Winner of the 2003 Man Booker Prize.

From the publisher:

Fifteen-year-old Vernon Gregory Little is in trouble, and it has something to do with the recent massacre of sixteen students at his high school. News of the tragedy serves as open invitations to the media and soon the quirky backwater of Martirio is flooded with wannabe CNN hacks all too keen to lay claim to their fifteen minutes, and lay the blame for the killings at Vernon's feet. Eulalio Ledesma, in particular, sniffs out the opportunity to make good at Vernon's expense and as the media net tightens, Vernon finds himself drawn into a series of increasingly bizarre circumstances. Eventually, with the LSD safely diluted in the ginseng, and essential travel funds procured from a distasteful tradeoff with old Mr. Deutschman, he succumbs to the workings of Fate and takes off for Mexico and a date -- or so he hopes -- with the divine Taylor Figueroa.

This is going on a bookring.

Please observe regular bookring etiquette rules: journal the book when you receive it, read it within 4-6 weeks, pm for the address of the next person and send it off!

Thanks!


eriko1908 (USA) *
may-eve (USA) *
bookmanu (Portugal) *
Wilmar (The Netherlands) *
martinburo (Germany) *
vicar-of-dibley (Scotland) *
Fiery-Fairy (Wales)
lily43 (Australia)
cestmoi (Canada)

Mailed out today to eriko1908 as the first stop in an international bookring.

I didn't know if I would finish this novel at first...its very different from anything else I've ever read. Very raw, very dark and sordid..that's a good word for it.

Vernon Gregory Little is a young man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and has a mother who cares more about getting her new fridge than getting her son out of the trouble he finds himself in.

As Vernon does all he knows how to do to based on his poor upbringing and from watching movies, he gets himself deeper and deeper into trouble.

How does he get out it...? Rather cleverly. If he was so smart all along why'd he wait til (literally) the last minute?

Enjoy!!!

This bookring arrived in the mail today...I can't wait to get started reading it...too bad I'm at work until 5!!! Thanks for sharing this one cestmoi!! :o)

What a tale!! I first started reading this one and I was taken aback with the vulgar language used, and then I realized that this would be completely in character & the story would be greatly lacking if it were written any differently. This story was such a huge tragedy!! (I do not understand how it is classified as a comedy). I am amazed that Vernon was able to go through so much and remain standing! I believe I would have just given up. I guess when you believe that justice will prevail it will carry you quite some distance! Thank you for sharing this one cestmoi - I enjoyed it! I will be mailing this one to may-eve in Oregon on Monday. Hope everybody enjoys!! :o)

Just got this in the mail, and will start reading this week. Thank you!

I received it today. Thanks cestmoi for making it available in a bookring and may-eve for mailing it to me.

There are two rings ahead of this one, but I promise to have it out within the time limit.

I'm looking forward to reading this book! Especially since it was recommended to me by a good friend of mine some time back.

Jeehoo! Found in my mailbox, just now (thanks bookmanu!).

I wanted to read this book because two persons in my real live bookclub read it, and I'd like to discuss with them. I don't think it's a book that I should have picked all by myself, though... But, we shall see!

You'll hear from me.
(I'm going to start this one right after I've finished my current read.)

I finished this book on Christmas eve. I picked that date well don't you think? Because after all this story does end positive.

The first half of the book I could only think: what an awful story is this, how cynical, how sad and how unfair! I decided to look up how the story would end, because a book like this combined with a bad ending is just not my thing, and in that case I think I would have decided to quit reading. But luckily in the end justice finally comes around.

I was really captivated by this story, because of the feelings it gave me (despair, sadness and then finally happiness). DBC Pierre really has got a great talent, and I'm looking forward to his other books.
I was not disturbed by Vernon Little's 'rude' language. Through all of that you can still see that he is a good (but maybe a bit naive) person. I loved the character of Pam, because she seems the only one who cares about Vernon.
Downright funny was the part where Vernons mum tries to kill herself by sitting in front of an oven. An electric oven!
Funny detail: the name 'Ledesma' (I can't imagine it sounded Mexican to anyone of you) is a Dutch name. Ahum.

Okay I'm going to end this chaotically journal entry. I hope I made clear that I expected a difficult read that I would not like in the end, and it finally turned out to be a wonderful read that definitely gained a place in my Top Five Books of the Year 2004.

Thank you cestmoi for sharing. The book will continue its voyage later on this week, when I will send it to martinburo in Germany.

Thank you Wilma and cestmoi. I generally like Booker Prize winners, and after such a positive review by Wilma I am looking forward to reading it. I have almost finished my current book, so I think I will start it this week.

The first 90 pages I found neither funny nor entertaining, in fact, I found them dull. I almost stopped reading there. I didn't and the book did pick up a bit afterwards, and I agree with Wilmar in so far that the book is somewhat redeemed by having a happy ending, but all in all I was still disappointed with this book. I know it's a satire, and that this involves exaggeration, but not to the point where the story is about terrapins rather than human beings (thank you, E.M. Forster, for that metaphore). I think society in the USA has many ridiculous qualities, but I think one could profitably make a satire out of this by describing them the way they are, rather than making them seem harmless by turning them into the circus of this book.

it was here when i arrived at work this morning if there wasn't some of the muslim dr's in the chapel praying i'd lock myself in there and begin it right away

Interesting, the language didn't bother me one bit. Culturally it was very different. Liked the satire. Not something I would have bought in a shop but glad i was in on this ring to get a taste of something different.
I've pm'd FireyFairy in Wales so now just waiting for an address to send it on to
No response from FireyFairy in Wales so have tried the next person on the list lily43 in Australia
No response from lily43 so will pm c'estmoi so the book is on it's way home after a shorter journey than expected

Posted to c'est moi today

Home again home again, jiggety jig. This just arrived today. Thanks to everyone who participated.

Thank you vicar-of-dibley for the postcard :)

I passed this along to Ottawabill today while brunching with him and his friend. He is going to take it back to Ottawa and release it somewhere for me.

Thanks Bill.

caught this over the weekend from cestmoi....the write-ups sound interesting, so onto the TBR pile it goes.