Wake Up, Sir!

If you enjoy SMART and CREATIVE stream of conscious writing! If you applaud RICHLY developed characters and settings! If you love quick and HYSTERICAL stories! If you appreciate and marvel at FABULOUS word choice and phrasing! Then my friend...this is a MUST HAVE book! Not only a MUST HAVE for you BUT a GREAT gift for ALL your witty friends!!!! I have given away nine copies so far!!!!!!!

Laughing hysterically while reading is extremely rare. Your body may not be accustom to the physical process. It causes a shift of the torso and convulsions. Depending on how a person holds the book and how long it take the brain to process the hilarity can have strange consequences, in my case choking on food and then needing to use my son's asthma inhaler to re-establish normal breathing. In addition to his astonishing ability to capture human conditions and emotions; disgust at others while being incredibly needy, terror of facial features, actual depression, insecurity at one's own physical characteristics, Jonathan Ames surreptitiously lead me into a fondness, bordering on love, for his characters. This kind of talent makes the world go round.

This novel is a pleasure on all levels-extremely well written and hilarious. The characters are both ludicrous (as people are) and believable at the same time. Mr. Ames is successful in capturing the unique essence of each of his (wide array of) odd characters. I was impressed by the overall product, but chose to write the review because this book was so FUNNY. The main character's neurosis, aggravated by an alcohol problem, is tempered by his optimism and desire to be liked; his nervous interactions with others and his histrionic reactions to the world around him will make you squeal. The author so captures the mindset of this well-intentioned alcoholic that his observations might well be of use to the medical profession. Something honest about all of us is distinctively revealed in these pages and Mr. Ames' style makes every moment worthwhile.

This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. When I wasn't laughing out loud, I was, at least, chuckling or smiling. As a true fan of Wodehouse and his Wooster/Jeeves creation, I went into this book somewhat skeptically. But Ames does a perfect sendup with Alan Blair and his "companion," Jeeves. There is one humorous vignette after another within this book, and, as in Wodehouse, no true overriding action. But action is not the point... it's the silliness of the antics, situations, and conversation that Blair gets into that makes this a pleasure to read. This book belongs in the genre of helpless first-person lead male characters, who are able to somehow rationalize their troublesome actions to themselves, if not to others. Read Tim O'Brien's "Tomcat in Love" and Michael Frayn's "Headlong" for other excellent contributions to this category. I suppose it would be too much to ask Ames for a sequel... I suspect he's got his literary sites set on higher goals than repeating oneself would allow for. But if you haven't yet read this book, you've got a treat in front of you.

To call this book 100 times funnier than its new release competition would be a disservice, we all know what 100 times ZERO is, but the point of the matter is Mr. Ames' latest work is perhaps his best, and is no doubt his most humorous to date. While not long on story, the book is crammed with action, interesting characters, snappy dialogue and hysterical internal monologues. As always is the case, Ames' narration is non-judgmental but his content pushes the envelope. Despite the setting and the eccentricity of the characters, he still manages a more interesting, honest, and entertaining delve into human relationships and sexuality than most other moderns out there!His self-deprecating style overcomes any unlikability his character might have and I think that this is one of the rare contemporary comedic books that will equally appeal to both men and women. And while parts of the plot are no doubt silly, taken in the framework of a parody of Wodehouse, they make perfect sense.Wake up, Sir is the perfect compliment to his previous masterpiece, The Extra Man, and before many inside jokes, some obvious, some not so. But don't think you need to read them in any order, they both stand on their own.One area where Sir excels it is allows the reader to see what pseudo insane personalities go through to create art. Sufficed it to say there is some explaining to his fans as to why he goes so long between novels!Finally, threre are 2 distinctions between this book and its predecessors. 1)The invention of Jeeves allows Ames' narrator to be the star and not the straight man (comedically not sexually) which I think suits his writing style quite nicely. 2) While the narrator may seem obsesed with answering the alternative lifestyle question and may claim to fantasize about being prison raped, this tome is decidedly Heterosexual in content and includes one of the great man/woman/nose lovemaking scenes to ever appear in modern American Literature!