Rating: 
Summary: Gritty tale of the downtown New York art scene
Review: Chinese Takeout is a very readable and entertaining novel of a struggling artist named Orloff Trenchant, known as Or. Or is among the many downtown New York City artists trying to climb out of poverty and obscurity. As the novel begins, Or is quickly plummeting to new depths in his fledgling career. His girlfriend dumps him for a wealthy art collector, probably the worst insult possible to a bohemian artist. Meanwhile he is living in a broken down van and his only regular income is selling used books on the streets. Chinese Takeout is not big on plot; it is a meandering but observant look at life on the streets in this rather fascinating subculture. All of the action takes place over a couple of months during the end of 2000; the controversial presidential election of that year is in the background for much of the novel. Arthur Nersesian, who has written a couple of other books with a similar theme, creates several interesting characters in addition to Or, including Rita, the heroin addict with whom Or becomes infatuated and Shade, the older artist who lets Or sublet his loft. The book effectively evokes the worldview of the artist, who sees life in vivid, emotionally-charged and uncompromising terms. On the other hand Or and some of the other artists can also be arrogant and self-absorbed in their self-conscious quest for authenticity. The main challenges Or faces during the time we spend with him are to sculpt a headstone in a few short weeks (no easy matter) and the roller coaster ride of being in love with a self-destructive addict. Chinese Takeout is a fast read, always interesting and sometimes thought-provoking. I wouldn't call it an especially deep or memorable book, but while I was reading it I had trouble putting it down.
Rating: 
Summary: Channelling Bukowski
Review: I am presently working my way through the fiction of Arthur Nersesian but chose to review Chinese Takeout having found it to be the most fully realized version of this author's conception of how unrecognized artists struggle to survive their art in downtown New York City. Nersesian, whose prose frequently reminds me of the late Charles Bukowski's best writing (Women, Post Office), devotes each novel to a different art form. The Unlubricated, for example, takes up the craft of stage production and acting while Dogrun's protagonist is an aspiring writer. Chinese Takeout is about a painter-sculptor and is marvelously evocative of the bohemian studio scene within which the book's 'hero' circulates while trying to scrape out a subsistence living. Nersesian himself is a very painterly writer whose febrile imagination provides an endlessly entertaining and poignant storyline. This aspect of his talent insistently propels one through the pages of Chinese Takeout but it is the undertow of the writing, the uncompromising exploration of love in all its most irrational manifestations, that distinguishes this writer and separates him out from the crowd. I rarely read a book which galvanizes me to seek out the entire literary output of an author but I was hardly finished with The Unlubricated before I secured copies of Nersesian's five other novels. They all investigate similar terrain but from distinct vantage points. They are each, in their own way, a joyous excursion into a sequestered world of youthful abandon.
Rating: 
Summary: Thanks for wasting an afternoon of my life.
Review: I hated this book two pages in. The narrator is a pretentious, boring jerk, just like the novel itself. If you're looking for something original, interesting, or thought provoking steer clear of this "novel".
Rating: 
Summary: A Perfect Depiction Of New York City
Review: i really can't say much in the vein of positivity here. we're given a story about a loser whose passion for art far outweighs his need for a home, money or a girlfriend. see, he lives in his van because he left his girlfriend and a liveable apartment out of stupidity. he then goes on to find meaning in meaningless relationships with other girls - some believable, some not in the slightest. somewhere along the line he is commissioned to sculpt a headstone in the form of a chinese takeout carton. he's supposed to make some serious dough from this gig and hopes this will be his ticket out of a wretched existence.the interesting deal about this book is how ridiculously stupid everyone is. all these people sacrifice fine living for art's sake, some growing old and ending up with nothing to show for a lifetime of torture. and the sad fact is, there are people exactly like this out there in the city. the main character can be base, disgusting and down right dumb. there is no redeeming value to his personality and i often found myself rooting for the hardships he was forced to endure. Rita is a standout! look for her character as it is the best in the story. new york city is often a sad, sad place. dirt, homelessness, steel, plastic, criminals, dreamers, psychos and glass. that's new york city. it's not the great white way and it's not radio city music hall. it can be a hopeless place to live and the people who endure it are made into hard, beaten versions of what could have been a better life. this book illustrates that beautifully. i can't rate it high, but i do recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: A worthy work...
