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katefort's review against another edition
1.0
I did not finish this book. I know it's received praise from all over the place, and it was the LBC's "Read This!" book from the summer, but I got half way through and still wasn't enjoying it.
I don't think the author did what he intended to do, I thought it was too clever by half and while parts were funny, mostly I found it annoying. I guess my sense of humor slips a little in his portrayal of the "Indians"--with the title JAMESTOWN, I wasn't sure if this was allegory, or satire, or farce, or all three. In any case, I found it problematic at best.
I don't think the author did what he intended to do, I thought it was too clever by half and while parts were funny, mostly I found it annoying. I guess my sense of humor slips a little in his portrayal of the "Indians"--with the title JAMESTOWN, I wasn't sure if this was allegory, or satire, or farce, or all three. In any case, I found it problematic at best.
ohsixthirty's review against another edition
1.0
If you'd like to read a book about crippling diarrhea, frequent ejaculation, profuse vomiting, and bloody death after bloody death mixed in with a story of pillaging the "Indians" for their resources with no remorse then this is the story for you. However, if you happen to have even an ounce of good taste, I'd recommend skipping this mess.
kelseyo's review against another edition
4.0
postmodern, postapocalyptic storyline and writing style. what more could a girl ask for? manages to disturb and amaze simultaneously.
deadwolfbones's review against another edition
4.0
Sporadically brilliant. I like it a ton, mostly because it's the closest thing I've found to a Barthelme novel/story that wasn't actually written by Barthelme. Reminded me quite a bit of "Cortes & Montezuma," in particular, and for reasons beyond the superficial associations.
I'll be very interested to see what he does next.
***
"All right let me take a guess as to what a guy like you could possibly want when you steal into my tent at midnight, give me back my wireless device, and sing a song of love, and by the way don't ever sing. And move your mouth away from mine, your breath is foul, it's hot in here. You know what love is because you've studied it, not because you've felt it. You never will. You know what love is? It's this insidious thing that infects your eyes and ears, spreads to every inch of skin, the follicles of hair on the skin, the lips, the tongue, a hundred million microscopic organisms crawling on you. They commandeer the hollow of your thorax and your guts, your arms, your legs, your head, and other extremities. You cease to be yourself. You are now a vessel of impressions and thoughts of the person you love, of wishes for her, of dreams of her. You're jealous of the air she breathes because she takes it inside her all day and needs it to live; it becomes her, as you want to. You case your thoughts of her and you an hour, a day, a week, a year, a hundred years into the future. No thought has the power to push itself as far into the future as the thought of love--not even thoughts of fame, or wealth, or death. You with me so far, Smith?"
"No."
"Of course you're not, but listen. It can happen--and this is what you want to happen--that this same love is extracted from the bodies of the ones it has possessed, and is used as an expedient to link one family to another, one town to another, one corporation to another, and then it follows not the paths of thought and flesh but those of trade and law, and is meant to replace but really just precedes and facilitates the theft, murder, and rape of one swarm of men by another that goes by the name of history. That's why you're giving this back to me."
I'll be very interested to see what he does next.
***
"All right let me take a guess as to what a guy like you could possibly want when you steal into my tent at midnight, give me back my wireless device, and sing a song of love, and by the way don't ever sing. And move your mouth away from mine, your breath is foul, it's hot in here. You know what love is because you've studied it, not because you've felt it. You never will. You know what love is? It's this insidious thing that infects your eyes and ears, spreads to every inch of skin, the follicles of hair on the skin, the lips, the tongue, a hundred million microscopic organisms crawling on you. They commandeer the hollow of your thorax and your guts, your arms, your legs, your head, and other extremities. You cease to be yourself. You are now a vessel of impressions and thoughts of the person you love, of wishes for her, of dreams of her. You're jealous of the air she breathes because she takes it inside her all day and needs it to live; it becomes her, as you want to. You case your thoughts of her and you an hour, a day, a week, a year, a hundred years into the future. No thought has the power to push itself as far into the future as the thought of love--not even thoughts of fame, or wealth, or death. You with me so far, Smith?"
"No."
"Of course you're not, but listen. It can happen--and this is what you want to happen--that this same love is extracted from the bodies of the ones it has possessed, and is used as an expedient to link one family to another, one town to another, one corporation to another, and then it follows not the paths of thought and flesh but those of trade and law, and is meant to replace but really just precedes and facilitates the theft, murder, and rape of one swarm of men by another that goes by the name of history. That's why you're giving this back to me."
msjenne's review against another edition
2.0
I started out really liking this, but it just got tedious after a while.
bkbarons's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to like this book. The premise really intrigued me and I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, after getting into the book, it just turned into a revolting story focused on the bodily functions of dirty men. I ended up having to skim through many parts of it becuase it just didnt' hold my interest. It was either that or give up completely. I actually WOULD like to read a retelling of the Jamestown story still, becuase aside from sharing some names, this one didnt really do its job.
nicka's review
4.0
(From now on I'm going to try and tie in the appropriate music I listen to while reading a selected book.)
Hope, social commentary, a post-apocalyptic wasteland, black humor and raunchy humor...You will find all these things within these pages.
Recommended soundtrack to your reading experience:
Explosions in the Sky-All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone,
Ween or a Monty Python Soundtrack.
Hope, social commentary, a post-apocalyptic wasteland, black humor and raunchy humor...You will find all these things within these pages.
Recommended soundtrack to your reading experience:
Explosions in the Sky-All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone,
Ween or a Monty Python Soundtrack.
More...