This is perhaps the most entertaining book I have read.
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