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cdhotwing's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
couuboy's review
5.0
You look around at the world one day and notice that time and time again a sort of bleak and condescending cynicism/irony wheedles it's way into different artistic mediums acting as a performative digest of all the social problems of our shallow, materialistic, stultifying (et cetera, et cetera,.) world.
Everyone already observes this in the world, and it seems these instances (e.g. edgy tv shows, faddish books, stand up comedy routines - particularly the loud ones) serve only to reassure us of our perceived knowledge of cultural discourse. In these instances the characters are generally all flat and tropey and try to get away with remaining two-dimensional as if that in itself is a part of the ironic commentary.
This book is bleak and we know the main character is irredeemable and perhaps at times a credible mimesis of what is wrong with this world, but this book definitely does not belong in the same category with the aforementioned condescending cynical instances. He's not flat and this isn't a book that panders to the self-centred and performative smugness that encompasses the other kind of bad art.
I'll defer to a quote by the authority himself, DFW, to wrap this review up: "Look man, we’d probably most of us agree that these are dark times, and stupid ones, but do we need fiction that does nothing but dramatize how dark and stupid everything is? In dark times, the definition of good art would seem to be art that locates and applies CPR to those elements of what’s human and magical that still live and glow despite the times’ darkness. Really good fiction could have as dark a worldview as it wished, but it’d find a way both to depict this world and to illuminate the possibilities for being alive and human in it."
Everyone already observes this in the world, and it seems these instances (e.g. edgy tv shows, faddish books, stand up comedy routines - particularly the loud ones) serve only to reassure us of our perceived knowledge of cultural discourse. In these instances the characters are generally all flat and tropey and try to get away with remaining two-dimensional as if that in itself is a part of the ironic commentary.
This book is bleak and we know the main character is irredeemable and perhaps at times a credible mimesis of what is wrong with this world, but this book definitely does not belong in the same category with the aforementioned condescending cynical instances. He's not flat and this isn't a book that panders to the self-centred and performative smugness that encompasses the other kind of bad art.
I'll defer to a quote by the authority himself, DFW, to wrap this review up: "Look man, we’d probably most of us agree that these are dark times, and stupid ones, but do we need fiction that does nothing but dramatize how dark and stupid everything is? In dark times, the definition of good art would seem to be art that locates and applies CPR to those elements of what’s human and magical that still live and glow despite the times’ darkness. Really good fiction could have as dark a worldview as it wished, but it’d find a way both to depict this world and to illuminate the possibilities for being alive and human in it."
eroticoffee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jcarlosa's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
rlintott's review
2.0
Really an appalling step backwards in the Heller oeuvre. It is the stream-of-consciousness of Bob Slocum, a middle-aged man in the late 60s/early 70s who is having troubles with his family. And his job. And the confluence of the two. And his hair. And his penis. And we, the unlucky reader, get a lot of focus on that last one. If I am going to read a book full of the prurient thoughts of a middle-aged man, I'll read God Knows, Heller's gut-bustingly funny tale of King David. Bob Slocum however, is essentially a slightly modernized and immensely more sexed-up version of George F. Babbit.
In fact, Babbit and Something Happened have a lot in common. Both drag on too long, and both are very much "everyman" tales. Yet Lewis was able to pull it off much better than Heller did.
The book didn't get one star though, because there are times when you catch glimpses of Heller at his best. At times the prose has an almost lyrical quality, and some of the humor is vintage Heller.
That said, these bright moments are something akin to finding a penny in a pile of manure. Sure, it's shiny. And compared to the rest of the surroundings it's beautiful. But do you really want to be covered in crap for a penny?
In fact, Babbit and Something Happened have a lot in common. Both drag on too long, and both are very much "everyman" tales. Yet Lewis was able to pull it off much better than Heller did.
The book didn't get one star though, because there are times when you catch glimpses of Heller at his best. At times the prose has an almost lyrical quality, and some of the humor is vintage Heller.
That said, these bright moments are something akin to finding a penny in a pile of manure. Sure, it's shiny. And compared to the rest of the surroundings it's beautiful. But do you really want to be covered in crap for a penny?
josh_paul's review
4.0
Takes a long time to get through, depressing as hell, boring in places, yet somehow worth reading.
mcfade28's review against another edition
5.0
A truly excellent novel from the author of Catch 22. Written with the same satiric style, this novel follows the rather tedious life of Bob Slocum. He is an office worker, who loves office politics and dislikes three quarters of his immediate family members. Nothing much happens until the end of this 600 page novel, and we simply listen to Slocum's monologue about his life.
He's not meant to be likeable (although I did find his dry humour hilarious in parts). He is a rambling middle age man who is prone to rambling and repeating himself. There sexism is rife, and there is casual racism abounds. The book is partially a product of its time but most of the characters are just awful people.
He's not meant to be likeable (although I did find his dry humour hilarious in parts). He is a rambling middle age man who is prone to rambling and repeating himself. There sexism is rife, and there is casual racism abounds. The book is partially a product of its time but most of the characters are just awful people.