Rating: 
Summary: I'd give it a ZERO if i could
Review: how shameful to buy a book from a lying jerk...when will the world quit rewarding people who do not deserve the financial returns?!do not buy this book, see the movie, or support jerks like this in any way
Rating:
Summary: Stephen, Steve, Steve-o....
Review: I admit I borrowed this book because it made me nauseous that you're still trying to make money from the ethical, well-intentioned editors and staff you bilked at TNR. I hoped I would like it, I hoped you would somehow redeem yourself. Having been a writer and reporter for most of my 20s and into my early 30s, I felt you downplayed in this work of "fiction" your betrayal of coworkers and friends. As an editor, I took it personally. To quote you directly, you said a great editor is one who would always stand behind you. And how did you repay the ones who did? Stevie, you could have taken them all down with you, you sniveling little crybaby. If I have one redeeming thing to say about this book, it is that your personality comes through in spades. Shame - you really are a talented writer. Were it not for your pathological need for attention, you coulda woulda mighta been someone afterall. Enjoy obscurity, dear. This book would have had to have been 100x better to keep you above the water line. If you're a writer, read it as a warning. An editor, as a training on what not to do with a liar. And as a reader, if you can weed through the "self aggrandizing poor me I just wanted people to love me" garbage, good for you. Just borrow this one and don't waste your $$ on your own copy.
Rating:
Summary: Steal this book. Then burn it.
Review: I borrowed this book from my local library because I wanted to read it before I saw the film Shattered Glass. I couldn't help but notice this irony: Glass is much better at presenting fiction as the truth than the truth as fiction. What can you say about someone who wrote such compelling articles for The New Republic, which were totally fabricated, and then writes this incredibly boring so called "novel". Don't refuse to buy this book for all the overwhelming moral reasons. Refuse to buy it beacause it is a poorly written piece of junk. Take the money that you save and go see Shattered Glass. It's the best movie about journalism since All the President's Men. Anyone who gives this claptrap a positive review is related to the author. It could even be Glass himself!
Rating: 
Summary: I loved this novel!
Review: I bought this book on impulse and wasn't sure I'd like it at all. What a surprise--I read it in two days. Glass is a terrific writer, and is particularly strong with dialogue. And--let's face it--he's got an incredibly good story to tell. The scenes with the main characters' Jewish mother, and then the older women he meets at the synagogue are really funny. The book is fast-paced, suspenseful, and very funny. And yes, he's amusingly self-deprecating. I am looking forward to reading Glass's next novel.
Rating:
Summary: Sorely Disappointed
Review: I finally saw "Shattered Glass" this weekend, and I would agree with a previous reviewer who dubbed it the best movie about journalism since "All The President's Men." I was fascinated by the story of Stephen Glass, and I vowed to find and read his book; find and read the original article upon which the movie was based; find and read anything I could about Michael Kelly (whose tragic death last year astounded me); and find and read all of Glass' original articles. I started with Glass' book, which I found easily in a bookstore in New York City. I'm not sure what I expected to find within it -- his take on the incident, I suppose, or some insight as to why he lied . . . a flushed-out version of the story, written with color and flair, given his articles' reputations. I sat down on a plastic stool in the bookstore and all but threw the book on the floor after 15 pages. Pathetically boring. I believe I lost it when Allison, his girlfriend, told him to "f*** off." I thought to myself, "How trite, how ridiculously trite . . ." I flipped to the back of the book and realized that it was, entirely, just a retelling of his demise, devoid of personal analysis or color of any kind. I'd rather just go see the movie again. Mr. Glass missed an opportunity. Criminals and liars are fascinating, especially when expounding upon their own exploits. Rather than just reiterating the story, he should have a) written it in a more interesting fashion; and b) added some juicy introspection! I'm moving on to locate the article that is the movie's basis. Hopefully it will be more satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Sorely Disappointed
