Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic and Heartwarming
Review: Let me just add my name to those who said this is a teriffic book, humerous and poignant and left me with a satisfying lump in my throat.
Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: Really enjoyed this book. A wonderful story written with great skill it was a very enjoyable read. I will definitely buy this author's next book.
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Summary: Funny, Sad, Real....
Review: The author creates humor in a sad situation. It's one of the best books I've read so far. The characters are very real and true to life. Great book...
Rating:
Summary: Funny, Sad, Real....
Review: The author creates humor in a sad situation. It's one of the best books I've read so far. The characters are very real and true to life. Great book...
Rating: 
Summary: A Great First Novel, by fermed
Review: There is something wonderful about a first novel that has so much humor, warmth and insight that its arrival heralds a new and assertive voice in the world of fiction. Surely we can look forward to more delights and joys as Jim Kokoris explores and shares with the world his extraordinary talents as a writer.That so fine a creation would be sent into the world without the backing of proper proof-reading and editorial support is a small crime, but not an unusual one in these days of cost cutting. I mention this only because the profusion of typos in the book actually interferes with the joy of reading it. The book is written in the first person, from the point of view of an eleven year old, who is hands down one of the funniest and most charming characters to appear in recent literature. Teddy Pappas was already in the throes of pre-adolescent quirks and and stirrings, when his father (a recently widowed, distant abstracted, History professor)purchases what becomes a winning lottery ticket, and Teddy's world (the subject of the book) is sudenly and madly out of control. Some humor is quiet, like a tear seen through a smile, and there is plenty of that kind here; but there is the other kind also, when one suddenly starts laughing aloud at the vibrant shock of the immediacy of recognizing ourselves in another's folly, or by being suddenly surprised by a truth about ourselves, when we least expected it. The extraordinary creativity of this book is (I hate to say) unevenly distributed; it gives the impression that too many cooks have attended to this broth, so that the narrative evolves from the superbly funny and moving first few chapters, through and adequate middle, to a wimpering end. Yes, there are many remarkable episodes that pepper the entire length of the book, so that indeed the novel holds together well enough. The characters are properly developed and rendered, and at no point does the book stagnate; but the raw, delightful creativity with which it starts is not sustained at the end. "The Rich Part of Life" is a book of warmth, of humor, and of ultimate decency. Jim Kokoris has a deep and rare talent, and this book is a fine introduction to it. You should read it.
Rating:
Summary: Among the Best
Review: This book is impossible to put down. Kokoris is a stunning new voice...it's nearly inconceivable that this is a first novel. It is so finely drawn, so remarkably crafted that Kokoris seems to have a dozen or so books under his belt. The characters are vivid and stay with you a long time after reading the last page. I have to say it's one of the best books I've read this year, and I read a lot. Kokoris is a name you'll be seeing again, so read this book before everyone else knows about him. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: this book is intelligent, funny, well written and full of wacky but believable characters. It takes you on an emotional journey. Without revealing the ending, let me just say that this is a refreshing change from all of those depressing dysfunctional family books that are so prevalent today. Read it!
Rating:
Summary: The Rich Part of Life Earns our Attention
Review: This is a real book filled with real characters who cut across ethnic lines to represent all of us. Theo Pappas, the kind but bumbling professor, reminds me of Stuart Kaminsky's Detective Abe Lieberman, whose humanity and gentleness are refreshing in the cold world we inhabit today. As the book progresses, Theo learns how to be a better father to his two young sons, and the two boys reciprocate. This is a sweet loving story of real "family values." The other characters in the story are well drawn too--Uncle Frank, the failed Hollywood producer, Aunt Bess, and the rest. This is a great read, interesting, involving, and displaying a kindess that our world needs desperately.
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Summary: YOU'LL WISH IT WOULD GO ON AND ON!
Review: This is one of the few books I've read lately that I continued reading past my bed time and couldn't wait to get to the next day! The characters are quirky, but lovable (except for a couple of them). I will definitely suggest this at my book club meeting next week. "A man's life is made up of people, and if you are fortunate enough to find good people, people that you love, then keep them close. For together you will find things, together you will learn things. About each other and about yourself." page 327
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Summary: This guy can REALLY write!
Review: This is the best book I've read so far this year and that's really saying a lot! It has great characters and wonderful character development. It has quiet humor, good people and some not so good and a wonderful story line (which has already been discussed in other reviews so I won't go into it). This is a very satisying read and I hated to see it end. I bet you will feel the same way.
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