This is the first time I’ve read Lipsyte so I was not prepared for the number of flaws his characters have. Usually, a flawed character makes a story more realistic but in the book ‘The Fun Parts’ I feel like his characters are just a little too flawed and I kept wondering why these characters are able to stay in a normal society and wondering why they weren’t just locked up in an institution. It was because of this that I found the book hard to read and I had to struggle through just to finish. I actually started reading this as soon as I’ve gotten but just took me just until this month to actually finish

This does not mean the book was a complete disaster as I did actually enjoy the first couple of stories. The first three stores; ‘The Climber Room’, ‘The Dungeon Master’ and ‘The Deniers’ were very good and I found myself wishing for longer stories with these characters. I feel most of the stories started abruptly and also ended abruptly and I was left slightly confused on some of them.
This book will not be on my bookshelf very long and I think I will be donating it to the local library. ( )

Starts with some very sad, but brilliant short stories. Then it moves to the very funny stuff. The story about the male doula may be the funniest short story I have ever read. ( )

This is the first time I’ve read Lipsyte so I was not prepared for the number of flaws his characters have. Usually, a flawed character makes a story more realistic but in the book ‘The Fun Parts’ I feel like his characters are just a little too flawed and I kept wondering why these characters are able to stay in a normal society and wondering why they weren’t just locked up in an institution. It was because of this that I found the book hard to read and I had to struggle through just to finish. I actually started reading this as soon as I’ve gotten but just took me just until this month to actually finish

This does not mean the book was a complete disaster as I did actually enjoy the first couple of stories. The first three stores; ‘The Climber Room’, ‘The Dungeon Master’ and ‘The Deniers’ were very good and I found myself wishing for longer stories with these characters. I feel most of the stories started abruptly and also ended abruptly and I was left slightly confused on some of them.
This book will not be on my bookshelf very long and I think I will be donating it to the local library. ( )

Sam Lipsyte may not be for everyone, but if you get into his lunacy, then you will really like these stories. His books deal with people on the edge and he has this great combination of humor and pathos. Very creative. His novel "The Ask" should be your introduction him. A good author to try. ( )

A begrudging four stars. Lots of fun to read, but weirdly insubstantial--couldn't remember a thing about it two days after I finished. A kind of brilliant distillation of contemporary fiction: smart, funny, fast, fatally ironic, cute, pathetic, unthreatening, sleek, slick, facile, assembled from clever components. ( )