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Mister Monkey (2016)

por Francine Prose

MiembrosReseñasPopularidadValoración promediaMenciones
2742096,042 (3.46)35
"The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author weaves an ingenious, darkly humorous, and brilliantly observant story that follows the exploits and intrigue of a constellation of characters affiliated with an off-off-off-off Broadway children's musical. Mister Monkey--a screwball children's musical about a playfully larcenous pet chimpanzee--is the kind of family favorite that survives far past its prime. Margot, who plays the chimp's lawyer, knows the production is dreadful and bemoans the failure of her acting career. She's settled into the drudgery of playing a humiliating part--until the day she receives a mysterious letter from an anonymous admirer. and later, in the middle of a performance, has a shocking encounter with Adam, the twelve-year-old who plays the title role. Francine Prose's effervescent comedy is told from the viewpoints of wildly unreliable, seemingly disparate characters whose lives become deeply connected as the madcap narrative unfolds. There is Adam, whose looming adolescence informs his interpretation of his role; Edward, a young audience member who is candidly unimpressed with the play; Ray, the author of the novel on which the musical is based, who witnesses one of the most awkward first dates in literature; and even the eponymous Mister Monkey, the Monkey God himself. With her trademark wit and verve, Prose delves into humanity's most profound mysteries: art, ambition, childhood, aging, and love. Startling and captivating, Mister Monkey is a breathtaking novel from a writer at the height of her craft"-- "From New York Times bestselling author and house treasure Francine Prose comes this ingenious, darkly humorous novel that follows the exploits and intrigue of a constellation of characters affiliated with an off-off-off-off Broadway children's theater production"--… (más)
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» Ver también 35 menciones

Mostrando 1-5 de 20 (siguiente | mostrar todos)
That’s it, I’m never reading a novel that has anything to do with a chimp/monkey again. ( )
  lelandleslie | Feb 24, 2024 |
A lot of people like this. Maybe it's funny. Maybe it's poignant. Perhaps I am an idiot. ( )
  markm2315 | Jul 1, 2023 |
Weird writing-a disappointing book by Prose. ( )
  krozenstraten | Nov 2, 2022 |
Artfully Connected Lives

In Francine Prose’s newest, a very fine dive into aspirant lives going mostly unfulfilled, Mr. Monkey is at once an unfulfilled children’s book turned into a perennially performed silly play and a nexus around which the various lives revealed spin and interlace, a literary device that works very well in her skilled hands. It shows both how lives touch each other, often unbeknownst to people, and serves as the propulsive agent of the novel. (For a terrific novel that also illustrates the interconnectedness of lives, see Simon Van Booy’s The Illusion of Separateness.)

Mr. Monkey is nearing the close of its run in an off-off Broadway venue. Adam, a ‘tween turning into an adolescent who has gone from kid to kid in the opening stages of sexual awaking, plays Mr. Monkey. This results in a number of behavioral changes, none of which prove good for the already threadbare play. It’s one of these changes that triggers the story, allowing Prose and readers to swing into the lives of one character after another.

The novel’s characters include the actors, audience members, acquaintances of the audience members, and later, the author of the novel. Even among the players there are quite distinctive differences. Margo is the professional actress, the Yale graduate, who never quite made it. Adam is the boy actor whose mother wants him to have a career in theater. Lakshmi is the young intern with dreams of bigger things that involve production of her own play. The widowed grandfather, who once had a successful career in the art world but who know feels lonely, even with his daughter’s family. Edward is the little boy in that family with his own set of problems revolving around school and popularity. Sonya is his teacher, new at the job and unsure of herself, in and out of school. Ray is the author of Mr. Monkey, the book that originally was supposed to express his feelings about what he saw in the Vietnam War, feelings that never saw the light of day. Mario, out on the perimeter of Mr. Monkey, the play, is a waiter who is something of an expert on the play’s performance history, starving for personal closeness. Eleanor, an ER nurse by day and actress by night and the most sympathetic character in the novel, finds fulfillment in both worlds for different reasons. And, finally, Roger, the director, the final installment in the novel, and at the end of his career, is something of a bookend to Margo.

