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The Contortionist's Handbook
 
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The Contortionist's Handbook (Paperback)

by Craig Clevenger (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 220 pages
  • Publisher: MacAdam/Cage Publishing, Incorporated (24 Sep 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1931561486
  • ISBN-13: 978-1931561488
  • Product Dimensions: 22.1 x 15 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 864,645 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'A dazzling and highly original debut novel which instantly establishes its author as one of the most interesting writers to emerge in years. This book deserves to be massive and I think it will be.' Irvine Welsh 'What sticks out about this remarkable debut are its pitch-perfect shock ending and John Vincent himself -- his complex, conflicting mind, original voice and unnervingly self-defeating existence.' Time Out 'Craig Clevenger has crafted an unforgettable antihero in John Dolan Vincent. This is an extraordinary debut.' Richard Kelly, director of Donnie Darko 'Clevenger has created a manic monologist whose paranoia-inducing world pulls you in completely.' Seattle Times 'Clevenger's talent is revealed in his ability to create a true testament to the resilience of the human spirit.' USA Today 'Immaculately detailed and emotionally explosive: this is rolling, riveting stuff' Kirkus Reviews [starred] --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Irvine Welsh, Guardian

'an utterly persuasive and compelling novel, combining zest and enthusiasm...with the craft and guile of a veteran.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars a concise summary of the contortionists handbook, 2 May 2005
This review is from: The Contortionist's Handbook (Hardcover)
BUY THIS BOOK IF:
You have any interest in psychiatric or psychological matters
You like masses of detail
You like masculine, relatively unemotional biographies
You enjoy books which start in the present and then explain what happened to get to that point.
You have an interest in drug culture
You would rather be left to think at the end of the book than have all the loose ends neatly tied up. This book ends in a mess of ends.

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK IF:
You like books which start in the present and continue along a standard time scale of chapter 1: two days later, chapter 5: next month, etc.
You like lots of emotions in your books
You cannot handle very long, very detailed sentences
You like books which 'go somewhere' and finish in a very different place to where they started.

The story of a man who constantly changes identites in order to escape from various authorities. he is actually running away from many things, including his past and a dozen authorities all over america. After his fifth overdose, psychiatrists cannot figure out whether it was a suicide attempt or not. As the psychiatrist takes 'Daniel' through the interview, 'Daniel' (or John, or Steven, or Eric, whoever he is today) takes the reader through his life story to how he got where he is.

Good page-turner.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Clever Clevenger!, 26 Sep 2006
By Cazza (Manchester, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Contortionist's Handbook (Paperback)
What a fantastic read! Chuck Palaniuck's recommendation caught my eye and was enough for me to snap this up! I'm glad I did! The novel follows the antics of Daniel Fletcher, a man who is constantly changing his identity. He is so good at it that he can fool anyone and everyone, even the authorities and the psychiatrist brought in to analyse him. He is a great character and Clevenger writes the part so well.
His conversations with the psychiatrist are particularly captivating as he is able to anticipate every move, every gesture and every question posed to him. Clevenger is a stickler for the smallest details and that's what makes him a great writer - I'm sure he could write about fly-fishing and I'd be equally fixated!
I loved it from start to finish. Short, but extremely sweet.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book, 20 Oct 2003
By M Stacy (Leeds, West Yorkshire) - See all my reviews
Chuck Palahniuk says (on the cover) something like 'This is the best book I've read in five years, maybe even ten'

I have to agree. This is an amazing debut. It's a perfect rollercoaster of a book! Every peak and trough is placed exactly right. It'll grab you and even when you finish it'll stay with you. You will miss your stop if you read it on public transport. You will want to stay off work to finish it.

How good is this book really? It's one of those rare books that you'd spend your own money buying numerous copies of to give to other people.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Eloquent and enjoyable
It would be an undeserved slight to describe Clevenger's style as derivative, but his gritty narrative puts one in mind of a film noir voice-over. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mark Hurst

1.0 out of 5 stars Contortionism is painful
Many people seem to have loved this book, so it's got to have something to it - however, it just didn't work for me. Read more
Published 11 months ago by booksy

3.0 out of 5 stars Alright if you have a short memory
After seeing the huge accolade from Chuck Palahnuik on the cover I wasn't sure about this as I'm not a particular fan of his, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would - great... Read more
Published 11 months ago by A. Furse

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping & Twisted
I loved this book, I'd become disillusioned by a number of books I'd read before this but this got me loving books again. Read more
Published 18 months ago by S. Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Debut Novel in Years
There's more than meets the eye to this novel. From the first sentence, "I can count my overdoses on one hand. Read more
Published on 27 Oct 2007 by Alex Martin

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable effort but you sense more is to come from this author
The Contortionists' Handbook is clearly well regarded by some of the more cutting edge writers of our generation. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2006 by Mr. A. P. Rose

5.0 out of 5 stars A Memorable Debut
Scooting through some of the current reviews I found myself feeling incredibly defensive about this book - a sign that the characters got under my skin. Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2006 by S. Ballinger

5.0 out of 5 stars Impossible to put down
What if you not only could--but had to--walk away from your life and identity over and over again? Chuck Palahniuk loved this book, and it's easy to see why. Read more
Published on 14 Jun 2006 by expatina

4.0 out of 5 stars A good, fast, read
This is a page-turner. It isn't going to change your life, but it will pass some time.
I recommend it to anyone looking for a book to read during a flight or on the beach... Read more
Published on 6 May 2005 by poodle121

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - looking forward to his next
I picked up this book to read a page or two and next thing I knew half an hour had passed me by.
It's very well written. Read more
Published on 22 April 2005

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