Funnymen: A Novel

Funnymen was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I actually didn't even realize it was based loosely on Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, but I am 24, and barely even know who they are! I don't know if this made the book better or worse for me, but I loved it. I didn't live during that time, or know many of the characters that were referenced, but it didn't matter. The storytelling is amazing, I never wanted it to end. Ted Heller is just amazing for having written this. I thought many times as I read how much work must have gone into it, because it SHOWS. Every detail is wonderful and entertaining and funny and sad. As much as I loved the story, the reader is definitely made to hate Ziggy & Vic on some level as it goes on, because they are such coldhearted, selfish characters. That's why I was so suprised at how sad I felt at the book's end, when it portrayed what happened to them as they aged. It really touched me, and you pretty much wanted to forgive them for all of the horrible things they had done. I was haunted by it for days. I felt a sense of nostalgia for their youth, as if it was my own life that had passed, and I found myself flipping through the book's earlier passages just so I could relive some of the best times they had had.Bottom line: extremely inventive storytelling rich with eccentric and distinct characters whose voices you can really hear. A very satisfying, funny and clever book from beginning to end. Ted Heller, I thank you.

I'm overwhelmed with Ted Heller's achievement in this book. I can't remember ever reading another fictionalized oral history and the idea is such a great one! If you've ever read any showbiz biographies, especially from the Golden Age of Hollywood, you will love this book. True, there are plenty of similarities to the Dean & Jerry team, but there are tons of in-jokes stolen from the lives of Milton Berle, Groucho Marx, and other luminaries. It really did remind me of Christopher Guest's ...documentary movies; the details are believable, but then this slight sense of----insanity slips in. The famous female star whose food [indulging] veers dangerously close to cannibalism...oh, I don't want to spoil it. Just read this book if you're into showbiz stories. You will NOT regret it.

If you like buddy comedies and Martin & Lewis, "Funnymen" will surely please you. The fictional story of an accidental comedy team, Heller's novel is filled with enough bad jokes, untalented singers, and Borscht Belt memories to keep you in stitches. The challenges of the intense relationship between Fountain and Bliss are well-detailed, and very engaging.

I picked up this book because of the title and it really turned out to be full of funnymen (and women). I don't remember the last time a book made me laugh out loud the way this one did. Also, this book is set up in a really interesting way. Instead of long descriptions about this or that like in other novels, the entire story is only told by many many speaker/characters. They each have very distinctive ways of speaking, so after a while you can really imagine them speaking. And many of them are comedians, so what they say is really funny. This set up really keeps the action rolling. The effect is like watching a very funny episode of Behind the Music or something. I thought this was a really unique and brilliant way to set up a book.Also, Funnymen is set during the classic era of American entertainment: the big band and vaudeville scene on down to the cocktail lounge scene and the Rat Pack. I liked this aspect the best. Lots of the characters are modeled after the classic stars of that time that everyone now treats like saints (like Sinatra and Dean Martin) but you figure were always living fast and loose. In this book, you get to go behind the scenes and see the wild times they had (well, sort of, since this is a work of fiction) and it's really really funny. In all, this book was fun, lighthearted and very entertaining to read. I really enjoyed it and recommend it.

After reading the hilarious excerpt of this book in GQ, I was able to get an advance copy from a friend who works at a movie studio here in LA. I was blown away by Heller's take on this behind-the-scenes story of a bizarre and neurotic -- though wildly successful -- comedy team. There are belly laughs on every page, and in the end, the story also shows surprising heart and depth. I was a huge fan of Heller's first novel, "Slab Rat", which skewered the magazine industry, but I really think he outdid himself with this one. Can't wait to see what world he takes one next. Ambitious and brilliant, and absolutely a must read.