The Living End

Rating:
Summary: It's funny, disorienting and haunting.
Review: And you thought Job had it tough? Meet poor Ellerbee, the liquor store owner murdered during a hold-up, who arrives at the Pearly Gates with what the reader thinks has to be a terrific resume. In life, he looked out for the underdog, did the right thing always, even when haggled by his wife. Now, much to his dismay, and the reader's, Ellerbee is rejected and sent to Hell. Was it because he thought heaven "looked like a theme park," or were greater, more obscure cosmic forces already at work? Despite the steady presence of Elkin's sense of humor, one remains troubled and anxious through-out the three stories that comprise the novel. Surely, a just God will appear to render the ethical Ellerbee his due, but when? The author's tone is too light and off-hand for this to be another Kafkesque descent into random madness. Yet when Ellerbee finally gets an audience with the Lord, it doesn't go well. You sold liquor on Sunday, you swore, you even once got an erection from looking at your neighbor's wife, God says. Ellerbee is dumbfounded. For this? I'm going to burn forever for this, he wonders? God is more even more implacable than in the Old Testament. We'd almost prefer the silence of the almighty we've come to expect in the literature of the absurd; at least it leaves open the possibility of wagering on his benign existence. Here God appalls us with his ego-mania and absence of empathy. At the same time we laugh, as God and Ellerbe trade one-liners like an experienced team. The Living End is a hard novel to stop thinking about although the reader would like to. Its implications for resurection and eternal bliss aren't good, but the author's delivery keeps you smiling - and turning the pages.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing but nevertheless fun to read
Review: Stanley Elkin is one of the masters of twentieth century prose. His dialogue is completely believable and the language never comes across as pretentious. The characters in "The Living End" are both realistic and humorous, while the novel explores dark themes. Elkin's vision is a pessimistic one but he never comes across as too "preachy." All in all, an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing but nevertheless fun to read
Review: Stanley Elkin is one of the masters of twentieth century prose. His dialogue is completely believable and the language never comes across as pretentious. The characters in "The Living End" are both realistic and humorous, while the novel explores dark themes. Elkin's vision is a pessimistic one but he never comes across as too "preachy." All in all, an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing but nevertheless fun to read
Review: Stanley Elkin is one of the masters of twentieth century prose. His dialogue is completely believable and the language never comes across as pretentious. The characters in "The Living End" are both realistic and humorous, while the novel explores dark themes. Elkin's vision is a pessimistic one but he never comes across as too "preachy." All in all, an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Back in print ...About Time!
Review: This is Elkin's best work in my opinion. It is sad, funny, chewy, and ridiculous. The humor is so dark you might need a flashlight to make your way but is worth it. Elkin paints hysterical portraits of all your favorite New Testament all-stars. I am so glad that this is back in print and you should be to. If you like Elkin please buy this so his work will stay in print.

Rating:
Summary: BETTER THAN THE BIBLE AND TWICE AS ACCURATE.
Review: This is one of the best books ever written. Elkin hilariously dissects and explodes every tenant of Christianity by slamming the contradictions into one another with perfect timing and accuracy. He paints the dilemmas faced by all believers through the incredibly credible characters he creates : Ellerbee is a good man who didn't believe and so goes to hell, for that and some other petty omissions and indiscretions, while God, thoroughly imperfect as well as a pompous egotist, is a supreme being who likes to be idolized and entertained certain he does not have to defend his inhumanity to man. In Heaven, Joseph does not believe his son, the cripple, is the messiah. This and so many other contradictions and paradoxes roll lightly across the eyes in this little book leaving you to believe you just read a book bigger than any bible. It is a book that you can read in a sitting, but I guarantee you will sit again and again as you reread it finding something new and delightful every time you turn a page.

Rating:
Summary: modern dark comedy at its best
Review: Unlike the last review on this short novel, I will refrain from giving away the story, in that it's the twists and exchanges that make the novel hunorous. The reader is best off receiving those twist and exchanges from Elkin himself, a master of the english language, of communication and of the humor that can be elicited from words. If for no other reason, you should read this novel to see that skill at work.

