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Liked It “The London Review of Books is quoted on the dust jacket as calling this book "hilarious". I found myself wondering if that was a twisted joke. There were bits of humor ---- interjected between depressing yet honest descriptions of struggle, abuse, and injustice that I may never be able to fully...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It“Disturbing and hard to read. Made me think of the murder of a friend by a mentally unstable man. I had little sympathy for him, but it helped me understand somewhat what a person like this might be going through.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“Disturbing and hard to read. Made me think of the murder of a friend by a mentally unstable man. I had little sympathy for him, but it helped me understand somewhat what a person like this might be going through.”
Bewicks W wrote this review Saturday, November 21 2009. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“The London Review of Books is quoted on the dust jacket as calling this book "hilarious". I found myself wondering if that was a twisted joke. There were bits of humor ---- interjected between depressing yet honest descriptions of struggle, abuse, and injustice that I may never be able to fully comprehend.”
Kim K wrote this review Wednesday, November 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Fascinating, cleverly written, and heartbreaking. The author writes about his acquaintance (and later friend) Stuart - a chronically homeless, alcoholic, mentally ill man. Masters tries to figure out how Stuart came to be in the gutter of society, and looks at his past and from where he came. As Stuart's history comes to light, it becomes horrifyingly clear that he was subjected to terrible abuse and neglect and no one came to his rescue despite his pleas for help. Stuart's is a story about how the system can utterly fail someone - anyone - and how the consequences can be dire.
emilysk wrote this review Friday, November 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Stuart's story particularly affected me because many of the patients I care for at the county hospital are homeless, addicted, mentally ill, in jail, etc. This book was a good reminder that people in those circumstances often were dealt an impossible hand early in life and have had no way to rise above it. ”
“This book was given to me by a friend. It's brillliant. A description of a troubled life through a description of a friendship and the challenging attempt to write about it. Gets you in touch with the fact that things get off the track for a reason and sometimes they cannot be repaired. ”
antigone m wrote this review Thursday, October 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“You can only begin to imagine the struggle to get off the streets”
MOODY1969 wrote this review Friday, July 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Perhaps the humor (claims by reviewers on the cover) has somehow escaped me. I really did not enjoy this book nor the cartoon drawings reminiscent of old New Yorker magazine artwork. Just a book that did not strike me as interesting or enjoyable.”
julie wrote this review Friday, January 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A fascinating look at the life of a homeless man.”
Paul wrote this review Monday, May 19 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is a definite favorite -- a biography of Stuart, a homeless man in Oxford, England, told pretty much backwards. We're introduced to him as he is late in his life, and through the book we deconstruct the reasons (in his past, in the system, in his mind, etc.) why he turned out the way he did. I'm a pretty strong believer in the idea that many of our behaviors have situational causes, and I think this book illustrates that idea well... It's interesting, and a quick-ish read, too.”
Leslie T wrote this review Wednesday, April 9 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“what to say...this is an exemplary book. What a biography!!! Masters has truly captivated the reader in a genre which rarely captivates!! A wonderful part is that he blended the tragedy of Stuart's life with comedy in a very easygoing manner - making it a gem!”
Kushal V wrote this review Monday, December 17 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“The most unbelievable book ever. It draws you and in grabs your attention. I love the insight it gives into the fact that being homeless is a completely different world from ours”
hardcovercafe wrote this review Saturday, August 11 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
