Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Granta Books (2007), Edition: New Ed, 380 pages
Description
Richard is a middle-aged divorcee trading stock out of his home in Los Angeles. He has done such a good job getting his life under control that he needs no one, until two incidents conspire to hurl him back into the world.
User reviews
LibraryThing member the.ken.petersen
I do not read a lot of fiction: if it were all as good as this, I would.
They say everyone has a book in them; well, Amy Homes has stolen mine! I do not know how she got into the oblique neuron links that are the only place that it existed, but she has definitely stolen my magnum opus. I cannot be
The book has that brilliant combination of being light and humorous, whilst hitting you like Mohamed Ali at his prime. This is the book of the human condition: it sets out how we all feel about life. Our hero, Richard Novak, has died, not physically, but internally. Suddenly, he becomes aware of what he has done and tries to put life to rights. It is not as simple as it seems to do the right thing and everything does not go smoothly, but by at least trying, he rejoins the human race.
This is one of those strange books that chose me, rather than the more usual system. I picked it off my shelf of unread tomes and wondered why on earth I had bought it: it is not my usual fare but I am very glad that I did. If the name A.M. Homes means as much to you as it did to me, then you are lucky - GET OUT THERE and find her books and read them - as the Frosties tiger might say, "They're GRRRRRR-eat!!!"
They say everyone has a book in them; well, Amy Homes has stolen mine! I do not know how she got into the oblique neuron links that are the only place that it existed, but she has definitely stolen my magnum opus. I cannot be
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offended, however because, even I have to admit that she has done a far better job of committing it to paper than I could - even in my dreams!The book has that brilliant combination of being light and humorous, whilst hitting you like Mohamed Ali at his prime. This is the book of the human condition: it sets out how we all feel about life. Our hero, Richard Novak, has died, not physically, but internally. Suddenly, he becomes aware of what he has done and tries to put life to rights. It is not as simple as it seems to do the right thing and everything does not go smoothly, but by at least trying, he rejoins the human race.
This is one of those strange books that chose me, rather than the more usual system. I picked it off my shelf of unread tomes and wondered why on earth I had bought it: it is not my usual fare but I am very glad that I did. If the name A.M. Homes means as much to you as it did to me, then you are lucky - GET OUT THERE and find her books and read them - as the Frosties tiger might say, "They're GRRRRRR-eat!!!"
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LibraryThing member kirstiecat
This book really let me down from the very beginning. Mainly, it did not save my life one bit. For example, there are very few conceivable ways it could save my life. One, I may be trapped in a room filled with carbon monoxide and the book may be the only conceivable way to prop open a heavy door.
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Two, I may be attacked by a wild shark and be able to momentarily stun it by throwing the book its way while I escape. That's pretty much it. Though it deals with the mid life crisis this very wealthy man has as well as the weirdness that is hodge podge California-famous actors to housewives to donut shop owners, it didn't enlighten me any or cause any fantastic epiphanies to fly my way. So, of course, I consider that false advertising. Show Less
LibraryThing member elliepotten
I bought this book, let's face it, because it was on '3 for 2' and it had donuts on the front. It sounded, moreover, as if sweet treats and the good life was going to be a predominant theme. A simplistic approach to a purchase - but as is so often the way, I turned out to have inadvertently picked
This delicious book begins with Richard, a slightly whimsical middle-aged man, entirely cut off from the world in his little LA home bubble of muesli and trading stocks, going into hospital with sudden and excruciating pain through his whole body. On his way home at dawn, nothing apparently wrong with him, he stops on the spur of the moment at a donut shop in town where he meets Anhil, a down-to-earth man who has moved to LA to make donuts and become famous. Anhil's innocent logic and unfailing optimism quickly charm Richard and the reader, and the two become better and better friends as the novel wears on. The terrible pain has been a wakeup call for Richard to change his life - and realising that there is a sinkhole swallowing his house finally catapults him out into the LA life.
