Fake Liar Cheat

Rating:
Summary: Fast and Entertaining, Just the Way I Like 'Em
Review: Fake Liar Cheat holds you hostage. In a good, I-want-to-be-held-hostage kind of way. This book is super-hip without trying too hard. In this witty page-turner, Goldberg makes you want to befriend his characters. To go out and get crazy with them. As much as you'll want to recommend this one to friends; don't loan this one out. Make them get their own darn copy. There's always the chance they won't give it back and this is a book you'll read again and again.

Rating:
Summary: Fast and Entertaining, Just the Way I Like 'Em
Review: Fake Liar Cheat holds you hostage. In a good, I-want-to-be-held-hostage kind of way. This book is super-hip without trying too hard. In this witty page-turner, Goldberg makes you want to befriend his characters. To go out and get crazy with them. As much as you'll want to recommend this one to friends; don't loan this one out. Make them get their own darn copy. There's always the chance they won't give it back and this is a book you'll read again and again.

Rating:
Summary: Not Bad, but I've Read Better
Review: Fake Liar Cheat is a book that very closely mirrors Fight Club in many of it's elements. A guy who works at his job day in and day out and suddenly gets drawn into this world where he is worshipped. One of the differences between the books is that Fight CLub is better.

The problems that I found with Fake Liar Cheat were that some of the elements meant to drive the story felt forced and consquently unrealistic. Lonnie blackmails the head of whatever company that was for having sex with Claire. The boss agrees to pay the money, even though, as Claire later says, they did not have sex, and then the boss jumps out of a window. Um... Right. So, the guy gets black-mailed for something he didn't do but kills himself anyways? I find that very iffy and highly unbelievable.

There are moments however where the book redeems itself. You realize that those forced moments had to be forced to get the book to this point. All together, it's an alright book, but the fact that it's Tod Goldeberg's first novel shows.

However, if you liked this book, you'll love Fight Club. Pick up a copy.

Rating:
Summary: My Review
Review: Fake Liar Cheat is a must read novel. Lonni Milton is your run of the mill loser, and doesnt even know it. That is until Claire steps into the picture. He enjoys her company, and she seems to enjoy his also. As they go galavanting around, stealing meals from expensive restuarants a few times shaving it pretty close. Then he meets the Claire he doesnt like, the one who doesnt like him much either. After running from the police, and getting evicted, all because of her, he still enjoys her company.

Although this book moved kind of fast, it was a pretty great book. I would recommend it to people 17 and under, only because i dont think that an adult would find it interesting.

Rating:
Summary: The Next Generation is Here
Review: Fake Liar Cheat is a wild ride. Tod Goldberg knows his Hollywood and he knows his dead-end jobs and he knows bad, bad, women. Put it all together and you've got one of the funniest books of the year. By far the best MTV title I've read because it isn't filled with GenX angst...instead its filled with actual angst. Besides, any book that contains a line dissing The Real World and is still put out by MTV deserves some measure of credit. A major work by a big time player in the next century of fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: Fake Liar Cheat is, at first glance, a romp through the classier side of Hollywood by two peons pretending to be power players - Claire and Lonnie. Sharp and acerbic, this isn't a premise that can sustain a whole novel. Luckily, Goldberg quickly changes paths and turns this story of two partners in freeloading into a nightmarish existence for the protagonist, who becomes (in a snowballing chain of events) both a murderer and the leader of his own counter-culture movement.

Fast-paced and anti-capitalist, I can see where readers would make the mistake of labeling this a Fight Club clone. But while it's in a similar vein to Tyler Durden's spacemonkeys, Lonnie's following creates itself independently of Lonnie's actions, and isn't really delved into. To me, this signals a missed opportunity for Goldberg, because this tangent is one of the most interesting aspects of the book.