Be assured that each of these named has a human and interesting story to tell, with some revelations for readers. Prose also uses Charles Darwin to good effect at various junctures. Chekhov hits the boards for a bow, too. Salinger gets a nod, but to much less effect. And while billed as a comedy, discard the thoughts of the madcap and focus on the human comedy, Balzac style. ( )
  write-review | Nov 4, 2021 |
Artfully Connected Lives

In Francine Prose’s newest, a very fine dive into aspirant lives going mostly unfulfilled, Mr. Monkey is at once an unfulfilled children’s book turned into a perennially performed silly play and a nexus around which the various lives revealed spin and interlace, a literary device that works very well in her skilled hands. It shows both how lives touch each other, often unbeknownst to people, and serves as the propulsive agent of the novel. (For a terrific novel that also illustrates the interconnectedness of lives, see Simon Van Booy’s The Illusion of Separateness.)

Mr. Monkey is nearing the close of its run in an off-off Broadway venue. Adam, a ‘tween turning into an adolescent who has gone from kid to kid in the opening stages of sexual awaking, plays Mr. Monkey. This results in a number of behavioral changes, none of which prove good for the already threadbare play. It’s one of these changes that triggers the story, allowing Prose and readers to swing into the lives of one character after another.

The novel’s characters include the actors, audience members, acquaintances of the audience members, and later, the author of the novel. Even among the players there are quite distinctive differences. Margo is the professional actress, the Yale graduate, who never quite made it. Adam is the boy actor whose mother wants him to have a career in theater. Lakshmi is the young intern with dreams of bigger things that involve production of her own play. The widowed grandfather, who once had a successful career in the art world but who know feels lonely, even with his daughter’s family. Edward is the little boy in that family with his own set of problems revolving around school and popularity. Sonya is his teacher, new at the job and unsure of herself, in and out of school. Ray is the author of Mr. Monkey, the book that originally was supposed to express his feelings about what he saw in the Vietnam War, feelings that never saw the light of day. Mario, out on the perimeter of Mr. Monkey, the play, is a waiter who is something of an expert on the play’s performance history, starving for personal closeness. Eleanor, an ER nurse by day and actress by night and the most sympathetic character in the novel, finds fulfillment in both worlds for different reasons. And, finally, Roger, the director, the final installment in the novel, and at the end of his career, is something of a bookend to Margo.

Be assured that each of these named has a human and interesting story to tell, with some revelations for readers. Prose also uses Charles Darwin to good effect at various junctures. Chekhov hits the boards for a bow, too. Salinger gets a nod, but to much less effect. And while billed as a comedy, discard the thoughts of the madcap and focus on the human comedy, Balzac style. ( )
  write-review | Nov 4, 2021 |
Mostrando 1-5 de 20 (siguiente | mostrar todos)
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Once upon a time, not so long ago, a scientist (and loving mother) by the name of Mrs. Jimson said a tearful good-bye to her family in New York and went to study monkey in Africa. (Prelude
Who cares if it's children's theater?
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"The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author weaves an ingenious, darkly humorous, and brilliantly observant story that follows the exploits and intrigue of a constellation of characters affiliated with an off-off-off-off Broadway children's musical. Mister Monkey--a screwball children's musical about a playfully larcenous pet chimpanzee--is the kind of family favorite that survives far past its prime. Margot, who plays the chimp's lawyer, knows the production is dreadful and bemoans the failure of her acting career. She's settled into the drudgery of playing a humiliating part--until the day she receives a mysterious letter from an anonymous admirer. and later, in the middle of a performance, has a shocking encounter with Adam, the twelve-year-old who plays the title role. Francine Prose's effervescent comedy is told from the viewpoints of wildly unreliable, seemingly disparate characters whose lives become deeply connected as the madcap narrative unfolds. There is Adam, whose looming adolescence informs his interpretation of his role; Edward, a young audience member who is candidly unimpressed with the play; Ray, the author of the novel on which the musical is based, who witnesses one of the most awkward first dates in literature; and even the eponymous Mister Monkey, the Monkey God himself. With her trademark wit and verve, Prose delves into humanity's most profound mysteries: art, ambition, childhood, aging, and love. Startling and captivating, Mister Monkey is a breathtaking novel from a writer at the height of her craft"-- "From New York Times bestselling author and house treasure Francine Prose comes this ingenious, darkly humorous novel that follows the exploits and intrigue of a constellation of characters affiliated with an off-off-off-off Broadway children's theater production"--

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