The reader cheers Richard on as his horizons widen. He meets the movie star next door and makes a friend in the process. He helps a crying woman in the grocery store and their lives entwine, both reaching for more and seeking to get back on their feet in their own ways. He rekindles his relationship with his family - his brother, his ex-wife and his teenage son. He becomes a local hero several times over for helping those in unlikely peril. He moves to Malibu while his house is teetering on the edge of destruction and opens up another channel of life, befriending his dishevelled neighbour and a beach-loving stray dog, and enrolling on retreats and gym courses to add more variety to his life. And all the while the hilarious Anhil is gleefully in the background, keeping his feet on the ground. Eventually the novel turns full circle, setting Richard in yet another impossibly bizarre situation, thus effectively highlighting how much he (and his attitude) has changed and how his life has fallen into place since the beginning.
This is a novel about grasping life with both hands, embracing people and opportunities, and becoming who you want to be rather than who people expect you to be. Although Richard has a lot of money to throw around, which perhaps dents its relevance to the reader a little, this is a sweet, funny, original and charming novel which gradually weaves its spell over the reader and may indeed save your life, if only a little donut-shaped piece of it...
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up a real gem and future favourite.This delicious book begins with Richard, a slightly whimsical middle-aged man, entirely cut off from the world in his little LA home bubble of muesli and trading stocks, going into hospital with sudden and excruciating pain through his whole body. On his way home at dawn, nothing apparently wrong with him, he stops on the spur of the moment at a donut shop in town where he meets Anhil, a down-to-earth man who has moved to LA to make donuts and become famous. Anhil's innocent logic and unfailing optimism quickly charm Richard and the reader, and the two become better and better friends as the novel wears on. The terrible pain has been a wakeup call for Richard to change his life - and realising that there is a sinkhole swallowing his house finally catapults him out into the LA life.
The reader cheers Richard on as his horizons widen. He meets the movie star next door and makes a friend in the process. He helps a crying woman in the grocery store and their lives entwine, both reaching for more and seeking to get back on their feet in their own ways. He rekindles his relationship with his family - his brother, his ex-wife and his teenage son. He becomes a local hero several times over for helping those in unlikely peril. He moves to Malibu while his house is teetering on the edge of destruction and opens up another channel of life, befriending his dishevelled neighbour and a beach-loving stray dog, and enrolling on retreats and gym courses to add more variety to his life. And all the while the hilarious Anhil is gleefully in the background, keeping his feet on the ground. Eventually the novel turns full circle, setting Richard in yet another impossibly bizarre situation, thus effectively highlighting how much he (and his attitude) has changed and how his life has fallen into place since the beginning.
This is a novel about grasping life with both hands, embracing people and opportunities, and becoming who you want to be rather than who people expect you to be. Although Richard has a lot of money to throw around, which perhaps dents its relevance to the reader a little, this is a sweet, funny, original and charming novel which gradually weaves its spell over the reader and may indeed save your life, if only a little donut-shaped piece of it...
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LibraryThing member MisterJJones
This book tries hard to be the kind of uplifting, fundamentally transforming and inspiring read that will change your life forever.Unfortunately, it tries a little too hard.
The characters are mildly entertaining, but a little too silly for my taste. The story is of a lonely man's reconnection with
The characters are mildly entertaining, but a little too silly for my taste. The story is of a lonely man's reconnection with
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life, but the plot verges from the slightly-unrealistic to the downright-stupid. I gave up after two hundred pages. It might brighten up a dull afternoon, but it won't save your life. Show Less
LibraryThing member Fantasma
This was not a good time to read this book as I had little time and it took me so long to read it, even if sometimes I just didn't want to let it go. The book deserved to be read for some hours in a row, to really enjoy all the weird stuff that it was happening all the time.
Is life and people in LA
Loved how is neighbour was almost always refered to as "the movie actor", loved the sudden appearence of Bob Dylan, loved Anhil and his doughnut shop and philosophy, loved how all the characters had so much in them and we couldn't decide if they were real or if we were reading a science fiction book ;o)
This book won't save my life but it saved Richard's and it gives me stuff to think about.
