This novel is at times remarkably heartbreaking and amazingly entertaining. Along with 'Catch 22', this is undoubtedly one of the most humourous pieces I am have read, and certainly one of 2000's finest reads for me.I can see how some would argue that Eggers loses some of the genius in his own attempts to be funny, and the contrived nature of the piece, but I believe it's humourous value far outways the self absorbed nature...
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Clearly this book isn't for everyone. It's incredibly self-reflexive. It's more than willing to employ a device while simultaneously satirizing it. Eggers, as described in his own words, is rarely likeable, noble, humble, or charming. Instead, he's self-indulgent, arrogant, and so full of neurosis that Woody Allen looks calm and confident in comparison.And while these factors will elicit cries of how overrated the work...
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First a little background. When my husband and I had only lived in Lake Forest a couple of years, I heard about the deaths, within a month or so, of the parents of a young boy in the neighborhood. Both died of cancer and the boy was the only one left at home. He had 3 older siblings that were all out of high school and either away at college or ensconced in careers. I didn't know the family at all, but I was devastated...
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I can't express how much I love this book. The acknowledgements alone were enough to win me over. As much as I hate the cliche I'm about to use, Dave Eggers is wise WAY beyond his years. He mixes the most tragic emotional events with a perfect punch of sarcasm and self deprecation. Overall, the book is impossible to do justice to with a measly "review". So I realize perhaps I'm not being helpful. Sorry. But here...
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