All said, I admit that I'm not really sure what this novel is about. I think its purpose is to make us question some of the basic foundations of our existence; why we do what we do each day, why we believe what we believe. It surely pokes some fun at our conceptions of religion, history, politics, morals, values and the role of God. It is so ludicrous at times that it seems, at first glance, quite meaningless. But I could not help but think about it long after I finished it. (Certain images and exchanges lingered for years). In total, I have read The Living End maybe a dozen times, and each time I read it, I pick up something new.

Read this book with an open mind. And then read it again.

Rating:
Summary: modern dark comedy at its best
Review: Unlike the last review on this short novel, I will refrain from giving away the story, in that it's the twists and exchanges that make the novel hunorous. The reader is best off receiving those twist and exchanges from Elkin himself, a master of the english language, of communication and of the humor that can be elicited from words. If for no other reason, you should read this novel to see that skill at work.

All said, I admit that I'm not really sure what this novel is about. I think its purpose is to make us question some of the basic foundations of our existence; why we do what we do each day, why we believe what we believe. It surely pokes some fun at our conceptions of religion, history, politics, morals, values and the role of God. It is so ludicrous at times that it seems, at first glance, quite meaningless. But I could not help but think about it long after I finished it. (Certain images and exchanges lingered for years). In total, I have read The Living End maybe a dozen times, and each time I read it, I pick up something new.

Read this book with an open mind. And then read it again.

Rating:
Summary: You'll never read another book like this...
Review: Wait, is that a compliment or a putdown?

Stanley Elkin's deceivingly short novel is not a quick read. I made the mistake of reading it to and fro my train rides to work and at lunch, and, I must say, the life around me was something of a distraction from Elkin's humurous and terrifying depiction of the afterlife. Imagine reading run-on sentences like the above over and over again, thinking to yourself, "It's short... it's short... just finish reading out of respect and move on to the next book." And then imagine sentences, unlike the aboves, fill'd with wacky words that make you wish you spent more time doing crossword puzzles and that little Quiz at the end of Reader's Digest.

I'm not saying that Elkin was laboriously thesauring away, trying hard to impress the reader with his vocabulary, or syntax, or ideas, but I am saying that this book requires something of a commitment.

So I gave it one.

I reread the novel, and I picked up on some of what I was missing before. "Oh, THAT'S who Lesefario was...".

And I looked down upon my finish'd book. And it was good.

My advice follows: keep reading 'till the end. The last few lines are killer. If you feel disheartened, imagine C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters" and what a bore that was. Then imagine Woody Allen writing it, without slapstick, and get back to the novel at hand, my boy... And if you want to feel good about yourself for reading a book of some substance, remember that Oprah will never, EVER, recommend this one...

Rating:
Summary: You'll never read another book like this...
Review: Wait, is that a compliment or a putdown?

Stanley Elkin's deceivingly short novel is not a quick read. I made the mistake of reading it to and fro my train rides to work and at lunch, and, I must say, the life around me was something of a distraction from Elkin's humurous and terrifying depiction of the afterlife. Imagine reading run-on sentences like the above over and over again, thinking to yourself, "It's short... it's short... just finish reading out of respect and move on to the next book." And then imagine sentences, unlike the aboves, fill'd with wacky words that make you wish you spent more time doing crossword puzzles and that little Quiz at the end of Reader's Digest.

I'm not saying that Elkin was laboriously thesauring away, trying hard to impress the reader with his vocabulary, or syntax, or ideas, but I am saying that this book requires something of a commitment.

So I gave it one.

I reread the novel, and I picked up on some of what I was missing before. "Oh, THAT'S who Lesefario was...".

And I looked down upon my finish'd book. And it was good.

My advice follows: keep reading 'till the end. The last few lines are killer. If you feel disheartened, imagine C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters" and what a bore that was. Then imagine Woody Allen writing it, without slapstick, and get back to the novel at hand, my boy... And if you want to feel good about yourself for reading a book of some substance, remember that Oprah will never, EVER, recommend this one...