A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)
Grove Press - Grove Press
Release date: 1994-01-21
Paperback
Author: John Kennedy Toole
Modern fiction, Fiction, Fiction - General, Literary, Fiction / Classics, Humorous, Humorous stories, Mothers and sons, New Orleans (La.), Young men
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A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)
Date undefinedHaving been smitten by this book in my twenties, I figured it was time to re-visit it in my forties. Big mistake. While still a ridiculous tragi-comedy, it must have been a slow year in 1981 for Pulitzer Prize contenders. Maybe I just know too many people with Ignatius Reilly tendencies now. Perhaps the book's editors couldn't bring themselves to tighten up the work of a dead author. Anyway I cut it, I found it tiresome on second reading (though I will admit to laughing out loud repeatedly).
A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)
Date undefinedSomeone compared this disaster to the Seinfeld tv series, and I suppose I would agree. I never had much appreciation for Seinfeld and its desperate grasps at comedy; just so, Confederacy of Dunces relies largely on slapstick, nerve grating characters, and meandering plot. The book drags on and on--the climax, that should indicate an easy, swift road to the conclusion, is so backward that the last 20 pages will be even harder to read through than some of the middle 20 pages.
In all fairness, there was some effective comedic elements; the voices of the characters were unique, and the language was elegant. Its hard to say exactly why this greatly lauded, Pulitzer Prize winning novel failed to live up to my expectations, what literary mechanics failed Toole, but I would approach the reading of this book with a grain of salt or two. Not something I would ever read twice.
A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)
Date undefinedThis book was suggested to me by a friend who absolutely raved about its comic genius. Well, I couldn't wait to read it! Afterall, we have fairly similar taste in books.
After forcing myself to get through the first 100 pages, hoping it would get better, I just had to stop. This book was hands-down, the LEAST funny book I have ever read in my entire life. Eventually, trying to actually read it and not skim became completely impossible.
The story jumps from location to location so much that I wondered what was even going on and why the author chose to throw in the "bar" location. The main character is horrendously annoying and not even in a funny way, in a grotesque, childish manner. And God help you during the breaks in which Ignatius writes page after page of intensely boring "stories". This book was much too over-the-top for me and I agree with another reviewer that unless you're into "farts and burps" and finger licking this book is not for you.
