Rating: 
Summary: Edwin Mullhouse and The Emporer's New Clothes
Review: After reading the reviews that others have posted, I can't help but be reminded of the fable "The Emperor's New Clothes". The swindler manages to convince everyone that his clothes are the most beautiful, most breathtaking and most fabulous when in reality there is literally nothing there to speak of- everyone is naked!
I found Edwin Mullhouse to be tedious; I don't care about the lifespan of a lonely bookcase and its travels from one room to another in the Mullhouse home. I groaned every time I encountered another list; I understand that the author was making an attempt at humor but it just didn't work for me.
Edwin was a mediocre boy with a mediocre life. I do suspect that he had some sort of mental illness, however. If my child displayed such a strange and unhealthy fixation as Edwin did with his writing, I would have had him on the psychologist's couch.
Another reviewer compared this book to the television show "The Wonder Years". Ahhh, if only it were that good. The characters in Mullhouse were no where near as endearing or memorable. I honestly didn't care anything about them; I certainly wasn't emotionally invested in them. The Wonder Years brought about powerful nostalgic feelings that this book only scratched the surface of. The author's lists, which did strike some memories of childhood, only made me fidgety. I did read them in their entirety but honestly couldn't wait to get through them. If only I possessed the proverbial editor's red pen.
And the ending...I won't reveal it here and I certainly don't want to ruin anyone's joy and surprise, but give me a break.
I will say that there was one sentence that DID spark a little nostalgia in me. It referred to "the Easter egg blue sky and the cellophane grass". Very nice.
In summation, I suppose a certain amount of scholarly and educated dribble can make something appear much more fabulous than it really is and this is the case with "Edwin Mullhouse". Mullhouse is mediocre at best.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: Edwin Mullhouse was a wonderful book. Millhauser carefully weaves his story through the voice of Jeffrey, a young biographer. Millhauser's descriptions are beautiful and perfect. Some questions to keep in mind while reading this novel, is Jeffrey really who he says he is, and is Edwin really who Jeffrey portrays him as? Would Edwin exist without Jeffrey? This story cannot be taken at face value, the true meaning lies behind the words. A great read!
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: Edwin Mullhouse was a wonderful book. Millhauser carefully weaves his story through the voice of Jeffrey, a young biographer. Millhauser's descriptions are beautiful and perfect. Some questions to keep in mind while reading this novel, is Jeffrey really who he says he is, and is Edwin really who Jeffrey portrays him as? Would Edwin exist without Jeffrey? This story cannot be taken at face value, the true meaning lies behind the words. A great read!
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy That Is More Vivid Than Life
Review: I just finished reading the other readers' reviews of this book. I want to add just one more thing. Upon reading the book a second time, I was so involved with the characters that I was actually hoping for a happier ending this time. Of course, no such ending would have been as satisfying as the one Millhauser produced, but my connection with Edwin was so strong that I couldn't help wanting him to triumph.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic piece of work; wonderfully original!
Review: I loved this book. It is one of the most original pieces of work I've read in years. It masterfully blends truth and fiction in such a way that you are drawn into the life story of Edwin Mullhouse. Beyond the descriptive imagery, which is fantastic, and brought back many of my own memories of childhood, this book plays with form, in that it is a FICTIONAL account written in the style of a classic English biography. The narrator is a child, but writes in an adult manner, giving detailed accounts and analysis to such events in Edwin's life as how he learned to speak, his first comic book, and the first great love of his life (in 1st grade).This juxtaposition of adult analysis with childish feelings, toys, and concerns makes a great new form of "fictional biography" I also loved the "physicality" of words that exists in this work. Edwin, just learning to write, can't help seeing words as pictures. For example, "yellow" is a boat with a rudder and two smoke stacks and "bed" is two fat men looking at each other over a table. Edwin is fascinated with cartoons and comics and writes his masterpiece, "Cartoons" when he is just 11. This is basically a very detailed account of a cartoon. I LOVED IT! To "read" a cartoon and see it in your head as you read brings a new dimension to the printed page. The words become images and the images are words. Great reading, and highly recommended for any serious writer or anyone who wants to remember their childhood....(note: I picked up this book when I heard Charles Frazier was reading it; he wrote Cold Mountain---not only a great author, but a great book critic it seems ;)
Rating:
Summary: There was a Millhauser in your 3rd Grade Class
Review: I've read many of Edwin Millhauser's other works before I finally tackled his debut novel, "Edwin Mullhouse..." I cannot acclaim this book enough. Millhauser is at his best when he massages out of a mundane object your own memory of the same childhood artifact or rite. The connection of experience between character and reader is eerie. Read this book twice. The first time, assume that Jeffrey Cartwright (Edwin's biographer) exists. The second time, assume Jeffrey does not exist; that he is Edwin's imaginary friend. I don't know which the author intended. I lean towards the latter.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book ever
Review: If you are a fan of great dark, funny, intense, deep fiction then this is what you need to read. It is honestly my favorite book I have ever read. Not for everyone though. Some people just don't want to go to those recesses of the mind and stay there for that long. I, on the other hand, love it. It makes me feel that much more alive.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book ever
Review: If you are a fan of great dark, funny, intense, deep fiction then this is what you need to read. It is honestly my favorite book I have ever read. Not for everyone though. Some people just don't want to go to those recesses of the mind and stay there for that long. I, on the other hand, love it. It makes me feel that much more alive.
Rating: 
Summary: First Rate Novel
Review: It's like PALE FIRE meets THE WONDER YEARS. First rate!
Rating: 
Summary: My least favorite Millhauser
Review: Let me start by saying that Millhauser is one of my all-time favorite authors; however I was very disappointed by this book. It wasn't the story that let me down, or the characters, but Millhauser's writing. Don't get me wrong, he writes beautiful descriptions, and really brings you back to days of your childhood. The problem is that his writing does not refelect the central conceit of the book - that this is a book written by an eleven year old. Millhauser is an excellent adult writer; his writing in this book is also very good adult writing. At no point will you believe this was written by a child. If this had been presented as the reminisence of Jeffrey's childhood, I wouldn't have constantly been jerked out of the world Milhauser builds here. That said, there is a great story here. The main theme of the book which deals with the reliabilty of information and the filtering by its source. From the other reviews I've read I'm not sure if everyone arrives at the same conclusions about what has occured. If you do read this book, I would recommend paying much more attention to Jeffery than Edwin - that's where the real story lies.
|