Goldberg builds appropriate tension and despair in the reader through the loveable loser of a protagonist, and makes the sociopathic Claire Gooden into a fascinating character, although we are given little explanation for her actions. However, I feel the build-up isn't merited by the climax, which seems like an abrupt, forced ending to an otherwise enjoyable story of how little crimes done in the name of infatuation can go terribly wrong.

Rating:
Summary: Wild, Fantastic Ride.
Review: I bought this book because the first few pages (the ones you actually get to read while standing in the bookstore) are hilarious. Mr. Goldberg opens his story with an "Office Space"-esque portrayal of the inner workings of a temp agency. Unfortunately, when it's time for the plot to thicken, this novel unravels. The characters are weak, and the action is very unbelievable. By the end, I just didn't care what happened. The relationship between the lead character and his love interest is very forced and unnatural. Overall, this is a mediocre read. I occasionally go back and reread those first few hilarious pages, but there is no way I would consider reading the rest.

Rating:
Summary: Ehhh -- another MTV entry
Review: I don't know, maybe it's me but I just can't seem to get overly excited about these MTV books. They all seem basically they same to me, all pandering to the MTV generation of Britney Spears non-readers. They must be doing a good job though because we keep buying their books.

Fake Liar Cheat was okay. Nothing more than that. It reminded me of other MTV books that I've read in the past in that a lot of its plot lines and characters were unrealistic and underdeveloped. This book does its job of helping to pass the time, but anything beyond that is a stretch. If you're looking for good indie reading that is as believable as it is powerful, then I always recommend reading Dylan Raskin. These MTV books are just for passing time while waiting for the doctor.

Rating:
Summary: Fast Paced, Quick Read
Review: The greatest books are the ones you can't put down. 'Fake, Liar, Cheat' definitely classifies as one of those books. Goldberg does a fantastic job keeping the plot rolling by presenting a character with both disillusioned psychosis and blatant wit. His perspectives of life in LA are poignant and true to life. I foresee problems with reading this book years from now as the references to current times will be out of date; therefore, read it now.

Rating:
Summary: Quick read. Mildly entertaining, but unrealistic.
Review: This book was quite different from what I typically read. In fact, this book seems different from anything I've read before. It raises questions of what any of us would do if put in certain situations - if caught up in a world where we had only dreamed of existing.

Lonnie Milton could have been anybody. It's quite interesting to see how easily he makes himself fit in with all of L.A.'s glitz and glamour. With Claire at his side, he could've been anything he wanted. But when Claire's fantasy world upends itself, Lonnie is left struggling with who he is - trying to find his real self in such a deceptive world.

Some parts of this book aren't always clear on what's actually happening - whether it's going on in Lonnie's head or in reality. Then again, it could be the Vicodin. The ending in particular seemed a bit vague for my taste. I probably would've enjoyed an epilogue wrapping things up a bit more cleanly, but part of me is also glad it isn't clear. That way, my mind can direct the rest of the story however it wants.

Lonnie's cult following is also quite interesting. He seems to have brought people hope that anybody could become somebody important. His story tells people that they can rise above their nothingness, even if only for dinner. I don't quite understand why "Armani-man" was willing to give up his life for that, though. I understand a person rooting for the underdog, but how many people would really be willing to risk their lives for someone who stole a few dinners and could have killed someone? That's one part of the story that just doesn't sit well with me.

Freedom is an interesting theme in this book. On the one hand, Claire gave Lonnie the freedom to be whatever he wanted - to rise above mediocrity and live as someone important. However, the freedoms he took caused his life to spiral in on itself and completely out of his control. Just what amount of freedom can a person have before his freedom causes his own destruction?

In general, I enjoyed reading this book; it was a quick read, and for that short time, brought me into a world I'd never known. I haven't yet decided just how much I like the book though. It provides an interesting story and makes you think how you would react, but there are bits and pieces that just don't seem realistic enough, which prevents it from being a terrific book in my opinion. It's worth the short time it takes to read it and to question your own situation, but it's probably not something I'd read more than once.