That ending leaves us wondering about so many thing. And that cover just gave me a constant crave for donuts!!! Arghhhh :op
Is life and people in LA
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really that strange? It just seemed unbelievable that so many surreal, bizarre and funny thing could happen to a single guy :) Loved how is neighbour was almost always refered to as "the movie actor", loved the sudden appearence of Bob Dylan, loved Anhil and his doughnut shop and philosophy, loved how all the characters had so much in them and we couldn't decide if they were real or if we were reading a science fiction book ;o)
This book won't save my life but it saved Richard's and it gives me stuff to think about.
That ending leaves us wondering about so many thing. And that cover just gave me a constant crave for donuts!!! Arghhhh :op
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LibraryThing member thorold
I've never been to Los Angeles, but this book describes the place very much as I would have imagined it -- possibly that is why another LT member speculates whether Homes has ever really lived there? It is the deeply-flawed California of The Loved One or The Tortilla Curtain that is being described
The satire is splendid, and I read the book with considerable pleasure (in one sitting, during a long train journey), but the plot felt a little unbalanced to me. Novak is able to solve all his problems by throwing money at them, but never seems to be any poorer as a result. In a satirical novel, you would expect that to be a vehicle for satirising the capitalism that underpins American society, but Novak is presented as a sympathetic character who becomes a better, more complete, human being, largely as a result of all this philanthropy. No-one seems to make more than a token protest when he gives them large amounts of money.
All very odd when seen from a European perspective. In an English novel, we would expect Novak's credit card to be blocked halfway through the book, forcing him to live as a lodger in his former housekeeper's spare room and redeem himself by honest toil, but here the worst thing that happens to him is that his house starts to fall down and he has to rent a beach house with only three bathrooms for a while...
Even though the final scene (stolen from E.F. Benson, but who cares?) is superb, we are left feeling rather incomplete at the end of the book. As someone else observed, Homes successfully manages to induce in the reader a craving for starchy, sugary foods of toroidal form, so perhaps it wasn't the ideal book to read on the train...
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here, not the darkly-romantic city of Raymond Chandler.The satire is splendid, and I read the book with considerable pleasure (in one sitting, during a long train journey), but the plot felt a little unbalanced to me. Novak is able to solve all his problems by throwing money at them, but never seems to be any poorer as a result. In a satirical novel, you would expect that to be a vehicle for satirising the capitalism that underpins American society, but Novak is presented as a sympathetic character who becomes a better, more complete, human being, largely as a result of all this philanthropy. No-one seems to make more than a token protest when he gives them large amounts of money.
All very odd when seen from a European perspective. In an English novel, we would expect Novak's credit card to be blocked halfway through the book, forcing him to live as a lodger in his former housekeeper's spare room and redeem himself by honest toil, but here the worst thing that happens to him is that his house starts to fall down and he has to rent a beach house with only three bathrooms for a while...
Even though the final scene (stolen from E.F. Benson, but who cares?) is superb, we are left feeling rather incomplete at the end of the book. As someone else observed, Homes successfully manages to induce in the reader a craving for starchy, sugary foods of toroidal form, so perhaps it wasn't the ideal book to read on the train...
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LibraryThing member jayne_charles
I wasn't grabbed by this for the first hundred or so pages - I didn't dislike it, but didn't entirely 'get' it. Perhaps it's a Los Angeles thing - I'm not too familiar with LA, so this was more of an eyebrow raising education. Someone who lives there would probably be laughing like a drain from the
The sheer momentum of the story took over before long and I was carried along on a tide of roller-coaster ride happenings, and the whole 'hey, whatever' vibe - common sense, caution and inhibition being cast aside (Spend the evening on the beach taking turns to talk to a stick? Send chicken stew on a two hour road trip? Yeah, no problem, whatever). All very liberating.
There was the sense of a tremendous intelligence at work here, and yet it is all done with a tremendous lightness of touch. Language is expressive but economical (...'Fred was a pretzelised man'...) and at no point does the meaningful stuff get in the way of a fast paced read.
The message is subtle but insistent - it's about connecting with people, the effects of divorce, the way in which we can all help other people with money or with time,all rather 'Big Society', and Brits on here might know what I mean by that! It's a tremendously detailed picture of Los Angeles with all its fads and weirdness, and I don't need to go there now because I feel as though I already have. The book might not have saved my life but perhaps saved me an air fare.
