Paul Murray (1) (1975–)

Am amazing and at the same time, terrible, book.

Almost everyone in the book is capable of terrible things. If you think the adolescents are confused about love because they are young and going through puberty, wait until you see what the teachers and priests do.
There are some very funny parts in this book, and other parts that may make you want to throw up…. Sometimes they are the same parts.

The author made me feel sympathy for the devil . I think, in our current inflexible and judgmental society, someone who is good at reminding us that people are human and capable of both the depths of depravity and of acts of shining goodness is a valuable thing.… (más)

Well, it ain't no 'Skippy Dies'. That old classic. A family story, going off the rails. But I was speeding through it like an accelerating train. It was an okay book for me! Not great, not bad.I see others comparing this to Franzen, which not only have I never read, but I'm not really inclined to read any Franzen, so this one might not have even been for this particular reader, no matter how much this is also Paul Murray. Possibly Franzen inspired satire? or is Franzen earnest? Not sure how much his writing is satire... I think either way, this was a little too long to get there. I'm a little surprised it was up for at least two awards? A fun note: The character of Ms. Ogle was reminding me of a Roald Dahl character, and then further on, Murray has a line about "That was unbelievable -- like a character in a Roald Dahl book", which makes me think some of his stuff is very much inspired by Roald Dahl, if he will mention it himself!
*Book #148/340 I have read of the shortlisted Morning News Tournament of Books… (más)