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Fascinating Book

Initially, I was put off by the first twenty-five pages of neurotic interior monologue, then I warmed up to the voice. It helped that I'm a University of Michigan graduate and could relate to the streets, landmarks, college major, etc. Again, I grew to enjoy the voice of this book, the picaresque nature of the work, however, I felt a bit cheated by the ending, as if the end was a gimmick. It's almost two books, the beginning and middle; then the very end. I get how the ending is meant to work (and,it really does with the title), but, I guess, I would have preferred a book that was a little more subtle. Ultimately, I do not think the ending fits this particular book, it detracts from what I feel is a very good first three-quarters. The book should be a meandering through this guy's psyche and end with some kind of subtle realization, not the flamboyant, Hollywood pyrotechnics of the end of days. I just don't think that is what this book is ultimately about.

Overwritten

The idea is very good and the ending befitting. But it is way too long; it would have been better as a long story or short novel. In fact I think Hynes has never fully recaptured the brilliance with which he used that format in "Publish and Perish".

Rather disappointing

I seldom read fiction but the review in the NYT was piqued my interest. The plot is "One day in the life of ..." Actually, it amounts to only a few hours.
I found the characters one dimensional. The hero, if you can call him that, seemed never to have had a clue and never would. Simply someone who bounced from one girl/woman to another. His little mid-life crush on a twenty-something and the adventures he had stalking her were a bit contrived and I found them to be unbelievable even after suspending belief.
The ending, which was supposed to be so riveting, was spoiled by all the flash backs and fantasizing that had gone on before. I was more involved in trying to figure out if it was another fantasy or whether it was supposed to be real. Rather than absorbed by the narration, which the review promised, I found myself skimming more and more just to find out if my hunch was correct. This, of course, spoiled the ending for me completely.
Sorry, not my cup of tea.

Your Next Book?

This tedious tale of a man's day, with every detail, every thought, every incident, reminds us how boring the trivia of daily existence is. It's very hard to slog through someone else's boredom, and James Hynes does not help the reader in this task. Yet, due to Janet Maslin's review, I persevered to the end, and saw that Hynes had a final point of view which he wanted us to witness. Was it worth it to slog through to that point? Not for me, I would have settled for a short story making the same points!

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