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start.The sheer momentum of the story took over before long and I was carried along on a tide of roller-coaster ride happenings, and the whole 'hey, whatever' vibe - common sense, caution and inhibition being cast aside (Spend the evening on the beach taking turns to talk to a stick? Send chicken stew on a two hour road trip? Yeah, no problem, whatever). All very liberating.
There was the sense of a tremendous intelligence at work here, and yet it is all done with a tremendous lightness of touch. Language is expressive but economical (...'Fred was a pretzelised man'...) and at no point does the meaningful stuff get in the way of a fast paced read.
The message is subtle but insistent - it's about connecting with people, the effects of divorce, the way in which we can all help other people with money or with time,all rather 'Big Society', and Brits on here might know what I mean by that! It's a tremendously detailed picture of Los Angeles with all its fads and weirdness, and I don't need to go there now because I feel as though I already have. The book might not have saved my life but perhaps saved me an air fare.
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LibraryThing member Dorritt
Picture the love child of Forrest Gump + "Who Moved My Cheese" + that recent Jim Carrey movie "Yes" - about a guy who decides to say yes to everything - and you pretty much get this book in a nutshell.
Wanted to find value in this book because Homes has such a good rep. But either there's something
I get the moral - that living means more than just existing - and don't dispute that it's a worthwhile message. But I'm going to stick with books like Dandelion Wine that preach the same message a lot more effectively and a whole lot more sincerely.
Wanted to find value in this book because Homes has such a good rep. But either there's something
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I'm not getting, or the emporer really is naked. This was way too gentle to be satire (even the wacky LA health camp is treated respectfully), way too silly to be taken seriously (hard to get more over-the-top than feral chihuahuas), way too psychologically preposterous to be psychologically credible (are we really supposed to believe stereotypes like "the beatnick author" and "the movie star"?), and way too simplistic to offer realistic advice - go ahead, try saying "yes" to everything and see if you get heroism and movie stars ... or creeps & trouble! I get the moral - that living means more than just existing - and don't dispute that it's a worthwhile message. But I'm going to stick with books like Dandelion Wine that preach the same message a lot more effectively and a whole lot more sincerely.
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LibraryThing member SonicQuack
'This Book' is a story that is unpredictable and pleasantly consistent at being so. The story of one man's change of lifestyle is almost as off the rails as an Hiaasen crime novel. The moments of humour strike without build-up, creating a book which is enjoyable to read; the characters are
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representative of people stuck in the grind of life, unable to be subjective; the reality checks that they encounter are usually a satirical look at modern culture. The story is simply a slice if life that encapsulates these factors in a well written punchy book. Worth a read, although it will not change your life. Show Less
LibraryThing member hotchk155
The book follows central character Richard Novak through a middle-aged reawakening from a highly successful yet lonely and frustrated existence. Starting with the onset of huge amorphous, unexplained physical pain the book continues through a series of random events and characters against the
Falling a little short of a 'Catcher in the Rye' for middle age, this is still a very good read. However I reckon A.M.Holmes could have taken a leaf out of Salinger's book by keeping it a bit shorter.
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background of a physically disintegrating Los Angeles. It is simultanously sad and uplifting, depressing and hopeful, and at times is very funny. Falling a little short of a 'Catcher in the Rye' for middle age, this is still a very good read. However I reckon A.M.Holmes could have taken a leaf out of Salinger's book by keeping it a bit shorter.
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LibraryThing member hjjugovic
Richard Novak is an unlikely hero in this strangely involving story about the perils of a detached, isolated modern life. He may indeed save your life as he shows how being willing to involve yourself in the messy, chaotic realm of Other People's Lives can enrich your life, more than it will
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complicate it. Go have a donut! Show Less
LibraryThing member shawnd
This lyrical book follows a protagonist who is a successful Southern California professional who has definitely been 'lucky in work-unlucky in love'. He goes through a late-mid-life-crisis when he has a couple of psycho-spiritual events occur. The book becomes a bit surreal and existential at
I'd recommend this for people not looking for straight up humor, and a heavier book that would be guessed by a book cover with donuts. Something for everyone looking for vignettes of Southern California living, mid-life crises, evolution of spirit in a man, and a return to resolution between father and son. Thought-provoking and evocative.
