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Both are devout fans of wrestling, and both wish their hometown was a better place to live all around, Wal-Marts or no Wal-Marts.
Sara Oliver rated it it was amazing Jul 27, It gives the book the feeling of having been written by someone not native to the country, but yet they still get it Feb 16, Will rated it really liked it. An easy to read, often hilarious, entertaining political satire. Like, it's obvious that Gene takes his redneckiness seriously, and that he's supposed to legitimately believe in the flag-shirt-wearing jingoism on display; but it's also a fact that he was raised his entire childhood in the same elitist blue-blood mansion environment that his brother John was, being forced to wear prep clothes and sport a tasteful haircut all the way until the age of eighteen, and with him only in his mid-twenties now. The first half was good, but when I only had pages to go it hit a wall. Still a good read, though, especially with the results of the '16 US election in mind and who voted whom.
After all, his devout mother Elizabeth did have a premonition. And papa Henry has more money than the Almighty, which always comes in handy when running for higher office in America. Things go wildly downhill from there: Mar 22, Tony Hightower rated it liked it. For a novel that sets out to satirize and illustrate the assorted sillinesses of the American class system, from the blow-your-mind wealthy to the blow-your-mind poor, the reach of "Commonwealth" exceeds its grasp by a long stretch; but don't let that stop you from giving this book a shot.
Blue Gene Mapother comes from old money, and wants none of it. Having never felt accepted by his family, he soon moves into a trailer and finds a semblance of happiness selling toys at a flea market after the l For a novel that sets out to satirize and illustrate the assorted sillinesses of the American class system, from the blow-your-mind wealthy to the blow-your-mind poor, the reach of "Commonwealth" exceeds its grasp by a long stretch; but don't let that stop you from giving this book a shot.
Having never felt accepted by his family, he soon moves into a trailer and finds a semblance of happiness selling toys at a flea market after the local Wal-Mart he was working at closed down. Soon, though, his brother John, a recovering addict, decides to run for Congress, and the Mapother family, each with their own motives, decides to do what they can to get him elected.
Blue Gene reluctantly agrees, until he meets a punk rock singer who opens his eyes to what's going on around him. Blue Gene's social and spiritual awakening is the meat of the story. For stories like this to work as comedy of manners, you need one sane and sympathetic character at the center who reacts the way the reader would. Joey Goebel's attempts to have Blue Gene serve as that character don't really work. He's a fascinating character; the one thing immensely wealthy and immensely poor people have in common is that the rest of us never really see them, and that bliind spot seems to suit Blue Gene just fine.
But he's not a fully multidimensional human being, and neither is anyone else in the book. His apocalypse-obsessed mother, his father, openly contemptuous of any and all who have less money and influence than he does so, everyone , his the-bottle-led-me-straight-to-Jesus brother, the openly racist military brat with the hair-trigger temper and the huge chip on his shoulder, the skinny punk rock girl-love interest with all the right answers and a speech for every occasion, and everyone else in the large cast of this story, all of them are archetypes, clearly placed in the story to serve a specific purpose.
None of them pop cleanly into full human bloom, and that's unfortunate. But that doesn't mean "Commonwealth" isn't worth reading. It's a quick-flowing pages, with a plot that never stops moving. You can see why Tom Robbins really liked this book; it reads like an early draft of something he'd have written himself. It's just that there isn't anything in "Commonwealth," or in the character makeup of Blue Gene Mapother, that wasn't better executed in, say, Mike Magnuson's masterpiece "The Right Man For The Job," another novel about a lower-class lummox clinging to the bottom rung of society and looking for his personal guardian angel.
But Joey Goebel is a fine young writer, and "Commonwealth" is a fine read. He's going to get better at this. Keep him in mind. Mar 23, Jule rated it it was amazing. This is going to be though to review, because it was such a roller-coaster of a read. Let me try to walk you through: Then I started reading and was blown away. The settings and characters were so stereotypical and yet so real. It was a sharp portray of the lower classes of America, and critical, too.
Then I got a main character w This is going to be though to review, because it was such a roller-coaster of a read. Then I got a main character with social anxiety who is forced to go into politics because his parents want him to and fell in love with him. The whole idea of the book was really interesting as well, the older brother being helped to gain votes by the younger brother who lives in a trailer and works at a flea market and does not care for the family money.
It got a bit rough later on. I had my doubts about all the religiousness and homophobic opinions and pro-war speeches that were held. Once I realized they were only there as conflict and for the main characters to react to, my mood got better, though. Then Goebel introduced the female lead, who is so cool because she has a political opinion, is not afraid to share it, can stand up for her views and is not romantically involved with anyone. After the big plot twist I am still not sure I liked it I was a bit confused again, because I had seen the dynamic of the brothers getting the older one into politics as the main topic of the book, not the family drama.