Review: I was instantly pulled into CT, finding myself feeling sorry for Or the minute he introduces his fiancee to a young, rich dude. Big mistake. We girls always know what happens! I admired his way of making money day to day while living in a van and washing in public bathrooms, but cannot understand his sincere devotion for a heroin addict. It's easier for someone to pull you down than for you to pull them up. HOwever i was glad he succeeded in his commission of the headstone and managed to swim the East River as he always claimed he would do. PErhaps Or and Mary Bellanova should get together.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy work...
Review: I was instantly pulled into CT, finding myself feeling sorry for Or the minute he introduces his fiancee to a young, rich dude. Big mistake. We girls always know what happens! I admired his way of making money day to day while living in a van and washing in public bathrooms, but cannot understand his sincere devotion for a heroin addict. It's easier for someone to pull you down than for you to pull them up. HOwever i was glad he succeeded in his commission of the headstone and managed to swim the East River as he always claimed he would do. PErhaps Or and Mary Bellanova should get together.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible pretentious arrogant
Review: It's been said better elsewhere. Why spend time with unlikeable and unsympathetic characters. The writing is boring...tedious, overly explanatory. I don't like being "told" by the narrator what each person is about and what each event signifies...I like making my own conclusions.
Rating:
Summary: A Look At Pompous, Arrogant NY by An Arrogant Writer
Review: New York is often a gritty, dirty, ugly, homeless people/drug addict/psycho/snob/dreamer-infested place where people grow hard from having to pay $1500 a month to live in a closet when they came here thinking it was all glitz, stardom and broadway. during the day, it's not that bad to look at. the subways are horrible and the traffic is unreal. living conditions here are the worst i have ever seen in my life. this novel reflects just that. it's revolved around a complete loser who thinks he is God's gift to art. he thinks he understands it better that most others, he thinks he deserves to be famous because he is so great, yet he lives in his broken-down van, dirty and stupid throughout the entire book. ironically, he gets himself into a 4-way love triangle with his ex-girl-whom he left over his arrogance, a sexy foreign artist-whom he's with for just sex, a cute Asian takeout girl-whom is into him but i didn't believe it one bit because they had no chemistry, and a filthy drug addict-whom he becomes addicted to himself. the book is filled with the most disgusting depictions of New York possible, sunless and unredeemable. this (...) artist makes one mistake after another while all along overdosing on art in its various forms. his art is somewhat inspired, his artist friends are overbearing and his art dealing cohorts are slimy snakes. there isn't anybody in this book to like or sympathize with because they are all either jerks or losers, including the main character. the Asian girl is probably the only non-annoying character and she was literally just window-dressing. here's the story - an artist loser (keep using that word, don't i?) can't get a break in life through his own mistakes. he meets some girls who are not good for him but somewhere along the line finds that his saving grace will be a big commission from sculpting a fancy headstone. as bad as i make the thing sound, it is actually pretty entertaining. give it a shot if you have nothing better.
Rating:
Summary: Worth every penny!
Review: Once again, Nersesian proves himself to be the master of urban novel. This book is another fast, fun read! I highly recommend it along with another fun East Village novel about an unlucky writer addicted to the personals: THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez. Also recommended: THE F**K-UP also by Arthur Nersesian. All 3 books make up what should be called the 'East Village Trinity.' Short, lively, intense books! Most of all -- FUN!
Rating:
Summary: Bohemia Redux
Review: Once again, Nersesian proves that he is the master of the bohemian/downtown NYC novel. Although not as lively as his other novels, particularly The F**k-up or Dogrun, this is nevertheless an engaging, realistic portrait of living the harrowing 'art life' in the Big City. Entertaining and darkly funny, I recommend it. Also recommended: The Losers' Club by Richard Perez
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