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times, and it's wonderful to see a female author writing primarily about men and really nail it. At times whimsical, the book definitely passes along the flavor of life that can be had in Southern California if one is independently wealthy and not particularly exciting/needful of constant social interaction. As the book progresses, it gets both more obviously and tritely symbolic--the man's yard has a mysterious unexplained sinkhole enlarging as the whole in his Self is further explored--as well as more focused on real-life plot events that culminate in a breath-taking scene worthy of any action drama movie. I'd recommend this for people not looking for straight up humor, and a heavier book that would be guessed by a book cover with donuts. Something for everyone looking for vignettes of Southern California living, mid-life crises, evolution of spirit in a man, and a return to resolution between father and son. Thought-provoking and evocative.
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LibraryThing member Fluffyblue
This book surprised me! I suppose I didn't know what to expect from it from its title, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It's a while since I read it, and as I've given it away now I can't flick through it to recall anything, but I found it very funny in parts, well written and easily read. I loved all
It's a while since I read it, and as I've given it away now I can't flick through it to recall anything, but I found it very funny in parts, well written and easily read. I loved all
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the characters; the main character seemingly going from one mishap to another, but winning out in the end. I wonder if LA is really like the book says? I suspect that some of it is...! Show Less
LibraryThing member Libbeth
I can't pin down what it was about this book that I found so haunting, and I'm sure one of the many other reviewers will have expressed it better, so I won't try.
I intended to keep this book as a re-read but I swapped it on "Read It Swap It", having decided that, with so many books in the world, my
I intended to keep this book as a re-read but I swapped it on "Read It Swap It", having decided that, with so many books in the world, my
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possible re-reads should be kept to a bare minimum. Show Less
LibraryThing member dreamreader
A.M. Homes has been a favorite since "Music for Torching". She has a gift for satyrizing stereotypical characters confronted with atypical situations, while keeping it all on the precipice of believability. "This Book..." opens with Richard (don't call me Dick) Novack - divorced, middle-aged and
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financially free - experiencing an epiphany after a scare with a mystery illness. Richard has spent his past several years glued to his computer screen managing his investments, while his housekeeper, nutritionist, and personal trainer manage his personal needs. He is as removed from social intercourse as anyone in LA could manage to be, until the illness and an emerging sink-hole on his property change his life. A chance meeting with a woman crying in the produce department at Ralph's, the rescue of a horse from the sink-hole, a stop at an out-of-the way donut shop, a trespassing trash-picker, and a stray dog all lead to funny and lasting relationships which Richard greedily invites into his empty life. Offstage, Richard's estranged teenage son Ben is en route for a visit with the father he despises for his neglect. The book plays in your mind like the multilayered movies about LA life - Crash, Laurel Canyon, for example - and could easily be adapted to screen. But enjoy it in your mind - it's a trip worth taking. Show Less
LibraryThing member nigeyb
Absolutely loved it - though I was a bit unsure about the ending. A real delight - and quite inspirational too.
LibraryThing member dhelicious
When I bought this book It was kind of interesting the cover alone will pique your interest. I first thought what would be in donuts that could actually help save a life but then again in the end it wasn't the donuts at all.
This book is engaging, interesting and funny. A story of a man rich enough
housewife, helps a horse, rescues a woman from the trunk of a kidnapper, lost his home, finds out the truth about his son Ben and being brought back in closer with his family.
A good read.
This book is engaging, interesting and funny. A story of a man rich enough
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to buy a house out of whim in LA. Perfectionist in a way, he was diverted to think about his current life after suffering from a mid life panic attack crisis. A day by day journal of Mr. Richard Novak who meets a donut shop owner, a weepinghousewife, helps a horse, rescues a woman from the trunk of a kidnapper, lost his home, finds out the truth about his son Ben and being brought back in closer with his family.
A good read.
