A very funny Jewish romp of a read that you quite simply won't want to put down.
This is a wonderful yarn spun by its protagonist Rudy Petinsky, a Jewish no-hoper who harbours ideas of becoming a best-selling author. Petinsky has to negotiate many obstacles along the way including his own family and domineering mother, a money-grabbing brother-in-law, and a totally insensitive and unhelpful publisher. The book's creator Sam Schichter has a terrific ear for dialogue and Petinsky's archetypal Jewish mother is absolutely brilliantly drawn. The book is peppered throughout with lines and situations that are riotously funny. The writing is excellent and there are certainly shades of Woody Allen, Philip Roth and Sue Margolis here. But I have to say that Schichter's sense of comedy outshines them all, and I found myself laughing out loud at much of the beautifully penned passages. The humour is really sharp and not at all laboured. Take, for instance, the following passage:
'And why did Julie love Leon? Because Julie didn’t expect too much from life, and because Julie was realistic and practical. She simply understood that if she wanted to get married she’d have to settle for second best. With Leon, she got seventh.'
There is a scene in which Petinsky takes a job as an insurance salesman and tries to sell a policy to an unsuspecting Managing Director. It is quite the funniest thing I have read in a long while, and my sides were literally hurting from laughing so much.
But like all great comedy writing, there is also a great deal of sensitivity, humanity and tenderness to the narrative, and you really do feel for the characters - particularly Rudy himself and his larger-than-life parents.
This is a first-class read that I would thoroughly recommend to anyone who appreciates having their funny bone well and truly tickled.
This is a wonderful yarn spun by its protagonist Rudy Petinsky, a Jewish no-hoper who harbours ideas of becoming a best-selling author. Petinsky has to negotiate many obstacles along the way including his own family and domineering mother, a money-grabbing brother-in-law, and a totally insensitive and unhelpful publisher. The book's creator Sam Schichter has a terrific ear for dialogue and Petinsky's archetypal Jewish mother is absolutely brilliantly drawn. The book is peppered throughout with lines and situations that are riotously funny. The writing is excellent and there are certainly shades of Woody Allen, Philip Roth and Sue Margolis here. But I have to say that Schichter's sense of comedy outshines them all, and I found myself laughing out loud at much of the beautifully penned passages. The humour is really sharp and not at all laboured. Take, for instance, the following passage:
'And why did Julie love Leon? Because Julie didn’t expect too much from life, and because Julie was realistic and practical. She simply understood that if she wanted to get married she’d have to settle for second best. With Leon, she got seventh.'
There is a scene in which Petinsky takes a job as an insurance salesman and tries to sell a policy to an unsuspecting Managing Director. It is quite the funniest thing I have read in a long while, and my sides were literally hurting from laughing so much.
But like all great comedy writing, there is also a great deal of sensitivity, humanity and tenderness to the narrative, and you really do feel for the characters - particularly Rudy himself and his larger-than-life parents.
This is a first-class read that I would thoroughly recommend to anyone who appreciates having their funny bone well and truly tickled.
