Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put it down.
Review: I didn't LOVE this book, but I still could not find myself to put it down. It was interesting, and at times, even good, but I just could not in anyway identify myself with any of the characters because they all seemed a little inconsistant and, well, fictional. This book allowed me to pass the time, and I did finish it, so I have to give it points for keeping my intrest. I was deeply dissapointed in the ending, though.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring ... Good Thing It's a Fast Read
Review: I had relatively high expectations; lots of 4 and 5 star reviews on line, the newspapers loved it, the consensus seemed to be "hilarious." I found very little entertaining in this book. The characters alternated between flaky and cliche, and the story never once even caused me to crack a smile. I tried in vain to detect some sort of existential underpinning here -- Justin's oral obsession as a reaction to his reluctance to act, his choosing not to choose. This was never flushed out (and may not have been intended; alas, opportunity lost). The plot was horrendously thin, the characters flat, the story completely unengaging. The novel didn't raise any questions and didn't ask me to think about anything. Did the writer even have a message? I give 2 stars because (mercifully) I finished it in one night.
Rating: 
Summary: Thumbersucker and then some
Review: Justin Cobb tried EVERYTHING to stop sucking his thumb. Finally his dentist suggests hypnosis. After this hypnosis (performed by the dentist) Justin seems to forgo thumbsucking, but the story doesn't end there. Justin turns to sex, drugs, fishing, working,speech team, and even Mormonism to relieve his neurotic energy. On another visit to his dentist, he is diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder. With each of his new obsessions, Justin is thrown into another dilemma.
This book has a great dose of humor while it tackles some serious issues. In one part, Justin goes with a girlfriend to buy drugs. The dealer puts a baby in a box and blows marijuana smoke in the box. After leaving, Justin and his friend plot to kidnap the kid and turn it over to authorities. Of course, nothing in Justin's life goes as planned and it has a humorous twist. This is just one of many adventures that Justin faces during this book.
As if Justin's personal problems aren't enough for him to dea with, throw in his essentric family. You can't go wrong with this book!
Rating:
Summary: Thumbersucker and then some
Review: Justin Cobb tried EVERYTHING to stop sucking his thumb. Finally his dentist suggests hypnosis. After this hypnosis (performed by the dentist) Justin seems to forgo thumbsucking, but the story doesn't end there. Justin turns to sex, drugs, fishing, working,speech team, and even Mormonism to relieve his neurotic energy. On another visit to his dentist, he is diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder. With each of his new obsessions, Justin is thrown into another dilemma.
This book has a great dose of humor while it tackles some serious issues. In one part, Justin goes with a girlfriend to buy drugs. The dealer puts a baby in a box and blows marijuana smoke in the box. After leaving, Justin and his friend plot to kidnap the kid and turn it over to authorities. Of course, nothing in Justin's life goes as planned and it has a humorous twist. This is just one of many adventures that Justin faces during this book.
As if Justin's personal problems aren't enough for him to dea with, throw in his essentric family. You can't go wrong with this book!
Rating:
Summary: One Thumb Up
Review: Oral fixations, family dysfunctions and other psychobuzzian concepts plump out the story of Justin's high school years in Walter Kirn's Thumbsucker. Thumb sucking, whiskey drinking, fly fishing, toke smoking and bible thumping play a big part in this story which is less about coming of age, and more about resisting coming of age. Walter Kirn's prose is clear and interesting and the Midwestern setting vivid. But his characterization of Justin is inconsistent. I found it very difficult to understand what motivated Justin as Kirn sped him through the years of his adolescence. On one page he was out to score pot and a scant hundred pages later he was striding up a mountain to save his father's life with scarcely any explanation for his behavior in between. Although the incidents of this book were fun to read, they didn't work together well as a novel, so I can't quite give it two thumbs up.
Rating: 
Summary: Simple, but funny
Review: Such a fun read! I think I read the whole thing in one sitting. A coming-of-age novel set in the 80's with a boy dealing with his parents whom he is not allowed to call Mom or Dad (for fear that they'll look old to each other), insane grandparents, retainer stories, Mormon bus trips, and a dentist who can change his life. Minus one star for the simplicity and short length - but a great "beach book."
Rating:
Summary: Thumbsucker
Review: This story takes place in Minnesota, during the Reagan era in the 1980's. It is the story of 16 year old Justin Cobb and his journey to find his place in this world, and in his family. Justin has an addictive personality and moves from thumbsucking through alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, speech team, Ritalin, fly-fishing, and Mormonism, all with great gusto. he quickly gives 100% to a particular addiction, only to find his satisfaction wane after awhile. Because this book is written in first-person, we are privy to Justin's thoughts on himself and other people in his life. This is an entertaining book, although there are graphic drug experiences and crude language (not the usual bad language used). There are several instances in this book where I just don't understand why Walter Kirn wrote what he wrote, (i.e. what happened when Justin and his friend went to get drugs). I would recommend it for a mature high school audience.
Rating:
Summary: Psych out
Review: This was a great read. The characters are hilarious, with my favorites being Mike and Grandma. I'll be buying more of Walter Kirn.
Rating:
Summary: There Are Worse Habits
Review: THUMBSUCKER started off great--I liked the narrator Justin from the first page. But then it sort of fizzled. I gave it two stars only because, like Saturday Night Live, it just didn't sustain the humor and energy that grabbed me in the beginning. The funniest passage is his description of a nocturnal trip in his grandparents' motorhome. There were a few other sections where I laughed out loud, but it always seemed that the reader was held at arm's length, so I couldn't feel Justin's adolesence anguish. I think this book would have been much better if it had been edited a little more tightly, or if the grandparents--and other peripheral characters--had more page-space. Read this if you're going on a long bus trip. It's not a great book, but it's not a bad book, either.
Rating:
Summary: Good!
Review: Thumbsucker was surprisingly good. Justin Cobb was basically a screw-up and the book narrates how he deals with the challenges he faced. There were many funny scenes involving Justin and his family. The book was hilarious.
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