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1.0 out of 5 stars
Very Disappointing, 2 Aug 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Junk Male (Paperback)
Well, I'm lost for words. I read The Feng Shui Junkie and found it absolutely one of the funniest & most entertaining books. Naturally, I was waiting with baited breath for Junk Male .... and now I wish I hadn't. The write-up sounded promising - crap bloke trying to make good, little white lies, wrong end of the stick-type stuff, havoc ensuing etc. However, the book became farcical, unbelieveable and, quite simply, ridiculous and frustrating to read. The characters just don't gel, they are classic sit-com, over the top parodies of themselves, not remotely resembling normal human beings at all. At times, it is so bad it makes you want to throw the book across the room. I think this would have been better written as a play, but as a book - you can see the punchlines coming a mile away - you can even see them being set up in some instances! It's a shame - the basic premise of the book was good. It just doesn't work this time around. Don't let it put you off The Feng-Shui Junkie though.
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1.0 out of 5 stars
junk male ?? - junk novel more like !!, 5 Feb 2012
I cannot believe just how bad this book really is and to be perfectly frank, just how a publisher can commission such a publication which is just utter drivel. I don't want to court controversy but, no.... wait a minute, for once, I want to be objectionable and DO want to court controversy. I'm male and thought the outline looked promising. However, I hadn't realised that this was what my wife calls 'chick-lit' - and written by a man - and if this is indicative of that genre, I believe it's an effront to the majority of women, who quite rightly, deserve a better quality read than this inane drivel. Unless, I am so out of touch that it IS what women want to read ?
The novel's premise is sound, twenty-somethings musicians, married to each other, Ellen, the wife, a classical pianist and teacher; Joel (Joseph) the husband, a jazz saxophonist, unemployed and going from gig to gig. She wants a baby, he's unsure. So she tells him she's pregnant, but she isn't. He believes her.
Ellen is the daughter of a renowned pianist and conductor who passed away 12 months ago. Surprisingly, both Ellen and Joel live 'hand to mouth' yet both can still go out and spend money 'willy-nilly' on all sorts, you name it - despite only having a 2,000 Euros savings account - which Joel has blown and doesn't want Ellen to ascertain .. just yet. Absolutely preposterous!
There then follows such scenarios that are quite simply unbelievably farcical. Joel gets a cheque from his businessman father for 10, 000 Euros on which he wants to draw the cash in an instant. This son of a businesman is so unknowing of the world that he doesn't realise he has to let the cheque clear!
Ellen, dries her hair with a blow dryer yet, in the next sentence she leaves her hair damp, 'so as to give her a sultry look'.
Another character drives a drunken Joel back to the marital home but, then escorts another perfectly sober character, Myles (a habitual womaniser who is taken with Ellen) back home - or wherever he is going - in a taxi.
I could go on ad infinitum................
The most astounding thing is why, this final draft ever got to a final draft. It should have gone directly to the recycling bin. I'm very sorry Mr. Gallagher, I do not have a very high opinion of your novel.
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