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5 Reviews

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4.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing but nevertheless fun to read, Feb 16 2002

By

Steven Q. Dump (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Living End (Paperback)

Stanley Elkin is one of the masters of twentieth century prose. His dialogue is completely believable and the language never comes across as pretentious. The characters in "The Living End" are both realistic and humorous, while the novel explores dark themes. Elkin's vision is a pessimistic one but he never comes across as too "preachy." All in all, an enjoyable read.

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5.0 out of 5 stars BETTER THAN THE BIBLE AND TWICE AS ACCURATE., Oct 5 2001

By

Frank D. Robinette "carkanmoil" (North Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Living End (Paperback)

This is one of the best books ever written. Elkin hilariously dissects and explodes every tenant of Christianity by slamming the contradictions into one another with perfect timing and accuracy. He paints the dilemmas faced by all believers through the incredibly credible characters he creates : Ellerbee is a good man who didn't believe and so goes to hell, for that and some other petty omissions and indiscretions, while God, thoroughly imperfect as well as a pompous egotist, is a supreme being who likes to be idolized and entertained certain he does not have to defend his inhumanity to man. In Heaven, Joseph does not believe his son, the cripple, is the messiah. This and so many other contradictions and paradoxes roll lightly across the eyes in this little book leaving you to believe you just read a book bigger than any bible. It is a book that you can read in a sitting, but I guarantee you will sit again and again as you reread it finding something new and delightful every time you turn a page.

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4.0 out of 5 stars You'll never read another book like this..., Nov 15 2000

By

John O'Hara (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Living End (Paperback)

Wait, is that a compliment or a putdown?

Stanley Elkin's deceivingly short novel is not a quick read. I made the mistake of reading it to and fro my train rides to work and at lunch, and, I must say, the life around me was something of a distraction from Elkin's humurous and terrifying depiction of the afterlife. Imagine reading run-on sentences like the above over and over again, thinking to yourself, "It's short... it's short... just finish reading out of respect and move on to the next book." And then imagine sentences, unlike the aboves, fill'd with wacky words that make you wish you spent more time doing crossword puzzles and that little Quiz at the end of Reader's Digest.

I'm not saying that Elkin was laboriously thesauring away, trying hard to impress the reader with his vocabulary, or syntax, or ideas, but I am saying that this book requires something of a commitment.

So I gave it one.

I reread the novel, and I picked up on some of what I was missing before. "Oh, THAT'S who Lesefario was...".

And I looked down upon my finish'd book. And it was good.

My advice follows: keep reading 'till the end. The last few lines are killer. If you feel disheartened, imagine C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters" and what a bore that was. Then imagine Woody Allen writing it, without slapstick, and get back to the novel at hand, my boy... And if you want to feel good about yourself for reading a book of some substance, remember that Oprah will never, EVER, recommend this one...

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars modern dark comedy at its best
Unlike the last review on this short novel, I will refrain from giving away the story, in that it's the twists and exchanges that make the novel hunorous. Read more

Published on Aug 17 2000 by andrew pincus

5.0 out of 5 stars It's funny, disorienting and haunting.
And you thought Job had it tough? Meet poor Ellerbee, the liquor store owner murdered during a hold-up, who arrives at the Pearly Gates with what the reader thinks has to be a... Read more

Published on May 2 1998