Rating: 
Summary: good story, sadly funny
Review: a somewhat original story, the character is so flawed and pitiful he is hilarious. i honestly was waiting for some odd twist or turn, but none came, it was just a straight up story of a guy with a good heart but problems to spare. written like p.g. wodehouse or evelyn waugh, you have to keep remembering it isn't in england but in new jersey/new york. the odd ending made the whole thing feel a bit off.
Rating:
Summary: Alan Blair's wild ride
Review: Alan Blair is a thirty-year-old eccentric, terribly alcoholic, neurotic, solipsistic, agnostic-Jewish writer who, with the money from a personal injury suit, has hired a valet named Jeeves to ease life's daily rigors. (At least, I think he has. If not, one can add delusional to the above list.) With such an assortment of issues, any move Alan makes is almost certain to produce turmoil and/or hilarity; and *Wake Up, Sir!* brims with both as Alan narrates a madcap week during which he (and Jeeves) leave the relatively safe but confining home of his aunt and uncle and arrive at a prestigious artists' colony whose denizens are almost as cracked-up as he is.
This is the first of Mr. Ames's books that I've read, and I was impressed by his clear, brisk style and intelligent, observant, off-beat sense of humor. (I recently read Michael Chabon's *Wonder Boys*, another first-person account of a short but eventful period in the life of a writer-addict; and although Mr. Ames is not the "stylist" Mr. Chabon is--though perhaps the former isn't aspiring to "style"--*Wake Up, Sir!* drew many, many more smiles and laughs from me than *Wonder Boys*.) I would love to give this book five stars; however, the simple fact is that it ultimately proves to be a series of sketches and vignettes rather than a completed story of change (either personal growth or ruin) in the face of conflict (here, a man versus himself). The plot is more or less episodic and concludes ... well, it doesn't, really. Is Mr. Ames secreted in a colony even now, diligently typing up a sequel? One could hope so.
The bottom line: come along for a fast, bumpy ride with Alan (and Jeeves) if you dare. You'll probably enjoy it, but don't expect a life-changing or enlightening experience. I have absolutely no qualms about recommending this as a library loan, but I'd hesitate before purchasing it brand new. Four impressive but slightly disappointing stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant whimsy from Jonathan Ames
Review: Critics love to compare novels to Catcher In The Rye, but this one may actually live up to the billing. Jonathan Ames unwinds the first person account of our Holden Caulfield, the 30-year old Alan Blair. Blair is a troubled 30-year old writer with only one book under his belt and a problem with alcohol and responsibility. To keep himself company and organize his daily activities (such as choice of wardrobe), Blair hires a butler named Jeeves with part of his settlement from a frivolous lawsuit.
We get to ride shotgun in Blair's thoughts as he unsuccessfully battles the lure of the bottle and turns every situation sour. Even with the help of the unflappable Jeeves his trip to an elite artists' colony for residency is doomed from the outset.
Because Blair is so likeable and the plot so hilarious, Wake Up Sir is the most enjoyable novels that I've read since Tom Robbins' latest. Blair is the sarcastic underdog that we don't really want to see succeed because it's so much fun to watch him fail as he staggers through an absurb group of fellow artists, each more entertaining and more dysfunctional than the last.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, sir.
Review: David Letterman could be Oprah's equal in the book club game. Following his gushy endorsement, I picked up this book for a long flight. It brought back memories of my own days gobbling up P.G. Wodehouse books and suddenly finding myself writing in that style. Ames pulls it off, with the added fillip of modern-day neuroses and a scathing portrait of a Yaddoesque writer's colony. He must truly have despised those people, and after this I'm sure the feeling is mutual. Great fun for Wodehouse fans, writers, orphans and nutcases.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and a great read
Review: I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud while reading a book. Honestly, one of the best books I've read in 2004. A great story that makes us think about why we sometimes behave so self-destructively despite the fact that we know better.
Rating: 
Summary: Wake Up and Find a New Career, Ames!
Review: I was so looking forward to a good read...this book seemed well regarded by others....but ARGH! UGH! Peeee-Yooo! Boring! Can I say that again? BORING!
Ames' characters are as cardboard as they come, and *was* there a storyline here?!?!
Save your money and read something else!!! Or buy mine used here on Amazon!
Rating:
Summary: A Hilarious Ride
Review: Jon Ames' Wake Up, Sir is very, very funny and in the end, I have to say, it is the humor of the novel that makes me recommend it. Alan Blair, the novel's narrator, is a 30-year old in-denial alcoholic goofball mooching off his aunt and uncle in Montclair, New Jersey and he may or may not have a valet named Jeeves (I'll let you decide that one for yourself). Alan has worn out his welcome with his family, and just as they are about to kick him out, embarks on a little journey to New York state--Sharon Springs, followed by Saratoga Springs. Alan is an intelligent Princeton grad and a writer of one published novel, but clueless about many of life's essentials. It is his cluelessness, combined with his wry observations of life that make this novel so funny. Ames' dry humor is unique--I can't think of another novelist to compare him with (perhaps because so few are talented enough to make a reader laugh out loud, to still remember witticisms days after reading them), so if you are looking for a humorous novel, Wake Up, Sir is an excellent choice. The one thing I found lacking in the novel was the lack of any real plot--the novel is more like an extended road trip. That shortcoming is pretty minor, especially because this is such an intelligently written comic novel. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: Jonathan Ames' latest offering, Wake Up, Sir! is his best to date. Always delicious, silly, heartwrenching delights, Ames' stories take you on adventures you'd never have the guts to go on yourself, usually ending in zany disaster. Yet, he is more than an entertaining storyteller. His ability to convey the deep desire we all share to be loved, to be known, to connect with one another and to survive the often painful process of being alive is what makes him a true artist. I saved this book for a beach vacation and devoured it in two days. Alan Blair is easy to love and his adventures allow for the voyeuristic paradise that only great fiction can provide. Buy it. You'll love it. And pick up the glorious The Extra Man, too.
Rating:
Summary: As a human we have so many questions and so l
Review: little answers. No one seems to no what we want. We do not even know what we what. the big difference between our unknow want and the reality of the book is what at question here. I liked it as to an extent I am confused too!
Rating:
Summary: a lover of books
Review: This is one of the funniest novels I have ever read. I found so many times trying not to laugh out loud while reading in public places. This , in my opinion , ranks up there with "Handling Sin" by Michael Malone and comic novels by Thomas Berger and Peter DeVries.
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