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Summary: I Wanna be a Minna Man
Review: I don't have Tourette's but after reading this book I can see that my mind works in much the same way as Lethem describes Lionel Essrog's. I want to hire on with the Minna Men and answer the phone: "no cars". I want to walk the streets and talk the talk of a 1930s detective in today's Brooklyn neighborhoods. This book takes you on a ride inside the mind of a man who's inability to control his "Tourette's brain" makes every moment a challenge and the next moment a surprise. The writing is superb and the story had my attention throughout. I have just started with Lethem and now I want to read everything he's written.
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Summary: Tourette's away
Review: Great book. Lethem describes Tourette's with the humor and love of someone who has it or has a loved one with it. He uses it as a marvelous vehicle for character development. Funny engaging book. Highly recommended.
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Summary: A New York Nothing
Review: A small life in a big place doesn't mean it isn't a fascinating life. Lethem knows his tics and puts them in your head. Excellent read.
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Summary: Engaging voice drives beach book
Review: Lethem's "Motherless Brooklyn" is a classic mystery with a twist. Its narrator has Tourette's syndrome, and his condition emerges on the page in the form of a jerking, twitching narrative.While the story itself is undistinguished - it's a P.I. book, no more, no less - the main character, Lionel Essrog, has one of the most distinct and memorable voices in contemporary literature. His brain is like another character, a comic genius who always does the unexpected. And it's this character, the Tourettic madman, that makes the story so enjoyable. The fool, the jester, the clown acting up in a mob-run Brooklyn neighborhood, tracking down criminals, and meeting girls. A great summer read.
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Summary: lethem's incredible
Review: The writing is excellent and original, but the story and plot isn't all that inspired. Sweet main character with few chances in life who makes good. It's hard not to like Lionel Essrog, but Lethem didn't go deep enough. We're teased. I was a little disappointed.
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Summary: BAILEY!!
Review: i looovveddd this book! this is one of my favorite books now and i recommend this book to people who want to be amused and like detective-type books. the difference with this book and others is that the main character has tourettic syndrome, spitting out random words or phrases and have abnormal responses to things. this book is unique and will give u a chill near the end. and there's a ton of food involved! reminds me of Ocean's 11, Brad Pitt eating all the time ^_^
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Summary: Brilliant Reinvention of Hard-Boiled Genre
Review: From the prose, you know right away Lethem is no mere genre writer. In this book, he subverts the hard-boiled genre while tipping his hat to it - what results is a delightful modern book that is as intensely gripping as it is witty. In taking on the hard-boiled genre, Lethem takes on the burden of (*gasp*) actually working out a plot. It's refreshing to see a literary writer who is unscrupulous about shaping a plot. And the story is a good one. Lionel Essrog, a 'disciple' of Frank Minna who leads him and three others in a hapless detective agency, has to solve the murder of his mentor which he only witnessed through a wire tap. The story structure follows the hard-boiled structure of Chandler. But the characters and situations themselves are ingenious and hilariously modern. Lionel Essrog, in my mind, is one of the most memorable characters in contemporary fiction. The Tourette's Syndrome he has is not just a gimmick, but a vent for Lethem to deploy narrative pyrotechnics. The subconscious rants and tangents of thought are made transparent in this book. It's a brilliant move on the part of Lethem. One of the more lasting strengths of "Motherless Brooklyn" is its sweetness and earnestness. Lionel is as honest and emotional character as any we have had in recent fiction. As he remembers and yearns for (and to be like) his mentor Frank Minna, his release of emotion is straightforward and even, sentimental. It parallels Lethem's nostalgia for the old hard-boiled characters in Chandler's books and the style of writing itself (he directly quotes him a couple of times.) It's a beautiful tribute to a bygone era, a different time.
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Summary: An excellent book
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a detective/small-time mobster who has turrette's. The dialogue is fresh and fast-paced, as is the action. The only flaw with the book - it ends.
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Summary: unforgettable
Review: The narrator, Lionel Essrog, is a character you won't soon forget. I finished the book several months ago and am still thinking about it and about this character. No, it's not much of a detective story, although Lethem does a good job at using those stereotypes, but that's not the point. It's really about getting into Lionel's world and walking around in it for awhile. Fascinating, engrossing, yes, and endearing. You can't help but come to love "freakboy." The book is so well-written, it's admirable. Lethem's use of language to both depict Lionel and describe the events is truly brilliant. It's also clever--many of Lionel's seemingly uncontrollable utterances are actually quite meaningful and poignant. Loved it from an emotional level and appreciated it on an intellectual level too--the best of both worlds!
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Summary: "It's a Tourette's thing--you wouldn't understand."
Review: Yet, Jonathan Lethem makes us understand. This is a brilliant work, filled with completely fleshed out characters, a crazy, creative plot, and a murder mystery wrapped in a sense of the absurd. Lionel Essrog is the central character with Tourette's syndrome, and I cannot say enough superlatives about his characterization and dialogue. I found myself thinking about Lionel long after I finished the book; the tics, the words, the creativity, I can't say enough good things about this work. What a great book that balances prose, plot, characters, and originality. This book is unforgettable.
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