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LibraryThing member judithann
Richard is very rich and does not do much but hang around the house buying and selling shares every now and then. He only sees his housekeeper, his nutritionist, and his trainer. He is very detached from his family (divorced, son lives far away with his ex-wife).
Then one day, he is in great pain
His house almost ends up in a hole, his actor-neighbour rescues a horse from the hole (by helicopter), he rents a different house, his son finally comes and visits, and they become a real father/son team. Meanwhile he also meets a woman in a shop who becomes his friend and moves in with him for a short while, but there is no love relationship. In a way, he recues her from too much family (so, the opposite situation from him), always running around for her husband and sons.
Richard spends an awful lot of money on his house and the rented house, on his son and his new friends, hotelrooms and spas. At the end of the story he must be quite a bit less rich (his shares have not done too well either), he is floating in the sea (rather than living high up on a hill!), but instead of having very little contact with other people, he now is back in touch with his family, and has made several friends along the way.
A very good read.
Then one day, he is in great pain
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all over his body and ends up in hospital. On the way back from hospital, he buys some donuts (although he normally only eats what his nutritionist prepares for him), and befriends the donut shopkeeper.His house almost ends up in a hole, his actor-neighbour rescues a horse from the hole (by helicopter), he rents a different house, his son finally comes and visits, and they become a real father/son team. Meanwhile he also meets a woman in a shop who becomes his friend and moves in with him for a short while, but there is no love relationship. In a way, he recues her from too much family (so, the opposite situation from him), always running around for her husband and sons.
Richard spends an awful lot of money on his house and the rented house, on his son and his new friends, hotelrooms and spas. At the end of the story he must be quite a bit less rich (his shares have not done too well either), he is floating in the sea (rather than living high up on a hill!), but instead of having very little contact with other people, he now is back in touch with his family, and has made several friends along the way.
A very good read.
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LibraryThing member saucyhp
Although I liked the sound of this book, I found it quite hard going. I was interested in the story of Richard and how he changes but I felt quite detached from the story. Maybe I just found it too American, I'm not sure but it just didn't draw me in.
LibraryThing member Cinelle
A man wakes up from his very protective life he had closed himself in. He then discovers overwhelming feelings, some painful, some joyful, but all very strong. Many interesting characters and so, so american....
LibraryThing member unlikelyaristotle
Another book I bought because I liked the cover and the title intrigued me, I wanted to defy it (I had the donut covers, yum).
It's a pretty good story. I liked the style, which I don't usually like. It's not preachy, but at the same time you reevaluate the priorities of the life we live in. I was
It's a pretty good story. I liked the style, which I don't usually like. It's not preachy, but at the same time you reevaluate the priorities of the life we live in. I was
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told that this was similar to the Bonfire of the Vanities, so that's on my list of books to read as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member jwcooper3
Flawlessly written. A story of breaking the walls, literally and figuratively, of a human 'doing' existance to transform into a human being. Homes characters are down to the bone real, complete with phobias, flaws, joys and life experiences that will touch every reader.
LibraryThing member the_answer_is
I am only halfway through, but it is obvious this book was written by someone who hasn't lived in Los Angeles. It grips to the stereotypes, that living in the city will suck your soul and you will become a consumer junkie. Even though this irked me, its quite a page turner! Can't say that A.M.
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Homes doesn't know how to write. Show Less
LibraryThing member ALLLGooD
This book had me laughing at the most random things. I think I was laughing at the wrong parts, though. The book was entertaining to read, but disappointed me in the end. It is consistent with the tone of the genre, I guess.
LibraryThing member nkmunn
Unique among its peers ! A study in contrasts and changing perspectives - totally captures the way Californians can (and do) incorporate perfect strangers into their lives .
Another reviewer commented on the dreamlike 'progress' of the the plot and the OTT imagery - I agree that surreal quality
Another reviewer commented on the dreamlike 'progress' of the the plot and the OTT imagery - I agree that surreal quality
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buoys the work immeasurably . Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
380 p.; 5.08 inches
ISBN
1862079331 / 9781862079335
Similar in this library
DDC/MDS
| 813.54 |