Review: I finally saw "Shattered Glass" this weekend, and I would agree with a previous reviewer who dubbed it the best movie about journalism since "All The President's Men." I was fascinated by the story of Stephen Glass, and I vowed to find and read his book; find and read the original article upon which the movie was based; find and read anything I could about Michael Kelly (whose tragic death last year astounded me); and find and read all of Glass' original articles. I started with Glass' book, which I found easily in a bookstore in New York City. I'm not sure what I expected to find within it -- his take on the incident, I suppose, or some insight as to why he lied . . . a flushed-out version of the story, written with color and flair, given his articles' reputations. I sat down on a plastic stool in the bookstore and all but threw the book on the floor after 15 pages. Pathetically boring. I believe I lost it when Allison, his girlfriend, told him to "f*** off." I thought to myself, "How trite, how ridiculously trite . . ." I flipped to the back of the book and realized that it was, entirely, just a retelling of his demise, devoid of personal analysis or color of any kind. I'd rather just go see the movie again. Mr. Glass missed an opportunity. Criminals and liars are fascinating, especially when expounding upon their own exploits. Rather than just reiterating the story, he should have a) written it in a more interesting fashion; and b) added some juicy introspection! I'm moving on to locate the article that is the movie's basis. Hopefully it will be more satisfying.
Rating: 
Summary: shattered expectations
Review: I had high hopes for this novel, assuming that this true life fabulist would really be able to spin a good yarn. Unfortunately, the novel spins out of control and ends up being a series of vignettes, strung together by a loose structure. I must admit, there were anecdotes that made me laugh out loud (the airplane scene), but ultimately I did not care about this character's journey or relationships or future. Perhaps when this author has a little more life experience I will give him another try, but The Fabulist is ultimately a narcissistic apology for a journalism no-no.
Rating:
Summary: Ever Thought...
Review: I read this whole book in one sitting. I started it on a Sunday night and skipped work on Monday just to finish it. And I do have a job. I didn't get fired for writing lies.
I'm not even Stephen Glass and I loved it. Trust me, I'm not him.
The best part of the book was how I ... I mean Stephen Glass was really a good guy, even though he got fired from the New Republic for cooking stories.
Stephen Glass is is a great man. I wish I were more like him.
If you want to become more like him, you should bye his book. I bought multiple copies and had one put in a glass case (no pun intended cause I'm not Glass) for safe keeping, because I think this will become a timeless classic and eventually be worth alot of money.
If you read this, beleive me. I'm not lying.
Rating:
Summary: It's fiction people
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I first heard about it when Stephen Glass appeared on 60 minutes. His life and this story were fabricated and he has definitly paid his dues. Maybe he should not have started out in news journalism but rather as fictional novelist, this novel proves that. I am not giving credit to the lies he wrote in order to save himself, I am rather praising him for his latest work, as a FICTIONAL novelist! Good job guy!
Rating:
Summary: Only one worthwhile insight
Review: I took this book home from the library for the same reasons most people read it -- to find out more about the mind of a talented deceiver. I was deceived. As a novel, it's garbage. No good. It reminds me of a script from an afterschool special about the importance of telling the truth. And as someone else noted, the romantic relationships that the Hero gets into are ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Ten-year-old-kid silly. The one redeeming point? Glass figures out why he lied. He lied because --- drumroll, please --- he wants people to like him. Nothing more complex than that. He lied because he wanted to please people. Not because he was lazy, or manipulative, or psychotic, or because he wanted to undercut Journalism. He lied because he wanted to make up stories that told people exactly what they wanted to hear. Well, that's a reasonably interesting insight, which can be applied as a cautionary tale to most people's lives. Who among us hasn't been tempted to lie just to make someone think better of us, or to make someone feel better about a bad situation? The novel tells us: THIS is what that impulse can lead to. Don't bother reading it, though -- read some nonfiction pieces on Glass if you are interested in his real story. Because this book is a bunch of crap.
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