Now, closer to the end, there was the catastrophe, which made me read the rest of the novel in one part, because I wanted to know how it ends.
The conclusion of it all was a tiny disappointment from my high expectations at the start, but it was okay. Does show some conservative, anti-homophobic among others opinions, but does not support them. Still, comfort warning for those. Aber genau dadurch soll er Johns Image auch bei diesem Klientel bessern und Wahlwerbung machen. Wer einfach eine gute und fesselnde Geschichte lesen will, kann es dem gleich tun. Feb 12, Greg rated it it was ok. For starters, I haven't finished a book since early December, what with life and art and all getting in the way.
I read the first chapter of Steinbeck's The Log of the Sea of Cortez, but we got busy and it was abandoned for later. Probably not much later. I really loved and recommend Goebel's The Anomalies, to a great deal because of how unjudged everyone was. But I felt like the deck was so stacked in this one that the characters which were great were betrayed by an occasional For starters, I haven't finished a book since early December, what with life and art and all getting in the way.
But I felt like the deck was so stacked in this one that the characters which were great were betrayed by an occasionally puppetmastering author. Also a pet peeve that's difficult to express the way Goebel brings in the branded world is, to me, clumsy. Phrases like "and then they played a Justin Timberlake song called 'SexyBack,'" or "people crowded into the drive-in to see the new Will Ferrell movie. And it takes me so far out of the world that it takes some doing to get me back in. And it made me want to read the much more concise and punchy Anomalies again.
Oct 21, Amanda rated it really liked it.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My only complaint is that it took a little too long to set everything up. The first section of the book about pages were pretty slow going for me--I had to really make myself sit down and read the book. Once I got past that, though, it was smooth saling and I really enjoyed it. The characters were very realistic and I felt for them. Some of the twists and turns I saw coming before they were actually revealed, but that's ok with me.
As I was reading the book, I kept trying to figure out the title of the book--what did it mean? Did they reside in a commonwealth like Kentucky or was it something else. Then Blue Gene opened his building, which he called Commonwealth, and I thought to myself, "Oh, ok, that's why it's called Commonwealth--because the building I find Goebel's writing style to be more similar to European writers than Americans which is not a bad thing, but it does point to his popularity in Europe.
Adn that makes this book even more interesting, because the story itself is very American. It gives the book the feeling of having been written by someone not native to the country, but yet they still get it But then Goebel had to go and end it the way he did. Which really did not surprise me, having read short stories by him before, but still, part of me thinks it would have been better without it, although then it wouldn't be a work of Joey Goebel. Jan 18, Brian James rated it did not like it. The quote on the cover of this book, from Tom Robbins, reads "Joey Goebel is a born writer, one of those fated orginals As it turns out, it was a fitting quote from a fitting author, since my dislike for the writing was on par with my dislike for Tom Robbins' writing.
This book believes it's being incredibly quirky, subtly subversive, and profoundly honest, when really it fails in all of those endeavours. The story follows the events of a The quote on the cover of this book, from Tom Robbins, reads "Joey Goebel is a born writer, one of those fated orginals The story follows the events of a privileged family over the course of a summer that will change all of their lives. Set in the nonspecific middle American town of Bashford, this is supposed to be representative of some mythical Main Street America that doesn't exist anywhere but in the past and political speeches.
In fact, this entire novel revolves around a simplistic interpretation of Bush era political rhetoric. While I'm sure it thinks it's being clever, the story reveals only surface level observations through its dull, one dimensional characters who behave in extremely predefined ways.
This is one of those books that took me forever to read, mostly because I felt as though it just kept getting worse and worse and I never felt like reading it. But I have a thing about not giving up on books and suffered through all pages, of which maybe 40 were enjoyable, and those were spread few and far between. Feb 16, Will rated it really liked it. A craven family sets up its perfect son to run for congress.
To get 'er done, however, they have to recruit the black sheep brother to help campaign -- the brother who has embraced flea markets and NASCAR and trucker caps. The transformations and revelations are silly, fun, funny, and finally winning. Jul 27, Antje rated it it was amazing. If you are at tall interested in American society and politics and want to get to know one of the coolest characters ever created, you should definitely give this one a try.
Jul 10, John rated it it was amazing. The characters are richly developed making you constantly change if you like them or not. Jul 30, Jennifer Hollandbeck rated it liked it. Well-written and enjoyable read, but a tad too long and too much going on, in my opinion. Jun 24, April marked it as to-read. Sep 21, Barbara Bennett rated it liked it.
A send-up of Western KY culture. You will laugh and frown and shake your head in recognition, annoyance, amusement. Apr 16, Jordan rated it liked it. I have a sneaking suspicion it's about my hometown, which made it both more enjoyable and more painful. Sep 29, Cat rated it it was amazing. Be prepared for a huge twist in the middle. Jun 23, Drew Lackovic rated it it was amazing. What can I say, I like Goebel. The guy can write.
