Rating: 
Summary: Reading Group Notes- Martha's & Alice's Notes in the Margin
Review: Characters Lara, Andrew, Jake and Horance Jacob Little are destined to remain prominent in our minds. Thankfully, Jake survived, bloody and reborn, to describe the "way down" and what a tale he told --one that begs to be discussed by a reading group. This is a book written by a booklover, writing about an author who refuses to believe that he has given up his rights to privacy. He defends the act of writing as a solitary and private act. We think that the author behind the author, David Czuchlewski, might be amused and pleased when his book comes full circle to the reading group where the solidary act of reading is shared. Your reading group will admire the plot which is moved forward as a particular book is shared. It is handed from one person to another and Andrew grows to admire this shared book because his love, Lara, has left scattered annotations and underlinings in the shared book. And Andrew concludes, "If Lara admired this writer as much as I did, well, so much more evidence that we were meant for each other." We loved this book for its crisp manner and its ability to capture obsession on the page. We think that these two quotes, which are our favorites, define obsessive love and loss, "The fate of the world was tied up with the rightness of my hand on the small of her back." " Glen's hand rested gently on the small of Lara's back. . . " Our interesting word selection is the simple word "smile". Your group might want to study how people smile in this short tale and how Lara smiles but does not laugh and how Jake could hear a delusional undercurrent beneath Lara's smile and finally how Lara let the smile on her face die. Finally, in order to convince our reading group that this youthful author did in fact write this crisp tale of intrigue we invite him to join our reading group for a lively discussion. Our intent would not be to discover any ruse but to admire and share as we pass The Muse Asylum from reader to reader. Mr. Czuchlewski, would you please join us? Martha Burns and Alice Dillon are the authors of Reading Group Journal: Notes in the Margin. They meet monthly with their reading groups in NJ and Oregon.
Rating: 
Summary: A Promising Idea, Marred by Poor Writing
Review: Czuchlewski has written a novel that has all the ingedients for an entertaining, self-consciously "postmodern" novel, but his prose is unpolished---actually, it's just plain bad (full of cliches and clunky exposition). The plot has some holes, and the ending is not as "shocking" as another reviewer has said, but the novel is full of Borges-like ideas. Frankly, you're better off just reading Borges. The Muse Asylum reads like a Paul Auster novel ghostwritten by John Grisham. It contains too much expository dialogue, and too many "clever" touches--Does anyone actually believe for a second that patients and staff at a mental facility for the artistically gifted would refer to the place as "the Muse Asylum"???--David, you're straining your narrative credibility with that one (as well as the totally inconceivable idea that a reclusive author would, after being photographed and confronted at his apartment, not move into a new place---clearly he didn't stay hidden for decades by being that stupid!). I hope Czuchlewski continues to publish novels, because he clearly has some great ideas. I just hope that his prose improves enough to tell his story with some style next time.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent first novel
Review: David Czuchlewski has opened a promising career with an excellent first novel. The saying "easy reading is hard writing" comes to mind with the Muse Asylum, for it reads so well and so smoothly that Mr. Czuchlewski's work deserves high praise. It is a story told from the point of view of two different charactors - often they retell the same stories with eerie disagreement. The plot bends and twists, but keeps the reader along for the ride and ends with a very clever finish. Bravo Mr. Czuchlewski. Good luck on your next novel!
Rating:
Summary: A very Good Read
Review: David Czuchlewski writes in a beautiful and poetic voice. But don't let that scare you. The plot here is awsome, too. He uses believable characters and beautiful scenes to wrap his fictional world around us like a panoramic screen. I couldn't put it down. A wonderful book...READ IT!
