CRUDDY: An Illustrated Novel

Rating:
Summary: sharp and brilliant like a knife: her best work to date
Review: I have loved Lynda Barry's imaginative and yet so-true voice and vision since the 80's. This is possibly the best book I've read in a year. The story is dark and dream-like, much like a David Lynch film told from a child's perspective. In contrast, it isn't bleak, but profound and rich in narrative language with expertly woven prose. Incredibly inspiring to me as an artist to see Lynda Barry grow so dramatically as a writer and a story teller. She has come into her own. Despite its dark content, I didn't want to put this book down. A very moving book.

Rating:
Summary: I love Lynda, but...
Review: I read Lynda Barry's Cruddy ... and it was one of the best (if not the best) books I've ever read. It told a story about a teenaged girl who looks back on the tradgedies of her life (she has many). There were many brutal killings one day, but the only surviver, was a young "girl" who will not speak a word. This girl is Roberta Rohbeson (sp?). A drama/mystery/comedy book will keep you begging for more... wow I sound like a sales-person this isn't good! Just read this book because it is awesome! ;)

Rating:
Summary: Darkly Beautiful
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I think people have a habit of idealizing childhood once they grow up, and forgetting how confusing, painful and even horrible it can be, especially when the adults who inhabit your world are abusive, dysfunctional, and even insane. Cruddy is a novel about a young girl doing her best to survive under such circumstances. It's part fairy tale, part horror, part John Waters film, and part Huckleberry Finn. But above all else, it's a really good read.

Rating:
Summary: Barry is Back!
Review: If Lynda Barry's first novel THE GOOD TIMES ARE KILLING ME broke your heart, CRUDDY will shred it. In GOOD TIMES, a young girl named Edna managed to survive divorce and racial discord....In CRUDDY, a young girl named Roberta somehow endures abandonment, abuse, sickness, ugly drug experiences, multiple murders and even amputation. Don't let that scare you away! This book is also overflowing with that trademark Barry wit as well as her brutally precise observations about humanity.

Sure - CRUDDY has a dark heart, but it is also very, very funny. The inner thoughts of bright, disenfranchised children have always been a rich source of material for Barry, and CRUDDY is a very generous serving of this priceless writing style. Feast on it and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: great writing, not a lot of substance
Review: The writing in this book is fantastic. This author's approach is far from most; the protagonist sees the ugly instead of the beauty in everything (hence the title). The book is fascinating in the way a car wreck is fascinating. You keep reading because you are engrossed in the disturbing details and plot, but at the end there is no substance beyond entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: Cruddy
Review: This book is a great book. I dont read often but this has gotten me reading without wanting to stop. If you are looking for a book that keeps you guessing then this is the one. You will never know what to expect. Roberta, who is just a teenager, has gone through things that no one would ever expect a girl of her age to go through and witness. Overall this is a well written book and has got a great storyline.

Rating:
Summary: I Heart Cruddy
Review: This is a very difficult book to put down or soon forget. I've read a lot of ugly things in my life but this book touches on a deeper level because of this young child's age and the horrors she endures daily in her truly "cruddy" life. If it weren't so darned sad when thought about it'd be almost funny. Wish this book had been around when I was 14 or so and my own life may not have looked quite so bleak to me after having read it. The author has a knack for digging into an adolescent's mind and really brings that painful period of time of young adulthood (those ugly years when one is 13 - 17) alive in a brilliantly, devastating way.

The cruelties continue to the very last page. Somehow I wasn't left feeling depressed but actually relieved at the eventual outcome. I can't say it was an altogether enjoyable reading experience, although I did laugh out loud a few times, but I sure couldn't stop turning the pages. The illustrations completely capture the feel of the book. Recommended to the strong of stomach.

Rating:
Summary: I Heart Cruddy
Review: This is my new favorite book. Lynda Barry is an incredible writer. I could not put this book down. Amazing story. Amazing character development. Zany and out of this world insane, but as real as the wart on my dog's butt. If I had a dirt speck of this woman's talent, I would die happy.

Rating:
Summary: Its not intended to be "LIttle House on the Prairie"
Review: This is one of my two favorite books of all time: Geek Love and Cruddy. Yes, its dark, but compelling and well written. My cousin passed it on to me two years ago and since then I've read it three times and passed it on to numerous people. To be honest...whether a person can read and appreciate this book is how I judge the real "them". The few acquaintences I lent it to that returned it back to me early and horrified turned out to be shallow, wanna-be perfect types and those who it left thinking (though disturbed, of course) were insightful and interesting...just my observations.

Rating:
Summary: Roberta's Disturbing Adventure
Review: This is the kind of book that is really hard to explain. It's sick and twisted and funny and sad and happy and beautiful.

Roberta Rohbeson lives in a cruddy world. Her mother is alternately (or maybe concurrently) neglectful and abusive (at one point Roberta makes reference to "the various smashed aspects of my face." Her father is an angry, insane butcher, the worst kind of butcher if you ask me. He calls Roberta "Clyde" and instructs her not to speak to anyone. He lets her smoke and drink, and educates her about various kinds of butchering knives.

Barry is so good at capturing the way children think and talk, that even Roberta's cruddy story is compelling, moving, funny, disturbing and tragic all at once.