Photo de l'auteur
4 oeuvres 79 utilisateurs 34 critiques

A propos de l'auteur

Marc Schuster teaches writing, Literature and Film, American Literature, and Creative Nonfiction at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

Œuvres de Marc Schuster

Étiqueté

Partage des connaissances

Sexe
male

Membres

Critiques

In a run-down Philadelphia suburb, a divorced mother is trying to hold it together for her two daughters. But the girls are a lot of work, her job stinks, and her ex-hubbie’s new wife makes her insane. Salvation appears in the form of white powder–at least until addiction sets in. From this sad set-up emerges what could be the funniest and smartest ‘say-no-to-drugs’ book ever written.
 
Signalé
michaeladelberg | 16 autres critiques | Feb 16, 2014 |
Cette critique a été écrite dans le cadre des Critiques en avant-première de LibraryThing.
Unfortunately, this book wasn't written to my taste. Rather than judge it unfairly, I'll just say that I wasn't able to finish it. Sorry.
 
Signalé
cemming | 16 autres critiques | Dec 3, 2012 |
Cette critique a été écrite dans le cadre des Critiques en avant-première de LibraryThing.
I thought this book was an interesting one. It does have its potential to be a dark comedy-of-errors indie movie, if such a thing were to be made.

Charley himself is a character with a whole lot of flaws, most of it involving believing his old prep-school chums acted like their 16 year old (crazy) selves rather than their current (if not slightly boring) adult selves. Add to the fact that he tries to have them help out in remembering a fellow classmate who all but committed suicide by jumping off a bridge sometime after a New Year's Eve party.

My feelings for Charley flip-flopped throughout the book. Part of me wanted to feel sorry for the guy stuck in a thankless job as a mascot for a bank, but also wanted to smack him upside the head and tell him to get his priorities straight and realize that maybe these old prep school friends probably don't want to remember Billy Chin as the same person that Charley wants to remember him (even if those memories are fleeting and far between).

Was it all the bullying he had endured through his days at the prep-school? Probably, but no one seems to have figured out why (although it seemed his parents (i.e. his mother) were willing to accept the fact that he was "sick") or what they could've done to stop him during his prep-school days (although he probably didn't want any help at all).
… (plus d'informations)
½
 
Signalé
saint_kat | 16 autres critiques | Jun 27, 2012 |
Cette critique a été écrite dans le cadre des Critiques en avant-première de LibraryThing.
In The Grievers, Marc Schuster introduces us to Charley Schwartz, a nearing 30 graduate of a prestigious prep school who seems not to have done much with his life since high school, and is clearly suffering significant angst in the face of that lack. Charley's primary relationships still seem to be with a motley crew of high school classmates, and the book opens with Charley learning that the recent death of one of these "friends" was a suicide. The narrative follows Charley as he spearheads, and gradually looses control of, a memorial service/fundraiser in honor of his fallen friend. This slim volume is a quick read, but overall, I'm not sure that it's worth it. Charley is a singularly unlikable narrator, and his sudden progress in the last couple of chapters feels fake and forced in the face of the outstandingly immature behavior that precedes it. While both his wife and Neil, his best friend, make more charming characters, it is unclear why either of them puts up with Charley at all, and indeed, while it is clear that we are meant to see these two relationships as the most important things in Charley's life, they seem flimsy and foundation-less without any background or real tenderness to support their strength. In fact, throughout, almost all the relationships seem one dimensional and shallow, and the author fails to convince me that such a group of people could have remained friends for so long. Overall, this attempt at moving the coming-of-age novel out of high school to face the protracted adolescence of the current generation fell flat. I just wasn't impressed.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
pursuitofsanity | 16 autres critiques | Jun 22, 2012 |

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi

Auteurs associés

Statistiques

Œuvres
4
Membres
79
Popularité
#226,897
Évaluation
3.2
Critiques
34
ISBN
9

Tableaux et graphiques