Rating:
Summary: A very Good Read
Review: David Czuchlewski writes in a beautiful and poetic voice. But don't let that scare you. The plot here is awsome, too. He uses believable characters and beautiful scenes to wrap his fictional world around us like a panoramic screen. I couldn't put it down. A wonderful book...READ IT!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Suspenseful First Novel
Review: David Czuchlewski's "The Muse Asylum" is one of the best books I've read this year, and I'm an English major...so that's really saying something! I am, of course, interested in writers and publishing, so the premise of a mysterious reclusive writer was quite appealing to me. I was surprised to slowly discover as the book progressed that the story was less about the writer than his effect on those whose lives he touched. I could easily sympathize with the narrator, Jake, and understand his feelings as he attempted to discover the truth behind the confusion of the things that happen to him and to Andrew. What I most loved about "The Muse Asylum" is that it constantly left me feeling slightly off-balance. There is never really a moment in the novel when you feel like you know exactly what is going on, even at the ending. You even begin to wonder if what happened really happened or if it was only an illusion of some sort. The reviewer later on this page who is wondering if Czuchlewski actually exists illustrates perfectly how the novel encourages you to question what you are told is reality. Creativity, madness, and a plot that should surprise even the most experienced of readers..."The Muse Asylum" is an incredibly strong first novel and well worth picking up.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Suspenseful First Novel
Review: David Czuchlewski's "The Muse Asylum" is one of the best books I've read this year, and I'm an English major...so that's really saying something! I am, of course, interested in writers and publishing, so the premise of a mysterious reclusive writer was quite appealing to me. I was surprised to slowly discover as the book progressed that the story was less about the writer than his effect on those whose lives he touched. I could easily sympathize with the narrator, Jake, and understand his feelings as he attempted to discover the truth behind the confusion of the things that happen to him and to Andrew. What I most loved about "The Muse Asylum" is that it constantly left me feeling slightly off-balance. There is never really a moment in the novel when you feel like you know exactly what is going on, even at the ending. You even begin to wonder if what happened really happened or if it was only an illusion of some sort. The reviewer later on this page who is wondering if Czuchlewski actually exists illustrates perfectly how the novel encourages you to question what you are told is reality. Creativity, madness, and a plot that should surprise even the most experienced of readers..."The Muse Asylum" is an incredibly strong first novel and well worth picking up.
Rating:
Summary: Human interest story ruins yet another good plot
Review: DO NOT BE FOOLED! This book is not about the search for an enigmatic author. It's about a love-triangle between a loser reporter with no direction in life, a young woman searching for meaning by sleeping around, and a mental patient. Three ... college grads pretend to have problems, if I wanted that I'd have stayed in the real world.
Rating:
Summary: A Lucky Find
Review: Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile. I have a really bad tendency of not being able to find a novel that holds my interest, so reading the Muse Asylum was a true joy. I literally picked this up off the shelf and read it in no time. The author does a masterful job of defining his characters and using literary prose throughout the backdrop of the story of a reclusive author amidst the parallels of sanity and insanity. At only 225 pp. this book leaves you wishing for more. AND THE ENDING IS FANTASTIC!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant First Novel
Review: Every year, I make it a point to read a few first novels. I think it is important to support our literary future. Usually, the first novels I read are good but not particularly special. Here is an exception--David Czuchlewski has written a truly wonderful novel, first novel or no. In this novel, Czuchlewski tells the story of the search for a very reclusive writer named Horace Jacob Little. The search is carried on by a two young men--Jake Burnett, a young writer for a newspaper, and Andrew Wallace, who is certain Horace Jacob Little is out to get him. This lands the brilliant, though unstable, Wallace in the "muse asylum" of the title. The link between these two young men is Lara, the girl with whom they are both in love. Needless to say, I don't want to give away any of the twists and turns of this novel. Let me just say that the writing here is wonderful. The characters are clearly drawn and, in Andrew, I found one of the most realistic depictions of madness in recent years. The plot is clever and Czuchlewski sustains the tension throughout the book. I am usually very good at predicting how novels will end but this one surprised me to the last pages. I was especially glad that Czuchlewski opted for what I would call a "realistic" ending when I was fully prepared to accept the bizarre to the point of the supernatural. Instead, I believed that everything I read could happen. Even though it's not a particularly long book (and I dislike this trend towards superficial haste in modern novels), it is a deep and solid whole. It is a quick read but better than the typical thriller. I must admit, I'm already looking forward to novel number two.
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