Looking forward to his next endeavor. A real enjoyable read!!! I want to b http: I want to be big and famous.
And above all, I want to love and be loved. In these ways I am a slave like all the rest. I want to rock it like a slut with bad shoes. I want to be thigh-high in Ted Nugent nostalgia. Like most men, I think about sex every six seconds. But unlike most men, every seventh second I think about how the girl would look wearing the burlap pantsuit that my show business money afforded her. I quote him at length for two very good reasons: Let's meet The Anomalies. Backing-up Luster but in every way his equals are Opal, an year-old sic sex-crazed rocker chick who'll go out of her way to say what she means and to say it mean; Ember, the 8-year-old siccer good fun of a bad seed with "a crudload of potential"; Aurora, the knockout daughter-of-a-preacher-man and constant phase-shifter stripper, Satanist, invalid ; and Ray, an Iraqi may-be gay blade in short-shorts who won't be truly satisfied until he apologizes in person to the soldier he shot during Desert Storm.
And hence The Anomalies. Alone, they'd be easy targets for the prejudiced and pea-brained; together they're a thicket of kindling just asking - no, daring - for a match. Rare is the arsonist who's got regeneration on his mind. Then Goebel is the rare arsonist, a fire starter who knows some things need to be torched before we can begin to build. That his conflagration comes in the form of a rollicking, rocking sorry , rags-to-war story only shows how bright a torch he wields.
The story's simple - elegantly simple. Five ultra-sane crazies from the wrong side of nowhere collide to rock the wild world.
If the wild world happens to fall into enlightenment, so much the better. To say their smearing of multi-culti lines and crossing of generation gaps is boldly going where no band has gone before could very well be the understatement of this scary new century. Then consider how much courage it takes to be an Anomaly. Told from the disad vantage point of friend and foe alike, it's as if Goebel really, truly wants to get into - and under - the dirty skin of all character.
Every angle gets a word in edgewise, and few angles are right. Kinda just like how it is. But fret not, The Anomalies is the kinda quick-witted fix that puts the mend to what's broken. Then breaks it up all over again.
Broken into a million little pieces. And exposed by The Anomalies. Just goes to show: Like minds need not always look - or think - alike. They need just to have mutual dislikes. And a wise guy to give 'em voice. But don't think for a minute that Goebel's all positive and light. There's only so far ahead "the future is what's for dinner" and only so much honesty "you are what you pretend to be" , and we'll not even mention fellow humans "you give people the benefit of the doubt, and they disappoint you every time".
He also knows you gotta go out and try anyway. What's the worst thing that could happen? Screw the stalwarts, damn the tuxedos, and take your hate and shove it. If there's something to look forward to in this backwards-sighted world it's a time when The Anomalies make it on - and win - American Idol, and young guns like Joey Goebel get to hit the bestseller lists. By the way, what's for dinner? This is a great second novel about a group of friends who have an urge to practice more in a rock band in a small suburb of Kentucky.
At first, each individual member sound rather extreme and unbelievable in how they would ever socialise together but what Goebel does is seriously enact certain possibilities and ties that would clearly unite such a set of clear social misfits who are definitely prejudiced against every day. There's the angry, almost Black Panther, literary quote spouting black gu This is a great second novel about a group of friends who have an urge to practice more in a rock band in a small suburb of Kentucky. There's the angry, almost Black Panther, literary quote spouting black guy with an afro with twelve drug dealing brothers call Jerome; the sexy goth girl drummer in a wheelchair, the axe wielding 80yr old nymphomaniac female pensioner and the 8yr female old bass player she babysits for and not forgetting Ray Fuquay, who really holds this excellent story together, an effeminate Iraqi keyboard player on the hunt for the American soldier he shot in the first Gulf War.
It's witty, it's poignant, its relevant, it's intelligent. It's pretty damn excellent and made me want to read Torture the Artist straight away. The Anomalies is one of those books that most people overlook because they have not heard of it. This book has and will continue to be one of my favorites of all time, and I think this is greatly because of how different these characters are, yet their coming together symbolizes the idea that even through our differences, we might come together and cause the cracks in the road to push apart and show that humans are original, unique, and should be seen this way, and accepted as such.
It's onfusing, fairly short, and very strange. An interesting look at humanity, from the people nobody ever sees as being human - an 80 year old slut, an Iraqi who fought against America, a black guy with drug dealer brothers, an 8 year old and a chaste, but incredibly attractive teenager.
They're in a new wave punk rock band. The only way to understand is to read! Joey Goebel ist geboren und ein brillanter, junger Schriftsteller. Fabulous new style of writing not only because it is my cousin. Such a great read. So different from anything I've ever read before. The characters are so quirky and unique and the plot is woven between each of them so perfectly. This is the first book I've actually read in a day. I stayed up late because I had to finish this page-turner.
First and only time that's happened.
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